What is Project Management as a Service (PMaaS)
PMaaS is similar to hiring a mentor for your organisation, enabling access to project management talent and infrastructure on a pay-as-you-go service model. A PMaaS partnership brings perspectives, insights, and technologies to apply solutions and deliver projects and processes in a repeatable, structured and standardised manner.
It is the current resourcing model for Project Management that organisations cannot be without if they want guaranteed, cost-effective, first-rate, project delivery.
Why are organisations opening PMO’s in growing numbers?
1. They need strategic PMO planning that integrates with their Cloud-first strategy
Organisations today all understand that the way forward, is a “Cloud-first strategy” – this approach will answer the question of “what is required” to enable their business IT strategy. However, it doesn’t always address the “who” or “how” to deliver it.
They will face project management challenges when different segments of the business do not work together across systems and groups in harmony, but rather, they operate as silos with different systems that don’t often talk to each other.
PMaaS puts strategic execution at the centre of business and IT change. It is at the core of “who” and “how” to best improve current and future project delivery capabilities.
2. They need a seamless extension of their team to deal with excess and demanding projects
Most organisations with a Project Management Office (PMO), and a full-time Project Manager, rarely have enough capacity to handle excess project demands. While some of the excess could be managed by other senior managers, there may still be one or more complex projects which demand the services of a more skilled and experienced project manager.
A benefit of PMaaS is that it grants access to specialists with the precise skills and knowledge required, without needing to hire contractors, which will be a costlier exercise. In addition, IR35 changes in the UK is also creating a predicament for organisations engaging individual contractors directly as Project Managers.
Faced with such needs, organisations are opening project management offices (PMO) in growing numbers, transferring operational and financial risk to PMaaS providers.
3. They need the agility of the PMaaS provider to avoid delay in project mobilisation
Delay in mobilisation and enablement can add significant risk to project delivery, but ES3 have mitigated these risks with proven PMaaS tools and methods, bringing various levels of Project Management Office solutions to work with an organisation’s needs.
4. They need to reduce ongoing expenses
There is reduced TCO and added strategic value for organisation where the model effectively addresses budgetary constraints while at the same time supporting more effective project delivery.
5. They need procedural honesty and greater transparency
As an example, ES3 provides seamless dashboard reporting for Senior Management and operational staff.
This ensures consistent communication throughout the project process with accurate feedback to key stakeholders. This will also enable, support and successfully deliver a future development roadmap.
6. They need to future-proof their technology and services
Turning project management into an on-demand service might sound like a drastic change. But with the need for leaner and more agile business operations, organisations have to adapt their behaviour and practices.
Although they gain access to the most recent and advanced project management software, technology features, functionality, techniques, and service offerings through PMaaS, organisations still need to embrace change. They need to recognise that what they see as a PMO today, may not be what they see in the future.
Gartner expects the number of IT PMOs to decline as a result of the digital revolution, though some will transform into change management functions and become part of the C-level strategy function. Gartner also expects that, by 2030, partnerships between humans, smart machines and AI will eliminate “some 80 percent of the ‘work’ that represents the bulk of today’s project management discipline, practices and activities”, according to the report.
What are the benefits of PMaaS?
- It provides tangible, repeatable, long-term benefits to the business
- Integrates data and information from strategic projects, and aligns with organisational strategy and culture
- Is agile enough to adapt as strategy shifts
- Access to project-specific expertise
- Enables sharing of resources, methodologies, tools and techniques for project success across the organisation
- Identifies and implements project management methodology, tools, best practices and standards in collaboration with the client organisation
- Compliments your existing teams; coaches, mentors, trains and provides oversight for project managers and staff
When will PMaaS benefit an organisation, and what type of projects is PMaaS a good fit for?
We offer a flexible, modular approach rather than an off the shelf model that would be unlikely to fully fit prevailing requirements. The ES3 PMaaS has been designed on the understanding that no two organisations are the same. Each will have differing challenges and pressures.
It is for this reason that the service is tailored to meet your requirements rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We have found that this ethos consistently delivers the highest levels of quality and provides the best value for money. By working closely with our clients, ES3 is able to understand the greatest challenges so that these can be overcome. ES3’s PMaaS can provide governance, processes, reporting, project management, planning, financial controls, tools and resources to ensure that management and delivery teams are supported for success.
Move to on-demand scalable services that are matched to fit the needs of you, the client.
