The Program Management Office: Establishing, Managing and Growing the Value of a PMO

by Craig J. Letavec

Official reference material for the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) Credential Examination!The role of project management in the modern organization has grown significantly. The effective management of project portfolios that include numerous short-terms projects, large multi-project programs or both has become a growing challenge for industry, government and other institutions. Many organizations have identified a need to formalize the practice of project management and develop centers of coordination and excellence for project management. The Program Management Office is a guide to satisfying this need for improved coordination, standardization, optimization, and management of the practice of project management. It addresses the strategic and practical aspects of establishing and managing the program management office (PMO) including how to create a clear and compelling business case for the PMO and sell the business case to management, how to design, structure, and implement a PMO, and how to clearly demonstrate the value provided by the PMO once operational. The text also addresses a number of common challenges that management, PMO implementation teams, and PMO staff often struggle with as they develop, implement, and manage a PMO.The early chapters of this book provide step by step instructions to those interested in implementing and managing an effective PMO. The later chapters provide practical guidance to those who already work in a functioning PMO on how to improve PMO performance as well as its value to the organization. The author proposes that the PMO serve three primary missions — standards, consulting and knowledge. He discusses these three domains in detail and provides an understanding of why each is important as well as how the PMO can best serve each of these missions to maximize value to the organization. The Program Management Office: Establishing, Managing and Growing the Value of a PMO is an outstanding guide for those interested in starting a PMO or in growing the value of an existing PMO. It is also an ideal text for project management course instruction on the subject of PMOs.

409 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Stan]

If you need to start a PMO or work in an existing PMO, this is a good resource. Letavec is very detail about the items you need to consider in setting up and running a PMO so that it provides value to your organization.

The book starts out with how and why to create a business case for a PMO. It is very detailed but not a one size fits all approach. It does a good job of defining the different models for a PMO. I like the idea of creating a business case for the PMO and once it is approved creating a marketing plan to sell the PMO to the wider organization.

The book is not light reading. The level of detail can be a little overwhelming from time to time, so be prepared to stop and reflect on what you just read. You will need to filter what is useful in your current situation and what information can be saved for another day.

[Nada Abandah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a helpful start, and informative. As a consultant establishing PMOs for clients, I believe that there’s a lot of ideas and pointers to helpful services to my clients. However, if you are a PMO professional establishing a PMO for your company, I believe that this book focuses only on one side of the story, and doesn’t give quite a lot of alternatives.