The Strategic Project Office: A Guide to Improving Organizational Performance

Rating:
Summary: The Strategic Project Office - A Guide to Organizational Per
Review: I thought I had a pretty complete library on Project Management and the PMO. However, this is the most authoritive volume I have encountered. There are step by step instructions and direction on establishing a PMO and best practices within that organization. There are also many of the pitfalls and minefields associated with starting this type of office. The chapters are easy to read, and concise. The information is well organized and presented best suited to a mid-level professional involved in PMO or Project Management activities.
I wholeheartedly recomend this to those who have never setup a PMO or best practices organization. Those who have much experience in this fields may be looking for other specialized topics.

Rating:
Summary: Consulting Drivel
Review: Imagine this: a consultant that sells project management offices writing a book to tell us about how great they are. Kind of like a 1990s stock analyst boasting about how great a telecom company's stock is just after his buddy in the investmant bank did the IPO.

This book is nothing more than a white paper selling PMOs. The findings paint a rosy picture for project managers, but it does not actually approach strategy credibly from a VP's point-of view, let alone that of a CEO (i.e. the people who develop strategies).

Furthermore, this book has no substance nor credible analysis behind its findings. Just because a company puts credence behind its PMO does not make it "strategic," regardless of where it's located in the corporate hierarchy. Strategy is the material of Michael Porter, Clay Christensen, Peter Drucker, Dave Teece, etc., and they're not talking about PMOs. The material presented in the book may be of some interest for rank-and-file project managers, but it's definitely not a book about developing and executing strategy.