by Mike Ososki, PMP, Communications Committee

“Why create a Project Management Office?,” Gerald Hill queried his PMI Atlanta Dunwoody Dinner audience earlier this month. Each table came up with answers, including ...

       • Support business strategy
       • Share preferred practices
       • Monitor and control portfolio
       • Standardize process and tools 
       • Develop and mentor project managers
       • Prioritize projects and provide fiscal oversight

Mr. Hill’s own answers overlap with those above ...

       • Centralize project oversight, control, and support
       • Reduce project disarray, and promote greater project success
       • Collaborate project management across technical and business disciplines—improve integration
       • Access and apply project management expertise
       • Achieve strategic business objectives

Gerald summarizes that the PMO has 3 major roles: oversight, control, and support, and he asserts that “project management IS business management—not just support.” In some companies, the PMO is a separate business unit, even with its own sales force.

Oversight can define as “knowing and reporting what’s going on so as to facilitate collaborative project and business decisions.” Control may be thought of as “intervening as necessary to ensure that established standards and preferred practices are followed, problems are identified and corrective actions taken, and project and business objectives are achieved.” Finally, support means to “help project managers and teams to succeed in achieving project fulfillment and project management objectives.”

From small to large, the “PMO Competency Continuum” can be framed as ...

       • Project Office: provide project oversight (could be just one Project Manager)
       • Basic PMO: does project control with a standard and repeatable methodology
       • Standard PMO: capability and infrastructure to support and govern cohesive project environment
       • Advanced PMO: integrated and comprehensive management of multiple complex projects
       • Center of Excellence: manage continuous improvement and cross-department collaboration to achieve strategic business goals

In the PMO, there can be numerous titles with diverse responsibilities, including ...

       • PMO, Program, and Project Managers, Director
       • Project Administrator, Scheduler, Estimator
       • Contract Administrator, Proposal Manager, Business Analyst
       • Resource Manager, Legal Advisor
       • Engineer, Scientist, Technician, Laborer, Contractor, Vendor
       • Project Executive, Control Board, Mentor, Auditor

Various PMO functions are ...

       • Manage PM methodology, standards, tools, metrics, and knowledge
       • Governance, assessment, organization and structure, facilities and equipment
       • Resource management, training and education, career and team development
       • Project mentoring, planning, auditing, and recovery
       • Manage the portfolio, customer and vendor relationships, and business performance

The PMO’s function is to manage the practice, infrastructure, resource integration, technical support, and business alignment of project management.

To develop a PMO, first prepare a Charter. This will include determining organizational needs and evaluation of culture, analyzing the stakeholders, assessing how the PM work is being done now, examining preliminary functionality, and aligning for suitable staff.

Gerald Hill is the Principal of Hill Methods, LLC, and has more than 25 years experience in project management practice design and implementation, IT systems integration, and business process engineering. His broad competencies are also based in an extensive educational background that includes multiple degrees and certifications. He is author of two books. Learn more at www.HillMethods.com.