Paper and Presentation: Sustainable PMO and Agile Transformations – Case Study Federal Public Health Agency
Abstract: Many times, solutions to difficult challenges require significant changes that take considerable effort if they are going to be transformational. Beyond the initial effort of the transformation, the changes need to stick and not divert back to old ways of working. Organizations need to drive lasting transformations so that the changes and improvements solve current problems, but also future challenges. This presentation will look at a case study at work done at a large Federal Public Health agency related to significant changes that are part of a large-scale Agile Transformation and the need to sustain those changes to continue seeing the benefits of new ways of working and continuing to improve over time.
Years ago, the agency set up a traditional Project Management Office (PMO) to manage a large portfolio of projects, but ultimately the PMO became a burden and was not entirely aligned with the goal of becoming a more agile organization. An Agile Transformation at the agency was initiated to enhance the organization’s ability to respond to rapidly changing customer requirements and user needs. The focus moved to outcomes, not outputs or milestone deliverables, not simply “doing scrum” but by working with an agile mindset and delivering value with agility.
Once the initial effort of the transition was complete, several additional changes were implemented to ensure that the improvements were sustainable. The implementation of changes that were part of this next phase allowed the agency to successfully plan and execute several critical long-term government initiatives over the last few years. This was critical in supporting inter-agency efforts on accelerating COVID-19 therapeutic interventions and vaccines as well as many other initiatives and product development efforts. The presentation will demonstrate how the agency has continued to not only maintain the changes, but also to continue improving.
PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working
Biography: Edward Leydon is the Director of Strategy and PMO at Computercraft Corporation, where he leads a team of agile coaches and project managers as Head of PMO at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has over 20 years of industry experience in agile program and project management and has successfully led several large-scale enterprise initiatives.
Edward is an expert in agile transformation, PMO frameworks, and strategic alignment. He has delivered multiple products, programs, and projects with over $100M annual budget, involving cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders in various industries and countries. He has also designed and implemented agile and PMO best practices, processes, and tools to improve project efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. Edward is a coach, trainer and speaker who is passionate about creating value, enabling innovation, and driving excellence in the fields of strategic agility and project management.
