Gregory HedgesBusiness Consultant| Self EmployedAdkins, Tx, United States
We are a growing PMO. Upper management feels the PMO needs a director. The team feels a portfolio manager is a better fit. Any advice? Saving Changes...
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Anonymous
Like so many questions in which two solutions are being proposed, the first thing to do is to understand the needs that are driving the questions. Then define the solution to meet the need regardless of the titles proposed. The two solutions under consideration in your organization, PMO Director vs. Portfolio Manager, are terms/titles that probably have a slightly different definition in every organization. So the best response that I can provide is to give you some insight into our approach. We have a PMO Director that is generally responsible for overall direction, management and leadership. Being at the Director level, they are high enough in the organization to make significant decisions. The Portfolio Manager is closer to the projects, knows the players, is involved in the business cases and financial data, and works with the PMO to ensure that practices and processes are in place to ensure that the projects selected for (and remain) in the portfolio are producing the highest possible business value. Business value may or may not be in terms of dollars. In my experience, a smaller PMO might combine the two roles, a larger PMO might need both. Saving Changes...
Anna WatkinsDirector IT Project, Portfolio, & Change Management| Ms.Austin, Tx, United States
In my organization, a PMO Director position is a higher level than a Portfolio Manager, and that is the case in Rich''s reply also. If your organization needs a tighter fit at the Executive and Senior Management level ensuring that the org''s strategy is being translated correctly into the projects that are making it into the portfolio, then a Director position would be what your team needs. However, if you already have a good way to get the right projects (aligned with the organization''s strategy) in the portfolio and they''re prioritized correctly, but need someone who is responsible for governance and reporting and benefits realization - and to ensure that some project managers are not over-worked while others are idle - then a Portfolio Manager is perfect for your team.
This is an old post, but undoubtedly still a very relevant topic in many organizations. Saving Changes...
