Leadership

Mr. John Schlichter, President of OPM Experts, is a PMI certified OPM3 Assessor and OPM3 Consultant. He has implemented Project Management Offices (PMO's) for multiple Fortune companies, facilitated large-scale organizational change, designed and led comprehensive training programs, personally managed multi-million dollar technology projects, and been a mentor to all levels of management including C-level personnel. He is frequently invited to speak to audiences about project management across the globe. He began his career as an analyst and briefer for a management consulting firm serving Fortune 100 companies. Subsequently he worked in positions ranging from PMO Manager and Director of Project Management to Executive Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Schlichter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master's in Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University.

"John Schlichter has contributed greatly to the Project Management Institute," said Greg Balestrero, Chief Executive Officer, PMI.

John was asked in 1998 by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the largest professional organization dedicated to project management in the world, to lead the largest standards development initiative ever undertaken by PMI, in order to develop a standard in Organizational Project Management for industry and government. The resulting OPM3 is an international standard for helping organizations to assess and develop project management, program management, and portfolio management capabilities in order to be able to execute their strategies through projects successfully, consistently, and predictably.

After the prototype OPM3 maturity model was delivered to PMI, Mr. Schlichter launched OPM Experts, LLC to support organizations who are seeking to get the most out of Organizational Project Management. Mr. Schlichter is credited with being the world's foremost expert in the OPM3 standard's content and application.

"In John Schlichter's role as leader of the OPM3 program, he has immeasurably contributed to the growth of the (project management) profession," said Rebecca (Becky) Winston, J.D., Chair of the Board of Directors, PMI.

Mr. Schlichter continues to have a close relationship with PMI, having recently helped PMI (and their partner DNV) to develop certifications beyond the PMP for individuals who wish to become certified assessors and consultants using OPM3. Learn about the history of OPM3 here.

Mr. Schlichter was also a member of the PMI Standards Committee, a member of the PMI Standards Member Advisory Group, and a co-founder of the PMI Metrics Special Interest Group.

 

    Endorsements:

  • “John is a brilliant thinker, hugely enthusiastic about his subject matter, and innovative in the solutions he surfaces and implements on behalf of his clients. Organizations looking for top flight thinking will do well to consult with John. Meryl Moritz” September 23, 2008. Meryl Moritz, Principal, Meryl Moritz Resources was with another company when working with John at OPM Experts, LLC


  • John is by far one of the most profound thought leaders I have ever met. His knowledge and commitment to improving organizations is always welcomed. When it comes to portfolio, program or project management maturity John is one of the colleagues I reach out for assistance.” September 16, 2006. Top qualities: Expert, High Integrity, Creative. Nathaniel Quintana, PMP
    hired John as a Consultant/Trainer in 2006


  •  “I was very fortunate to be able to spend a week with John Schlichter of OPM Experts participating in an OPM3 assessment of our maturity relative to the management of projects at Harris Corporation. John is extremely well versed in OPM3 and has exceptional clarity in speaking about the model, analyzing project artifacts and interviewing project team members to produce significant, concise and actionable findings from a focused assessment process. It was a tremendous learning experience for me personally and a practical assessment report for my company to implement. I look forward to working with John again to extend the OPM3 to other areas of the company.” March 25, 2008 Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity Cathy Frank hired John as a Business Consultant in 2007

 

  •  “John directed the original team that developed OPM3 for PMI and I was the technical writer on the team. John demonstrated remarkable talents in this position, which I observed over several months. He is a brilliant strategist, a strong, decisive, project leader, and a creative, visionary thinker in his field.” January 15, 2008 Paul Wesman, Owner, Wesman Corporate Communications worked directly with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •   “John is a visionary and a leader. He demonstrated this quite well running the OPM3 program which I was a part of in various capacities. In my opinion, OPM3 would not be what it is today without his leadership.” January 21, 2008 Venkat Mangudi, Program Manager - Business Solutions, HCL Technologies worked directly with John at OPM Experts, LLC

 

  •   “John is a highly skilled, knowledgeable OPM3 appraiser. He provided a valuable service to my organization as an appraiser of our project management capabilities. John's appraisal report was accurate, concise and characterized by insightful recommendations. If you are seeking to increase your organizational capabilities in project, program and portfolio management, contacting John would be a wise first step.” September 27, 2007 Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value Mark Scott hired John as a OPM3 Appraisal Service in 2007

 

  •  “John has result oriented approach with open mind for ideas & out of box suggestions. His leadership is helpful to explore resolution to any issue of business challenges. Work with him on complex problems is highly enjoyable.” May 13, 2008 Muhammad Aslam Mirza, President-PMI KPC, Project Management Institute reported to John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “A person of keen and visionary foresight, John Schlichter is a thought-leader in the field of Organizational Project Management (OPM), and a sought-after speaker, assessor, and consultant. John is world renown as an expert in OPM (the art and science of advancing an organization's strategic intent through projects successfully, consistently, and predictably). As the VP of Professional Development for the Information Technology and Telecommunications SIG, I have engaged John repeatedly to present OPM3 to PMI's IT&Telecom SIG, which is the PMI's second largest Specific Interest Groups. Attendance to John's most recent presentation set the record for highest attendance, and was far higher than any of the SIG's esteemed speakers to date. John has developed a reputation for formulating strategy and translating it into action to produce success for his customers, as he did as the overall leader of PMI's OPM3 Program when I was a member of the OPM3 Integration Team, and he has shared his knowledge generously with members of the profession.” May 10, 2008 Vasilj Petrovic, P.Eng. PMP, VP Professional Development, PMI - Information Technology and Telecommunications was with another company when working with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John is extremely creative and thoughtful individual. He has first rate knowledge about decision processes and project management. If you add to that knowledge and skill set - an entrepreneur's spirit, you come up with John at his best. Intelligence and creativity do not always go hand in hand - in John they are both present.” April 3, 2008 Benn Konsynski, Professor, Emory University worked directly with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John is a very professional, serious and creative consultant” March 8, 2008 Top qualities: Expert, High Integrity, Creative Finn Svenning hired John as a Business Consultant in 2005

 

  •  “John has been an inspiration to many of us. He organized an effort whose extensive scope was singular, and mobilized hundreds of professionals. John is a leader.” February 22, 2008 Luis Augusto dos Santos, PMP, President, Project Management Institute, Sao Paulo Brazil Chapter worked indirectly for John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John's leadership & vision on a massive undertaking of the OPM3 initiative was exemplary and a true testament of his passion for the PM profession.” February 21, 2008 Dr. Ashley Pereira, Senior Engineering Manager & Six Sigma BlackBelt, Honeywell Aerospace was with another company when working with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •   “John was a detail oriented and very focused Director for PMI's OPM3 Product Development Initiative. I was on the Standards Member Advisory Oversight Committee at the time. John was brilliant he was highly intelligent, kept track of all details and high level management and reporting very focused and hard working.” January 21, 2008 Cynthia (Cindy) Berg, Volunteer/Member, Project Management Institute managed John indirectly at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John is a person of great energy, innovation, and flexibility. He hones in on a target and actively achieves the objectives. He is thirsty for knowledge and reads voraciously. We don't know John's limits. I commend him without reservation.” January 20, 2008 Stan Rifkin, CEO, Master Systems Inc. reported to John at Project Management Institute

 

  • " I've known John for more than four years as business partners. John is both a highly intelligent and conscientious consultant who can be trusted to deliver quality. I highly recommend John's services. Rich Dougherty” January 16, 2008 Rich Dougherty, CEO, Expert Choice, Inc. was with another company when working with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “As President of The Weather Channel Networks I was the primary customer of the Program Management Office which was set up by John Schlicter. This was first PMO the company had and its task was to work with the company's senior management (EVP's, CFO, CIO, and IT VP's) to select, prioritize, and provide oversight of the company's business critical major projects. John's position required constant negotiation and balancing of interests, but produced successful project results during an economically challenging time for the industry.” February 24, 2008 Patrick Scott, President, The Weather Channel Networks managed John indirectly at The Weather Channel

 

  •  “John was our first Leader of the OPM3. This was a new maturity model for Project Management initiated by PMI and John had the task of driving it. I was a Risk Management team member then, and was amazed at his organizational and coordination skills of leading this Global program. It also demonstrated his knowledge of this new subject then, and his ability to build a team, share the thought process and work on the OPM3 model with the Global team.” January 16, 2008 Vivek Dixit, Voluntary work -- Knowledge Management, PMI (Project Management Institute) worked directly with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •   “I worked with John on the OPM3 Standards project sponsored by the PMI where he lead a global team of project management experts as the overall Program Manager and the original architect of the organizational project management maturity model. John is a tremendous subject matter expert on organizational project management, process improvement, and organizational development arena. He is a fantastic leader and I learned a lot from him working on this ground breaking project and recommend him without any hesitations!” January 15, 2008 Rabbani Lutfur, Co-Lead of OPM3 Network Model, PMI - OPM3 Program worked with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •   “During the time as project manager of the PMI Standards team that developed the PMBOK(R) Guide - Third Edition I interfaced with John as he led the team to develop the PMO3 product for PMI. John's knowledge of organizational assessments and his vision to define the standard's and outstanding team leadership skills resulted in the development of a great PMI product. I heartily recommend John as a provider of OPM3 assessments and consultant services.” January 15, 2008 Dennis Bolles, PMP (dbolles@dlballc.com), Owner, DLB Associates, LLC worked with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John demonstrated great leadership and visionary foresight as Program Manager of PMI's OPM3 development effort. Very knowledgeable of our specific subject-matter, John was able to motivate and inspire all of us to work towards our common objective. He was able to adeptly address specific issues at a granular, detail level, while at the same time not loosing sight of our overall objective.” January 14, 2008 Nik Kalantjakos, OPM3 Assessment Team Leader, Project Management Institute reported to John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  "I viewed John's approach as very efficient and effective. We met our milestones with a high-quality product that exceeded virtually everyone's expectations. I think John demonstrated exceptional skills in coping with the usual bureaucratic challenges and technical obstacles associated with a very large virtual team.” January 14, 2008 David Lanners, Executive Consultant, LCS International, Inc. LCSI worked indirectly for John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “I worked with John during his initial tenure as lead for the Project Management Institute's effort to develop its Organizational Project Management Maturity Model standard. His commitment and drive were significant contributors to the success of this effort. He demonstrated strong leadership skills in keeping a very diverse group of volunteers focused on creating a finished product that would benefit the project management community.” January 14, 2008 David Violette, Project Manager, Duke Energy Corporation worked directly with John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  “John was the Program Manager for the OPM3 Program. The OPM3 would not have been developed in the manner it was without the vision and hard work that John put into this standard over the years. It resulted in a standard designed for industry and government, designed to help organizations assess and develop their project, program, and portfolio management (P3M) capabilities. The OPM3 helps executives understand where to invest to develop strong Strategic Alignment of their organization and to strengthen their change management initiatives. John worked as the Program Manager in a completely virtual environment and proved himself a prolific communicator and energetic participant in the advancement of the project management profession."” April 20, 2007 Gary Elliott, M.S., PMP, NSA 4011, Integration Team Member, Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) Project Team, Project Management Institute worked indirectly for John at Project Management Institute

 

  •  "John Schlichter is a recognized expert in project management and particularly skilled in the areas of organizational project management maturity. John brings to the table years of experience having worked with companies and project offices of all shapes and sizes. I have known and worked with John since 2004 and would highly recommend him to any organization seeking to understand and advance project management and organizational capabilities.” April 17, 2008 Mark Perry, Senior Vice President, BOT International

 

  •  “John directed a sensitive and high priority information security project for T-Mobile, which Deloitte was involved in implementing. John is extremely knowledgeable in project management methodologies, and was able to resolve many issues off the bat and start the project on the right footing.” March 10, 2008 Ali Esfahani, Sr. Consultant, Deloitte was a consultant or contractor to John at T-Mobile

 

  •   "John directed one of the largest enterprise-wide Identity Management projects in the nation. This was one of the largest and most important IT projects in the company and was sponsored by the CIO. I worked with him from the proposal phase through the negotiation of the statement or work through the actual functional and technical design phases. John applied his unparalleled knowledge of project management to the processes and project management on the project resulting in several benefits and was always efficient, fair and responsive. He got ahead of several problems before they became full blown issues and kept the large project and extended team focused and moving along towards meeting the milestone dates as planned. It was a pleasure working with John and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future. January 22, 2008 David Mapgaonkar (Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP) was with another company when working with John at T-Mobile.

 

  •  “We brought in John Schlicter to Panasonic Mobile during a time when we were struggling to introduce project management techniques into our company. John provided an expert diagnosis of the situation, and developed a roadmap for us to take our organization to the next level. We could not have done it without him--and I would recommend John without hesistation.” January 15, 2008 Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert Jim Marion, PMP hired John as a Business Consultant in 2004, and hired John more than once