So in 2010, Navy Federal began developing a team of project practitioners that could
advocate for standardized, centralized project delivery, as well as strategic alignment
practices. In 2014, the IT department launched its project management office (PMO).
From boosting on-time deliveries to delivering more projects according to plan, the
PMO has transformed Navy Federal’s project environment. Its staff—which has grown
to 120 practitioners from just five in 2010—has spearheaded change while the portfolio
reached US$205 million in 2015.
“With its integrated capabilities of project management, analysis and planning, the
PMO really enables us to deliver on time, very precisely, on a regular basis,” Mr. Hills
says. The PMO’s expertise is “just critical in the information age for financial institutions.”
Yet, not everyone initially saw it that way. When the PMO was formed, the team
had to work to avoid the perception that it was a documentation engine or a needless bureaucracy.
“Throughout our journey, we’ve certainly faced some challenges in terms of buy-in and
acceptance of project management,” says Kristin Earley, PMP, assistant vice president of
the PMO. “We started with small wins. We had to highlight the demonstrated value that
we brought in terms of consistent, repeatable delivery of projects.”
“We needed to be able
to handle more complex
projects, and we needed
to be able to deliver them
with a frequency and
consistency that inspired
ongoing confidence.”
—Bill Hills, Navy Federal Credit Union
PHO
T
O
CO
UR
TE
SY
OF
N
AV
Y
F
ED
ER
A
L
CR
EDI
T
U
NI
O
N
