The Complete PMO

1. The Complete PMO Chapter 13 - Mentoring

3. Mentoring Imparting PM art and science by transferring a mentor's knowledge, skills, experience, leadership techniques, business values, and professional ethics to prot�g�s in the project environment.

4. PMO Mentoring Responsibility The PMO does not typically provide mentoring; it establishes a process to aid mentoring by senior PM personnel to apprentices in the PM environment. Promote the use of PM best practices. Endorse professional development standards through mentor qualification. Identify mentoring opportunities advantageous to business and project purposes. Provide quick-response, expert guidance to support real-time PM needs. Facilitate introduction of new project managers through recruitment and advancement. Build confidence and camaraderie among project managers and project team members.

6. Mentoring Activities across the PMO Continuum The PMO is the primary motivator in establishing a PM mentoring program. Project Office � Primary user of mentoring services provided by a higher level PMO, an outsourcing PM mentor, or senior project manager internal to the relevant organization. Mid-range PMO � Design and establish a mentoring support program that migrates from fundamental PM capability mentoring to dedicated and personalized mentoring of all existing and potential project managers. Center of Excellence � Develops, recommends, and implements policy for PM mentoring, including recurring evaluation of mentoring program effectiveness and achievements.

8. Establish PM Mentoring Program

9. Develop the Mentoring Approach The PMO ensures the development of increased PM performance capability by developing a mentoring approach that facilitates a broad transfer of PM knowledge and skills throughout the relevant organization. Define the Mentor- prot�g� Relationship - Determines the depth and extent of the mentor-prot�g� relationships created by establishing a PM mentoring program. Project Relationship - Mentor conveys experience and insight to assist the prot�g� in the accomplishment of project objectives. Practice Relationship - Mentor helps the prot�g� address individual learning of PM skills & competencies and counsels the prot�g� on career development. Professional Relationship � Mentor prepares the prot�g� for advancement within the relevant organization through advancing their PM and business competency. Structure the Mentoring Engagement - Construct a standard process for common activities within all mentoring engagements. Establish the purpose of mentoring support. Identify prot�g�s for mentors to support. Determine the number of mentors needed. Determine the planned duration of mentoring support. Determine skill/knowledge for mentor to convey to the prot�g�. Develop Mentoring Support Activities - Identify the type of mentoring support required for each mentoring engagement. PM competency development. Group facilitation - The mentor help prot�g�s to plan and conduct project team activities. Prot�g� review and critique/collaboration - The mentor critiques prot�g� performance as a natural part of the mentoring engagements. Project assessment - The mentor provides guidance in assessing project progress and achievement of project objectives. Executive counsel - The mentor collaborates with senior managers on strategies for developing comprehensive PM practice within the relevant organization. Professional development - The mentor provides advice regarding the prot�g�s pursuit of PM training, technical training, professional certification, career planning, and other professional advancement activities.

10. Identify Mentor-Prot�g� Roles and Responsibilities The PMO establishes a PM mentoring program that clearly defines the respective roles and responsibilities of the mentor and prot�g�.

11. Mentor Roles and Responsibilities Mentors help the prot�g� focus on achieving project objectives and professional goals by being a role model in the PM discipline. Set and maintain realistic expectations. Be reasonably available to assist with prot�g� needs. Be on time for prot�g� meetings and appointments. Maintain appropriate frequency of contact with the prot�g�. Provide empathetic listening and support. Be courteous and considerate. Be open to prot�g�s needs and opinions. Distinguish between different prot�g�s. Be willing to apply extra effort. Alert prot�g�s to issues and opportunities. Share success and failure experiences. Give and receive constructive feedback.

12. Prot�g� Roles and Responsibilities A prot�g� is usually both a student of PM and a business/technical professional whose role requires examining what they need to learn and apply to achieve new successes. Welcome the mentor's interest and guidance. Be proactive in learning. Accept and react to constructive feedback. Identify and examine needs and deficiencies. Provide mentoring process feedback. Be proactive in contributing ideas. Address failures along with successes. Facilitate the mentor-prot�g� relationship.

13. Determine Mentor Sourcing Process The PMO establishes the process by which mentors are assigned to support different PM and prot�g� needs/activities. Create Mentor Positions on the PMO Staff � PMO staffer that fully develops their critical skills of listening, coaching, facilitating, problem solving, etc. to convey their knowledge and skill to prot�g�s in the PM environment. Establish a Rotational Mentor Program - The preferred approach for mentor sourcing wherein senior project managers rotate as mentors on a full-time basis for a specified period of time. Establish a Pool of Qualified Mentors - The PMO identifies a pool of qualified mentor candidates who are scheduled for available mentoring service. Acquire Senior PM Consultant Mentors - Acquiring PM mentors from an external consulting firm with established credentials in providing PM mentoring services.

14. Engage PM Mentors

15. Identify Mentor Candidates The PMO determines the resources available for consideration as mentors. Candidate identification and contact information. Candidate professional r�sum�. Current professional position and responsibilities. Biographical information. Educational background. Mentoring experience. Professional organization affiliations/certifications. Candidate letters of recommendation. Availability for full-time/part-time mentoring. Statement of interest in becoming a project management mentor.

16. Conduct Mentor Candidate Qualification The PMO qualifies mentor candidates by assessing the credentials of the candidate relative to the criteria established for mentor qualification. Professional experience. Years/Scope/Depth of PM experience. Focus of experience in technical discipline and industry. Education and training. Formal degree programs. Professional development programs. Technical training programs. PM training programs. Interpersonal skills for mentors. Communication (listening). Collaboration. Confidence in abilities and personal experiences. Genuine interest in others' success. Problem solving. Leadership. Mentor potential in PM environment. Professional certification. Ongoing study and research in project management. Business knowledge and skills. Group facilitation skills.

17. Prepare PM Mentors The PMO establishes a mentor familiarization program it presents to assigned mentors to enhance their readiness for mentoring engagements. Review PM mentor position description. Discuss recommended mentor professional development activities. Identify tools and information resources available to mentors. Examine the types of mentoring support offered by the PMO. Present the preferred mentoring approach to various types of prot�g�s. Provide an overview of key mentoring-engagement process steps. Provide requirements for reporting and collaborating mentoring activities. Identify other available mentor preparation and training activities.

18. Conduct PM Mentoring The PMO establishes a process for conducting PM mentoring consistent with its sophistication for delivering mentoring services. Identify Engagement. Assign Mentors. Prepare for Mentoring Engagement. Perform Mentoring Engagement Activities. Close Out Mentor-Prot�g� Relationship

19. Evaluate Mentoring Program The PMO provides oversight for the results of the PM mentoring effort to ascertain its effectiveness. Evaluate Mentor Performance - Review mentor reports and prot�g� feedback to determine the effectiveness of program delivery for each assigned mentor. Monitor Mentoring Program Results - Compare project performance results for project managers and project teams with/without mentors.