The Program Management Office

Author: Craig J. Letavec
ISBN: 9781932159592

The role of project management in the modern organization has grown significantly. The effective management of project portfolios that include numerous short-terms projects, large multi-project programs or both has become a growing challenge for industry, government and other institutions. Many organizations have identified a need to formalize the practice of project management and develop centers of coordination and excellence for project management. The Program Management Office is a guide to satisfying this need for improved coordination, standardization, optimization, and management of the practice of project management. It addresses the strategic and practical aspects of establishing and managing the program management office (PMO) including how to create a clear and compelling business case for the PMO and sell the business case to management, how to design, structure, and implement a PMO, and how to clearly demonstrate the value provided by the PMO once operational. The text also addresses a number of common challenges that management, PMO implementation teams, and PMO staff often struggle with as they develop, implement, and manage a PMO.

The early chapters of this book provide step by step instructions to those interested in implementing and managing an effective PMO. The later chapters provide practical guidance to those who already work in a functioning PMO on how to improve PMO performance as well as its value to the organization. The author proposes that the PMO serve three primary missions — standards, consulting and knowledge. He discusses these three domains in detail and provides an understanding of why each is important as well as how the PMO can best serve each of these missions to maximize value to the organization. The Program Management Office: Establishing, Managing and Growing the Value of a PMO is an outstanding guide for those interested in starting a PMO or in growing the value of an existing PMO. It is also an ideal text for project management course instruction on the subject of PMOs.