Project management offices (PMO’s) use combinations of predictable and reusable tools, techniques and processes to implement successful projects for your organization. They help you complete your projects on time while keeping them on budget and in scope. PMO’s do this by gathering and reporting the statuses of every project they manage while standardizing the methods and templates used during each project.
Where do PMO’s fit in your organization?
Henry Ford once said that “coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” In many of today’s highly competitive markets, project management offices are the solution to this riddle for success. PMO’s combine and coordinate several different departments of your business to establish a well-oiled business machine.
The most successful PMO’s in the world lead their parent organizations by example through focusing their efforts on training and mentoring employees. They spend:
– 32% of their time coordinating information technology purchases and implantations
– 20% of their time managing business units
– 16% of their time managing business partners and outside contractors
– 32% of their time coordinating and managing the information and cash flow between your business operations, financial, and human resource departments.
How long does it take to implement a PMO?
Implementing a proper project management office for your organization does not happen overnight nor will it take you forever. Your employees and managers will need time to get used to the new hierarchy, and an improperly implemented PMO can backfire against your business. Like any project, successful PMO’s require effective planning in their creation stages.
According to research done by the PMI Institute:
– 36% of businesses worldwide will take anywhere between 1 to 2 years to form a PMO
– 27% will take 6 months to a year
– 15% will take 2 to 3 years
– 11% will take 3 or more years
– 11% need less than 6 months to form a PMO.
Therefore, it is in your company’s best interests to start putting together a project management office long before you need one.
PMO Key Points
– PMO’s implement successful projects through predictable and reusable tools, techniques, and processes.
– PMO coordinate projects between every department in your organization
– Successful PMO’s take anywhere between six months to two years to implement.
– Successful PMO’s require effective planning to create.
– Successful PMO’s focus on training, mentoring, and leading by example.
