Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Final v1.0
Contents
1 Introduction and Goals of this Document..........................................................................1
1.1 Exclusions...................................................................................................................... 2
2 The PMO Value Proposition................................................................................................2
2.1 Types of Value Generating Models of a PMO................................................................3
2.2 Practical Considerations within [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2]........................4
3 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Mission and Objectives...........................5
3.1 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Mission...................................................5
3.2 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Objectives..............................................5
4 Support Service Offering.....................................................................................................6
4.1 PMO Support Services Scope.......................................................................................6
4.2 Initial Support Services Offering.....................................................................................7
4.2.1 Selection Criteria................................................................................................7
4.2.2 Initial Support Services......................................................................................7
5 PMO Organization and Resource Roles & Responsibilities.............................................8
5.1 Roles and Responsibilities.............................................................................................9
5.1.1 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Director.....................................10
5.1.2 Managers, Planning and Strategy and Operations and Controls......................11
6 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Competency Framework.......................11
6.1 Competencies/Experience Required per Position........................................................11
6.2 [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Resource Competency Grid.................12
7 Staffing Strategy................................................................................................................ 12
8 Capability Schedule and Milestones................................................................................14
9 Learning and Development Strategy................................................................................14
The target PMO capability will have the ability to function as a bridge between the project level
where change is planned and executed and the strategic level where change is conceived,
prioritized and sequenced. It will also operate within the governance sphere to report and to
make recommendations with respect to [Head of Department] project management capabilities,
capacity and project dependencies.
An effective PMO team that operates at a high skill level and with the required level of
experience takes time to implement. So too does effective integration of the PMO with [Client
Program 1] & [Client Program 2] projects such that the PMO is perceived as an enabler of
project management excellence and not simply a bureaucratic impediment to project progress.
This document recognizes that the building of a PMO is an evolutionary process. As a result a
time –phased approach is taken to the development of the requisite experience as well as the
development of core processes, procedures and standards, that will help establish the PMO as
a local Centre of Excellence of project management “know how”. Error: Reference source not
found illustrates the major subject matter covered in this document.
Service Offerings
Staffing
Figure 1: [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO Implementation and Development Subject
Matter
1.1 Exclusions
This document is primarily concerned with the selection of the PMO services and the
development of the PMO organizational capabilities. It does not discuss the detailed processes
and interactions with existing and future [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] projects.
To justify its creation and ongoing investment of resources, time and effort, the PMO must
exhibit quantifiable value to progressing its sponsoring organization’s mandate. Figure 2
illustrates some of the business value anticipated from the PMO.
From a business perspective, efficiencies at the project level could result in a number of
benefits, including allowing more projects to be completed in a given period of time without
Executive management can also expect strategic value from the PMO. A PMO placed at the
Program or Portfolio level is well positioned to understand the interrelationships and
dependencies that exist between [Head of Department] programs, both current and planned.
Executive leadership can leverage the knowledge the PMO gains of these dependencies by
using it to align the [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] ability to plan and execute to the
attainment of its strategic goals. From a practical standpoint, the involvement of the PMO at the
strategic level can result in improved investment planning, sequencing of projects, better
program segmentation and resource allocation and program execution strategies that have
lower risk and improved outcome predictability.
The strategic advantages of a PMO listed above are well-described in the Add [Government
Tool]. However, another facet of strategic value is the ability of the PMO to take an active role
in influencing a shift towards a project management-oriented culture. The strategic value of this
shift has been established by the ? Positioning the [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2]
PMO as a Centre of Excellence will allow the PMO to demonstrate by example, the benefits of
applying project management principles to achieving project goals. resources at all levels of the
organization begin to understand and embrace project management thinking to enhance their
ability to perform their roles more effectively, then it can be said that a “culture” of project
management is taking root in the organization. By nurturing this shift, the PMO can be a strong
facilitator of an energetic, interactive project management community. The benefits of a thriving
culture of project management extend to further efficiencies in the planning and execution of
projects and an enthusiastic adoption of continuous improvement, mentoring and “give-back” to
further increase project management capabilities within the organization.
Mentoring/Coaching PMO – This model of PMO focuses on mentoring and coaching of PMO
resources and project resources. Staffed by a core of very experienced project managers, their
activities concentrate on increasing the project management competency levels of designated
individuals and teams.
Controlling PMO – More rigorous than the Supportive PMO, this model establishes the PMO
as the defining authority and centre of excellence on all aspects of project management
Directive PMO – The Directive PMO goes beyond the Controlling PMO by assuming the status
of lead project authority. At the start of each project, the PMO assigns an experienced project
manager out of a pool of project managers to lead that project. The assigned PM reports directly
to the PMO Manager.
Project Repository PMO – The Project Repository PMO develops and maintains a large
centralized repository of project management templates, procedures, checklists, best practices,
tools, etc. for the use of the PMO and project teams. The PMO Manager concentrates on
research and validation of new best practices and associated tools and standards. The PMO
also provides project documentation repository services for artifacts and deliverables produced
by the projects.
Real-world PMO functional models are generally not a pure adoption of one of the specific
archetype models listed above. Most organizations will develop a customized model by first
selecting a core model and then tailoring that model by integrating a mix of other functional
models determined by how the business believes the PMO could maximize its value given
practical considerations such as types and numbers of projects involved, strategic importance of
the project portfolio, requirement of the organization, and even resource availability. The
selected PMO functional model can also change over time and with gains in maturity. For
example, with gains in practical experience and broader resource base, a Supportive PMO may
confidently adopt policies that are closer to the Directive model.
In the case of the [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO, the approach will be to initially
adopt a role that most closely resembles the Supportive PMO model. The current PMO does not
yet have the available resources, skills or experience to adopt either of the more authoritative
Controlling or Directive models.. The primary importance during the development period is
therefore a concentration on collaboration and fostering an environment of mutual support and
dependence between the PMO and projects.
The Supportive PMO as the core model is seen as a good fit to this approach. It will allow a
combination of project support through the supply of supplementary resources and will foster a
two-way dialogue that will ideally result in the build-up of an inventory of [Client Program 1] &
[Client Program 2] best practices to which the PMO and projects can mutually contribute.
1
Accenture Report: [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] Project Office Maturity, PMO Assessment and Findings
dated March 2013.
4. Provide tactical and strategic input to [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2]
senior management
Provide DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] with a variety of regular updates
ranging from monthly status of projects to comprehensive reports on performance of the
[Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] project portfolio;
Inform DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] regarding [Head of Department]
project management capabilities, capacity and development; and
Provide strategic advice to DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] regarding project
portfolio investments, project dependencies, project structure and order of project
completion.
2
Project Management Institute, Project Management Body of Knowledge, Version 5.
Operations
Vendor and procurement management
Program documentation
Financial Management
Cost-benefit analysis
Budget development and tracking
Business Integration
Change management
Benefits realization
The initial target PMO organization is shown Figure 4. It shows a [Client Program 1] & [Client
Program 2] PMO Director who is responsible to the DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2].
There is a lateral reporting line from the [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] project
managers indicating a peer relationship rather than the projects reporting to the PMO. The
project managers remain responsible to the project sponsor, although this may change as the
PMO achieves increased project management maturity levels.
The PMO Director will initially have two direct reports who will divide responsibilities for the
initial service offerings between them. This diagram assumes that the two managers that report
to the PMO Director are both skilled project managers with experience either working in a PMO
setting, or performing the services envisaged by the PMO .
The diagram also depicts a PMO Advisor position that reports laterally into the PMO Director
position. This position is intended to hold a very skilled and experienced project manager who
will work closely with the PMO Director. The advisor is expected to be a “jack of all trades” who
will be able to to provide expert advice across all intended service offerings. The advisor will
mentor staff as necessary and also provide experienced-based advice to the PMO Director
regarding the implementation and ongoing development of the PMO.
As the scope of PMO service offerings increases to the full extent of those shown in Figure 4,
the [Head of Department] may elect to expand the PMO both laterally, in terms of additional
managers and vertically to accommodate additional resources.
PMO Development
Develop and maintain PMO mission and objectives;
Develop and maintain the PMO Implementation and Development plan;
Based on EPMO-published Project Management standards, direct research and
investigation into best practices associated with PMO support service offerings. Best
practices can include project management processes, project management techniques
or enhanced project management techniques; and
Develop and maintain training and mentoring program to advance PM competency
levels within the PMO.
Strategy
Engage DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] to advise on the [Client Program 1]
& [Client Program 2] program structure, including program content, project relationships
and dependencies, project sequencing and project execution strategies;
Advise DG [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] on project management capacity and
capabilities;
Work to engender a project management “culture” within [Client Program 1] & [Client
Program 2] [Head of Department]; and
Work with other [Client Department 1] project management organizations to create
“communities of practice”.
Governance
Work with projects to ensure the compliance with [Client Department 1] governance
policy;
In association with other Branch and [Client Department 1] PMO’s, implement and
support the [Client Department 1] Project Management Directive and Project
Management Framework at the PMO and project level;
Develop project and PMO Key Performance Indicators; and
Address the gathering of performance metrics.
Resource Management
Develop a PMO staffing model together with required competencies;
Recruit PMO resource candidates and prepare staffing actions;
Address resource administration responsibilities consistent with EDSC and Federal
Public service policy;
Work with project managers to determine project resource augmentation requirements;
and
Provide PMO resources as necessary to augment project structure.
The PMO Director has the option of delegating individual responsibilities but will remain
accountable for PMO performance and the achievement of its objectives.
Deep knowledge that can be innovatively applied and has been demonstrated within
5. Innovator complex projects and programs. Recognized expert/specialist in the competency
including generation of ideas, methods, tools and leading others in best practice use.
Applied knowledge and experience of the competency concepts tools and techniques,
3. Practitioner adopting those most appropriate for the individual project environment
2. Working Has the knowledge and experience required to execute the competency indicator in a
limited and structured manner
Knowledge
Basic knowledge of the skills involved and how they are used in a project environment
Awareness
The Grid is the PMO Director’s primary tool for the evaluation of current PMO resource
competencies and for the planning and tracking of competency development activities. Target
competencies can be adjusted as necessary as initial targets are met and more challenging
targets are established. Competencies are currently assigned at the “Competency” level.
However, they can also be assigned at the more detailed “Competency Indicator” level. This can
be especially useful during initial resource competency evaluations to provide a more granular
indication of training and development needs for that individual. The Grid can also be expanded
vertically to include additional competency descriptors and expanded laterally to include
additional support service offerings as needed.
2. Generalists provide flexibility. Above all, the demands of the Program will greatly
influence the exact structure and capabilities required of the PMO and this may be difficult to
gauge in the initial stages of PMO implementation. For this reason, it would be advantageous to
the PMO to concentrate initially on the acquisition of project management generalists.
Generalists will normally be career project managers or project management office resources
who have filled multiple project management or PMO roles as they have achieved progressive
experience and seniority in the project management profession. Ideally they will have formal
training and one or more project management-related certifications. These resources are ideal
when staffing a PMO because they can be productive in virtually any capacity and can take on
multiple roles simultaneously. In addition, generalists provide the PMO Director with flexibility
because they can be easily shifted from one role to another to fulfill short or long term shifts of
demand for certain skills.
3. Competence in a role is built through specialization. The first of the PMO objectives
relates to establishing the PMO as a [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] authority on project
management. The advantage of staffing specialists is that they provide immediate and deep
capability in a given service offering. For example, expertise in risk management is a central
requirement for the PMO that can be provided by a risk management specialist. This resource
can be used to provide key services to the projects but equally importantly, the expert’s
knowledge can be used to broaden the competency base of the PMO as a whole through
mentorship, training and contributions to the PMO knowledge repository. Specializing is also a
way to develop core expertise within the PMO using government employees. Provided with the
opportunity to specialize in a specific competence through training, mentorship and relevant
assignments, resources will be established as an authoritative figures within that domain.
5. Capacity to match workload and development needs. The recommended PMO model
involves working in a consultative capacity with the projects and by directly supplementing the
projects as required with skilled resources. The PMO Director will need to forecast total demand
on PMO resources to understand what roles will require duplication and to what extent. Other
factors in deciding role duplication may be redundancy needed for critical roles and absences
due to extended training.
The fundamental purpose of an L&D strategy is to close the gap between an existing set of
competencies exhibited by a team and its resources and a target, future state of competencies.
The following steps outline the approach to developing a responsive L&D Plan for the [Client
Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO.
Step 1:
The first step is to confirm the competencies required by the [Client Program 1] & [Client
Program 2] PMO to complete its mandate. The Competency Framework describes many of the
competencies but the PMO Director may wish to dig deeper to identify sub-competencies where
the area is broad and [Client Program 1] and [Client Program 2] needs may be more precise.
For example, consider Cost Management service offering. One of its competencies is “Develop
project budget”. A deeper analysis of required sub-competencies may reveal a need for specific
skills in MS Excel, including developing formulae, pivot tables and developing graphs. Other
competencies may include an understanding of estimation techniques such as parametric
estimating analogous estimating and reasonability analysis. Each of these sub-competencies
would be combined into a full Competency Specification for each given service offering.
Step 2:
The next step is to confirm the level, or degree of expertise required for the described
competency. The Competency Framework has target capability levels (Awareness to Innovator)
levels assigned to competencies in accordance with initial service offering and capability
targets. These levels should be reviewed with the additional competency detail developed in
step 1.
Step 3:
Step three is to complete a skills and experience assessment of the existing workforce in
relation to the required detailed competencies that have been developed in step 2. This will be
the “as-is” state that will provide a quantified state of the gap between present and target
competency states. Based on this analysis the Director may wish to fine-tune the distribution of
roles and responsibilities within the organization to take advantage of existing strengths where
they have become apparent.
Step 4:
Step four to link the detailed competency gaps with the types of development best suited to
close the gaps. Learning and development can take place through multiple approaches,
including formal classroom learning, self-paced learning curricula, and individual study. L&D can
also take place take place on the job through formal and informal mentoring, and opportunities
such as research assignments and team activities. L&D activities can range from short term and
tactical, such as with learning a particular MS Office skill or long term and strategic as with
obtaining a Project Management Professional designation. This step should match specific gaps
with reasonable and appropriate means of achieving the required skills. For formal and self-
study training, matching would include identifying specific institutions and programs/courses.
Step 5:
To be effective, the L&D plan should include sub-plans that are individualized for each team
member. Plans should show an integrated mix of various types of training, mentoring and on-
the-job development, depending on the competency gap(s) that need to be closed. The
individual plans should be clear as to the specific to the gaps it is closing. The plans should and
have measurable outcomes for each individual and be time-bound to achieve desired results
that are linked to set milestones. The plans should be developed in cooperation with the
resource and there should be agreement between the Director and resource regarding all
aspects of the plan.
Step 6:
Step 6 is to set up ongoing verification that the L&D plans are being executed according to
schedule and that the desired competency results are being achieved.
The [Government Tool] is the only official model applicable to [Client Department 1] and the
[Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO. However, the [Government Tool] is designed to
provide a succinct means of capability measurement at the Departmental level and has
limitations when applied at the PMO level. This is because several [Government Tool] criteria
can appear coarse-grained due to its measures having been developed to provide a
Departmental versus local perspective. Also, [Government Tool] criteria do not represent a
continuum of increasing capability but instead, state a single capability and then applies tests to
evaluate how widespread this capability is across the Department. Other PMMFs exist that
focus more on the finer-grained best practices and processes applicable at the PMO and project
levels. They can also provide better and more graduated descriptions of what defines evidence
of demonstration of a higher level maturity versus a lower-level maturity. Alternative PMMFs can
therefore be useful to evaluate specific strengths and weaknesses of the PMO and for planning
roadmaps for improvement.
As stated, many alternative maturity models exist but two of most popular are SEI CMMI and
P3M3. These models and their derivatives are responsible for the familiar five-level maturity
scale often used by firms to conduct independent evaluations. The SEI CMMI five-level scale is
reproduced in Figure 7.
While each PMMF has slightly different names for the maturity levels, they share many of the
same characteristics. Key characteristics applicable to most of the 5-level PMMF are noted in
Table 1, below:
Typical of all PMMFs is a series of separate categories in which maturity is measured. Most
PMMF adopt the same general approach. For example, [Government Tool] and OPM3 use the
nine PMBOK Knowledge Areas, while P3M3 uses the 7 Process Perspectives seen in the
PRINCE2® project management methodology. Of the popular PMMFs, no set of categories is
intrinsically superior to the other. The quality of the PMMF lies primarily in coverage, detail and
applicability of its detailed evaluation criteria contained in its associated assessment tool. A
good example of a detailed tool is “Project Management Process Improvement” by Robert K.
Wysocki. The author presents a CMMI-based tool that contains over 800 assessment criteria
across the nine PMBOK Knowledge Areas. Table 2 compares the evaluation categories of the
[Government Tool] against two other popular models.
It is anticipated that the [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO should target a Level 3
maturity across most project management categories. This is consistent with project
management skills competency targets established in Section 6 – Competency Framework, as
well as being consistent with the ability to provide a solid contribution to the Departmental
[Government Tool] rating.
Note that an organization can exhibit different maturity levels for different evaluation categories.
This is a characteristic that should be expected in PMOs at all stages of development.
Because of the need for individual competence to serve a foundation for increased project
management maturity levels, it should be expected that target maturity levels will lag behind the
achievement of target individual competency levels. This should be considered in the overall
PMO development schedule and key performance indicators.
To set a path for the achievement of the desired project management maturity level, the
following steps are recommended:
Step 1:
The first step is to identify one of the PMMF’s and set it as the standard for measurement. This
will ensure that [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] projects, the [Client Program 1] & [Client
Program 2] PMO and executive management all refer to the same descriptions of project
management maturity levels and evaluation criteria.. By virtue of their graduated and more
detailed maturity criteria, selections such as P3M3 and OPM3 would represent a good choice as
a goal-setting and an ongoing measurement tool that is specific to the PMO.
Step 2:
Step 3 (optional):
Using the mapping, and the evaluation criteria provided in the PMMF, determine the PMO’s “as-
is” maturity level. This is optional because there is evidence that the [Client Program 1] & [Client
Program 2] PMO currently occupies an area between Level 1 and Level 2 in all evaluation
categories.
Step 4:
Determine target [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO maturity levels for each category
mapped in Step 2. Use the descriptions available in the PMMF tool to determine what maturity
level is reasonable and attainable. Using the Risk Management example, P3M3 contains
various descriptors of what would characterize Risk Management at each of the five maturity
levels. Two (of over 22) of the descriptors of Risk Management - Level 3 are:
Step 5:
For each target capability identified in Step 4, develop an Action Plan to formally integrate the
capability into [Client Program 1] & [Client Program 2] PMO practice. In the example of the first
of the two example descriptors, “regular reviews”, in Step 4, a number of questions must be
addressed to create the Action Plan. For example:
Step 6:
Invoke each Action Plan and follow up on a regular basis to verify progress and effectiveness
and adjust as required.
Feedback
The KPI technique begins with asking the question: “what are the specific measures that will
allow me to determine whether we are achieving our objectives?” It is important that each KPI is
both relevant to the Objective and also must be measurable
Measuring the performance results will provide verification of the degree to which the KPI is
being met and will be the source of data for clear and unambiguous management reports. A set
of measured results will also allow management to look further into the KPI. If the target was not
met, why is this? Is corrective action required? What corrective action would be most effective
and efficient?
Finally, there is a feedback loop back to the KPI step. Generally, the business objectives
themselves are relatively static because they are related to a stable business strategy. But KPI’s
can change depending on the evolving business environment. For example, managers may
discover better or more detailed KPI’s to describe the achievement of the objectives. Also early
KPI’s may be superseded by more challenging KPI’s if it is determined that the PMO is ready to
tackle more challenging goals.
There is a family of products termed Project Portfolio Management (PPM). These products are
useful for organizations having programs consisting of multiple projects or in some instances
even a single highly complex project could be served by a PMIS. This is an extremely
competitive product space with over 120 competitors globally.
3. Resource Balancing Tools: These tools help the organization understand and optimize
the distribution of resources across projects. These will help the organization:
a. Track competencies, skills and experience across the project workforce;
b. Manage work requests;
c. Track resource allocations and utilization;
d. Determine resource requirements; and
As mentioned, there are several options potentially worth considering. Most major software
vendors have PPM offerings including Microsoft (EPM), IBM (Rational Focal Point), Computer
Associates (CA Clarity), SAP (Project and Portfolio Management) and HP (PPM Center), to
name a few. Adoption of any product would require a clarifying business case in coordination
with the [Client Department 1] EPMO, as a department wide standard is already understood to
be in place.