Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Project Managers Will Your Job Be Outsourced

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Project Managers Will Your Job Be Outsourced In a recent CIO Magazine article, Moira Alexander of Conture Business Advisors points out that an in-house PMO isn’t a foregone conclusion. Depending on your industry, type or size of business, and the specifics of your organization, your CIO might consider outsourcing the project management function to be a sensible move. What are some of the signs that your company might go in this direction, and what can you do to save your role? Low Staffing Levels Alexander says that many businesses do not have adequate staffing levels for one or more employees to solely focus onmanaging projects. You, your team, and other existing resources may already be overextended and only able to focus efforts on the daily operational duties that keep the business afloat. If you’ve been running around like crazy doing the work of three peoplefor as long as you can remember, this scenario might apply. Shortage of Experienced Staff We all know that project management is not an easy skill set to hire. You might have it, but do others in your company? Alexander comments that outsourcing may make sense if internal team members do not have the PM experience and/or training to effectively take a project from inception to closeout. Lack of specialized expertise in a particular area may be a factor as well. Cash Flow Issues In all industries and types of organizations, budgets are shrinking. It may be more costly to find, hire, and train project management staff than to find a vendor who can offer similar services on a per-project basis. Business Model Decisions Today’s business world is constantly in flux, and if your company experiences a re-organization or a shift in its business model, senior leadership may not be sure where an internal PMO will fit. Alexander says, for instance, that if the majority of your projects are of the one-off or ad-hoc variety, it may be more cost-effective and less of an administrative burden to outsource. For my case against outsourcing, head over to the QuickBase Fast Track blog.