How useful is project-management office for a company?

2008-02-14T13:35:07+01:00

Project Management
Some companies set up a PMO (Project Management Office) Block to coordinate and centralize their all (IT & Non IT) project management activities. PMO defines rules and prospects related to projects and functionalities of project managers, teams and stakeholders.

PMO’s main objective is to see the project goes smoothly and concludes successfully by timely issuing the project plans & templates to the project managers and teams. PMOs, in some organisations, set priority of projects and time to be completed. Sometimes they may request to change the scope of a particular project, provide training if necessary, and application of SW based on the project need.

A comprehensive PMO is headed by an experienced and well-versed project manager and is facilitated with personnel who help manager from relieving the routine (maintain the meeting-minutes, handling the project records, internal correspondence and stakeholders’ meet)

Uber PMO – This is one stop switching room located within the premises of the company or outside of it, for its all projects (including IT projects, R&D efforts or the launch of new products), working independently from all the departments.

Except the employees who manage specific new found projects along with their routine, project managers who work solely for carrying out the different project works are considered as PMO’s staff.

The dark side PMO is that leadership qualities and managerial outlook of project managers gets choked by dictating the work elements and forcing them to follow tedious practices like documentation of WIP, mailing and preparing work sheets etc.