You Are the PMO
Posted by [email protected] on May. 24, 2024 / Power Skills / Subscribe 0
I attend some of the Lunch & Learns because they’re interesting, some to network with other PMs, and some for the free PDU. Usually, it’s a combination of at least two of those things. I am looking forward to attending June’s virtual meeting - "The Art of Selling PMO to Executives" with Dr. Tony Prensa. According to the description, “This session will cover practical techniques for articulating the strategic value of PMOs, aligning PMO goals with business objectives, and securing executive buy-in.”
I started my project management career in IT Operations where, in a sense, I was the PMO. I was also the project manager and business analyst. I didn’t approve or prioritize the projects, but I got things done, reported on progress, and adapted to changing priorities. As my team grew, I helped establish processes and reported on all IT Operations projects. Meanwhile, I watched two corporate PMOs come and go because they weren’t delivering value.
Following my move to Utah, I landed a job at a company where I spent eight years working in a PMO. From there I moved to a company where I helped set up a PMO. Today, I work at a company where I am the only PM, with several other hats… Once again, I am essentially the PMO, but this time the company doesn’t need a formal PMO. So, what do they need, and how can I help?
I don’t need to sell my leadership team on setting up a PMO, but I do need to make sure that, in addition to being able to deliver, we can also effectively select and prioritize the right projects and grow the ability to pivot as priorities shift. I still have the binder full of templates and training materials that I developed at my last job, but I’m the only one who cares about them. They are important, but my leadership team isn’t concerned with the details of how I get things done, and to be honest, I don’t want them to. They have more important things to worry about than how to run a lessons learned meeting or create a go-live schedule. I need them to focus on company priorities and communicate them to me, so that I can make sure we’re delivering the things that will have the greatest impact on the business. Having a formal PMO doesn’t make a lot of sense for us, even though having the functions of a PMO does.
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