NASCIO Releases Brief on Challenges of Government IT Project Management Offices

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released a brief "Looking to the Future: Challenges & Opportunities for Government IT Project Management Offices."

The brief, developed by NASCIO's State IT Project Management (PM) Forum, addresses several of the top state government challenges including portfolio management and strategic planning, PM skill maturity, political risks, structures/organizations, procurement processes/rules, as well as funding models and spending cultures particular to government.

"The role of project and portfolio management offices (PMOs) in steering the delivery of services and cost savings for government is increasing, as it is in the private sector," said NASCIO President and Wisconsin state CIO Matt Miszewski. "When we position resources to address business problems from cross-functional and cross-agency perspectives, we can most effectively execute the vision and strategies of leadership and deliver on taxpayer investments."

This brief addresses both the challenges and opportunities found in this emerging discipline and further outlines strategies and best practices proven to be successful in several states. States at varying levels of PM development can find help in the calls to action throughout the report.

"PMOs are rapidly evolving institutions in state government," said Beverly Cummings, NASCIO's PM Forum Advisory Group Chair and a lead project manager for the State of South Carolina. "When positioned correctly and effectively supported, PMOs provide unique, over-arching views of organizations and the factors that affect the successful implementation of projects in support of any organization's strategic plan. NASCIO's PM Forum is the only of its kind in the nation that focuses on the challenges unique to state government IT."