A New PMO Model: Projects | Methods | Outcomes

In 2011, Peter Taylor authored Leading Successful PMOs: How to Build the Best Project Management Office for Your Business, where he defined the PMO as the department responsible for setting and maintaining project management standards. However, the acronym “PMO” can be confusing, as it may refer to various types of offices, each with different functions.

He argued that the PMO’s primary goal is to standardize project execution, provide guidance, and link business strategy to project implementation. Since then, it’s been gratifying to see PMOs worldwide growing in influence, driving organizational improvement through best practices.

At the time of his first book, finding 100 PMOs globally was a challenge; today, their prevalence is overwhelming, reflecting their importance.
In his follow-up book, Delivering Successful PMOs: How to Design and Deliver the Best Project Management Office for Your Business, author emphasized that a PMO must be tailored to its organization’s unique needs and have clearly defined functions.

While the fundamentals of PMOs remain consistent, the rise of virtual work, VUCA, AI’s impact, and the evolving work/life balance have added complexity. Drawing from his experience helping rebuild a global PMO for a billion-dollar HCM organization starting in 2021, in his new book Projects: Methods: Outcomes. The New PMO Model for True Project and Change Success, Peter shares their journey, offering insights and encouragement. He urges readers to adapt these lessons to create a PMO that evolves alongside their business.

Based on tips included in this latest book and my own experience, I have summarised a four-step-process for creating or rebuilding a successful PMO.

Step one. AS -IS: gathering information

• Facilitated workshops
• Interviews with key stakeholders
• Reviewing the existing processes and documentation

Step two. TO-BE: building a roadmap for the organisation

1. PMO Roadmap
   • Vision statement
   • Executive summary
   • Unlearning
   • Being Brilliant (a four-stage growth plan)*
2. Recommendations – some examples to be considered:
   • Methodology
     The goal is to establish a single, reliable source for project delivery. This requires developing a scalable framework that supports all types of projects globally. The framework should enhance the quality and consistency of project artifacts, incorporating client collaboration. The PMO will oversee training on the new methodology and ensure adherence across the organization.
   • Professional project management community
     The goal is to establish the company as a top destination for career project managers, attracting, developing, and retaining the best talent in the industry.
   • Delivery assurance
     The objective is to establish a formal process for project assurance, health checks, retrospectives, and overall delivery oversight. A standard escalation path led by the PMO is needed to quickly address client project issues and alleviate senior management pressures. This includes delivering project health services such as health checks, retrospectives, escalation management, interventions, and mentoring. Continuous learning from mistakes should be integrated into daily project and PMO practices.
   • Business Alignment and Integration
     • Make sure projects/programs are aligned to business strategy/Strategic goals (for example through Quarterly Business Revies – QBRs)
     • Manage dependencies between project /programs (for example through Quarterly Integration Planning)
   • Going global
     The goal is to transition the PMO from a locally focused unit to a global, client-facing entity, essential for supporting the company’s growth and expanding global presence.
   • Change fatigue
     The goal is to develop a system for coordinating changes in processes, methods, reporting, and actions, shifting from frequent small updates to periodic, consolidated releases to the field.
   • Adoption
     These measures should enhance adoption and compliance with changes while gathering valuable real-world insights from the field.
3. Choosing the structure/model (PMO)
   It can be the balanced PMO 5 Ps (People; Process; Promotion; Performance; Project Management Information System) or the new one described in the book: Projects: Methods: Outcomes:
   • Projects Team: Focuses on onboarding, education, certification, support, community building, and project manager career development.
   • Methods Team: Develops the project delivery framework, balancing standardized methods with flexibility based on project scale, partnership, and service offerings.
   • Outcomes Team: Acts as the direct interface for project and service management, bridging the Projects and Methods Teams with end users. This team ensures proactive communication, aligning PMO strategy with local needs.

   Make sure you keep it simple and follow the KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple or MURA principle:

   • M: Is it as minimal as possible?
   • U: Is it as understandable as possible?
   • R: Is it as repeatable as possible?
   • A: Is it as accessible as possible?
4. Creating the best PMO team to deliver the vision
   The next step is to build a high-performing team.

   The best PMOs have the very best people as part of the PMO team and ensure that they have a mix of project/programme knowledge and remain connected to the “real world” of the project managers. ~Peter Taylor

Step three. Building the image and the reputation

• Branding the PMO and services – value and purpose
• Marketing
• Engagement and communication: driving value to your organisation
• The “stop/start” principle – North Star

Step four. Delivering the road map

Focus on four areas:

• Project Community
• Project Methodology
• Project Academy
• Project Life

Instead of using a PMO Maturity Model, a four-stage growth plan might better suit the organization and provide clearer progress measurement:

1. Be Brilliant at Basics. Establish a solid project delivery framework, build a collaborative project community, implement the Project Academy model, and launch delivery assurance services.
2. Be Brilliant at Global. Develop a regional PMO presence, align with different cultures, and optimize offshore resources.
3. Be Brilliant at Scale. Ensure the ability to consistently deliver at scale globally, either through internal resources or partnerships.
4. Be Brilliant at Futures. Capitalize on emerging trends and innovations, with a focus on disruptive technologies like AI.