Implementation Support Office

I remember working for an organisation with a new project management office, a continuous improvement team, and a change management team.

They each had different methodologies and beliefs. They wanted to be seen as experts, and mostly, they were. But they could act like warring tribes fighting over territory with an absolute belief in the superior nature of the work they did and the inferior work of the other tribes.

I never understood why they didn't see what they shared and work together supporting great implementation. A merged group that was a one-stop-shop helping those working on a project or initiative.

Irrespective of the ONE THING you are working on, the Implementation Support Team would be a flexible group of specialists and super-generalists. They would tailor the many, many tools at their disposal to the initiative at hand – more like a compassionate first-responder than a superhero swooping in to right the wrongs of evildoers. But it doesn't exclude good governance, regulations and fulfilling objectives.

It is a group that starts with serving the needs of their people and organisations. It's not separate groups proselytising the rightness of their one true approach, which everyone must follow.