I invite comments on a situation I have seen over the years:
A large company without any existing PMO or project management expertise has an “Anyone can be a Project Manager” mentality”. As a result they have trouble with ongoing projects for all of the usual reasons (budget overruns, accountability, scope creep, change control, project plans, etc). The light bulb flicks on and they decide to set up a PMO, hire/train PM’s, establish standards etc.
Within the first few months, positive results are seen. Within 12 months, projects are running much more smoothly. Issues are identified and escalated, management has transparency into progress against goals and resource/dollar allocations.
With quality repeatable processes in place, a strong PMO makes project management seem much easier than it really is. By now budget season has rolled around and the company starts to look for ways to cut expenses.
The light bulb flicks on again, only this time someone has the bright idea to liquidate the PMO because project management is so easy anyone can do it. Soon the same old problems are all happening again. Eventually someone decides it would be a great idea to set up a PMO and it all starts again.
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Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Dear Tom, you have raised a very interesting point. I suspect that if one positions organizations by maturity level one might find some consistent behaviors with respect to starting a PMO and then investing further in it or dismantling it. I would expect to find more of the "on again - off again" kind of management at companies with lower levels of organizational maturity. Many candidates come to mind. Thinking through this a bit further, I would venture to say that if the PMO was not at the table for the strategy discussions and key decisions, then perhaps it should be dismantled and bravo. And if the PMO was at the table for the strategy discussions and decisions and concluded it should dismantle itself, even more bravo. I would enjoy hearing from others. Great post and best regards. -- Mark Perry, VP of Customer Care, BOT International Saving Changes...
