Project Management Office
What is a PMO?
Stated simply, a Project Management Office or PMO is a structure dedicated to supporting the delivery of organizational initiatives. Levels of support can vary widely, from only providing some project management-related tools to assuming the lead role in delivering projects.
At a minimum, a PMO will provide some standardized templates and processes to be used for the management of organizational projects. Some PMOs will provide a repository for project files and perhaps provide support personnel to assist with project updates, project-related analysis and project reporting.
The most formal PMOs will actually provide project managers who are responsible for successful delivery of projects. No matter the depth of the PMO offering, the objective should be some level of standardization in process and consistency in approach.
Why do PMOs struggle and often fail?
PMOs, like individual projects, often suffer from poorly-defined objectives and misaligned expectations. What is required from the PMO must be understood to be able to understand what is required by the PMO in terms of budget and resources. If roles, responsibilities and desired outcomes are not established up front there will almost certainly be disappointment with the end result. Note that proper establishment of a PMO is, in itself, a project!
Another key consideration for any organization and its PMO is establishing guidance and definition for which projects are to be supported by the PMO. Perhaps all projects will; perhaps projects of a certain defined size will; perhaps projects of a certain type (such as new product development) will; perhaps projects led by certain functional areas will; perhaps some combination of these factors will. The boundaries must be clearly defined.
IT-PMOs versus E-PMOs
Are PMOs in a functional area different from Enterprise-wide PMOs?
E-PMOs support the highest-level organizational initiatives, including those strategic in nature. Expanding an existing PMO’s role needs to be done carefully. While standardized templates and processes should carry over into the expanded role, overall PMO objectives, expectations and requirements need to be re-defined as described above.
Enterprise-level projects can be expected to have different dynamics and requirements than projects that are more tactical or smaller in scope. Without discussions to define the new requirements, the PMO will simply fall back to “doing what they have always done” and gaps will eventually manifest themselves in disappointment. Considerations to avoid experiencing these struggles should include:
- Upper management involvement in driving enterprise initiatives
- PMO skill set for supporting enterprise-level initiatives
- Different communication requirements for enterprise-level initiatives
- Different PMO resource requirements
One final note: a properly-structured PMO will support successful delivery of organization initiatives without adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. The process should support the projects…beware of any tendencies to the contrary!
