“As I pondered my metaphor, I visualized the Project Manager as being the driver and I asked myself the question “What role would the PM think the PMO played in this scenario”? I quickly concluded that many PMs would probably describe the PMO as being the Police Department – while they are trying to prevent a major disaster (i.e. you not having a high speed accident); they are often perceived as only being there to tell you when you are breaking the rules. “Sir – I’ve clocked you as doing 20km over the speed limit and here is your fine. Have a nice day.”
I’ve worked as part of many PMOs and it’s fair to say that the best feedback and project outcomes have occurred when the PMO has played multiple roles in the journey to the project destination (not just the Police). To illustrate my point here’s a couple of thought bubbles worth pondering.
- “The map” – when I was forced to detour on my journey, a good map was essential for me to find an alternate way to my destination.
- “The car” – this represents the tool I was using to travel to my destination. Now a car has many functions – it will tell you how fast you are going, it will tell you how far you’ve come, it has many indicators to allow communication as to what you are doing, it has many controls to allow you to speed up and slow down as required.
- “The navigator” – how much easier would my early morning predicament have been had there have been someone in the passenger seat to assist me in re-planning my journey. I think this is one of the most important PMO roles of all. It’s where the PMO gets on board with the project team to help them plan, execute, monitor and closeout the project as shared endeavor with shared responsibilities.
–Nicole Nader for Fix My Project Chaos, excerpted, click here to read the article, “My Journey to Work and the PMO” in its entirety.
Well said! PMO Advisory offers courses throughout the year designed for project professionals interested in Portfolio (PfMP), Program (PgMP), Project (PMP & CAPM) Risk (PMI-RMP) Management, and Agile (PMI-ACP) certifications.
