Until they get their act together, let's leave it here. It's easier to get to.
Regarding your proposal, Gabriel . . .
Tell us more about what you are trying to achieve. The syntax of your opening suggest that the PO and training will be put in place to "lead... to PMP certification." I assume that your goal is not certification, but syntax and context are all important when making such a proposal.
Emphasis in your proposal needs to be on solving the organization's problems. Your perceived need for a PO implies that we're talking about a multi-project environment . . . one which you see potential benefit in managing in a consisent and coherent manner, both across projects and across time. Training and certification alone will not do this for you. Only by significantly changing the mindsets and processes of management, project owners, and project teams will your PO help to deliver significant improvements in the organization's effectiveness with projects.
One such significant change in the way you might manage multi-projects can be found at Program Management -- Turning Many Projects into Few Priorities (Most projects are performed by resources shared with other projects. It can be deadly to ignore the resulting interactions, no matter how well you manage single projects. This link will provide you with some thoughts on one way of addressing this fairly universal issue.)
Another thing to consider about putting together such a proposal is to think in terms of the resisitance you will face. Resistance to change (or to proposals) usually comes in certain forms, and in a certain order. It is like a series of layers that must be peeled away like the layers of an onion . . .
The trick is to be aware of which layer of resistance you are facing and to build your proposal to address them in turn.
Layer 1 - Lack of agreement on the problem
(Whether it exists, whether it's understood at a deep enough level, or whether the required collaborators care enough to get involved.)
Layer 2 - Lack of agreement on a direction for a solution
("We've lived with it forever -- if there were a solution, we would have found it by now." - or - "Of course it's a problem, but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place.")
Layer 3 - Lack of agreement that the solution deals with the whole problem
(Specifically, MY part of the problem, or maybe we just can't see the connection between the proposed action and its expected effect on the issues that result from the agreed upon problem.")
Layer 4 - Yes, but . . .
(OK, it all looks good on paper, at least to address what we have agreed upon as the symptoms making up the problem space we're dealing with, but if we take this action, the medicine will lead to a problem worse than the disease.)
Layer 5 - But we can't, because . . .
( . . . there is this obstacle, that obstacle, and those over there. This thing will happen when pigs fly!)
Layer 6 - Unverbalized fear
(This one's a bit tougher -- it doesn't really show up until there is a "physiological" response like foot dragging or lip service.)
To achieve necessary collaboration (not merely "support") these layers/obstacles need to be addressed as they are encountered. To get the buy-in of your target organization you have to start not with some set of problems faced by the organization, relate them to some core root cause (Layer 1), show how a PO might deal with that root (Layer 2), flesh out the details of how the PO and -- especially -- the processes it will support will work in the organization's environment (Layer 3).
Then after presenting your proposal, solicit and address any concerns or reservations mentioned by your audience -- at least those that that you haven't pre-predicted while putting the proposal together (Layer 4). Then do the same with any obstacles that come up (Layer 5).
Any remaining resistance (Layer 6) will probably be related to issues of politics and power, which are hard to raise in the face of a logically developed proposal that addresses the first five layers, and much of it can be overcome with peer pressure or good leadership. (But keep in mind, it still might be there, so keep your eye open for it.)
Problems and process to address them come first. Things like training and certification (if it supports the targeted process) are things that are addressed in Layer 5. They are not the solution. They are merely approaches to overcome obstacles related to PM knowledge and skills. Only after you determine the process in Layer 3 can you determine whether such training will address your needs.
