How does an organization know if it needs a PMO?

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How does an organization know if it needs a PMO?

The assignment will answer the question ‘ How does an organization know if it needs a PMO?

  • The respond should answer the above question.
  • The respond should be 200 – 300 words
  • With Harvard reference

I put the initial post by the student that we need to respond to and one example that other user already responded, so could the expert answer the above question on the similar style that other student respond to the below initial request.

 

This is the initial post.

The evolving business environment and the increasing demand for complex projects influenced the need for a centralized body responsible for project administration and managerial matters fashioned to measure and deliver organizational goals ( Salameh, 2014). The acceptance and popularity of PMO’s amidst organizations can be reconciled with the increasing role of projects in today’s organizations and the move toward management by projects. According to Meredith (2017) A significant highlight of the PMO is to serve as an administrative mechanism of the project’s direct objectives and also function as an achievement for performance reporting; planning, budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation. Despite the strategic framework of the PMO, it plays a supporting role in the delivery of an effective and standardized project management practice all around the organization and also ensures full support and commitment of the project’s entire goals and strategy.

Project success can be influenced by the uncertainties of both positive and negative variables. Based on dis assumption, establishing a PMO thus improves project performance and success. The strategic integration with business need enables a PMO to select and prioritize only projects that benefit the organization’s goal (Saurabh, 2014). Over time, PMOs have exhibited increased competence to direct projects with trusted experience and alacrity, leading to increased project success rates. To function effectively, the PMO must seek Management support. Management support delivers the authority and trust for PMO’s to manage and make critical decisions concerning projects, wherein project management performance practices can continuously improve in the organization (PMI’s Pulse of the profession, 2013)

Even though PMOs are known to ameliorate the rate of project success, it is vital for detailed performance measurement. To achieve this goal, organizations are advised to leverage relevant performance data of the PMO. For an accurate result, data must properly be analyzed and findings reviewed by both the stakeholders and PMO (Spalek, 2012)

In practice, How does an organization know if it needs a PMO?

Reference

Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M. & Mantel Jr., S. J., 2017. Project Management: A Strategic Managerial Approach. 10th Edition ed. New York: Wiley. Available at: https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781119369110/cfi/6/26!/4/2/12/26/6@0:0.

PMI’s Pulse of the profession. (2013) The impact of PMO’s on Strategy Implementation. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/pmo-strategy-implementation.pdf.Salameh, H. (2014) A Framework to Establish a Project Management Office. European Journal of Business and Management. Vol.6, No.9. pp.19-26

Saurabh, G. (2014) PMO: Its Impact on Project Success and Measuring Its Performance. Joint International Conference ISBN 978-1-60643-379-9 . Available at: http://cd14.ijme.us/papers/061__Saurabh%20Godbole.pdf.

Spalek, S. (2012) The role of project management office in the multi-project environmentInt. J. Management and Enterprise Development, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 172-186.

Below is another post done by another student that the expert can refer to answer the above question.

Having a background in PMO management I was drawn to your question.

With major consultancy firms publishing statistics showing that by implementing a PMO, organisation’s portfolios will more strategically aligned and more projects will be delivered on time, under budget etc it’s no wonder why organisations are curious about setting up their own PMO. However, there is a price tag attached as Meredith (2017) points out PMO’s require considerable investment to have the desirable effect. Having set up and matured a few PMO’s most organisation justify the cost with the potential savings but soon realise that a lot of the savings are actually cost avoidance benefits which rarely sees actual hard budget reductions along with the fact that it takes time to establish a PMO and mature it to the point were the value is achieved.

Pettey (2019) states that there is no one size fits all PMO but offers four types that showcase the different aspects that can deliver best value to the organisations such as the activist type PMO that provides a broader holistic visibility of the overall portfolio where the delivery type PMO focuses on planning, control and tactical execution of the project in contrast to the compliance type PMO that focuses on methodology, standards and best practices.

Organisations that are considering establishing a PMO need to understand the problems they are trying to fix. From my experience the challenge is tailoring the type of PMO that provides the best value to the organisations. Organisations should then look to maturing the PMO to the level required in achieving its strategic objectives.  They can measure its maturity or effectiveness by applying maturity models such as PMI’s OPM3 model.

References:

Meredith, J., Mantel, S., Shafer, S. (2017) Project Management: A Strategic Managerial Approach.10th ed. New York: Wiley.

Pettey (2019) 4 Types of Project Management Offices That Deliver Value. Available from: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/4-types-of-project-management-offices-that-deliver-value/ [accessed on 23 May 2020].