Project Management

Bird’s-View on Project Management Office Project Management Office (PMO) - 1 A Project Management Office (PMO) is an organizational body or entity assigned various responsibilities related to the centralized and coordinated management of these projects under its domain. The responsibility of a PMO can range from providing project management support functions to actually being responsible for the direct management of the project. The project supported or administered by the PMO may not be related, other than by being managed together. The specific form, function, and structure of a PMO are dependent upon the needs of the organization that it supports. A PMO may be delegated the authority to act as an integral stakeholder and a key decision maker during the beginning of each project, to make recommendations, or to terminate project or take other actions as required to keep business objectives consistent. In addition, the PMO may be involved in the selection, management,

Project Management Office (PMO) Establishing a Fruitful PMO The PMO will be established according to the PMO structure selected. As described in my previous article, the prevailing structures are Supportive, Controlling, and Directive. In this article we will discuss the recommended fourth alternative PMO structure – Deliver Value Now . The PMO structure implemented should align with the culture, project management maturity level, and readiness of the organization. Once the PMO structure has been decided upon, the performing organization can begin to carry out the steps to establish the PMO as a permanent department within the organization. We will assume that the PMO executive already received complete buy-in, commensurate authority, and pledged support from senior management. The organization can now move forward to implement the PMO. In order to progress efficiently in setting up the PMO operation it is recommended that the PMO executive consider four (4) fundamental phases