Ken Martin
PMO Services
01 PMO services purpose
PM support The purpose of a PMO is to increase its organisations' perceived
value. Reporting project and program status to upper
management, and implementing a standard PM methodology,
providing mentoring for project managers, managing one or
more portfolios, and even managing certain strategic projects
or programmes are some of the common services of PMOs.
PMO has to deploy a common set of project management
processes & templates. It needs to add value to project
managers by assisting them to project success.
PM methodology A PMO will create and offer a set of standard project
management tools and processes for the project team
members.
PM mentoring A PMO can offer consultative support to project team members
by providing project management mentoring.
Project meeting support PMOs can give help to project team members by supporting
and facilitating project meetings.
Project governance PMO offers governance at different stages of a project. A
critical success factor for a PMO is to show visible value and
effective governance reporting.
Project audits Another key added value service for a PMO to offer is
performing project reviews and risk management.
PMO metrics & reporting Another PMO critical success factor is for it to develop reports
& dashboards to track metrics on projects’ status and PMO
value being provided.
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01 PMO services purpose
Strategic planning A PMO that wants to stay in an organisation must see itself as
a true service provider that is always focused on the needs of
its clients. The ability of a PMO to understand who its business
stakeholders are, as well as their needs and how to address
them while producing clear advantages and perceived value, is
critical to its success. It also includes the PMO's ability to
modify and reorganise as needed, as well as understand and
satisfy the new needs that arise as stakeholders and the
business mature. This problem entails, among other things, the
PMO's capacity to provide services that are aligned with its
organization's top priorities.
Participate in strategic planning and ensure programs and
projects are aligned to strategic business goals.
PM awareness Acts as the project management champions in the organization
to promote project management to be part of its DNA.
Program benefits Manage the realization of program benefits.
PMO staff and PMs Recruit, select, and evaluate the hiring and performance of
PMO staff and project managers.
Project scoreboard Develop and maintain a project scoreboard.
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01 PMO services purpose
Project start services
Candidates Identify project candidates.
Requirements Define project requirements and stakeholders.
Cost estimates Develop cost and benefit estimates.
Funding Select projects for funding.
Project proposals Project proposal review and first approval.
Business case Business Case review and first approval.
Project brief Project Brief review & approval.
Project initiation Project Initiation document (PID) review & first approval.
Plans and budget Validate budget and project work plans.
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01 PMO services purpose
Ongoing project work services
Project governance Facilitates & schedules governance status reporting &
approval meetings.
Third-party contractors Manages cost and timesheets of third-party contractors.
Project status data Collects projects status information.
Project monitoring Status monitoring (budget, schedules, issues, risks,
milestones).
Change management Change management review and approval.
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01 PMO services purpose
Post project services
Project audits Perform project audits.
Project closure Facilitate project closure.
Project performance Report on project performance.
Post implementation Hold PIR review meetings.
Project archives Archive project documentation.
Project comms Document lessons learned.
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01 PMO services purpose
Document services
Post project documents PMO Implementation Project Documents.
Project contact s Project Contact List.
Status and comms PMO Status and Communication Documents.
Resource Management (A good best practice is to avoid
Resource management
standalone spreadsheets for these types of tasks).
PMO policies PMO Policies, Processes and Procedures.
PMO templates Project Document Templates.
Governance reports Governance Presentations and approvals.
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02 PMO services questions
Current PM services Reporting project and program status to upper management,
developing and implementing a standard project management
methodology, providing mentoring for project managers,
managing one or more portfolios, and even managing certain
strategic programs are some of the common PMO services.
What current project management services are there in the
organisation?
Desired PM services What services does the organisation want the PMO to provide
now and in the future?
Assessment of services What gaps are in the current project management services?
Stakeholder needs What are the needs and priorities of the stakeholders?
Governance reporting What are the governance and reporting requirements for the
organization?
PMs maturity What are the status and skills of the current project managers?
PMO resources Has the PMO the required resources to meet the current and
future needs for PMO services within the organization?
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03 PMO services processes
Current PM services A PMO's services should be established based on the
combined needs of its clients as well as the projected
advantages and results to constantly produce value for a
business. It should also focus on and create services that
contribute the most to achieving its clients' expectations.
Finally, it should revaluate the "mix" of services it has built
regularly keeping in mind that its clients' requirements and
expectations can and will change. Meet with PMs, leaders and
stakeholders to review current project management services.
Assess PM services Assess the current project management services are there
within the organisation.
Gap analysis Perform a gap analysis of the current project management
services and identify any opportunities for improvement or
'quick wins' for the PMO to gain additional buy-in and support.
PMO desired state Develop the desired state for project management services to
be delivered by the PMO through a phased approach. Create a
document on the desired state as a basis for discussion and
alignment of gap findings and the desired services of the PMO.
PMO handbook Develop a PMO handbook of PMO services and the underlying
processes.
Governance Create a PMO governance steering group with a planned
schedule and the meeting reporting requirements.
PMO resources Review PMO resources for the required services for the
desired state. Create justification for hiring experienced staff to
staff the PMO to provide the planned services.
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04 PMO services challenges
PMs support Employees are naturally resistant to change and often fear the
potential loss of control and added bureaucracy of a PMO.
Mix of PMO services It is a challenge for a PMO to decide on the right mix of
services to satisfy all the needs of the different stakeholders.
PMO value Expectations and needs of business stakeholders change
constantly over time and a PMO needs to adjust and
continually improve its existing services and add additional
ones as the PMO matures.
Big picture view Although it's good for a PMO to concentrate on tactical, day-to-
day activities and services, a PMO leader must not lose sight
of the wider picture. If a PMO leader can't understand and
express the business difficulties that senior executives face,
and can't help enable organisational transformation and
alignment to address those challenges, they will lose relevance
in the organisation.
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05 PMO services benefits
Executive comms Improved reliability and availability of project management
information provided leading to better communications and
decision-making with senior management.
Knowledge transfer Improved knowledge transfer in project management from
status and lessons learned reports.
Project results focus From regular status reporting and improved processes and
services including governance, there is an increased focus on
project management results and quality.
Reduction of risk From having consistent processes and services around risk
management and compliance, the number of issues in these
are reduced.
Exec project support With the increased visibility of projects from regular status
reports and executive participation on the Governance
Steering Group leader to improved executive support for
project management.
Visibility of resources From the increased visibility and management of the use of
resources and potential gaps, the availability of resources with
project management skills is improved.
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06 PMO services risks
The agile challenge Standards and consistency are the hallmarks of a classic
PMO. Those same strategies may not be appropriate in a
future PMO that is iterative, fast-paced, and highly competitive.
Managing large transitions such as the move to agile
development is difficult, but it's far from the only problem that
PMO managers face. Traditional PMOs must establish new
footholds in the continuously changing business landscape to
remain
Value focus PMOs are frequently viewed as a cost centre that stymies
organisational advancement. The future PMO must figure out
how to give actual, measurable value. Companies invest in
PMOs but don't see the expected business outcomes, thus
they fail.
Big picture focus PMOs have traditionally concentrated on tools, templates, and
processes. When they're assigned a task, they devote all of
their concentration to doing it within the timeframe they've
been allotted. PMOs, on the other hand, must promote their
role as a supporter of strategic business goals.
The ability to move fast In an agile setting, the capacity to move rapidly and iterate is
critical. This means that for each new project, a PMO may
have to create new processes, templates, and reports. These
manual operations are likewise being rapidly replaced by new
tools and technologies.
The right PM tool The reporting data requirements and the amount of project
management data to collect and report on require automation
that comes with a PMO choosing the most appropriate PM tool
to meet the current and future needs of the organization.
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07 PMO services best practices
Stakeholder needs A successful PMO spends time with leaders and business
stakeholders to really under their needs and priorities.
Setting expectations A best practice is for a PMO to set realistic expectations and
not to do too much in the beginning.
PMO perceived as agile In today's agile environment, the traditional image of a
bureaucratic PMO does not go well for future success and
PMOs need to be perceived as an agile function.
Continually adapting A continually improving PMO will focus on adopting lean
principles to streamline services to remove non-value-added
activities.
Executive buy-in Gain support from senior management and key stakeholders
with visible impact and progress in the organization is a
primary success factor for a PMO.
Metric based approach A PMO needs to provide proof of its ongoing value to an
organization, and it will be successful if the PMO leader has an
analytical mindset and is familiar with measurements. Then it
will be possible to show PMO value with metrics.
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08 PMO services activities
PMO services The provision of existing PMO services for the consistent
execution of project management.
New PMO services Continually monitoring the needs of the organization and
business stakeholders to identify future needs for services.
Project status reports Providing regular status reports or programs and projects.
Resource management Ensuring that all projects have sufficient resources.
Facilitating governance Creating the agenda and reporting the actions and decisions of
governance meetings.
Appropriate PMO tool Purchase and implement an appropriate PMO tool and
configure it to produce reports and metrics aligned with the
needs of the organization.
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Ken Martin
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Introduction
01 The PMO Setup Approach
02 PMO Charter
03 PMO Metrics
04 PMO Services
05 PMO Processes
06 PMO roles & responsibilities
06 Product Owner
07 Scrum Master
08 Scrum Teams
09 Agile Metrics
10 Agile Challenges & Pitfalls
11 Enterprise IT governance
12 PMO Project Governance
13 Project Portfolio Management
14 Program Management
15 Stakeholder Management
16 Benefits Realization
17 Program Management Tools
Acknowledgements
About the Author
3 Magic Publications
5
The PMO Handbook
About the Author
Ken Martin
After an extensive successful career And then organisations are surprised why
working for some of the best organisations so many of the programs and projects fail to
in the world in various countries, I was deliver any business benefits. So I decided
disheartened to see how many times to author and to create several Best
programs and projects failed from not Practice Books based on my 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞
paying heed to lessons learned and best 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜™ format on topics such as PMO,
practices. Even today, how many current Project Management & Business
programs are being executed without Transformation for leaders to learn from
proper assessment, planning or other's experience for project success.
organisational change management.
324
Ken Martin
3 Magic Publications
After an extensive successful career Other Publications on Amazon
working for some of the best organisations
OPM best practices handbooks
in the world in various countries, I was • PMO handbook
disheartened to see how many times • Transformation handbook
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I decided to author and to create several • Career magic
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• Fintech guide
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The Magic Megabook series
• The transformation magic megabook
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