Project Management Office
What is the Information Technology PMO?
The Information Technology Project Management Office (PMO) is a task force of IT professionals working together to present quarterly reports on the status of major projects within our IT organization. Our project portfolio is arranged into departmental teams or folders containing each team's project plans. This framework provides our IT leadership with a unified and transparent view of projects across our division.
The IT PMO interfaces with IT managers, technical leads, and the IT Leadership Council to align IT's projects with the University's strategic goals. Our responsibilities also include recommending standards for project management, providing metrics on project and portfolio performance, and fostering a framework for project leadership and knowledge-sharing throughout the organization. The IT PMO Governance document provides a more in-depth description of the purpose of the IT PMO.
IT currently uses an online project management platform to track project tasks, plans, and portfolios. IT staff interested in signing up for our current platform should contact the Director of the IT Project Management Office. Other resources augmenting our practice include, but are not limited to, Google Workspace and LinkedIn Learning.
Self-Training
Free courses in project management are readily available to students, faculty, and staff via Pepperdine's LinkedIn Learning portal. Once logged in to Pepperdine's LinkedIn Learning portal, perform a search on "Project Management" to view dozens of introductory and advanced courses. Some commonly used PMO terms to explore are:
| PROJECT MANAGEMENT TERMS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Initiating | Communications Plan | Time & Materials | Business Continuity |
| Planning | Risk Management | Fixed Price | Academic Continuity |
| Executing | Change Management | Pilot Test | Customer Support |
| Monitoring | Change Fatigue | Fallback Plan | PMBOK |
| Closing | PM, SME | Deliverable | GANTT |
| Sponsorship | Critical Path | Budget Analysis | AGILE |
| RFP | Planned vs. Actual | Action Item | Soft Skills |
| Scope Creep | Buy-in | Impact/Downtime | |
| Delegation | Readiness |
Those interested in becoming a certified project management professional, or PMP, can follow the guidelines outlined at the Project Management Institute's website, (PMI.org). The guidelines offered by PMI are not free and require a paid membership with PMI. However, PMI's guidelines combined with their exam discount and free guide entitled the "Project Management Body of Knowledge" ("PMBOK") are offered as incentives to save money for those seeking the PMP certification. Interested persons may contact the Director of the IT Project Management Office for guidance.
In-House Resources for Pepperdine PM's
Consultant Services Agreement (CSA): required when new, outside contractors come onsite to provide their services at our Pepperdine campuses. Contact the Office of the General Counsel for the newest version of the CSA.
Contracts & Counseling: Pepperdine's Office of the General Counsel offers valuable guidance in explaining legal aspects of university contracts. Work with your supervisor and the General Counsel's office for your contract-related questions. University policy states that contracts of $75K or more or contracts which are considered high-risk are required to be reviewed by Pepperdine's Office of the General Counsel. Inquire about their next scheduled seminar on contract management to learn more about managing contracts on behalf of the university.
eSign: Pepperdine's electronic signature service for signing contracts, etc.
Google Workspace: a full suite of Google applications. Training videos and courses can be found on Pepperdine's or Google's websites.
Zoom: widely used at Pepperdine for web conferencing and desktop sharing. Google Meet is a valuable backup option.
People Skills Training: Pepperdine's Human Resources department periodically offers interactive people skills training which provides participants with valuable knowledge on how to collaborate with various personality types. This course is a "must have" for project management and team building. Please contact HR for the next available class.
Final Exam Schedule: IT schedules "blackout windows" which are short periods where certain project-related activities are deliberately placed on hold in order to maintain academic continuity. "Blackout windows" help to ensure that there are no planned service outages during finals and grading. Project managers should contact the Office of the University Registrar for the most updated schedule of upcoming final exams and grading periods.