The silo thinking in organisations is associated mostly with large companies that have semi-autonomous business units, differentiated customers and separate business processes. It is not rare, however, for smaller and medium-sized companies to also display some silo characteristics.
Project consultants are often surprised to find out as soon as they start working on a project at a medium-sized organisation, that there are other consultants working on a different project in the same organisation. The projects are likely to:
- Impact the same internal and external stakeholders
- Impact the same organisational processes
- Require access to the same or similar set of data
- Have implementation dates that are close together
On coming across such an issue, a good project consultant will get in touch with the project sponsor to work out a solution that will ensure success for all related initiatives, and ultimately for the business as a whole.
But that happens in another world.
In the real world, the consultant has a proposal in her hand that clearly specifies the scope of what she needs to deliver, including the timelines and the high-level milestones. She is not keen on liaising with another consulting firm to resolve a business issue that is not immediately in her scope. She is certainly not prepared to work closely with another consulting firm and run into delivery risks or even being “outshined”. The safe bet is to “stick to your knitting once the wool is apportioned”.
The concept of a Project Management Office in smaller organisations can be used to address issues such as these. The PMO in large companies is like a centre of excellence, resourced with a number of highly skilled Project Managers, supported by sophisticated tools and churning templates and processes to support projects in the entire organisation.
In smaller organisations, the PMO should not have a directive, supporting or controlling mandate; it certainly does not need a large headcount or sophisticated software. It just requires a single individual with Programme Management skills to align and integrate all the initiatives that take place in the organisation. This will ensure that projects are aligned in terms of what is being delivered as well as the impact to the organisation.
This approach facilitates proper planning, effective change management and reduces chaos. But more importantly, it challenges the very silo mentality that is meant to be out-of-place in smaller organisation.
Tumi Mphahlele is Managing Director: Busara Strategic Projects, a division of Busara Leadership Partners, www.busaraleadershippartners.co.za
