PMO Essentials, Strategies and Tactics

A Project Management Office (PMO) is created to establish and maintain the project management standards internal for the organization. As well, PMO resolves a particular problem, such as the inability of an organization to successfully deliver projects on time, on budget and agreed scope. A PMO can do much more, by reducing cost, improving timing, enhancing quality, and improving productivity. While, project managers may be under a PMO, or in a different unit, such as in application development, operations management or the business department. Usually, all PMO’s start with an earlier career as Project Coordinator (PC), Project Management (PM), moving to Program Management (PgM) and then Portfolio Management (PfM) prior reaching the PMO stage. However, the scope of work evolves from tactical to strategic. Similarly, according to Gartner, the scope of initiatives extends from IT-intensive projects to enterprise-wide business and IT initiatives. Therefore, the key is to earn the credibility of the business department/sales in order to work together in managing business projects.

There are several types of PMO models such as Project Repository Model, Project Coach Model, Enterprise PMO Model and Deliver Value Now Model. Which one would be the best approach? In short, the answer is a question by itself. What is the strategy of your organization?

Organizations that want the PMO to serve as a source of information on the project management standards and methodology falls under the Project Repository Model. An extension of this model is the Project Coaching Model that assumes a willingness to share some project management office to coordinate the communication. An Enterprise PMO Model implies direct management or oversight of projects, thus, concentrating project management within the PMO. Finally, the Deliver Value Now Model puts organization goals first by balancing project portfolio, monthly plan, and forecast, identifying portfolio opportunities and threats, project prioritization model for all projects, governance board setup, and project management training and mentoring (Rollins and Kendall, 2003).

References

Gartner, Inc. (n.d.) Project Management Office (PMO) [Online]. Available from: https://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/project-management-office-pmo (Accessed: 13 November 2017).

Rollins, S. and Kendall, G. (2003) Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO: Multiplying ROI at Warp Speed. 1st Edition. ISBN: 9781932159028. J. Ross Publishing.