The PMO, which stands for Project/Programme/Portfolio Management Office, is the body of the organisation that is responsible for all ongoing Projects and Programmes. It can be seen as a central repository where organisations have an oversight of all change initiatives and are able to coordinate them.
The PMO is essentially providing services to an organisation, but what this actually entails can differ between organisations. It is a complex and ever changing environment: roles and context (of projects and programmes) highly influence the PMO.
The daily responsibilities of the Project/Programme/Portfolio Management Office are handled by the PMO Manager, who can be supported by other PMO related roles, namely the PMO Administrator, the PMO Analyst, the PMO Director and other PMO specialists.
PMO Manager: Responsibilities
PMO Managers perform a wide range of tasks in order to successfully oversee all aspects of the Project development process. If the organisation does not have an existing PMO but is planning to install one, the PMO Manager will be the one to build and design the PMO. The PMO Manager is also the one to appoint and recruit other PMO resources based on the chosen PMO model.
Once the PMO is installed, the essential daily responsibilities are to:
- Follow all ongoing Projects and Programmes
- Be responsible for all PMO personnel
- Oversee Project development
- Facilitate Project planning
- Facilitate the governance process
- Facilitate change control processes
- Perform the financial analysis
- Provide financial reports and budget outlines
- Modify processes and organise work streams
- Ensure that documentation is correct and up to date
- Ensure that Team members uphold the organisation’s standards
- Collaborate with other department leaders
- Provide Project and Programme documentation
- Mentor Project Managers
Being a PMO Manager: Skills and Competencies
The PMO Manager is responsible for a critical part of the organisation, as the PMO guides all ongoing Projects and Programmes. Therefore, the PMO Manager must have a clear overview of all activities that is in line with the organisation’s vision. At the same time, the PMO Manager must be able to focus on details and technicalities and have great interpersonal skills as they will work closely with professionals.
Often a PMO Manager has at least the following set of core skills:
- Problem solving and pragmatic mindset
- High level of organisational skills
- Great leadership
- Critical thinking and attention to detail
- Ability to perform under pressure
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Exceptional stakeholder management skills
- Financial knowledge and commercial outlook
- Wide knowledge on Project and Change Management
- Extensive knowledge on the use of different tools
If you are interested in learning more about how a PMP or a P3O Certification can help you advance in your professional development, read our blogs “What is PMP?” and “What is the P3O Certification?”.
QRP International is an ATO (Authorised Training Organisation) for PMP and P3O courses, learn more on our PMP and P3O course pages or contact us!
