Top Meisterplan Charts and Reports for PMOs

The PMO in a company is constantly answering new questions and filling requirements from every direction – from management, resource managers and project managers. Most of the time, the answer is not obvious, especially with complex questions such as: Is the portfolio feasible? Do we have the right priorities? What about the value of the portfolio? and, Who can actually replace Ms. Watson next month?

The PMO is the central hub between corporate management and all others. It is a strategist, fire extinguisher, consultant and supporter, and it plays a central role in the success of the project portfolio.

According to the PMO status report “The State of the Project Management Office”, a PMO provides companies with the following benefits:

• 43% better project focus on current business goals
• 25% fewer failed projects
• Cost savings per project of around $175,000

For a PMO to be so powerful and able to cope with the dynamics of so many inquiries, it must be able to quickly evaluate the project portfolio including resource management. Meaningful reports and charts are therefore a must, so that…

• management is able to make important decisions quickly,
• resource managers can get the most out of their employees,
• and project managers can complete their projects on-budget.

We at Meisterplan know which questions PMOs have to answer over and over again. Therefore, Meisterplan has preconfigured reports ready for PMOs. Today, we will briefly summarize the top reports that make it easy for PMOs to give the best support to senior management, resource managers and project managers.

Give the Portfolio Board a Perfect Basis for Decision-Making

Which projects should be done, by whom and when? This question cannot be answered on a quarterly basis because it requires regular decisions from the portfolio board or from senior management. It is the task of the PMO to continuously inform and advise upper management and provide the data basis for these decisions at portfolio board meetings.

Top Meisterplan Reports for the Portfolio Board

Project Pipeline Value Report

With the Project Pipeline Value report, you can determine the financial value of upcoming projects. This will help you ensure the portfolio that you propose to the Portfolio Board is of high value.

Configuration

Row Fields: Risk Level, Project Name
Column Fields: Finish Date
Data Fields: Net Value, Total Costs, Benefits
Filter Fields: Stage Gate, Rank Category

Project Net Values Report

If you want to see the real net benefit of the projects in the portfolio, you can refer to the Project Net Values report. With this report, you can prioritize projects based on financial criteria to discuss in the portfolio board meeting.

Configuration

Row Fields: Project Name
Column Fields: Finish Date
Data Fields: Net Value, Benefit, Total Cost
Filter Fields: Rank Category
(Template available in Meisterplan)

Project Health by Department Report

The report “Project Health by Department” displays the projects that are marked as critical per department. You can use this project list to ensure the most critical projects are discussed with the portfolio board.

Configuration

Row Fields: Status, Project Name
Column Fields: Department
Data Fields: Project Count
Filter Fields: Rank Category

Tips for Supporting the Portfolio Board

• Prepare concise, meaningful documents or use Meisterplan directly in the portfolio board meeting.
• Concentrate on concrete issues instead of presenting general figures. For example, how valuable is the project portfolio?
• Explain the implications of alternative decisions on finance and resource planning.
• Make very specific recommendations.

Provide Optimal Support for Resource Management

Resource needs and availability determine the feasibility of a portfolio and thus the success or failure of projects. As a rule, PMOs are responsible for cross-project resource management or the office supports the company’s resource planners with the relevant data. It is therefore important that the PMO has a comprehensive overview of the available resource capacities and needs.

Top Meisterplan Reports for Resource Management

Short-Term Capacities Report

Much more often than you think, you have employees with free capacity. They may be blocked by an unfinished milestone in another project, have idle time between two projects, or they may have completed a project faster than planned. The Short-Term Capacities report reveals these available capacities so those employees can use that time to support other projects.

Configuration

Row Fields: Resource Department, Resource Type, Resource Name
Column Fields: Capacity Date
Data Fields: Net Capacity
Filter Fields: Internal / External
(Template available in Meisterplan)

Demand by Role/Resource Report

In order for resource managers to be able to specifically plan the staffing of employee, they must be aware of the midterm requirements for resources. The “Demand by Role/Resource” report clearly shows how many roles or key resources are in demand. This information enables you to fill that demand in a timely manner.

Configuration

Row Fields: Primary Role, Resource Name, Project Name
Column fields: Allocation Date
Data fields: Allocation (d)
Filter fields: Rank Category, Resource Type
(Template available in Meisterplan)

Tips for Supporting the Resource Manager

• The report “Short Term Capacities” is a quick win for your company. With better capacity utilization, you can quickly generate more value.
• Provide resource managers with access to Meisterplan so that they can use the reports themselves.
• Your employees are people, not just a project element, resource or capacity. Do not let resource planning become impersonal, and never underestimate the human component as a contribution to project success.

Communicate Efficiently with Project Managers

PMOs help project managers complete projects on time and on budget. This requires communication and specifications from the PMO and feedback from the PM. The common goal is to effectively coordinate all projects in the project portfolio – without excessive effort.

Top Meisterplan Report for Project Managers

Allocation Cost by Project Report

In order for project managers to be able to adhere to the project’s specifications, you need to know what costs are incurred through allocations on their projects. The report “Allocation Costs by Project” provides this data.

Configuration

Row fields: Project Name, Primary Role, Resource Name
Column fields: Allocation Date
Data fields: Allocation Costs
Filter fields: Rank Category
(Template available in Meisterplan)

Tips for Supporting Project Managers

• Request only the absolutely necessary information from the project managers. Beware that project portfolio management has great potential to grow into an administrative monster. Too much data just complicates matters.
• Don’t simply request information, but also provide feedback on the progress of projects in the portfolio. Celebrate milestones and successful project completions together.

These are some of our favorite reports that PMOs can use to help and inform their stakeholders.

Are there specific reports for PMOs that you think are missing? No problem, you can easily create your own pivot tables and charts in Meisterplan. Go to our Help Center to learn more about making your own reports.