How Effective is Your PMO

Project Management Offices come in all shapes and forms. Some are there to support the various projects in the organization, others provide oversight and control, and quite a few offer direction and expertise. A good PMO can make all the difference in the world to project performance and return on invesment at a company.

Effective PMOs share some key attributes which are:

• Ensure standardized terminology and process across projects
• Ensure best practices are propogated across the projects
• Instill a culture of innovation and allow project teams to provide ideas for improvements to process and templates
• Automate and streamline project reporting and project tools, for repeatability and efficiency

It is all too common to witness PMOs that stifle innovation and productivity through very rigid templates, or exhaustive processes that add overhead. PMOs must allow project managers and teams the flexibility to adapt processes and guidance the unique attributes and constraints of their project.