The PMO's Tenth Knowledge Area: Project Behavioral Change Management

Presentation Description

By the PMBOK definition, “a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” How can a successful endeavor be undertaken without change in behavior? That is, how can a PMO establish an effective project management methodology without considering process changes? Without the workforce and end users/customers understanding their new roles and responsibilities? Or without the organization bearing in mind restructuring or organizational structure modifications required for new product, service, or result adoption? The PMO can use Project Behavioral Change Management methodology to address these four change areas: process, workforce, customer, and organization structure. Today, as we consider how important it is to define the change for those impacted; let’s focus on the PMO coaching project managers to manage workforce and customers/end-user behavioral change needs.  

PMO’s can require project managers to initiate projects with a project definition that contains the change vision and mission statements, goals, and deliverables and a Stakeholder Behavioral Change Analysis. By requiring a Behavioral Change Management Plan as a planning process, the PMO can review readiness assessments for the affected workgroups and impacted customers/end-users. The assessments are ideal tools to evaluate training needed for project managers to develop a Workforce Development Plan and to design change communications for the Communications Management Plan. To plan and manage the workforce and customers/end-users’ understanding, acceptance and adoption of the change, the PMO establishes the Resistance Management Plan process for project managers. From initiation to closure, project managers optimize, monitor, and control behavioral change using the PMO instituted Performance Metrics Management Plan. Now, as project managers execute their project management plan, the behavioral change is implemented. Wow!! Now the PMO can institute these processes as a Project Behavioral Change Management methodology.

About the Presenter

Marilyn D. Varnado, PMP, SCPM, SAPM, MPA, Director, Project Management in Oracle Corporation’s Customer Services is a hands-on senior leader in establishing PMOs and coaching project management, behavioral change management, and quality management for twenty years with a long list of certifications in all areas to include a Six Sigma Black Belt, Prosci Change Management, and Stanford University Advance Project Management Certification in Organizational Mastery. Truly a practitioner, Marilyn has solid PMO leadership and management experience focusing on systems implementation, customer service, program & portfolio management, & change management with BEA Systems, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Cisco Systems, and Kaiser Permanente. She lead global and enterprise initiatives while providing team mentoring, developing and delivering training programs, and providing strategic leadership coaching. Training programs included PMI certified PMP Preparation Certification, instructing over 1,000 PMs with a 98.6% passing rate and training Change Networks, Change Leaders, and People Change Management Teams. She has been a project management instructor at Golden Gate University and California State University, Eastbay. Marilyn holds a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Statistical Analysis from San Francisco State University.

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