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Frequently Asked Questions

P3O - Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is P3O?

    A P3O model provides a decision enabling/delivery support structure for all change within an organisation. This may be provided through a single permanent office which may exist under several different names e.g. Portfolio Office, Centre of Excellence, Enterprise or Corporate Programme Office. It may otherwise be provided through a linked set of offices (portfolio office, programme offices, project offices), both permanent (enabling/supporting business objectives and consistency of delivery) and temporary (enabling/supporting specific programmes and projects), providing a mix of central and localised services.

    OGC's PRINCE2, Managing Successful Programmes, and Management of Risk all touch on the need to provide adequate support structures for these best practices. However, currently there is no single source of this information that either organisations or individuals can go to find guidance or advice on setting up or running an effective delivery support office in alignment with OGC's Best Practice guidance.

    This new guidance - aligned to OGC's PRINCE2, MSP, and M_o_R - will bring together in one place a set of principles, processes and techniques to facilitate effective portfolio, programme and project management through enablement, challenge and support structures. These structures also bridge the gap between the strategy/policy makers and the delivery arm of the organisation.

    The purpose of the Portfolio, Programme and Project Office (P3O) guidance is to provide universally applicable guidance that will enable individuals and organisations to successfully establish, develop and maintain appropriate business support structures that will allow:

    • Informed senior management decision making on strategic alignment, prioritisation, risk management, optimisation of resource etc to successfully deliver their business objectives (portfolio management)
    • Identification and realisation of business outcomes and benefits via Programmes
    • Successful delivery of project outputs that enable benefits within time, cost and quality restraints.

    The guidance will provide:

    • An Introduction to P3O - Discussing why, when and how to use P3O models including the difference between portfolio, programmes and project environments and their different requirements
    • Value - What value P3O can bring to the organisation including a business case, funding models and performance measures
    • Model - An overview of the different P3O models with examples
    • Functions and Techniques - Details on the functions/services and techniques/tools used by units of a P3O model.

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  • When was P3O released?

    The launch date for P3O was 28th October 2008 and the examinations are available from Accredited Training Organisations (ATOs).

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  • Where can I train for P3O examinations?

    Training for P3O is available from accredited training organisations (ATOs) coordinated through the APM Group. The exams can be taken with your chosen training organisation as part of your training course, or directly through the APM Group who have an open centre in Milton Keynes or London where you can take the exams without needing to do the training course.

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  • How can I take P3O via an Accredited Training Organisation?

    Contact details for P3O ATOs' can be found at www.p3o-officialsite.com/TrainingOrganisations/ATOListing.asp

    You will need to contact the individual organisations for details of fees, dates, locations and formats. APMG does not hold information on the ATOs individual courses but we ensure the training provided by the ATOs meet APMG's required standards in accordance with EN45011.

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  • How can I take P3O Examinations at an Open Centre?

    Exams are run in Milton Keynes or London. All available dates for the exams, as well as the relevant application form are posted at www.apmgroup.co.uk/P3O/P3O_OpenCentreExams.asp.

    Complete the application form and return to The APM Group along with payment details.

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  • What is the cost of the P3O Examinations through an Open Centre?

    Foundation Exam: £120 Inc. VAT
    Practitioner Exam: £220 Inc. VAT

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  • What are the main publications for P3O and where can I purchase them?

    Like all other OGC methods, P3O will have a guide detailing the guidance, a pocketbook, and an introduction to the subject entitled 'Think P3O'. These titles are due to be published in October 2008.

    Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O®)

    This new core guidance from OGC describes why, when and how to use Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O).

    It describes what a P3O is, defining the two key types of P3O and goes on to answer the question posed by Senior Management – “why have P3Os' and what value-add do they bring to the organisation?” It also includes business cases, funding models for set-up and ongoing costs and performance measures.

    The book looks at the lifecycle of a P3O and describes the use of a project based approach to scoping and setting up a suitable P3O model within an organisation. And it includes checklists for start-up, continuous improvement, and reviving and closing down temporary offices.

    The publication looks at the functions and services carried out within a P3O and the techniques and tools used to facilitate this.

    Key Features

    • Facilitates Senior Management awareness of the status of its agenda for business change
    • Consistent with OGC’s Common Glossary
    • Includes real world examples and case studies
    • Outlines roles and responsibilities for functions within a P3O
    • Contains example business cases for permanent and temporary forms of P3O includes sizing and tailoring guidelines
    • Glossary - definitions of acronyms and terms
    • Contains a list of online resources for good practice including templates and examples.

    You can purchase the publication via The Best Management Practice's Publications Library:

    www.best-management-practice.com/Portfolio-Library/P3-Offices-P3O.

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  • What is the Structure for P3O?

    Foundation Exam: 40 minutes long; multiple choice paper of 50 questions. 60% pass mark is required 30/50.

    The exam will focus on concepts, structures and duties of a P3O and is aimed at anyone who works with or in a P3O. The Foundation exam will be available when the guidance is published.

    The Practitioner exam is an objective testing style paper. The paper consists of 7 questions with a total of 70 marks available to be completed within 2 1/4 hours. Candidates need to achieve a mark of 35 or more to pass the paper, and may only take the P3O Guide into the exam room for reference during the exam. A pre-requisite for this exam is a pass at Foundation level.

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  • Result Turn Around for P3O Examinations?

    The result turn around period for the Foundation examination is roughly 3-5 working days upon receipt of the examination pack back into APMG-UK office.

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  • What is the main difference between P3O and ISEB’s PPSO?

    The main difference between P3O and PPSO lies between the levels of detail. P3O contains much more detail about the design of a P3O, roles and responsibilities and setting up/refreshing. The PPSO courses and exams focus very much on the techniques that a PSO person would be expected to use in their day-to-day jobs.

    A P3O model provides a decision enabling/delivery support structure for all change within an organisation. This may be provided through a single permanent office which may exist under several different names e.g. Portfolio Office, Centre of Excellence, Enterprise or Corporate Programme Office. It may otherwise be provided through a linked set of offices (portfolio office, programme offices, project offices), both permanent (enabling/supporting business objectives and consistency of delivery) and temporary (enabling/supporting specific programmes and projects), providing a mix of central and localised services.

    The ISEB PPSO courses and exams focus very much on the techniques that a PSO person would be expected to use in their day-to-day jobs, such as project planning (critical path, Gantt, resource histograms), monitoring and control (including earned value analysis), change control, risk management and investment appraisal.

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