Project Management Office (PMO)
PMO guidance mentored by experts focused on business achievements and outcomes
How to set up a PMO
Setting up a PMO is a complicated and involved body of work, the duration of which can take anything from 6-24 months, depending on the scale. Aspira can offer different blends of services to a client in setting up a PMO.
- Aspira can be tasked with delivering the PMO and will provide consultants to do so.
- Aspira can provide the roadmap for PMO implementation and hand it over to the client for them to deliver.
- Aspira can provide the roadmap for PMO implementation and support the client in their implementation through dedicated mentoring.
What is a PMO
PMO (The Project Management Office) is a centralized unit within an organization that provides guidance and standards in the execution of projects. They create tangible goals, aligned with the overall organisation’s vision, and ensure all targets are met. Aspira aid and mentor organisations to develop and put in place the necessary structures and supporting tools to allow for the coordinated and well-managed governance and operation of projects across the organisation.
PMO Needs Assessment
A lot of organisations are unsure if they need a PMO or what type of PMO would suit their goals and their culture. There can also be confusion about the definition of a PMO and the type of PMO they want. Aspira will guide and define the PMO needs of the organisation and produce recommendations on what the next steps should be.
PMO Maturity Assessment
With existing PMO’s, there is a need to assess what level of maturity they currently have and what really happens in their Project Management Office. Aspira will review and assess current processes, artefacts, and stakeholder feedback to give recommendations on what an improved roadmap would look like. This service is extremely beneficial to ambitious PMOs who are looking to constantly grow, improve and scale.
PMO Set Up
Aspira can offer different blends of services to a client in setting up a PMO. We can be tasked with delivering the PMO and will provide consultants to do so. Aspira can provide the roadmap for PMO implementation and handover to the client for them to deliver. And we can also provide the roadmap for PMO implementation and support the client in their implementation through dedicated mentoring.
PMO Support
Aspira has the capacity to provide mentoring, support, and guidance in your PMO development. We can also resource augment your PMO with resources that can be drawn down in a managed service approach. We have highly skilled PMO consultants, PMO technology experts, schedulers, and many more PMO-related resources available.
PMO Goals and Objectives
PMO is crucial to achieving enterprise-level goals. PMO helps to complete important projects in time by managing resources to create strategic impact. The objective of the PMO is to optimise the process, and empower the project team by educating and training them in their moment of need.
Top 5 Benefits of a PMO
1. Increased Consistency and Accuracy
PMO maintains best practices to ensure that all business processes and procedures are followed. Project teams need not start from scratch; rather they can refer to the standard procedures designed by the PMO to move forward and overcome the obstacles. Since PMO maintains the documentation for every project and categorizes it better, with time they increase the accuracy of resource allocation, time estimation, budget valuation, and training management. Accuracy reduces the chances of failure and increases the probability of success.
2. Analyse the Important Data
The data from PMO can be very beneficial while making crucial decisions regarding projects and improving Enterprise-wide performance. This data is segmented into project type, project length, size of the team, type of team, time to go live, achieved goals, impact created, and time to results. All these factors help you to identify the trend of the project. It also helps you to recognize what type of team succeeded in which type of project and based on this, you can train your team members with a particular skill or hire new people to propel the project.
3. Project Control
PMO has strategic and procedural control over any project and also over the processes followed to accomplish the project. They identify the gaps during the early stage of any project based on the analysis that is drawn from previous experiences or projects. The main objective of the PMO is to see whether or not the project is aligning with the organizational goals. If it is, then they have to check whether it is adding value to the overall business.
4. Portfolio-level Optimisation
Project management is about executing the projects right but portfolio management is all about executing the right projects. The ultimate aim is to execute the projects that add value to the company and prioritize them. PMOs can use modeling and create rules and regulations to run a project in a particular manner to overcome constraints, avoid disruptions, eliminate critical paths and identify risks.
5. Share, Train, and Educate
Each team is different but their projects could be similar to some other team’s project in the same organization. In such scenarios, knowledge sharing is helpful and could fuel the project to completion. When the project team needs to develop a particular skill, they can contact the PMO as they understand the requirement and could educate the team by hiring the right mentor for the job.
The PMO – An Asset Or An Overhead In A Time Of Crisis?
How can Aspira Help?
Aspira help organisations understand their project management need, whether it be traditional methodologies or Agile driven to meet the emerging requirements, and how should these requirements be integrated and addressed as part of the organisations project management maturity. Aspira can help by:
- Providing the mechanism for the establishment of the support functions of the Project Management Office.
- Provide expert advice and mentoring for the adoption and implementation of standardised approaches for functions such as business case development, project management plan development, communication plan development, risks analysis and stakeholder analysis.
- Identify tools and software to support the efficient management of the project portfolio
- Mentor the development of project management skills without the organisation by providing coaching, mentoring, training, and oversight.
Ready to get started?
PMO FAQs
PMO stands for Project Management Office, which is a central unit responsible for managing and standardizing project management practices within an organization. PMOs provide guidance and support to project managers and ensure consistency across projects, helping to improve project success rates and organizational efficiency.
The tasks and roles of a PMO can vary depending on the organization’s needs, but typically involve defining project management methodologies and standards, managing project portfolios, providing guidance and support to project managers, monitoring project performance and risks, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strategies. The PMO may also provide training and development opportunities for project managers and team members, and facilitate communication and collaboration between stakeholders.
There are three main types of PMO:
- Supportive PMO, which provides guidance and templates but has limited control
- Controlling PMO, which has a higher degree of control over project management processes and may take over some project management responsibilities
- Directive PMO, which has complete control over project management and provides resources and direction to project teams.
Each type of PMO has different levels of involvement and control, depending on the organization’s needs and goals.
The activities of a PMO can include developing and implementing project management methodologies and standards, creating project management templates and tools, managing project portfolios and prioritization, providing training and support to project teams, monitoring project performance and risk, conducting project reviews and evaluations, and communicating project progress and status to stakeholders. PMO activities may vary depending on the type and scope of the organization’s projects.
A PMO analyst is responsible for supporting the project management office by collecting, analyzing, and reporting project data, tracking project progress and performance against key metrics, identifying and resolving project-related issues, and maintaining project management tools and templates. PMO analysts may also assist in developing and implementing project management methodologies and standards, providing training and support to project teams, and communicating project status and progress to stakeholders. Their role is crucial in ensuring that the PMO operates efficiently and effectively and that projects are delivered successfully.
