I was on the train travelling to London, reading the newspaper, when an article caught my eye about the launch of the P3O guidance from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), and P3O training courses. As somebody who had attended training courses from the OGC, such as PRINCE2, I was immediately intrigued as to what this new course could offer me and my business, so I decided to research around the topic.

It wasn’t hard to find information about P3O once I started to look, as the launch had been quickly followed by press releases and publications announcing the commencement of accredited P3O training courses. I decided to spend some more time looking into P3O and the P3O training courses because I had some questions I wanted answered: what was P3O? Were there any concerns about P3O? Would P3O become ‘just another’ accreditation on my CV? How would P3O benefit my business? And lastly; were there different P3O training courses suitable for all members of my staff?

My research found the answers I was looking for: P3O represents 3P’s for Portfolio, Programme and Project. The P3O model basically works at providing a support structure for all internal changes, and this was one aspect I was very interested in for my business. As I explored deeper into that aspect, I found the P3O guidance from OGC is a step to offer a single source of information, thereby enabling a universally applicable guidance. I felt this was an ambitious plan, because before P3O, there wasn’t a single definite source to seek assistance from. I knew from my training with PRINCE2 and Management of Risk that they do refer to the requirement of adequate support system, but nothing as robust as P3O.

P3O aims to promote consistent governance, and impart an enhanced insight into the change initiative portfolio, which will lead to improved planning. A few other possible benefits of P3O guidance is: time and quality benefits; business outcome identification and realisation. Consistency, even across virtual work environments, and clarity in terms of support functions, are also among the desired outcomes for P3O. OGC intends to establish P3O so it can provide the backbone for integrated governance and escalation. It would seem a P3O training course is an important subject, especially for project managers.

The suitability and application of P3O will depend upon a number of factors, and this will vary from organisation to organisation. One of the concerns I found out about P3O, related to the practical acceptance of this new guidance, but this area was being covered with the private sector. The private sector will actually work towards the creation of a mature P3O environment for trained professionals to exercise their skills as imparted by the P3O training course.

As I came to the end of my research, I decided that a P3O training course presents a strong case in its favour. After all, the benefits are apparent; therefore investing in a P3O training course would be a wise decision for my business. I believe that my Senior Managers, Programme Managers, Project Managers and support staff would benefit from P3O training. Even though my staff are at different levels of knowledge and skills, I was please to see that the P3O training courses offer different instruction levels. Trainees can enrol for the foundation course (for those who have been working in a programme / project office) or a practitioner course (for those who have experience in the stated office) or an overview or conversion modules, depending upon the suitability and training criterion. I made a note in my diary to discuss this opportunity with my employees at the next staff meeting.

It would appear that P3O and P3O training courses are a subject currently enjoying ample limelight, and with the research I have completed on this topic, I would agree that P3O deserves all the attention.

Author Bio: Robert Norton wrote the Article ‘Would A P3O Training Course Really Benefit My Business?’ and recommends you visit the AFA website for more information on P3O courses.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: P3o training, courses, P3o service management, project management, P3o, portfolio programme project