Business Agility thru PPM

1. Business
Agility:
Is It Easy
to Pivot?
Earlier in 2016, Changepoint conducted
a survey asking if members of project
management offices (PMOs) found it
easy or difficult to pivot in the context
of change. We had 1,257 project
management professionals respond.
These are the results.
SURVEY RESULTS

2. Changepoint.com 2
Executive summary
Preface
In Q2 of 2016, Changepoint surveyed more than 1,200 members of project management offices
(PMO) worldwide to understand the agility of their business and to evaluate the challenges
and barriers they face when building a nimbler organization. The results reflect a truly global
business environment. More than half of respondents reside in North America, a quarter reside in
EMEA and the remainder are from South America and APAC. Below are the results and analysis
of the findings. Every response is based on full completion of the survey. For this analysis, results
are rounded to the nearest percent.
Findings
Today’s businesses face two options: evolve or dissolve. Harsh indeed, but all businesses
looking to stand the test of time must adapt, whether it’s by updating technology, redesigning
products, or introducing new product offerings. Building a nimble, dynamic business is an
ongoing struggle made more challenging as organizations navigate legacy system updates and
digital transformation.
In today’s volatile business climate, change is the only constant.
For the project-driven organization, business success hinges on having technology,
infrastructure, and processes in place to adapt and pivot in a dynamic business environment.
Disconnected systems, manual processes, and ineffective communication damage the credibility
of a PMO and create barriers to business transformation. Without the right tools and processes in
place, adapting to change is difficult—if not impossible.
This report examines the challenges PMOs face today in an effort to shed light on the barriers to
building a nimbler organization. The major findings follow:
ƒƒ Agility is a key business differentiator. There’s widespread agreement that business
agility is critical for business evolution. With new innovations and businesses emerging
daily, businesses must anticipate market shifts and weather disruption while positioning
themselves to quickly take advantage of gaps left by those unable to withstand the
turbulence. Project managers know that rapid decision making paired with the ability to
navigate change and execute quickly are essential to a company’s health, competitive
standing, and financial growth—much of which depends on how well the PMO is
performing. However, knowing what is needed to maneuver change and executing
against it are two different things. The latter of which is proving to be a lot more difficult
for businesses than the former: only 10% of our survey respondents said they feel their
PMO has business agility. Without a way to manage the project pipeline and execute
nimbly, the performance of the PMO and the organization as a whole is at stake.

3. Changepoint.com 3
ƒƒ Organizations are not keeping pace with organizational evolution. While an
overwhelming majority of executives and managers alike view business agility as a
competitive necessity, actual readiness is mixed. Despite the rise of agile project
management, IT organizations aren’t keeping pace with business evolution and there
is a growing disconnect between project managers and executives. The success of a
PMO hinges on transparency and the trust that IT priorities are aligned with key business
initiatives. Our survey found PMOs are often not aligned with larger company objectives.
In fact, while nearly 90% of project managers are confident in their visibility and feel that
lines of communication exist, nearly half of managers say they lack real-time visibility
into projects. To earn credibility in the boardroom, IT must deliver thoughtful, informed
recommendations aligned with strategic business objectives and goals in ways that
resonate with business leaders. With 75% of businesses relying on spreadsheets and
manual processes to manage initiatives, compiling these insights without the proper tools
will continue to be a daunting challenge.
ƒƒ Ineffective communication, disconnected systems, and manual processes are
roadblocks to agility. In fact, communication and visibility have the most impact on
the PMO’s ability to pivot or respond to change. More than one-quarter of respondents
(27%) feel they’re at a competitive disadvantage because their organization is not
nimble enough to anticipate fundamental marketplace shifts. And while agile project
management is often associated with a nimbler business, teams that have adopted agile
project management struggle with communication the most. Sixty percent of respondents
using agile cited communication as their biggest challenge.
ƒƒ Technology can be key to enabling a nimble organization. Despite acknowledging
technology’s ability to bring efficiency to managing projects, businesses cling to manual
processes for communication and planning. Many are still overly reliant on disconnected
systems and manual processes like spreadsheets to manage initiatives. Nearly a third
of respondents (31%) say they lack tools for effective communication. CEOs and CFOs
seek easier real-time access to information. And while resource management is a top
priority for PMOs, barely more than half of respondents have real-time visibility into their
resources.
Instead of acting as a barrier to business transformation, technology should free teams
and managers from time-intensive, manual processes. The right technology improves how
PMOs manage change and their overarching business agility. As a change agent and
knowledge-sharing hub, the right tools enable companies to improve intake and use of
critical data for better communication and more-informed decision making.

4. Changepoint.com 4
The results
The audience
Region
More than two-thirds of respondents (67%) identified themselves as a project manager in some
capacity: project manager (45%), senior project manager (20%), agile project manager (2%).
Answer Choices Responses
Project manager 45.03%
Other (please specify) 21.16%
Senior project manager 20.29%
PMO manager 5.81%
PMO director 3.98%
Agile project manager 1.99%
PMO administrator 1.75%
Project manager
Other
PMO
administrator
PMO director
PMO manager
Agile project
manager
Senior project manager
Title

5. Changepoint.com 5
Company size (number of employees)
65% of respondents work for enterprise-sized organizations, with 35% working for companies
with less than 500 employees.*
*According to SMB Research1
, small- to medium-sized businesses are classified as those with fewer than 250 employees.
Because we spliced the company sizes outside of the <250 count, we’ll measure enterprise-sized companies as those with >501
employees.
Answer Choices Responses
10,001+ 31.42%
1,001-10,000 24.26%
105-500 16.07%
1-50 12.81%
501-1,000 8.83%
51-100 ` 6.60%
10,001+
1-50
51-100
101-500
501-1000
1,001-10,000
Company size (number of employees)

6. Changepoint.com 6
Industry
The majority (27%) of respondents work in the technology industry, with 18% in IT services and
9% in technology consulting.
Answer Choices Responses
IT services 17.50%
Other (please specify) 10.98%
Consulting - technology 8.51%
Financial services 8.51%
Government 7.64%
Manufacturing 6.60%
Healthcare 6.21%
Telecommunications 5.57%
Construction and real estate 4.53%
Education 4.30%
Aerospace and defense 3.42%
Hardware / software vendor 2.70%
Insurance 2.47%
Transformation services and utilities 2.39%
Business services 2.23%
Retail and wholesale 2.23%
Pharmaceuticals 1.83%
Agriculture and natural resources 0.95%
Media 0.95%
Legal 0.32%
Personal services and entertainment 0.16%
IT services
Other
Financial services
Consulting
technology
Government
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Industry

7. Changepoint.com 7
Region
The majority of respondents (57%) reside in North America and 23% of survey participants are
from EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).
Answer Choices Responses
North America 57.12%
Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) 22.99%
Asia-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand 14.96%
South America 4.93%
Region
Asia-Pacific, Australia,
New Zealand (APAC)
Europe, the
Middle East,
Africa (EMEA)
South America
North America

8. Changepoint.com 8
Organizations are still using myriad technologies to manage projects
We asked respondents to check all of the systems and technologies that apply to how they
manage projects. Overwhelmingly, 75% of respondents are still relying on spreadsheets as a
part of the project management process and 76% rely on either on-premise software solutions or
proprietary systems.
Takeaway
There’s no reason why so many organizations should still rely on archaic spreadsheets and
disconnected systems to manage project tasks and information. Today’s market-leading solutions
provide an integrated, comprehensive view of project status within a single application—offering
an information hub that dynamically updates if and when there’s a change.
Answer Choices Responses
Spreadsheets 74.86%
On-premise software tool(s) 53.86%
Cloud-based solution(s) 27.21%
Hosted software tool(s) 25.38%
Proprietary system(s) 22.12%
Other (please specify) 5.73%
Multi-tenant SaaS solution(s) 3.90%
Which of the below choices best describe the project management
system(s) that you use? (select all the apply)
Spreadsheets
On-premise
software
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Hosted software
Cloud-based
solution(s)
Multi-tenant
SaaS
Proprietary
System(s)
Other
Which of the below choices best describe the project
management system(s) that you use? (Select all that apply)

9. Changepoint.com 9
The most important project portfolio management capabilities
Respondents said the three most important project portfolio management (PPM) capabilities are
project management (35%), portfolio management (20%), and resource management (19%).
Takeaway
Not surprisingly, the biggest use cases for PPM tools surround project, portfolio, and resource
management. Capacity planning, enterprise architecture, real-time analytics & reporting, and
integration management are less of a priority since they are more about planning and less
about execution. Today’s PPM tools have the ability to support work and execution management
seamlessly from the project, portfolio, and resource level. The right PPM tools enable PMOs to
eliminate the use of spreadsheets and disconnected systems, and offer an integrated solution for
all the above features, resulting in better data and up-to-date information that keeps everyone on
the same page and informed of project status.
Capabilities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Project management 35.40% 22.43% 13.92% 11.85% 6.76% 5.41% 4.22%
Portfolio management 19.81% 10.34% 12.01% 11.93% 14.88% 16.47% 14.56%
Resource management 19.09% 24.34% 19.65% 15.04% 9.63% 7.64% 4.61%
Capacity planning 7.00% 17.82% 18.06% 19.49% 17.18% 13.13% 7.32%
Enterprise architecture 6.52% 7.72% 9.23% 10.50% 13.84% 22.12% 30.07%
Real-time analytics & reporting 6.53% 7.64% 9.47% 12.17% 15.83% 17.26% 31.11%
Integration management 5.65% 9.71% 17.66% 19.01% 21.88% 17.98% 8.11%

10. Changepoint.com 10
How PMO members are spending their day
Assuming an eight-hour workday, we asked respondents to demarcate the number of hours they
spend on the following: managing and using a PPM system, managing people, and establishing
and managing processes within their PMO.
Thirty-four percent spend three or more hours a day managing and using their PPM system; 65%
spend three or more hours managing people; 55% spend three or more hours establishing and
managing processes.
Takeaway
With the majority of respondents being project managers, it seems natural that managing people
is part of the job. However, it’s also clear that there’s an opportunity to increase efficiency around
process and PPM system management. With the right PPM tool, managing information within the
application and establishing processes become simpler and easier with standardized templates
and automated workflow.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Managing and using PPM
system
35.26% 31.17% 16.11% 9.86% 3.69% 2.00% 1.04% 0.88%
Establishing and
managing processes
17.84% 26.96% 22.24% 16.88% 6.80% 5.04% 2.00% 2.24%
Managing people 13.57% 20.96% 22.89% 21.29% 9.00% 6.91% 2.33% 3.05%
Managing PPM system
34% spend 3+
hours/day
Managing people
65% spend 3+
hours/day
Establishing and managing
processes
55% spend 3+ hours/day
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%

11. Changepoint.com 11
What real-time visibility looks like for PMOs
Forty-one percent of respondents claim they don’t have real-time visibility into project status,
or are unsure if they do. Nearly half (49%) of respondents have no real-time visibility into their
resources.
Answer Choices Responses
Yes 59.35%
No, not confident 40.65%
Answer Choices Responses
No, not confident 52.10%
Yes 47.89%
Takeaway
The speed of today’s business requires complete visibility and transparency into both resources
and project status. Project planning and forecasting rely on getting a clear view of where project
resources and progress stand. An integrated PPM solution provides increased clarity through
real-time data and information. That clarity supports the planning phases and efficiency of
project execution. Ultimately, it helps PMOs get the right resources working on the right project
at the right time.
Do you have real-time visibility
into the state of your projects?
Do you have real-time visibility
into your resources?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No, not
confident
Yes
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No, not
confident
Yes

12. Changepoint.com 12
Understanding corporate objectives and values of your PMO
Only 47% of respondents say they are fully aware of corporate values and strategic objectives.
Takeaway
Corporate objectives and values have to be communicated clearly. When a PMO understands
where the company is headed and its corporate objectives, it can better support how projects
are chosen and executed. Managing the project pipeline and how initiatives align to the strategic
goals of the PMO and the company keeps the business aligned and everyone moving in the
same direction. Paired with the right PPM tool, work management, project execution, and
strategic goals can work in tandem with one another to keep the business on the right trajectory.
Answer Choices Responses
No, not sure 53.07%
Yes 46.94%
Do you know what the corporate objectives and
values of your PMO are?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No, not
sure
Yes

13. Changepoint.com 13
The hardest part of managing a project team: visibility and communication
Respondents find the most difficult aspect of managing a project team to be managing team
schedules and workloads (43%). Fifty percent of respondents say communication is the most
difficult aspect of managing a project team, and 31% said they do not currently have the
necessary tools for managing better communication across a project.
Communication
between different
departments
Managing team
schedules and
workloads
Other
Communication between
different people in the
same department
What is the most difficult aspect to managing
your project team?
Answer Choices Responses
Managing team schedules and workloads 46.94%
Communication between different departments 45.51%
Communication between different people in the same department 7.56%
Other (please specify) 6.44%
What is the most difficult aspect
to managing your project team?

14. Changepoint.com 14
Takeaway
It’s not surprising that for project managers, managing team schedules and workloads is one of
the most challenging aspects of the job. There are a lot of moving pieces and parts—and then
there’s all of the people involved in driving project completion. Interestingly, the response itself
parallels and supports the previous responses around real-time visibility into project status and
resource management. Getting a clear view of initiatives and the people involved is fundamental
to successfully managing team schedules and workloads.
Similarly, the breakdown in communication—both within the same department and across
the company—slows project execution and creates room for error. If PMOs are managing
communication separately from the PPM platform, whether it’s built-in or an integrated feature,
communication suffers, efforts are bottlenecked, and workflows are disconnected.
With a fully integrated PPM platform, it becomes simpler to manage tasks, workloads, people,
and communication. When critical features such as these are accessible within the same tool,
teams can work more efficiently and course correct as needed.
Answer Choices Responses
Agree 68.89%
Disagree 31.11%
I currently have access to and utilize the tools and
technology that enable me to effectively manage
communication across people and projects
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
DisagreeAgree

15. Changepoint.com 15
The business agility behind your PMO
Only 10% of respondents claim they have the business agility to pivot when there’s a change and
50% said they did not have the ability to pivot or course correct when there’s a change.
Takeaway
This survey was created to discover what aspects of a PMO can be improved to ultimately
increase the overarching business agility of today’s project management functions. The
responses gathered demonstrate that there’s a deficit in the visibility and communication that
technology offers. Both of these characteristics are paramount to project success, as well as
being able to identify when an initiative needs to change or pivot.
For example, with 75% of respondents still relying on spreadsheets, it’s clear that manual
processes are hindering a project’s ability to pivot when there’s a change. Similarly, with so many
systems identified as PMO tools, the probability that these tools are disconnected affects teams’
abilities to easily collaborate and relay information throughout a project’s lifecycle.
No
I don’t know
Yes, occasionally
Yes, always
Would you say that your PMO has business agility?
Is it easy to pivot if there’s a change?
Answer Choices Responses
Yes, occasionally 39.86%
No 36.20%
I don’t know 13.52%
Yes, always 10.42%
Would you say that your PMO has business agility?
Is it easy to pivot if there’s a change?

16. 16
About Changepoint
Changepoint delivers market-leading solutions in Business Execution Management™ (BEM) to
companies around the world. Our solution suite is comprised of Project Portfolio Management
(PPM), Enterprise Portfolio Management (EPM), Professional Services Automation (PSA), and
more. Today, thousands of organizations—large and small—rely on Changepoint to do the right
projects right. With Changepoint, smarter decisions are easier to make and flexibly adapting to
changes is easier to do. The result? A shorter time-to-value, and clearer road to innovation and
customer satisfaction. Visit: www.changepoint.com.
16161111 Third Avenue | Suite 700 | Seattle WA 98101
0616 © 2016 Changepoint
Changepoint.com
Conclusion
Businesses today are fighting for footing on shaky ground. Business transformation—whether
a construction project, new processes to improve customer experience, or an enterprise IT
rollout—is a step-by-step process.
Smooth execution demands communication, resource planning, risk analysis, project tracking,
and analytics. And the payoff for smooth execution is business agility, faster time to market, and
competitive advantages.
Regardless of size, industry or work-management system, today’s PMOs need effective
technologies to execute with precision. Competitive advantage will go to those who adapt their
processes and align their organization to embrace and respond to change.
Citations: 1.http://smbresearch.net/sizing-up-smb/
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