Saturday, March 10, 2012

Project Manager vs. PMO

Project manager and PMO pursue different objectives, as such, are driven by different requirements. All of these efforts, however, are aligned with the strategic needs of the organization.

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge  (PMBOK), the differences between the role of project manager and PMO may include the following:
  • The project manager focuses on the specified project objectives, while the PMO manages major program scope changes which may seen as potential opportunities to better achieve business objectives.
  • The project manager controls the assigned project resources to best meet project objectives while the PMO optimizes the use of shared organizational resources across all projects.
  • The project manager manages the constraints (scope, schedule, cost, and quality, etc.) of the individual projects while the PMO manages the methodologies, standards, overall risk/opportunity, and interdependencies among projects at the enterprise level.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Responsibility of PMO

Project Management Office (PMO) is an organizational body or entity assigned various responsibilities related to the centralized and coordinated management of those projects under its domain. The responsibilities of a PMO can range from  providing project management support functions to actually being responsible for the direct management of a project.

PMO may be delegated the authority to act as an integral stakeholder and a key decision maker during the beginning of each project, to make recommendations, or to terminate projects or take other actions as required to keep business objectives consistent. In addition, the PMO may be involved in the selection, management, and deployment of shared or dedicated project resources.

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge  (PMBOK), the primary responsibility of PMO is to support project managers in a variety of ways which may include, but are not limited to:
  • Managing shared resources across all projects administered by PMO;
  • Identifying and developing project management methodology, best practices, and standards;
  • Coaching, mentoring, training, and oversight;
  • Monitoring compliance with project management standards, policies, procedures, and templates via project audits;
  • Developing and managing project policies, procedures, templates, and other shared documentation (organizational process assets); and
  • Coordinating communication across projects.