ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF

STRATEGIC ROLES IN PROJECT

MANAGEMENT OFFICE ON
BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS
Research Proposal

[Author]
[Email address]
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................5
Project Management Offices...................................................................................................................5
Strategic Roles in Project Management Office........................................................................................6
Business Ecosystems...............................................................................................................................7
Research Design..........................................................................................................................................8
Research Objective..................................................................................................................................8
Hypothesis Development and Research Question...................................................................................8
Methodology...............................................................................................................................................8
Literature Review....................................................................................................................................9
Questionnaire Development...................................................................................................................9
Data Collection........................................................................................................................................9
Data Sampling..........................................................................................................................................9
Data Analysis...........................................................................................................................................9
Data Analysis Procedure........................................................................................................................12
Project Logistics.........................................................................................................................................12
Research Timeline.................................................................................................................................12
Project Budget.......................................................................................................................................14
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................15
References.................................................................................................................................................16

1
List of Figures

Figure 1: Mind Map.....................................................................................................................................4

Figure 2: Project Management Office (Barbalho et al., 2017).....................................................................6
Figure 3: Research Process for the study.....................................................................................................8
Figure 4: Project Methodology....................................................................................................................9
Figure 5: Nvivo Software...........................................................................................................................10
Figure 6: Nvivo Screenshot........................................................................................................................11
Figure 7: Nvivo Screenshot........................................................................................................................11
Figure 8: Word Cloud in Nvivo...................................................................................................................12
Figure 9: Gantt Chart for the Project.........................................................................................................13

List of Tables

Table 1: Project Management Timeline.....................................................................................................13

Table 2: WBS Project Budget Details.........................................................................................................14
Table 3: Budget Estimate of the Project....................................................................................................15

2
Introduction
Although the concept of the project management office or project office has long been in
existence, the functions, purposes, and significance of these offices have evolved over time.
PMO evolved into a multi-project Management Situation, usually a large project funded by the
government, currently found by a project agency (PO) responsible for one project or program
(Sandhu, Al Ameri, & Wikström, 2019). A wide variety of industries are interested in the project
management discipline today. The functions and purposes of project management
organizations frequently differ in such a way that no single strategy can describe the ideal set of
the PMO functions and purposes (Barbalho, da Silva, & de Toledo, 2017). The discrepancies in
the meanings of a PMO are clear. In A Guide to the Project Management Board of Information
(PMBOK Guide), the meanings for a PMO are, for instance, different from the editions 4 (2008)
to 5 (2013). The first note suggests that a PMO may be responsible for the direct management
of projects from providing supporting functions, while the second underlines the
standardization and the sharing of resources, procedures, equipment, and techniques. The
third definition of PMO involves strategic problems' as a project portfolio management
mandate (Van der Linde & Steyn, 2016). Hobbs and Aubry (2007) argue that the positions,
functions, structures, and legitimacy of PMOs among organizations are highly variably different.
They found that PMOs found in industry differ greatly from what is found in literature from
their survey of 500 organizations. The key differences are the PMO's structures and functions
and the perceived importance of the PMO. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach because of
this difference in the systems and functions of PMOs. PMOs are organized and mandated in
accordance with the specifications of the organizations, so no two PMOs are alike. This makes it
difficult to calculate the effect or the added value of the PMO; every PMO adds value in various
ways. Except when an acceptable approach is used to evaluate the value of a PMO, the value
that a particular PMO contributes may be invalid assumptions (Croxatto & Greub, 2017).

Many organizations carry out their work on their institutional project ventures. Project
management offices for project management (PMOs), developed in these organizations, have
helped improve the efficiency of projects (Golini, Kalchschmidt, & Landoni, 2015). Big
companies diversified into several digitally operational organizations will achieve business and
business advancements by combining digital products and services in various fields (Jay, 2013).
Innovation and value development was made more possible at the crossroads between diverse
goods and service industries in a digital transformation. Firms that are more systemic in market
presence are more likely to take advantage of these opportunities. Such an integration strategy
often includes collaboration and synergy between groups of persons with different principles
and attitudes and incompatible identities and logics (Sandhu et al., 2019).
3
 This study would seek to analyze the seven functions of the project management office in order
to achieve the strategic planning objectives of the organizations.

Better managed business ecosy

Multiple Projects to be managed Outcomes

Project Management Offices

Strategic role division in Project management
Analyzing the Impact Of Strategic Roles In Project Management Office On Business Ecosystems
Strategic importance of PMO

Managing efficient communication

Business Ecosystems
Multiple Businesses need a secure ecosystem to operate
Challenges

Coordination in PMOS and Project Manage

Figure 1: Mind Map

4
Literature Review
Project Management Offices
The PMO is an official control among a company's project management and top management.
According to the biggest PM organization (PMI), the PMO is a central or organized management
agency or entity assigned different responsibilities within its domain (Duncan, 2005). The PMO's
roles differ from delivering project support functions and direct project management. The key
purpose of the PMO is to adapt projects to company specifications and follow different
stakeholder expectations (PMI, 2013). The emergence and need for the PMO are related to the
increasing number and complexity of projects in the entire business environment leading to
some kind of centralization. The facts of PMOs are however, somewhat different. Some 75
distinct roles, some historically creative, have been established (Do Valle, e Silvia, & Soares,
2008). Some authors consider PMOs to be involved in certain functions. PMOs can be more
active in audit functions, especially in audit learning, and the PMO is a key player in the
management of human resources in projects (Aubry, Müller, Hobbs, & Blomquist, 2010).

Project management offices may be graded in a variety of situations. Administrative PMOs

provide project managers with administrative support. Intense information PMOs take account
of the best technology, the effect of learning, and maturity growth. It involves four forms,
starting with the exclusively administrative supporter, the information manager, the knowledge
management, and the most full knowledge coach. (Szalay, Kovács, & Sebestyén, 2017). A new
position for project management offices has recently emerged with respect to information
sharing. The problem is that there are no cross-project learning induced by the extremely
independent project. The PMO serves as an information broker between projects and the
exchange of knowledge between project and management of a PMO as a crossroads of
knowledge and organizations at different levels (upper management, PMO personnel, project
teams)(Pemsel & Wiewiora, 2013). The PMO must follow the fundamental requirements for an
effective position of intelligence broker. They must be able to translate, organize, and align
diverse viewpoints in this social and collaborative process. The learning process, actively
assisted by the PMO, is critical. The PMO gathers data on an ongoing basis in order to help the
team retrospectively learn from previous projects and proactively transferring expertise to
future projects. Basic knowledge brokerage skills are to "facilitate and encourage strategic
development" of PM relationships in their operations with stakeholders; to 'control, track, and
support project managers (Szalay et al., 2017).

5
 Standards

Processes Policies
Project
Management
Offices

Resources Training

Figure 2: Project Management Office (Barbalho et al., 2017)

Strategic Roles in Project Management Office

PMO principles share the goal of organizing project management and producing a compatible
strategy, software and policy for the organization. Business principles are PMO. In the
performance review of the PMO, the outcomes of the projects organized over or during the
project life cycle are included. The project success is a well-studied topic in project
management, although the word "performance" is substantially different. It can be related to
external project goals assessed by stakeholder satisfaction and in particular of the third sector
beneficiaries, participants and partners (Golini et al., 2015).

José, Marco, Armado, and Danilo (2010) has clearly identified a set of roles and responsibilities
for the PMO team that are useful to remember when developing a PMO. The team for Project
Management Office comprises the following suggested functions and responsibilities: Project
Management Office team coordination – PMO management, monitoring, team coordination
and membership of the project committee, Tool management – Enterprise Project
Management (EPM) tool and document management, tool changes and development,
Resource management – Allocation of resources and follow-up activities for the achievement of
the project, Follow-up Management – Project health and progress indicators management,
project risk analysis, global issue, and budget monitoring project progress reporting, project
management mentoring – Socialization of project management processes, policies and
procedures development, training in project processes and resources, enhancement of projects
plans and organizational activities. This offers a valuable collection of areas that need to be
taken into consideration when designing a PMO in terms of its key roles and responsibilities.
The organizational and strategic aspects of the PMO should preferably apply to these functions
and responsibilities as well (Karayaz & Gungor, 2013). The Project Management Office is today
a separate corporate unit. It is believed that the need to increase the organization's capacity to

6
produce projects is created. Page 11 of the PMBoK Guide (PMI, 2013) describes these offices as
the management system that "standardizes project management processes and encourages
resources, methodologies, tools and techniques to be shared." PMO is called a dynamic agency
"to resolve certain problems within dynamic organizations" (Aubry, Müller, & Glückler, 2011).
Different PMOs were further observed as project team advisors and direct project team
managers in the field (Ward & Daniel, 2013).

Business Ecosystems
In order to make efficient use of client, partner or competitor ties with the growing speed of
the today's markets and the sophistication of current technologies that require interconnected
webs of companies. This can only be achieved by recognizing the forces and processes that
control these networks and the interrelated business models. The study of strategic
management from a network perspective has become an important subject since strategy
study moves from individualistic and nuclear explanations towards more relational, contextual
and structural understandings (Anggraeni, Den Hartigh, & Zegveld, 2007). Managers feel a
strong need to find successful ways of recognizing and handling the dynamics of their business
landscape with rapidly evolving business markets, fast product cycles and decreasing average
life expectancy of companies (Adner, 2013). Business ecosystems have become a term for
managers as networks evolve and goods and services are increasingly digitalized. Indeed the
fact that businesses compete in ecosystems is now well known (Senyo, Liu, & Effah, 2019).
Adapted from biological and ecologic sciences and focused on the concept of industries
consisting of a dynamic global network of connections and a co-dependent value for survival,
the ecosystem perspective relies on a heterogeneous and constantly changing collection of
constituents. A business ecosystem is characterized by a variety of interrelated stakeholders as
an economic environment. Several papers on business ecosystem research were published with
a different emphasis (Rong et al., 2018). The business ecosystem is a broad term which
includes, among other things markets where large numbers of similar product and services
manufacture and potential customers are involved, for example in retail (Amason, eBay,
Taobao), in the hospitality industry (Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Open Table), on ride-hail (Uber, Lyft,
Didi), and on freelance (Upwork, Croogster or Fiverr) (Pidun, Reeves, & Schüssler, 2019).

7
Research Design
Research Objective
The aim of this study was to integrate and analyze the effects of project management offices on
business ecosystems and their strategic functions. This research examines the role of project
management offices within the business ecosystem project management unit and analyzes its
effects on the strategies of project management. This is a qualitative analysis based on a
questionnaire examination of the project management office's seven separate roles.

Research Data
Questionnaire Data Analysis Conclusion
Problem Collection

Figure 3: Research Process for the study

Hypothesis Development and Question related to research

The research answers the following question by a complete qualitative analysis:

"How do the strategic roles in project management office impact within a business
ecosystem?"

The hypothesis developed by this research is that the strategic impact of project management
office units is positive on a business ecosystem.

Methodology
The review of the survey questionnaire answered by project managers in public organizations
with a project management office (PMO) unit will be the basis of this report. Here the seven
different roles of Project management offices will be interviewed using a questionnaire made
on the basis of literature review. This survey questionnaire will then be utilized for qualitative
data analysis using Nvivo software. The mathematical method used for data analysis will be
multiple regression techniques, which is to be performed using Nvivo.

8
 Conclusions and
Literature Review Data Collection Recommendations

Questinnaire Data Analysis

Development

Figure 4: Project Methodology

Literature Review
A detailed literature review will be carried out using key search words as Project Management
Offices, Strategic roles of Projects Management offices, PMOS, Business Ecosystems, Impact of
PMOS on Business ecosystems. This review will be carried out using online databases and
libraries as Google scholar, research gate etc.

Questionnaire Development
A detailed literature review will then make the way for a questionnaire development that will in
depth analyze the role and impact of project management offices on business ecosystems.

Data Collection
Data collection will be carried out via a questionnaire distributed to the project managers in
public organizations that have set up a project management unit to focus on projects.

Data Sampling
A qualitative sampling strategy defines the number of observations, interviews, focus groups or
cases necessary to ensure a rich source of information is generated. In previous quantitative
research the sampling plans are illustrated, but qualitative research projects begin with a
sampling scheme which has been loosely defined. A number of circumstances and participants,
including negative and extreme cases, are needed for the sampling strategy in order to gather
the rich data (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Therefore the sample size in this project will include a
number of organizations that meet the criteria of data collection that is having the project
management offices.

Data Analysis
Qualitative data analysis is a method for the mass of data collected, which contributes order,
structure and meaning. It is not an easy job to do that. In a creative and exciting way, it is
disordered, hard and time consuming. Indeed, quality data analytics aim to enhance the

9
understanding of the phenomenon by maintaining relationships between categories and
themes of data (Hilal & Alabri, 2013). Since the qualitative data are text-based, this coding
phase is the cornerstone of the study. Code for the attribution of units of significance to the
descriptive or inferential data compiled for a report shall be 'tags or marks.' Codes adhere often
to sentences, word fragments, phrases or the whole paragraph. Coding includes the pursuit by
interviewees or records of similar words or phrases. These words or phrases are then combined
to make the connection between them possible (Edwards-Jones, 2014).Hence, NVivo software
will be used to analyze data in this study. NVivo is an innovative software-focused to handle
qualitative data analyzes in research projects based on field notes, qualitative interviews, focus
groups, and other qualitative techniques. It can be used to perform various functions, such as
organizing emerging ideas and analyzing information, seeking insights into the information,
finding relationships or correlations between variables, building Word cloud and cluster
analytics to identify common subjects and relationships.

Figure 5: Nvivo Software

10
Figure 6: Nvivo Screenshot

Figure 7: Nvivo Screenshot

11
Data Analysis Procedure
This inquiry is justified and told by the literature review. It will also look for trends and themes
to allow the research method to be critically assessed. The literature review found that
significant quantities of research are being done separately in project management and in
business ecosystems, but there is little knowledge about the strategic importance of these
PMOs in business ecosystems.

The figure below illustrates visually the key terms that arise from the literature review. A word
frequency search for secondary research material was developed by Word Cloud on the NVivo
software

Figure 8: Word Cloud in Nvivo

Project Logistics
Research Timeline
The total time frame for this research is 23 weeks it will start from 1 st January 2021 and end on
10th June 2021 with a final presentation of the results in a formal report. The timeline for the
project is given in detail below:

12
Task Name Start Date End Date Duration
Identify the area of study 1/1/2021 1/15/2021 14
Select a topic for research 1/15/2021 1/31/2021 16
Literature Review 1/31/2021 2/10/2021 10
Collect the relevant information 2/10/2021 2/15/2021 5
Review the information and organize 2/15/2021 2/20/2021 5
Study and Understand the theory 2/20/2021 2/28/2021 8
Formulate research question 2/28/2021 3/15/2021 15
Conceptual framework and Hypothesis 3/15/2021 3/30/2021 15
Develop Research Procedure 3/30/2021 4/5/2021 6
Survey questionnaire development 4/5/2021 4/11/2021 6
Data Collection 4/11/2021 4/30/2021 19
Import data in Nvivo 4/30/2021 5/5/2021 5
Nvivo data analysis 5/5/2021 5/15/2021 10
Result Interpretation 5/15/2021 5/17/2021 2
Prepare draft report and presentation 5/17/2021 5/23/2021 6
Review and edit the report 5/23/2021 5/30/2021 7
Make necessary edits 5/30/2021 6/5/2021 6
Final report publication 6/5/2021 6/10/2021 5
Table 1: Project Management Timeline

1/1/2021 1/21/20212/10/2021 3/2/2021 3/22/20214/11/2021 5/1/2021 5/21/20216/10/2021

Identify the area of study
Select a topic for research
Literature Review
Collect the relevant information
Review the information and organize
Study and Understand theory
Formulate research question
Conceptual framework and Hypothesis
Develope Research Procedure
Survey questionnaire development
Data Collection
Import data in Nvivo
Nvivo data analysis
Result Interpretation
Prepare draft report and presentation
Review and edit the report
Make necessary edits
Final report publication

Figure 9: Gantt Chart for the Project

13
Project Budget
The project will require a budget of $ 800, which will cover all the expenses including research
papers, stationaries, utilities, logistics, printing, binding, etc. There is no cost for Nvivo software
since that will be provided by the university.

WBS
  Task Name Comments
1 Research Proposal  
1.1 Identify the area of study Stationaries, library memberships
1.2 Select a topic for research No cost
1.3 Literature Review Purchase of research papers
1.4 Collect the relevant information No cost
1.5 Review the information and organize No cost
1.6 Study and Understand the theory No cost
2 Research Design  
2.1 Formulate research question No cost
2.2 Conceptual framework and Hypothesis No cost
3 Research Methodology  
3.1 Develop Research Procedure No cost
3.2 Survey questionnaire development Utilities and Stationary
3.3 Data Collection The questionnaire, logistics, utilities
3.4 Import data in Nvivo No cost
3.5 Nvivo data analysis No cost
3.6 Result Interpretation No cost
4 Final report preparation  
4.1 Prepare draft report and presentation Printing and binding
4.2 Review and edit the report No cost
4.3 Make necessary edits No cost
4.4 Final report publication Printing and binding
Table 2: WBS Project Budget Details

Budget estimates

14
 Cost Elements Cost Percentage
Printing and Copying $ 100 13%
Stationaries $ 150 19%
Utilities $ 200 25%
Buying Research Papers $ 150 19%
Logistics $ 100 13%
Final Printing and Binding $ 50 6%
Miscellaneous $ 50 6%
Total $ 800  
Table 3: Budget Estimate of the Project

Conclusion
This research “Analyzing the Impact of Strategic Roles in Project Management Office on
Business Ecosystems" will provide an insight to project managers and organizations existing
within a business ecosystem with strategic roles regarding the project management offices. This
research will be useful for business units in a business ecosystem. Hence both public and
nonpublic organizations will benefit from its results.

The final results and report is expected to be published in the first week of June 2021.

15
References
Adner, R. (2013). The wide lens: What successful innovators see that others miss: Penguin.
Anggraeni, E., Den Hartigh, E., & Zegveld, M. (2007). Business ecosystem as a perspective for studying
the relations between firms and their business networks. Paper presented at the ECCON 2007
Annual meeting.
Aubry, M., Müller, R., & Glückler, J. (2011). Exploring PMOs through community of practice theory.
Project management journal, 42(5), 42-56.
Aubry, M., Müller, R., Hobbs, B., & Blomquist, T. (2010). Project management offices in transition.
International journal of project management, 28(8), 766-778.
Barbalho, S. C. M., da Silva, G. L., & de Toledo, J. C. (2017). The impact analysis of functions of project
management office on performance of triple constraint of new-product development projects.
Dirección y Organización(61), 19-31.
Croxatto, A., & Greub, G. (2017). Project management: importance for diagnostic laboratories. Clinical
Microbiology and Infection, 23(7), 434-440.
Do Valle, J. A. S., e Silvia, W. d. S., & Soares, C. A. P. (2008). Project management office (PMO)-Principles
in practice. AACE International Transactions, PM71.
Duncan, W. (2005). Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge: Automated Graphic Systems, Charlotte, NC, USA.
Edwards-Jones, A. (2014). Qualitative data analysis with NVIVO: Taylor & Francis.
Golini, R., Kalchschmidt, M., & Landoni, P. (2015). Adoption of project management practices: The
impact on international development projects of non-governmental organizations. International
journal of project management, 33(3), 650-663.
Hilal, A. H., & Alabri, S. S. (2013). Using NVivo for data analysis in qualitative research. International
interdisciplinary journal of education, 2(2), 181-186.
Hobbs, B., & Aubry, M. (2007). A multi-phase research program investigating project management
offices (PMOs): the results of phase 1. Project management journal, 38(1), 74-86.
Jay, J. (2013). Navigating paradox as a mechanism of change and innovation in hybrid organizations.
Academy of management journal, 56(1), 137-159.
José, C. V., Marco, A. E., Armado, C. S., & Danilo, J. H. (2010). Success factors for creating a PMO aligned
with the objectives and organizational strategy. Paper presented at the 2010 IEEE ANDESCON.
Karayaz, G., & Gungor, O. (2013). Strategic Alignment and Project Management Offices: Case Studies
from Succesful Implementations in Turkey. Paper presented at the 2013 46th Hawaii
International Conference on System Sciences.
Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data
collection and analysis. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 9-18.
Pemsel, S., & Wiewiora, A. (2013). Project management office a knowledge broker in project-based
organisations. International journal of project management, 31(1), 31-42.
Pidun, U., Reeves, M., & Schüssler, M. (2019). Do you need a business ecosystem? : Retrieved from BCG:
https://www. bcg. com/de-de/publications/2019/doyou-need ….
PMI, A. (2013). guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide). Paper presented at
the Project Management Institute.
Rong, K., Lin, Y., Li, B., Burström, T., Butel, L., & Yu, J. (2018). Business ecosystem research agenda: More
dynamic, more embedded, and more internationalized: Springer.
Sandhu, M. A., Al Ameri, T. Z., & Wikström, K. (2019). Benchmarking the strategic roles of the project
management office (PMO) when developing business ecosystems. Benchmarking: An
International Journal.

16
Senyo, P. K., Liu, K., & Effah, J. (2019). Digital business ecosystem: Literature review and a framework for
future research. International Journal of Information Management, 47, 52-64.
Szalay, I., Kovács, Á., & Sebestyén, Z. (2017). Integrated Framework for Project Management Office
Evaluation. Procedia engineering, 196, 578-584.
Van der Linde, J., & Steyn, H. (2016). The effect of a Project Management Office on project and
organisational performance: A case study. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 27(1),
151-161.
Ward, J., & Daniel, E. M. (2013). The role of project management offices (PMOs) in IS project success and
management satisfaction. Journal of Enterprise Information Management.

17