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Now and then, posts on LinkedIn surface that discuss the potential of finally establishing “Lean” within an organization by creating a Project Management Organization (a “PMO”) that only runs “Lean projects”, such as pilot projects and the like, in order to finally get this Lean thing done.
Oof. It sounds so neat, so clean, so clear-cut. Reality, however, can look rather different.
Establishing such a “Lean PMO” is a trap in the long run; not only a trap for the organization, but also a career trap for those within the PMO.
I worked in such a department; it was all very interdisciplinary, very exciting. I loved the work, the amazing access to pretty much every corner of the organization, the intellectual aspects of it, the collaboration needed to get people outside of the “PMO” to work with you regardless of the zero power distance, etc.
However, there was one big downside.
The downside is you get to witness first-hand how some “classical management” folks (as Bob Emiliani would call them) can play an active role against the organization’s best interests, as Lean threatens seniority-based role prestige, established power distance, and the status quo in general. Excitement can turn into disillusionment rather quickly.
Also, as long as something that crucial is assigned to a single role or “office” or department or team, a “mental escape hatch” is created that allows everyone else to point the finger at its direction for all topics related to continuous improvement / Lean. Something related to Lean doesn’t work as the hype had led people to believe? Blame the PMO. Etc.
In my experience, a “Lean PMO” setup is an OK idea for a few “surgical strikes” within a handful of years, but the mindset and principles need to become part of the organization; and this is not a project, but a rather different endeavor.
The prime directive of a “Lean office” should be to make itself redundant ASAP; but who in a corporation wants to be part of a team/department that pursues to deprecate itself as soon as possible? Not very enticing for most people pursuing a corporate career.
Additionally, I’ve seen that wearing the hat of a product manager leads to better outcomes, by following 7 principles that amplify change and improvement initiatives
Of course, as with anything to do with organizations, YMMV.
