PMO

QUICK TIP GUIDE

FOR ESTABLISHING,

SUSTAINING,

AND ADVANCING

YOUR PMO

Quick Tip Guide compliments of PMO Symposium® | San Diego, California, USA
1 | ESTABLISH A NEW PMO

At some stage in your journey as a PMO professional, you may be confronted with
challenges in progressing the life and value of your PMO. This QUICK TIP GUIDE is
based on the insights of seasoned PMO leaders. We invite you to use this guide as part
of a conversation with your peers as you consider how to expand the value your PMO
can bring to your organization.

QUICK TIP: CHALLENGE 1

SET UP A PROJECT FOR WHERE DO I START?
ESTABLISHING YOUR
There are many ways to start. However, assessing the current state
NEW PMO. will help you to identify opportunities and determine what your PMO
needs to focus on to deliver value. The following quick tips are not
Are you a newly appointed PMO
exhaustive, but should help to provide some possible directions.
leader trying to figure out how
to get started? Have you spent a ■■ Understand why your organization needs a PMO.
lot of time searching the internet,
—— Identify and survey key stakeholders—including project managers,
not sure where to get good, reliable
other business unit personnel and executives—to obtain their
information? Are you confused by
expectations, perceived challenges and recommendations.
the variety of PMO models? If you
answered “yes” to any of these —— Ask the tough questions, such as are the projects delivering the
questions, then this section is for expected benefits? Is the organization meeting its strategic goals?
you! Get some real-world advice ■■ Establish a baseline of initial project commitments, resources,
on how to tackle the challenges portfolio health and related financials.
you face as a new PMO leader.
■■ Identify key opportunity areas and quick wins. Ask how can the PMO
quickly start providing value and address the biggest pain points?
■■ Draft the PMO charter, including the PMO mission, vision and
strategic objectives, and an action plan of specific deliverables
and success measures.
—— Be sure to align the charter and action plan with the executive
sponsor(s) and key stakeholders.
—— Ask for sponsor support and solicit PMO “champions.”
■■ Develop PMO operating processes for communication, governance
and change management.
■■ Define PMO organizational structure, roles and responsibilities.
■■ Communicate the PMO value proposition and map out PMO
benefits. Use the benefits map as a visual tool to engage stakeholders
and to show how and when PMO benefits will be realized.
 PMO QUICK TIP GUIDE

ESTABLISH A NEW PMO

A
B
C

UNDERSTAND DRAFT DEVELOP DEFINE BENEFITS

WHY A PMO PMO CHARTER PROCESSES ORGANIZATIONAL MAPPING
IS NEEDED STRUCTURE

Identify and survey Vision, mission, Communication Roles Visual

key stakeholders strategic objectives communication
tool
Governance Responsibilities
Establish Value proposition,
baseline of project benefits and Identify how and
Change
commitments, success measures when PMO benefits
management
resources, portfolio will be realized
health and financials
Action plan

Identify
Obtain support and
opportunities
PMO champions
and quick wins

FIGURE 1: ESTABLISHING A NEW PMO

1 | ESTABLISH A NEW PMO

CHALLENGE 2

WHAT TYPE OF PMO DO I NEED?

A quick tip is to focus on your PMO’s strategic objectives and use PMI’s Pulse of the Profession®: PMO Frameworks
(PMI, 2013b) as a reference to determine the type of PMO that will deliver the most business value for your
organization. While no two PMOs are the same, Table 1 represents various capabilities on which different PMOs
typically focus. Engage your stakeholders as you define the type of PMO that you need.

TYPE OF PMO
Project/ Project
Organizational Enterprise Center of
Program Support/
Unit PMO PMO Excellence
Specific Services PMO

Standards, Methodologies & Processes l l l l l

Project/Program Delivery Management l l l n n

Portfolio Management l s s l l

Talent Management n n n l l
CAPABILITIES

Governance/Performance/Benefits
Realization Management n n n l l

Organization Change Management n n n l l

Administration and Support n l l n n

Knowledge Management n s s l l

Strategic Planning n n s l l

REQUIREMENTS l Critical n Moderately Important s Occasionally Needed

TABLE 1: PMO TYPES AND CAPABILITIES

A PMO may start out addressing a specific, near-term business need and then evolve and expand to address other
needs over time. It’s important not only to have a long-term vision for the PMO, but also to take a practical approach
to addressing the biggest opportunity areas for the organization.
 PMO QUICK TIP GUIDE

CHALLENGE 3
Avoid trying to measure
HOW DO I MEASURE SUCCESS?
A strong PMO is one that can link its performance to the overall goals
too much too soon.
of the organization. Below are examples of key performance indicators
(KPIs) that may help to measure success:
Select a few key metrics
■■ Project/program performance: Percentage of projects and programs
that are meaningful
delivering their expected business outcomes; Percentage customer in the short-term and
satisfaction; Earned value data; Actual delivery of benefits versus
planned benefits.
ensure there is a process
■■ Operational performance: Regulatory compliance rate; Safety to measure them.
record; Quality measurements; Time-to-market; Resource utilization
variance (actual versus allocation); Effectiveness of training;
Time to staff new projects.
■■ Portfolio performance: Number of new services or products;
Return on investment (ROI) for projects and programs;
Alignment of spends with objectives.
Avoid trying to measure too much too soon. Select a few
key metrics that are meaningful in the short-term and
ensure there is a process to measure them. Confirm
that your KPIs are aligned with the organization’s
overall goals. OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE

KPIS
PROJECT AND
PORTFOLIO
PROGRAM
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
2 | SUSTAIN THE PMO

QUICK TIP:
GOVERNANCE/PERFORMANCE/
DEFINE AND ESTABLISH
BENEFITS REALIZATION
A SINGLE SOURCE OF
PROJECT TRUTH ACROSS
THE ORGANIZATION TO

V A L U E
ENABLE EFFECTIVE DECISION METHODOLOGY
MAKING BASED ON FACTS.

Once your PMO is established and

you are starting to deliver the results
planned, it is time to look for
TALENT MANAGEMENT
opportunities for increasing the
value and efficiency of your PMO
activity as part of your ongoing
quality improvement. Concentrating
O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L

on governance, methodology and

talent management can help grow PROJECT/PROGRAM DELIVERY
any type of PMO (departmental,
enterprise, etc.).

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

STRATEGY PLANNING
 PMO QUICK TIP GUIDE

CHALLENGE 1

HOW DO I ENABLE EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE?

According to Governance of Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: A Practice Guide, published by PMI in 2015, governance
is the framework, functions and processes that guide organizational project management activities in order to align
portfolio, program and project management practices to meet organizational strategic and operational goals (PMI, 2015).

Commence Continue Enhance

■■ Establish clarity in roles, ■■ Provide transparency and corporate ■■ Link gating to release of funding
responsibilities and accountabilities knowledge management of the for project phases
entire pipeline from ideas to
■■ Provide timely approvals and benefits realization ■■ Hold owners accountable for benefits
meeting participation via operational funding and KPIs
■■ Establish formal gating at significant
■■ Implement approval process that stages of the PPM life cycle ■■ Ensure the corporate governance
includes a business case and exit capability is self-sustaining and not
or closure process ■■ Ensure objective process for reliant on any individual driving it
utilization of contingency funding
■■ Provide a forum and process for risk ■■ Ensure your processes enable
and issues management including and not hinder innovation and
escalation organizational agility

■■ Ensure that governance committees ■■ Link gating to enterprise quality

at project, program and portfolio improvement, audit and risk
levels have senior level commitment management
and ownership
■■ Fully embed the link from strategy
■■ Ensure that conflicts of interest to implementation and back to
and unethical behavior are articulated inform future strategy

Once your PMO is established and you are starting to deliver the results
planned, it is time to look for opportunities for increasing the value and
efficiency of your PMO activity as part of your ongoing quality improvement.
2 | SUSTAIN THE PMO

CHALLENGE 2

HOW DO I CULTIVATE A ROBUST METHODOLOGY?

According to Implementing Organizational Project Management: A Practice Guide, methodology is the system
of practices, techniques, procedures and rules used in portfolio, program and project work to meet requirements
and deliver benefits (PMI, 2014a).

Commence Continue Enhance

■■ Assess existing organizational ■■ Leverage existing organizational ■■ Automate defined business processes
enablers (e.g., credentialed or trained enablers, enterprise environmental
project managers and other PMO factors and organizational ■■ Document all work processes into
champions) process assets swim lane flow charts

■■ Assess enterprise environmental ■■ Remove non-value added steps ■■ Obtain certification for your quality
factors (e.g., systems the PMO can program (ISO 9001:2014, etc.)
utilize and corporate policies) ■■ Integrate quality programs into
the PMO ■■ Perform maturity and performance
■■ Assess organizational process assets assessments (OPM3®, etc.)
(e.g., existing PMO tools, forms and ■■ Align to business strategy and look
for opportunities to streamline and ■■ Integrate PPM tools into business
workflow)
improve your practices operations
■■ Define and use your business
■■ Confirm methodology does not ■■ Utilize the PMO’s business analysts
processes before looking at
constrain selection of the best tool/ for the selection of all enterprise
automating them
approach for the business need environmental factors for the
■■ Focus on the essentials such as who, organization
what, where, when and why ■■ Influence the selection of enterprise
environmental factors for the
■■ Require the review of pertinent organization
lessons learned

■■ Establish robust training and

communication for your
methodology

Methodology is the system of practices, techniques, procedures and rules

used in portfolio, program and project work to meet requirements
and deliver benefits.
 PMO QUICK TIP GUIDE

CHALLENGE 3

HOW DO I DEVELOP MY TEAM? PMI Talent TriangleTM

PMOs aren’t just about organizational process assets like forms,
methodology and process. It’s largely about people. How we develop
our teams is a critical part of building and sustaining our teams.

me ct
According to PMI Thought Leadership Series Report - Talent

ge oje
nt
na l Pr
Management: Powering Strategic Initiatives in the PMO, talent

Ma nica
management is about the strong alignment between human

Lea
h
resources (HR) and an organization’s strategic initiatives and

Tec

d
ers
objectives; and high maturity in recruiting, retaining and

hip
developing the best talent to manage strategic initiatives
Strategic and
successfully (PMI, 2014b).
Business Management
©Project Management Institute. All rights reserved.

Commence Continue Enhance

■■ Utilize the PMBOK® Guide’s Project ■■ Phase in a Project Management ■■ Phase in certification requirements
Human Resource Management Professional (PMP)® certification for all affiliated PMO staff members
processes as a reference requirement for all project managers (coordinators, schedulers and
and a Program Management business analysts) with CAPM®,
■■ In partnership with the HR department, Professional (PgMP)® certification PMI-SP® and PMI-PBA®
standardize project management job requirement for leadership roles
titles and job descriptions across the in the PMO ■■ Develop advanced organizational
organization project management training for
■■ Use PMI’s Project Manager PMO team members
■■ Develop project management training Competency Development
and test preparation materials Framework (2007) to help less ■■ Utilize the PMI Talent Triangle™
experienced project managers grow to plan structured training for all
■■ Encourage project managers to PMO members
to meet organizational needs
utilize the PMI Talent Triangle™
to plan their self-directed training ■■ Provide detailed technical project ■■ In partnership with the HR department,
efforts management training integrate PMI’s Project Manager
Competency Development Framework
■■ Implement orientation program ■■ In partnership with HR, implement (2007) into the employee review
for new project team members defined project management career process and Human Capital
ladders and use PMI’s PathPro® Management (HCM) system
■■ Encourage and cover the costs
for addressing skill gaps
of membership in professional ■■ Foster an open, collaborative culture
organizations for team members ■■ Implement a community of practice of knowledge and lesson sharing that
to engage project staff at all levels acts on the insights of others
and foster active sharing of lessons
learned
3 | ADVANCE THE PMO

QUICK TIP: CHALLENGE 1

USE BEST PRACTICE TOOLS HOW DO I OPTIMIZE BENEFITS REALIZATION
AND TECHNIQUES TO MANAGEMENT?
ENSURE YOU DON’T LEAVE
PMO leaders help their programs and projects achieve intended
BENEFITS ON THE TABLE. business results by strengthening the organization’s benefits realization
management practices.
Now that you have established
your PMO, developed and ■■ Identify, analyze and map expected benefits to related programs
stabilized essential capabilities and projects.
and stakeholder relationships, ■■ Confirm benefits realization plans include dependencies and steps
let us take a look at ways you can
needed to transition and sustain benefits.
increase your PMO’s value across
the organization and take your ■■ Engage stakeholders including downstream business owners in
PMO to the next level. the identification, execution and sustainment stages of benefits
realization management.
■■ Communicate benefits and learning back into the strategy
planning cycle.
■■ Implement effective metrics to measure benefits. Leverage these
metrics in your PMO reports.
■■ Create a benefits manager role that focuses on managing the
benefits realization life cycle for all strategic programs and projects.
■■ Take ownership of benefits realization governance for all the critical
organizational initiatives.

IDENTIFY BENEFITS

ENGAGE
DELIVER BENEFITS
STAKEHOLDERS

SUSTAIN BENEFITS
 PMO QUICK TIP GUIDE

CHALLENGE 2

HOW DO I MANAGE PMO PERCEPTION?

PMO perception is managed through the effective engagement of your
stakeholders. Focus on finding optimal ways to communicate and report
the business benefits realized by your PMO, add critical value, and
drive organizational strategic planning and decision making.
Create standardized reports for status and forecast. KEEP MANAGE

HIGH
■■

SATISFIED CLOSELY
■■ Actively engage with executive sponsors to determine the most
effective ways of communicating with them.

POWER
■■ Ask executive sponsors to relay the importance of critical programs
or projects to the organization.
KEEP

LOW
■■ Foster open communication and collaboration with any other areas MONITOR INFORMED
of overlap within the organization including risk, safety, finance, quality,
corporate governance, procurement and legal/contracts support.
■■ Create quarterly and annual reports illustrating the strategic LOW HIGH
importance of projects in your organization. These reports will be
INTEREST
a morale booster for the project teams, and senior management
will use them to justify greater investment for strategic projects.
■■ Fully integrate the PMO into corporate communications, both
internally and externally.
■■ Be an active partner in collaboration and articulation of cross-
department processes that may be subject to multiple inputs,
outputs and complicated needs of all the stakeholders.
■■ Align with and inform organizational strategic planning and decision
making by focusing on strategic capability management.
—— Develop a culture of project management, cultivate talent, define
processes, metrics and continually assess and enhance PMO
performance to respond to the changing business environment.
■■ Activate high-quality portfolio management.
—— Seek support and get increasingly involved in translating strategy
into portfolio plans.
—— Establish robust portfolio management processes and align the
portfolio with business priorities.
—— Select the right projects/programs that align with strategy,
resource those projects/programs for success and conduct
targeted risk management to protect portfolio investments.
3 | ADVANCE THE PMO

REFERENCES:
Project Management Institute. (2007). Project
manager competency development framework.
(2nd ed.). Newtown Square, PA.
CHALLENGE 3 Project Management Institute. (2013a). A guide
to the project management body of knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth edition. Newtown
HOW DO I RESPOND TO THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT? Square, PA.
Business environment and priorities change—so must PMOs. PMO leaders must Project Management Institute. (2013b). Pulse
of the profession®: PMO frameworks. Newtown
continuously analyze changes in the environment and organizational strategy Square, PA.
in order to align project portfolios and PMO capabilities accordingly. Project Management Institute. (2014a, March).
Implementing organizational project manage-
■■ Create a change management function within the PMO for all project change. ment: A practice guide. Newtown Square, PA.
Project Management Institute. (2014b,
■■ Provide PMO training around evolving change management practices.
November). Thought leadership series report
- Talent management: Powering strategic initia-
■■ Adopt and train for a change management program to create a standardized tives in the PMO. Newtown Square, PA.
approach to change management. Project Management Institute. (2016, January).
Governance of portfolios, programs, and projects:
■■ Expect and welcome change. Change can often represent important A practice guide. Newtown Square, PA.
opportunities for PMOs to devise new and even greater benefits realization
plans for the PMO and the organization. PMO RESOURCES FROM PMI
■■ Conduct iterative SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) Additional resources can be found
on the PMO Resources page at:
analyses of the PMO and business strategy and adjust and align as needed.
www.pmi.org/PMOresources
■■ Incorporate customer feedback, eliminate organizational silos, focus on
PMO operational efficiency and implement processes to respond to change ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
quickly and effectively. The following PMI OPM Advisory Group
members provided their expert knowledge in
■■ Focus on knowledge management: Establish an integrated approach developing and reviewing this Quick Tip Guide:
to identifying, capturing, evaluating and sharing your enterprise’s
Sarina Arcari, PMP
information assets. Foster an open, collaborative culture of knowledge
Robert Brown, PMP
and lesson sharing that acts on the insights of others.
Dilky Bruggeman, PMP
■■ Advance strategic and operational agility by performing active portfolio
Robert (Bob) Bulger, OPM3 Certified
management, exploiting opportunities, mitigating risks, maximizing benefits Practitioner, PMI-RMP, PMP, PgMP, PfMP
and engaging diverse stakeholders to influence and learn from them. Nicole Doyle, MSP, PMP
■■ Go hybrid. Borrow and adapt aspects of proven models (e.g., Lean, Agile, Chris Lawler, MEd, MLAD, PfMP
Scrum, Waterfall) to the unique needs of projects, programs and the business Kelly McNaughton, PMP
environment. Leverage different practices to reconfigure your processes and Morten Sorensen, ITIL, PMP, PgMP, PfMP
combine different techniques to cope with your own distinctive challenges.

PMO
BENEFITS REALIZATION MANAGEMENT
PROJECT \ PROGRAM DELIVERY
ADMINISTRATION \ SUPPORT

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

GOVERNANCE \ PERFORMANCE \
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

CHANGE MANAGEMENT
TALENT MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIC PLANNING
METHODOLOGY