Organizations these days get a higher rate of project success by establishing a Project Management Office (PMO). The PMO within an organization is a department that sets and handles processes by which projects are managed.
The PMO increases the accuracy of projects within a defined resource, budget, and schedule. This leads to cost savings. Cost savings are specific when accuracy comes into the equation. A PMO also makes certain that organizations develop and apply process across the board which leads to enhancement in project management skills and uniformity in a project team. These processes develop through data collection and analysis, reporting, templates, communication, and more. A PMO helps in better decision making by connecting schemes together with the organization’s results that lead to success within their projects. PMO resolves an organization’s resourcing issues by examining the skills of the project managers. Its office has an overall view of an organization’s projects portfolio and therefore is able to support the high-level management team.
49% of PMOs provide project management training. Check out some of the popular PMO training trends and their percentage:
| PM basics | 85% |
| PM software and tools | 67% |
| Leadership skills | 55% |
| Advanced PM skills | 51% |
| PMP prep | 42% |
| Business alignment | 34% |
| PM certificates | 22% |
So, it is very important for a PMO that their organization get tangible and meaningful business benefits. To achieve this, the office must not only need good processes and good people but also supporting technology. However, there are five biggest barriers to any PMO success:
- Some PMOs have poor resource management capabilities
- Values added by PMO are challenging to prove
- PMO have not enough time and resources for strategic activities
- PMOs are perceived as unnecessary overhead in certain organizations
- PMOs have resistance to change within the organization
Therefore, when a PMO is introduced into an organization it is important that it is done in a manner that balances the existing structure of the organization. An effective PMO provides benefits, ensures efficiency, and will significantly improve project success rate. Want to learn more about PMOs skills and abilities? Check out the latest PMP certification course offered by uCertify.