The value of the project management office was established because of the success of the initiatives. Others followed, all targeted at the co-dependent relationship between the executives and the project management offices. These initiatives included training for both the project managers and the executives. They reflected the maturing of project management within the organization and the value of strengthening the co-dependent relationship between executives and project management offices. It was learned that this relationship is, in and of itself, a project that can be planned and managed within a PMO for the strategic long-term benefit of the organization.
What’s the Result?
A 2007 PMI-sponsored report titled “The Multi-Project PMO: A Global Analysis of the Current State of Practice” states that PMOs are frequently closed or restructured with only about half of them surviving for two years. This statistic can most likely be attributed to the fact that failing PMOs are either not flexible enough to keep up with the needs of the company or else they do not communicate their contributions well.
The performance of successful PMOs matched to the needs of the organization. Key performance indicators were established and achieved. And not just any key performance indicators, but ones that were relevant and meaningful to the executives with whom the PMO had a co-dependent relationship. Like two parties in any relationship, PMOs and executives need to work together to keep things running smoothly.
(Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series. In part two, we will describe specific key performance indicators that a newly-established PMO can use to measure itself to ensure alignment with the needs of the organization.)
Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx, a provider of Web-based software located in Austin, Texas, that automates billing, payroll and project accounting by tracking time, expenses and mileage. Finch is a software industry veteran. In 1997, he created the world's first Internet-based timesheet application - the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. He has managed development teams creating enterprise-level software solutions since 1985, with a focus on project accounting. Learn more about Curt at http://journyx.com/company/curtfinch.html or at his Google+ page.
Michael O'Brochta, PMP, is President of Zozer Inc. and a past senior project manager in the CIA, where he lead the maturing of the project management practices agency-wide. Mr. O'Brochta's papers and presentations at PMI national, international, and regional conferences have consistently been popular and well received.
