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Project Management Office

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Submitted By AndriesPretorius
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Pages 16
Contents
What is the purpose and mission of a PMO? 1
What are the main challenges and obstacles in implementing a PMO? 5
What structures and governance mechanisms are critical to effective PMO implementation? 6
How much PM is enough PM? How much PMO support is enough PMO support? 9
References 9

What is the purpose and mission of a PMO?

The purpose of a Project Management Office is to define and maintain projects management standards that must be implemented and adhered to throughout the organisation. The project management office must standardise the way that projects are executed by ensuring that policies, processes and procedures are repeated in exactly the same way in all of the projects that are performed in the organization. The Projects Management Office is the source of documentation, guidance and metrics on the practice of project management and execution.

According to Taylor, J (2006) the idea of a Project Management Office is not a new concept. It is an old concept that was brought to live again as a result of the need to manage projects, and specifically Information Technology projects, better. Information Technology organizations have struggled to deliver projects on time and within budget more than any others. In the mid-1990s, approximately 80 percent of all IT projects failed, and of those that were restarted, about 50 percent failed. Therefore, the challenge to manage projects more closely has caused a resurgence of PMO implementations.

The purpose of the PMO can be divided into the following activities: Project management methodology: The most important activity of a PMO is to establish a project management methodology. In order for the PMO to establish a project management methodology it is required that the current business environment and way of managing projects are analysed. Based on this analysis and the

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