Thusi HettigamaDirector of Business Operations| Lunavi Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Last ten to fifteen years organizations invested heavily on having a centralized project management body (PMO) under IT as the way to boost the IT project efficiency. The primary goal for this project management body (PMO) has been to carry out the delivery of program management, project management, development of methodologies, standards and processes enabling cost reductions. While realizing the strategic importance of the PMO, we can see some large organizations are now strategically repositioning the PMO role beyond IT initiatives. This transformation from IT based PMO to a strategic delivery focused organization is a giant step. Owning the operational, organizational accountabilities could evolve PMOs as a corporate entity with more complex nature dynamics.
Would like to hear from the community on the above shift. Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
First: PMI is nothing to be with IT. PMO is an enterprise wide office. Second: as any other business unit the creation is a strategic decision. I mean, after defining the organizational architecture, after defining organizational functions to answer the environmental stimulus to survive, if decision is to create a new business unit named PMO then you have to create one. Thirrd: that is what strategic position means. Saving Changes...
Thusi, I understand your impression. I have seen more PMO in IT division then a PMO for all Enterprise project.
Sergio explain it well, PMI standard PMBOK is good for all type of projects. How enterprise implement it could be different.
Here I know of at least on place where the PMO handle all project from construction of new local office to IT and any other type of project. Saving Changes...
Chad HarrisProject Manager III, PMP, MPM, MBA, CLSSGB| Memorial Health SystemSpringfield, Il, United States
Very interesting discussion. My previous organization had had an IT PMO and a PMO for all other. It was interesting when we would meet annually together and there would be frustrations between the two groups regarding knowledge and tools not being communicated back and forth. From my perspective, the organization could be more effective if they were to combine into one. My guess is that is the direction they will eventually go. I can only assume the IT PMO begin first and then there was a split when the organization decided to utilize PM methodology outside of IT.
The PMO in my current organization was first born in the IT domain but has just recently been moved from under IT to Quality. It would appear that we are beginning that transformation to be a more enterprise focused entity.
Somewhat in line with the comments above, I think the PMOs traditionally originated from / reported into IT and were perceived as IT focused. All the PMOs that I have been a part of (since 2005) were cross-functional PMOs regardless of where they reported into. Unless you have IT projects that only involve IT resources and functions (infrastructure projects are all I can think of), I feel that PMOs should be cross-functionally focused to provide maximum benefit to the organization Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Most organizations have an IT department. These IT departments have large amounts of projects to manage. As a result, many project managers, especially certified ones, have risen from the IT ranks.
I know that IT projects have their own peculiarities. The problem is when you create a PMO for only the IT projects they tend to get disconnected from the rest of the organization.
If you can't rationalize all your organization's PMOs into one, at least create a PfMO or EPMO to oversee the integration and sharing among the offices. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
As Thomas Block and Davidson Frame point out in their 1998 book about Project Offices (the first book about PMOs I know of), PMOs first came from large governmental programs (military, space) and then spread over organizations and divisions.
IBM created their global enterprise PMO called PM Center of Excellence in 1996, and they have PMOs on all levels (business unit, division, country, ...). Not reporting into that PMCoE.
I build my first PMO in 1995 for an IT division, a current customer has a PMO for R&D and another one for IT, not dependent on each other, and a corporate process function defined a PM process for both. Saving Changes...
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