1. Success Factors in Organizing a Project Management Office (PMO)
Management Processes Technology Applications Education, Training, and
Team Building
Budgeting, Cost &
Reporting
Supplemental Remarks
Insure there isexecutive
ownershipand
accountability forthe PMO.
For a PMO at the
enterprise level,developa
serverenvironmentfor
projectplansthat supports
a portfolioapproachto
planand status all work
packages.
Trainingincludestechnical
updatesforPMO staff and
“townhall”type briefings
for productmanagerswho
use the PMO.
Insure thatcost modelsand
scheduledtasksare tied
togethertoproduce a
portfolioof projects with
tailoredschedulesandcost
estimatesatthe enterprise
level.
To buildcommitmentto
use of PMO productsand
services, seniormanagers
shouldinclude “planof the
month”reviewswith
productmanagersusing
statusinformationfrom
theirprojectplans.
Establishclear
managementcommitments
viapolicies&procedures
Developeasytouse “at a
glance”dashboardsthat
provide accesstoproject
statusinformation.This
approach isbothan action
forcingmechanismandan
incentive forprogram/
projectmanagersto keep
theirprojectplanscurrent.
Insure thatPMO staff
understandthe company’s
productsand services,its
markets, andhave a
general understandingof
competitiveconditions in
the firm’sindustry.
Developanduse anearned
value managementsystem
that tracks cost & schedule
variancesandcorrective
actionswhenneeded.
Developaknowledgebase
of lessonslearned derived
fromcorrectionactions
implementedtoaddress
cost and schedule
variances.
Define the relationship
betweenthe PMOand
productmanagers.
Developprojectplan
templatesforfrequently
usedelementsof
schedules,e.g.,long-lead
time procurements.
Insure PMO staff have good
communicationsskillsand
frequentface time with
productmanagers.
Engage the CFOoffice in
continuousdialogabout
cost estimatingmethods
and financial reporting
issues.
PMO Directorneedsto
frequentlyassesshowwell
the organizationisserving
itsinternal customers.Isit
perceivedasabenefit?
Continuouslyworkto
resolve role ambiguity
amongPMO methods,e.g.,
supportive &consultative
role,compliance role,and
hands-onrole.
Developanenterpriselevel
WBS dictionarytodefine
commontasks across
productlines. Developa
WBS template whichisa
has standardelements,but
isalso flexibletoaddress
unique workprocesses.
Include briefingonPMO
roles,responsibilities,as
part of “onboarding”of
newproductmanagers and
seniormanagers.
Developauditable methods
for matchingincurredcosts
to schedule progressin
supportof EVM variance
measurements.Applysame
across the portfolioona
tailoredbasis.
Criteriafortailoringproject
managementrigorshould
include fundinglevel,
duration,andrisk(H, M L).
Control accessto sensitive
product,projectdata on
needtoknowbasis.
Use networked
collaborationtoolssuchas
Sharepoint.
Train productmanagersto
use webenabledaccessto
projectinformation.
Provide automatedtools
for importinglaborrates
intoschedules.
Use Sharepointtoenhance
PMO teamproductivity
withoffice applications.

2. Title Page
“SuccessFactors inOrganizinga ProjectManagementOffice (PMO”
Author
Dan Yurman djysrv@gmail.com Cell 216-218-3823
Date: April 7, 2014
Distribution: Thisdocumentisdrawnfromindustrybestpracticesavailablethroughopensources.There isnoproprietaryinformationinit.