Meeting all the weekly deliverables asked of parents sometimes feels like a mass scale business operation. Have you remembered to complete that permission form? Have you sorted lunches for the week? After school care on Thursday? Is there maths homework due this week?! Oh no…. you forgot Friday was the deadline for signing up for next term’s clubs.
But wait. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had full visibility and control of all deadlines and demands and were able to prioritise your energy to focus on the right goal at the right time through planning and effective programme management?
Yes. Parents need a PMO. Just imagine the benefits…
Governance
Avoid all the worries of “under-parenting” or “over-parenting.” You can apply just enough governance to encourage autonomy and independence, whilst still supporting their needs and knowing when to scale governance up or down. Having control and visibility of all your parenting responsibilities through the PMO means you will have informed decision making, meaning there’s no conflict over your parenting governance!
Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies (RAID Log)
You’ll be able to deal with issues coming before they arrive. No more surprises. If giving your children pasta and pesto was a risk last week, your PMO will have flagged it to be an issue in good time and contingency scampi can be in the freezer, ready to roll.
RAG Status
Topic homework. This starts life as green status, where it is way off in the distance and your children have a million plausible ideas about how to deliver it. Then suddenly it’s due next week, and the window to complete it is getting smaller as you have other commitments ahead of then. It’s moved to Amber. But don’t worry, luckily your PMO gives you this visibility so you can catch it before it goes to red and still hits the delivery deadline. Full control. Thank you PMO.
Resource Management
There’s a reason there’s the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.” Frankly, working parents need an app full of local contacts so there is a plan A, B & C for childcare. Your PMO will help you to plan when you need extra resource for drop offs, pickups, the weekend taxi service to social commitments and of course the resource needed for all the parent responsibilities at home.
Budgeting Control
Even the most organised parents must get hit by unexpected expenses throughout the year. There’s new uniform to buy when the children suddenly shoot up in height, all the after-school clubs, birthday treats, school trips, lunches and not forgetting allowance or pocket money. Of course, having your Parents PMO means you have the budget at your fingertips and can instantly see if there are funds available and where you have budget to spare.
Prioritisation
With your PMO you can see everything coming. This means you can effectively prioritise with rational logic. No more butting in and giving way to whoever screams the loudest. Needs are based on rigorous criteria and your little stakeholders know exactly what is happening and when. Doesn’t that sound like parenting utopia?
Okay, so talking to your children about the right methodology for getting ready in the mornings might mean you get rolled eyes. Maybe we keep PMO in business after all. If you are looking to set up a PMO or want to get more value from your existing PMO then get in touch with us today.
