Setting up and staffing a PMO at the municipality of Kerkrade

The situation at the client

For a number of years now, the Municipality of Kerkrade has been working on plans for the Center Court Kerkrade (Vie) in order to give the residents of Kerkrade and the surrounding area a boost in terms of health and vitality. In addition to numerous programmes, subprojects and initiatives in the field of vitality, the project also includes the construction of a large sports complex, swimming pool and a knowledge centre for health and vitality on the 40,000 square meters of the former hospital grounds in the middle of Kerkrade.

With a budget of tens of millions this is one of the largest initiatives in the southern region. The number of people (in)directly contributing to the programme will increase from a few dozen to several hundred.

The comprehensiveness, diversity and complexity of all the activities should be provided with a 'stay on top of things' way of working, and so in the spring of 2020 the need arose for the Municipality of Kerkrade to produce a form of reporting.

"In addition to numerous programmes, subprojects and initiatives in the field of vitality, the project also includes the construction of a large sports complex, swimming pool and a knowledge centre for health and vitality on the 40,000 square meters of the former hospital grounds in the middle of Kerkrade. The comprehensiveness, diversity and complexity of all the activities should be provided with a 'stay on top of things' way of working."

The solution from MOJEO

With the initial customer request, a report to monitor progress, MOJEO quickly realized that this would not be the solution to the problem. Setting up and staffing a PMO with all the characteristics that go with it leads to a more concrete answer to the actual question: how do we keep control of this programme? After all, a PMO is an organizational unit that creates conditions and contributes to the successful implementation and realization of the programme. 

It provides an overview in many more areas, not only through monitoring through reports. Organising project documentation, making it available to the right target groups, providing structure for various consultations and recording these, provide important moments of control.

"Setting up and staffing a PMO with all the characteristics that go with it leads to a more concrete answer to the actual question: how do we keep control of this programme?''

Jeroen van Doremalen, Senior Project Manager at MOJEO, joined the client in June 2020 to set up a Programme Management Office together with the internal PMO employee, Daisy Broeders. Jeroen first started talking to the stakeholders within the project organization, which made it clear where the need lies. On the basis of this inventory, he came up with a proposal on how a PMO could meet the various needs for the programme.

With a smooth transition from the approved proposal to further implementation, Inge Crijnen, Project Management Officer at MOJEO, has gradually shaped the staffing of the PMO. This provided even more guidance to be able to properly implement the building blocks in the future. Inge also helped to standardize the tasks within the PMO, such as creating agenda templates, action and decision list, program timeline, reporting tool and a handbook in which all information of the program is clearly formulated (program name, storage of project documentation, program structure and communication structure). Jeroen, as Project Manager, set out the lines and Inge, as PMO employee, together with Daisy, further provided the content. As a result, the Planning, Stakeholder Management & Communication, Finance and Reporting building blocks were implemented within time and budget. 

''Jeroen, as Project Manager, has set out the lines and Inge, as PMO, together with Daisy, has further provided the content.''

As a result of the implementation and crew of the PMO, meetings are held more efficiently, there is more clarity and structure in the programme, the reporting tool and the dashboard give the core team more insight and the ability to better steer and monitor the project. The efficiency of the meetings saves Daisy a great deal of time working out reports.

In addition, MOJEO has also touched on and improved matters relating to the programme set-up. For example, the PMO's place has become much more prominent and it will have a solid mandate. This also makes it clear that the PMO occupies a central position in the programme.

"As a result of the implementation and crew of the PMO, meetings are held more efficiently, there is more clarity and structure in the programme, the reporting tool and the dashboard give the core team more insight and the ability to better steer and monitor the project.''

The added MOJO

Raph Stijns, Project Director, looks back on a pleasant collaboration with both employees of MOJEO: "In their roles Jeroen and Inge helped us in a respectful, honest, expert and above all friendly way. Based on his experience as a senior Project Manager, Jeroen quickly developed into a kind of sounding board for me as a Project Director in matters concerning the management of processes within the context of a complex project. Inge, for her part, knew how to react very quickly when it came to making more difficult matters transparent and how they could then be brought to the fore in a fairly simple way in a dashboard-like environment. In a political-administrative environment both insights were refreshing and of value''.

When asked whether Raph would rehire MOJEO in the future, Raph replied: ''Yes, I would definitely rehire MOJEO should the situation, need or opportunity arise''.

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