1.4 Summary

The last decade has seen an impressive growth in the number of organizations using the project approach to conduct their business. But this growth, explained by the effectiveness and flexibility of the project work form in an environment of increasing complexity and demands for "faster, better, and cheaper", has created problems of its own: conflicts between projects competing for the same resources, lack of coordination between complementary initiatives, and loss of sight of the organization as a whole. Coincidentally, there has been an increase in the number of work hours, the level of stress, and the number of work–family conflicts experienced by employees.

The same set of circumstances reported across organizations and industries points to a systemic or structural, rather than a performance problem. This book proposes the creation of a new business function, the PO, as the means of coordinating, managing, and reporting on projects across the organization.

Introducing a PO into an organization is a substantial undertaking, and it is essential to remember that all change, especially change involving the entire organization, takes time. The establishment of the infrastructure necessary to support the PO is only part of the solution. The organization must allow its culture to evolve—and it must be prepared to do business in a different way—in order to succeed.