7 - Establishing PMO Processes
7 - Establishing PMO Processes
7 - Establishing PMO Processes
Establishing PMO
processes
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INTRODUCTION
In the previous article, we present the third of a series of nine articles, where the reader
met the second step of the PMO VALUE RING, a framework consisting of eight
recommended steps to establish a PMO focused on generating value for its clients and
its organization.
In the first step, we presented how to select PMO functions considering the expectations
of benefits and needs of your customers. In the second step, how to balance the mix of
functions, considering the generation of value over time.
Each of the steps of this framework is supported by a model developed from the
experience of dozens mature PMO professionals in Brazil and in the world.
The PMO VALUE RING framework is a contribution of its author to the worldwide project
management community and can be freely used by any professional interested in the
subject, be it an executive, a PMO leader, a PMO team member, a consultant, a teacher
or a student.
In this article, you will learn in detail the third step of PMO VALUE RING: Establish PMO
processes.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
THE PROBLEM
The two previous articles showed how it is possible to define a balanced mix of functions
for a PMO, considering the needs of its clients and the perception of value generation
over time.
Now we have a new challenge: to establish and formalize the PMO processes, necessary
to guarantee an alignment between the expectations of its clients and the work carried
out daily.
A PMO that does not have its processes formally defined has a high chance of incurring
common problems, such as the difficulty in justifying personnel needs, the lack of
definition of responsibilities, the existence of unmet expectations, and especially the
inability to measure their own performance in a clear and objective manner.
The truth is that a PMO can hardly maintain its credibility with its clients without a well-
structured definition of its processes. Experience shows that PMOs that maintain
informal and unstructured processes end up having their efficiency compromised, as
well as losing focus on demonstrating what matters: their ability to generate value for
their customers.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
about the quality of the service provided by the PMO, formally defined through Service
Level Agreements (SLA).
In addition, a service catalog will also help to "educate" PMO customers, clearly showing
which services are available by the PMO. At first sight, this may seem like a mere detail,
but it is a very important factor, since the PMO should be structured to adequately
provide those - and only those - services present in the catalog.
Of course, services can be inserted or deleted from the catalog, adapting to a new mix
of functions necessary to meet the benefit expectations of a new PMO customer.
However, the formalization of its processes will allow the PMO to always restructure
itself before starting to provide a new service, ensuring that new services are not offered
unexpectedly, which is the shortest route to having dissatisfied customers.
For the PMO, the definition of its processes represents a great advantage, since it allows
the alignment of the expectations of its clients regarding the services that will be
provided, besides allowing the PMO to evaluate the actual personnel needs for the
execution of each function and finally, gives the PMO the necessary tools so that its own
performance can be monitored.
But after all, what are the processes of a PMO and how to structure them?
To answer this question, a research project was carried out with more than 50 highly
experienced PMO professionals with a high level of maturity. The first step of this project
was to identify which aspects should be mapped and detailed for each potential service
to be offered by a PMO.
As a result of this first step, we identified some items considered fundamental to
establish effective processes for the functions of a PMO (Table 1). It is important to note
that not all the items identified will need to be included in the PMO service catalog,
which may represent only one item of planning and control of the area itself.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
It is a fact that there are no PMO standards to be followed, since each PMO must be
configured according to the needs of its clients. However, once the PMO configuration
has been defined in a mix of functions specific to its needs, we come to another
question, the main topic of this article: Is it possible to establish standard process
suggestions for each function provided by a PMO? The answer to that question is yes.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
groups, which can be used as a reference for the construction of the PMO service
catalog, adapting each aspect to the needs and specificities of the organization under
review.
In other words, if there is an interest in starting a new service in a PMO, it is necessary
to use the recommendations provided by PMO PROCESS GUIDE as a starting point,
making the necessary adjustments in all suggested items, in order to adapt the process
to the reality of the PMO. Eventual changes to the service should always be incorporated
into the catalog, maintaining strict version control of this document.
The following is a complete example for one of the functions present in the PMO
PROCESS GUIDE (Figure 2):
Flowchart:
• Selected project(s).
Inputs: • Identified project manager.
• Criteria for evaluating the criticality of projects.
• Criteria for project manager evaluation.
• Required competencies for the project.
Outputs: • Required competency for the project manager.
• Trained project managers.
• Final reports of individual mentorings.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
Therefore, following the PMO VALUE RING framework, we will define which functions
will be implemented with the PMO MIX MANAGER, we will balance the mix of functions
in terms of value perception with the PMO TUNE and then we will design each PMO
process using the PMO PROCESS GUIDE, which will contribute with process suggestions
to each PMO function, defining inputs, outputs, tools and potential best practices.
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PMO VALUE RING:
Establishing PMO processes
CONCLUSION
It is not uncommon to find PMOs who propose to provide services to their clients, but
without adequate structure for this, generating expectations that most of the time are
not met. And this is one of the main reasons for the failure to implement PMOs.
One of the main steps for this necessary structuring is to establish the processes of the
PMO, that is, how the PMO will provide each of the services promised to its clients. From
there, it will be possible to establish the necessary team as well as measure the
performance of the work performed.
The PMO PROCESS GUIDE aims to provide PMO leaders with detailed process
suggestions for each potential function, inspired by the experience of highly mature
PMO professionals. In this way, the model can support organizations in the structured
and flexible implementation of their PMOs, establishing the bases for an alignment
between the expectations of the clients and the capacity of the PMO to generate
effective value for the organization.
If you are interested in learning more about PMO PROCESS GUIDE and the PMO VALUE
RING methodology, just visit the website www.pmovaluering.com.
REFERENCES
Hobbs, B., & Aubry, M. (2007). A multi-phase research program investigating project
management offices (PMOs): The results of phase 1. Project Management Journal, 38(1),
74–86.
Office of Government Commerce. (2007). The Official Introduction to the ITIL Service
Lifecycle. London, UK: The Stationery Office.
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