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PMO success factors: how to make an extraordinary PMO

What are the critical success factors of a Project Management Office (PMO)? An increasing percentage of companies are implementing PMOs to manage their projects, programs and portfolios. But, are they all having the same level of success?

Are you looking forward to make your PMO extraordinary? In this post, we analyze the foundations on which the Project Management Office must be built to be an organization focused on the continuous and efficient delivery of value.

What is a Project Management Office

Project management offices (PMOs) are generally placed in project centric organizations to help enable the organization to more consistently deliver successful project outcomes to their customers. And deliver projects that are also as financially successful and profitable as possible. There are more reasons such as providing a consistent project methodology and consistent processes that make project successes easier and more frequent as well as providing common project processes to the client base that keeps them confident and coming back for more.

PMOs must provide consistent project methodologies and consistent processe

Critical success factors of the PMO

What makes one PMO work better, perform better, get better and outperform another PMO? What makes one help the organization deliver better on projects and allow team members to better collaborate and consistently produce on successful projects better and more frequently than the PMO in another organization?

From my experience, it is mainly 3 key factors that are considered the difference makers. These are:

Well trained and experienced staff balance.
Led by a PMO Director who leads Project Managers, not projects.
Supported by upper management.

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1. Well trained and experienced staff balance

Trained and certified – such as the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) project management professional (PMP) certification is great and generally considered the industry standard in PM certification.

There are others out there to consider as well, but getting the PMP is probably the best first route to go and the PM infrastructure that has their share of PMPs is going to give the organization’s customers a great deal of confidence in their ability to deliver successful project solutions.

However, relying solely on certification and overlooking project managers without certification but with significant successful experience delivering high quality projects would be a grave mistake. For me, a good balance of both focuses is usually best.

2. Led by a PMO Director who leads PMs, not projects

PMOs that are led by dedicated PMO directors and not just the most experienced PM in the group who also leads projects is the best way to go.

Having a dedicated PMO Director who is not focused on projects, but rather on project methodologies, the PMs’ career growth and training, and meeting PM needs along the way as they run into issues on projects will result in the best and most productively and efficiently run PMO possible. In other words, a high performing PMO.

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3. Supported by upper management

Finally, the PMO that operates with strong support of the senior level management in the organization will perform at a maximum level. Why? Because funding, staffing, and getting projects to run is less of a question mark or daily fight.

I’ve been in PMOs in organizations were C-levels handed out pet projects to groups other than the PMO and it was those PMOs that ultimately floundered and often failed to deliver successfully on the projects they were leading.

Getting the best of a PMO is harder when senior management fails to back it

Getting the best staff and team members for the projects the PMO is leading is difficult when senior management fails to back it and believe in it enough to throw support and dollars behind it.

Summary / call for input

There are more factors to consider, but for me these are the top 3. The bottom line is focusing on the PMO as a great delivery system – a group of like-minded professionals with a mission to deliver excellent and successful solutions that make customers happy and companies highly profitable. Anything less is a waste of time.

Figure out what the customers in your market need and staff accordingly and have the company’s support behind it. You’ll never get more out of it if you don’t put into it and believe in it and put dollars behind it.

Readers – what are your thoughts? What would you add to or change about this list? What have been your personal experiences with PMO success stories and failures and the key reasons behind each?

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FAQs about PMO success factors

How can a PMO Director contribute to the success of a PMO beyond managing projects?

A PMO Director who focuses on leading the team rather than managing individual projects can greatly enhance the PMO’s effectiveness.

By concentrating on developing project management methodologies, supporting the career growth and training of PMs, and addressing issues that arise, the PMO Director ensures that the team operates smoothly and effectively. This approach allows the PMO to build a strong foundation for continuous improvement and high performance.

What are the signs that a PMO lacks upper management support?

Indicators of insufficient upper management support for a PMO include inconsistent or inadequate funding, lack of resources, and frequent interference in project selection or execution by non-PMO personnel.

Additionally, if the PMO struggles to get necessary approvals or faces obstacles in staffing and resourcing, it may reflect a lack of commitment from senior leadership.

Effective support involves not only providing resources but also aligning the PMO’s goals with the organization’s strategic objectives.

What qualifications or certifications should I look for in a Project Management Office (PMO) staff?

When evaluating PMO staff qualifications, consider both formal certifications and practical experience. The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is highly regarded and often seen as the industry standard.

However, it’s also crucial to balance certified individuals with those who have significant hands-on experience managing projects successfully. A well-rounded team with a mix of certifications and practical experience tends to be more effective.