The project management office (PMO) is a permanent organizational unit that coordinates and centralizes all the projects of an organization. The PMO’s job descriptions, powers, and responsibilities vary depending on the specific organization. However, some common duties of the PMO are:
- Managing the project portfolio by categorizing, selecting, and prioritizing projects based on the organization’s strategy, available resources, and facilitating the decision-making process for project managers.
- Planning and optimizing the use of resources at the initial level, resolving resource conflicts, and reducing risks.
- Maintaining the information of the current workforce, especially their capacity and project allocation based on their soft and hard skills.
- Standardizing the project management methods and processes for project managers and other project team members.
- Selecting, implementing, and training the organization’s staff on the available tools and software.
- Increasing the transparency of ongoing projects by updating and publishing reliable information.
- Promoting the flow of information and communication.
- Investigating the errors made in previous projects to compile complete and accurate information and prevent their recurrence.
- Monitoring the progress of the projects and controlling the factors affecting the resources, costs, and project schedule.
- Providing training for project supervisors, managers, and other stakeholders.
- Providing administrative and operational support for project managers and teams, such as dispute resolution management.
The PMO has overall oversight of projects, understands the overall strategy of the organization, and ensures that projects align with the organization’s strategy. To perform these duties effectively, the PMO needs to have a clear job description that specifies its role and responsibilities in different organizations.