What is the Role of a PMO?
Filed Under:Written by John Livermore
A project management office (PMO) generally defines and maintains the standards related to project management within the organization, looking to add the efficiencies and cost savings associated with repetitive processes.
Basing principles on industry standards and methodologies, the PMO is typically the source of documentation, guidance and measurement on the practice and execution of project management. Regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley have mandated standardizing practices in organizations. PMOs are also often called upon to continually improve the organization, both in terms of processes and structures.
PMOs have become an important feature of project management, and can be quite complex with varying values, organizational context, structure, roles and functions. The value of PMOs varies and is difficult to measure. While one PMO may be a great resource and of significant value to a company, the next may be structured differently such that the expenditure outweighs the value added.
Organizations establish their PMO to meet different needs. Some companies may put all of their project managers within the PMO, or they may sprinkle a few throughout the rest of the organization. PMOs may cover all projects within an organization, or only those dealing with a particular business area.
Certainly for those organizations dealing with multi-site projects, a PMO can help centralize information. BigWave can also help in the information storing and disseminating process; contact us today to learn more.
