ISO/TC 258, ISO Technical Committee for Project, Program, and Portfolio Management, convenes in Tällberg, Sweden By jouko.vaskimo@aalto.fi ISO/TC 258, the Technical Committee (TC) of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) set up to work with standards in the field of project, program, and portfolio management convened for the fourth plenary meeting at Tällberg, Sweden, on September 9 th 13 th 2013. The participants - over 90 representing 22 national standardization agencies - were warmly welcomed by Mrs Helene Edmark from Swedish Standards Institute (SIS) and Mr Anders Sandberg from Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, wearing his local traditional folklore costume. ISO/TC 258 Tällberg plenary meeting participants ISO/TC 258 had, at the time of the Tällberg event, 35 participating (P) members, 9 observing (O) members, and 4 liaisons: ISO/TC 258 P - members were Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. ISO/TC 258 O - members were Belarus, Belgium, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, New Zealand, Slovakia and Uganda ISO/TC 258 liaisons were ISO International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Joint Technical Committee (JTC) 1 Sub- Committee (SC) 7, ISO IEC JTC1 / WG8 (Governance of IT), International Project Management Association (IPMA) and Project Management Institute (PMI). Anders Sandberg 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 1 of 10
ISO/TC 258 plenary sessions were run by Mr Miles Shepherd, ISO/TC 258 Chairman, serving British Standard Institution (BSI), and by Mr Karl Best, ISO/TC 258 Secretary, serving American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Karl Best and Mr Miles Shepherd Mr Shepherd was happy with the plenary session, and commented This is our fourth Plenary. Each one is important as it offers an opportunity to not only carry out work under the arrangements of Work and Study Group Convenors but also allows the whole Technical Committee to address central business. This Plenary is set against a most beautiful background and our hosts, SIS, have made a unique and friendly venue available to the 90 odd delegates from 22 countries. Our work this week includes reviewing our Business Plan, renewing the membership on my Advisory Group and adjusting membership of the Technical Design Group, a small team who investigate issues and report to the Plenary on specialist matters. In addition, we will be making substantial progress with the Committee Draft of ISO 21502 Portfolio Management, setting the agenda for our Vocabulary Working Group and developing plans for a future standard on Programme Management. We have been working on governance aspects for some time so the report from out Study Group will be very welcome. It seems we will be able to progress plans for a Standard on governance principles. It remains to be seen how this will be enacted as interfaces with project, portfolio and programme management will need to be addressed. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 2 of 10
So we have had a very busy Plenary, considerable progress has been made across the whole range of our responsibilities. We will be meeting again as a Plenary in Kyoto in September next year. In the meantime, the Working Groups and Study Groups will meet separately to deal with their own specific work plans. We are particularly grateful to SIS, for their hospitality and attention to detail which has allowed us to get a great deal of work done in delightful circumstances. Mr Shepherd can be contacted at Miles.Shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk, and Mr Best at Karl.Best@pmi.org. The main initiatives within ISO/TC 258 are currently Working Group (WG) 1, developing an ISO standard on portfolio management, Study Group (SG) 1, studying the feasibility of developing an ISO standard on project, program and portfolio governance, WG3, developing a vocabulary document, and SG4, studying the feasibility of developing an ISO standard on program management. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 3 of 10
ISO/TC 258 WG1 sessions were run by Mr Steve Fahrenkrog, ISO/TC 258 WG1 Convenor, serving ANSI, and Mr David Hyde, ISO/TC 258 WG1 Secretary, serving BSI. In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Steve Fahrenkrog and Mr David Hyde Mr Fahrenkrog and Mr Hyde were pleased with the WG1 sessions, and commented We were pleased with the energy, willingness to compromise, and commitment demonstrated by the subject matter experts in attendance at the meeting. Without their hard work we wouldn t have been able to adjudicate all of the comments and move to a Committee Draft (CD) 2. While we would have liked to proceed to the Enquiry stage we felt that building more consensus with a CD 2 was the right thing to do at this time. We hope to meet again in March in London and be able to move to the Enquiry stage after that meeting. Mr Fahrenkrog can be contacted at SLFahrenkrog@gmail.com and Mr Hyde at David.Hyde@bsigroup.com. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 4 of 10
ISO/TC 258 SG1 sessions were run by Mr Rommert Stellingwerf, ISO/TC 258 SG1 Convenor, serving Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN), and Mr Jaycee Kruger, ISO/TC 258 SG1 Secretary, serving South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Rommert Stellingwerf and Mr Jaycee Kruger Mr Stellingwerf and Mr Kruger were very pleased with the SG1 sessions, and commented All objectives for the week were met. 24 members of the study group, who represented 14 countries, concluded the study report, which summarizes the research done during the past 1.5 years, and reached consensus on the development of an ISO International Standard Guidance on governance of projects, programs and portfolios. The first working draft of that standard is planned to be available by March 2014. Mr Stellingwerf can be contacted at Rommert@familiestellingwerf.nl and Mr Kruger at Jaycee.Kruger@gmail.com. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 5 of 10
ISO/TC 258 WG3 sessions were run by Mr George Jucan, ISO/TC 258 WG3 Convenor, serving Standards Council of Canada (SCC), and Mrs Isabelle Lambert, ISO/TC 258 WG3 Secretary, serving Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR). In the photograph (from left to right): Mr George Jucan and Mrs Isabelle Lambert Mr Jucan and Mrs Lambert were pleased with the WG3 sessions, and commented While terminology work is often seen as the least glamorous component of standardization process, it creates a strong foundation for consistency across the entire family of standards to be produced by ISO/TC 258. Composed by extremely experienced subject matter experts from 15 countries, WG3 has made tremendous progress during the first face-to-face meeting and it set the stage for effective work in a virtual environment until the next meeting. Mr Jucan can be contacted at GJucan@openablers.net and Mrs Lambert at Isabelle.Lambert@afnor.org. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 6 of 10
ISO/TC 258 SG4 sessions were run by Mr Reinhard Wagner, ISO/TC 258 SG4 Convenor, representing Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), and Mr Akihiko Sekiguchi, ISO/TC 258 SG4 Secretary, representing Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC). In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Reinhard Wagner and Mr Akihiko Sekiguchi Mr Wagner and Mr Sekiguchi were happy with the SG4 sessions, and commented "As it was the first session for our Study Group we achieved all goals in a good working atmosphere. This makes us confident to start next year into a formal development process of an International Standard on Programme Management. It will fill the gap between the already available standard ISO 21500 "Guidance on Project Management" and the upcoming standard on Portfolio Management." Mr Wagner can be contacted at R.Wagner@gpm-ipma.de and Mr Sekiguchi at ASeki@jp.fujitsu.com. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 7 of 10
Representatives from two ISO/TC 258 liaisons participated in the ISO/TC 258 events in Tällberg. Mr Michael Young, representing IPMA, was happy with the events and commented It is great to see many members of the IPMA family participating in the ISO Technical Committee through their national standards bodies. The development of standards is an important but not always easy process. It requires the testing and challenging of ideas, concepts and terminology. It requires the examination of a diverse range of thoughts and viewpoints. Through these discussions we reach a common understanding and in turn achieve the required consensus. The result is not only a standard. We also leave such workshops with new found friends from around the globe, all of who have a passion and interest in improving practices in project, programme and portfolio management. I look forward to participating in future ISO workshops and continuing the important liaison role of behalf of the IPMA family. Mr Young can be contacted at Michael.Young@transformed.com.au. Mr John Zlockie, representing PMI, was happy with the events and commented PMI is pleased to help advance global consensus on project, program and portfolio management through its work within ISO TC 258. The collaborative environment of the Technical Committee will benefit practitioners and organizations worldwide. Mr Zlockie can be contacted at John.Zlockie@pmi.org. In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Michael Young and Mr John Zlockie 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 8 of 10
The Swedish Standards Institute (SIS) is an independent Swedish standardization organization, headquartered in Stockholm and established in 1922. SIS participates in the European and global network which develops international standards. SIS is a member of the European cooperative effort CEN as well as the global ISO. SIS and its members from both private and public sector develop standards in numerous domains including construction, safety, healthcare, consumer products, management systems, engineering, environmental issues and safety. For further information please navigate to www.sis.se. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the largest global developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 162 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. For further information please navigate to www.iso.org/iso/home.html. Five members of staff participated in the ISO/TC 258 Tällberg event: In the photograph (from left to right): Mr Theofanis Giotis, Mr, Mr Miles Shepherd, Mr Reinhard Wagner and Mr JC Krueger 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 9 of 10
About the Author Author works as Development Manager at Aalto PRO, the Professional Development unit of Aalto University in Espoo, Finland. He is also an International Correspondent and Editorial Advisor for PM World in Finland. Jouko graduated from Helsinki University of Technology in 1992. Since then he has held project management related assignments with increasing levels for responsibility at Sinebrychoff Ltd, the oldest brewery in Scandinavia; Kemira Engineering Ltd, the leading chemicals manufacturer Finland; DNA Finland Ltd, a large Finnish mobile phone operator; Nokia Business Infrastructure; and Ixonos PLC, one of the leading Finnish ICT consultancies. Jouko holds the IPMA Level C (Project Manager) and Level B (Senior Project Manager) certificates and is the chairman of the Finnish IPMA Certification Body operating IPMA certification in Finland. He is a member of the Project Management Association Finland Board of Directors and a founding member of PMI Finland Chapter. He received the PMP certificate in 2003. Since October 2007, Jouko has been heading the Finnish delegation to ISO/PC 236 and ISO/TC 258. Jouko resides in Espoo, Finland and can be best contacted at jouko.vaskimo at aalto.fi. 2013 www.pmworldlibrary.net Page 10 of 10