PMO Tips: Justifying the PMO

Have you ever been involved with or know someone who has been involved with an effort to justify the PMO? Sometimes, such an effort can be undertaken with a mindset that is focused more on and aligned to theoretical PMO models than it is on the needs of the business. And typically, that is when attempts to justify or sell the PMO miss the mark. Two tips for proposing a PMO to the company include:

• Tip Number 1: Sell the PMO.
  • Think of a PMO as a complex solution to a business problem.
  • Think of selling the PMO as an internal "sales" effort, not a new project initiative.
  • If your company has a suitable sales process for complex solution sales, familiarize yourself with it and use it.
    • Otherwise, look to the proven approaches such as Miller Heiman's "Strategic Selling."
    • Identify your buyer types (Economic, Technical, User, Champion), assess their buying modes (High Growth, Even Keel, In trouble, Over Confident), and develop "win-win" strategies for each buyer type to articulate the benefits of the PMO proposal and to gain their support.
  • Do this in support of your existing decision making process, not instead of it.
• Tip Number 2: Avoid the Hype.
  • Seek to overcome the challenges that need to be addressed in order for your company to be more successful.
  • The justification for a PMO should not be centered on anecdotal evidence or the desire to change the organization just to meet the latest buzz of the pundits.
  • Avoid the hype and prepare your proposal with the singular purpose of meeting the objectives of your company in the best possible manner.
  • The decision to set up a PMO should not be a leap of faith, rather it is a business decision.