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The 3 Different Types of Project Management Offices
There are 3 basic types of Project Management Office (PMO) organisations, varying in the degree of control and influence they have on projects within the organisation. You will need to determine which type you need to establish in order to have an effective project office.
The 3 types of PMOs include:
1. Supportive PMO
The Supportive PMO generally provides support in the form of on-demand expertise, templates, best practices, access to information and expertise on other projects, and the like. This can work in an organisation where projects are done successfully in a loosely controlled manner and where additional control is deemed unnecessary. Also, if the objective is to have a sort of "clearing-house" of project management information across the enterprise to be used freely by project managers, then the Supportive PMO is the right type.
2. Controlling PMO
In organisations where there is a desire to "reign in" the activities, processes, procedures, documentation, and more - a controlling PMO can accomplish that. Not only does the organisation provide support, but it also requires that the support be used. Requirements might include adoption of specific methodologies, templates, forms, conformance to governance, and application of other PMO controlled sets of rules. In addition, project offices might need to pass regular reviews by the controlling PMO, and this may represent a risk factor on the project. This works if a) there is a clear case that compliance with project management organisation offerings will bring improvements in the organisation and how it executes on projects, and b) the PMO has sufficient executive support to stand behind the controls the PMO puts in place.
3. Directive PMO
This type goes beyond control and actually "takes over" the projects by providing the project management experience and resources to manage the project. As organisations undertake projects, professional project managers from the PMO are assigned to the projects. This injects a great deal of professionalism into the projects, and, since each of the project managers originates and reports back to the directive PMO, it guarantees a high level of consistency of practice across all projects. This is effective in larger organisations that often matrix out support in various areas, and where this setup would fit the culture.
The best type is very specific to the organisation, culture, and history of what works and what does not. But the objectives are - more or less - to:
- Implement a common methodology
- Standardise terminology
- Introduce effective repeatable project management processes
- Provide common supporting tools
- Ultimately, the objective is to improve levels of project success within the organisation
Being aware of these types can help you and your organisation more easily accomplish this.
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Who the hell cares how a person spells organisation, it is totally irrelevant and adds no value at all to the original discussion of PMO's.
In order to bring this stupidity to an end here is an excerpt from the Oxford Dictionary.
Please pay close attention to the alternative spelling of the word that is written within the brackets.
organization (also -isation)
1 the act or an instance of organizing; the state of being organized.
2 an organized body, esp. a business, government department, charity, etc.
3 systematic arrangement; tidiness.
organizational adj.
organizationally adv.
Getting back to the original conversation I think the author has presented a very good description of the various levels and functions of the PMO’s. I would like to add two very useful and pertinent points.
Where the organisation is conducting several projects at a time the PMO can with direct liaison with the personnel department and line managers maintain a resource directory that catalogues not only the skill but also the availability of personnel that the PMO and therefore the project manager is able to call upon when constructing his or her plans.
The other crucial function the PMO can provide (if its PMO manager has sufficient authority) is conflict management or arbitration where there is resource scheduling differences of opinion between line and project managers.
This can be particularly important where the project manager is using the critical chain method of planning where all task are required to start as soon as possible. In this system it may have been agreed with the line manager that the resource would be scheduled to start work on the task say on one day and the project manager due to s great team effort (yes it can happen) now needs the person to start work two or three days earlier. Of course the situation could exist where the project is running days or even weeks behind schedule.
Kind regards
Stephan Toth
Great article!
Nice breakdown of the three types of office - I found it informative and well written (s or z aside). Well done, Mr. Reiling.
Good job ! and you too Mr Reiling :d
A word of advice to M. Brown - before you post comments about incorrect spelling I would suggest that you run a grammar check first as "consisted misspelled" does not make sense and I am sure you really meant to say "consistently misspelt"...
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb thru annals of history but not a single annal?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If a teacher has taught, why didn't a preacher, praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Send shipments by car and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it? . . . English ain't bein' spoke no good no more. Enjoy this week!
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