PMO Roles

A few weeks ago I attended the CMIT event at the University of Virgina. I've written about two of the presenters that day, here and here. But today I want to touch on the presentation from Sanjiv Augestine. I actually have no issues with his presentation, my thoughts are more inquisitive than anything else.

Project Management Offices can, essentially, perform 3 distinct roles as I see it. And on this, I must confess that I think I see it like the PMI see's it. But I'm going on my own knowledge here, so if I get the wording different from them, don't hold it against me. A PMO can:

• Develop standard processes and perform as the unit that evangelizes them to the rest of the organization. This would include training and mentoring execution-level Project Managers.
• Perform as a control authority in oversight of Project Management execution. In this area the PMO is the gatekeeper ensuring that the standards identified in the previous bullet are adhered to. In this area the PMO is the authority for the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process, and manages Integrated Baseline Reviews and Post Implementation Reviews.
• The PMO can also serve as execution-level Project Management, running projects.

In Sanjiv's presentation I think he has assigned the first two roles to a PMO, but I don't think he assigned the execution-level PM role to the PMO. This is neither a good or bad thing. PMOs need to identify the functions that they will perform and then do a good job with them.

I can only comment ony my own experience, but I think it is important to mention that if a PMO only has the first two functions assigned to it then I believe it is easy for them to lose touch with the execution-level work and develop processes, standards and control gates that are too rigorous and costly. By requiring the PMO to manage projects means that they will work to be more pragmatic in the standards they develop as well as the control gates they erect. Just my two cents.

What other functions should a PMO perform?