Ralph Diego F.

Manansala
2014-60907 14
Discussion Questions of Atek PC Project Management Office

1. The PC industry is being shaken by dwindling profit margins caused by the

pressure from its portable competitors, mobile phones.

2. Using the ‘PESTEL’ framework, ATEK PC is facing an economical and social

issue. Economical in the sense that it needs to create solutions to its dwindling
profits and social in the sense that the changes that needs to be done to
accomplish this needs acceptance by the company’s culture.
In terms of competitive forces, the strongest threat is its substitutes, with the
rising popularity of mobile phones. Some of its PC manufacturing rivals are also
facing the same issue caused by the market shift.
Figure 1. Organizational Set-Up
3. The immediate issue facing the
company is how it will be implementing
its Project Management Office (PMO),
particularly in response to the
economical crisis the company is
facing.

4. ATEK PC is in the maturity – declining

phase in the business life cycle.

5. Organizational Set-Up (See Figure 1)

6. Projects are done by technical officers

assisted by on-call IT personnel. There
is no standard operating procedure in
handling projects. Cross-functionality
between the different offices are
nonexistent. Documentation during
and after projects is not exercised.
Lead analysts are sometimes utilized
as project managers themselves.

7. The primary purpose of the PMO is to

standardize organizational practices
such as formal documentation and
task delegation to streamline project
completion thus minimizing costs and increasing the company’s efficiency. It is
divided into two parts namely project-focused (training, mentoring) and
enterprise-oriented (PM methods, tools).

8. For a company with the scale of ATEK PC, PMO-heavy is much more effective
since the minimization of losses due to inefficiencies are magnified by the
 Ralph Diego F. Manansala
2014-60907
number of projects the company handles. ATEK PC has the capital to invest in
the creation of a dedicated PMO.

9. A lot of the higher-ups were initially not supportive of the PMO since they think
that funds for the creation of a PMO can be better funneled to other ‘much
important’ resources. Due to the established culture in the company, many were
not welcoming of the standardization which the PMO advocates for, especially
since many of those that comprises the PMO are not native to the PC industry.

10. The corporate culture within ATEK PC can be described as ‘traditional’ and
borderline ‘bureaucratic’. A lot of practices in the company can be seen as
informal, which can be likened to a PMO-light scheme, minus the fact that they
don’t try to centralize work at all besides localized project teams.

11. There were no roadmaps or timelines that were set to monitor the maturation of
the PMO. The effectivity of the PMO was measured by the value it provides to
projects. There was also no clear distinction in terms of measuring performance
or accountability in the PMO. The CIO even said that they ‘don’t have the time’
to handle the PMO.

12. The company can implement PMO-light practices initially, with the goal of
transitioning towards PMO-heavy set-up using a clear, defined set of timelines
and milestones. The company’s culture must be considered but it should not be
prioritized relative to the company’s overall welfare.

Industry Analysis of Atek PC Project Management Office

• Mobile phones is becoming a more popular choice compared to PCs due to

its portability
• The industry is undergoing a period of consolidation wherein bigger
companies ‘eat up’ smaller ones due to the declining market profits

o ATEK PC was established in 1984, with 210 full-time employees and 200
part-time employees
o In 2006, the company recorded 1.9 billion US dollars in sales
o The company is between growth and maturity, with the impending threat of
a decline
o Strategic Planning Office proposes business plans to counter the economic
issue the company is undergoing
o Implementing a Project Management Office was seen as a tool to cut down
costs, which would ideally revive the profit margins the company is losing

• IT personnel support technical lead analysts in localized projects

• Development staff such as lead analysts were often tasked to manage their
own projects
Ralph Diego F. Manansala
2014-60907
• Informal management practices were favored due to the speed in which it
responds to requests
• Formal documentation and standardization practices were not observed,
even in the executive level

Idea Development Form for ATEK PC Project Management Office

Project: Creation of a Standard Operating Procedure when handling projects

that requires utilizing personnel from multiple committees
Description:
A project manager (from the PMO) will be tasked per major project
and they will be the ones to communicate with the head of the PMO
to source them with personnel for the project. Communication lines
will be established, as well as timelines and milestones. A meeting
among affiliated personnel will be set to establish key performance
indicators for the particular project.
Purpose:
Standardization of basic yet crucial points of the project such as the
project initiation will help streamline the project workflow and
increase the efficiency of the company and the effectivity of the PMO
Phases:
Feasibility Phase:
Pilot projects (smaller scale)
Pilot Projects (bigger scale)

Formalization Phase

Key Personnel Involved:

PMO
Executives of the Departments
Technical Personnel
IT Personnel