Published by JMB Project Management Co. LLC
A new project management office needs a defined purpose before it needs templates or software. Start by identifying the management problem it should address and the decisions it will support.
The following 90 day sequence is an illustrative planning approach. The actual timetable depends on project complexity, stakeholder availability and the scope of implementation. A large organization may need longer; a focused engagement may be smaller.
Establish the mandate
In the initial stage, agree what the PMO will oversee and how it will work with sponsors and delivery teams. Identify whether its responsibilities include reporting, standards, coordination, assurance or direct project management.
Map the existing projects and reporting arrangements. Interview the people who produce and use the information. Ask which decisions are difficult because information is missing, inconsistent or late.
The output should include a clear mandate, named responsibilities and a prioritized set of improvements. Record the authority available to the PMO, including which changes it can require and which it can only recommend.
Introduce the essential controls
Use the next stage to develop the minimum reporting and governance arrangements needed for the agreed purpose. These might include a project register, status report, decision log and escalation process.
Test them on a small selection of projects. Check whether sponsors can understand the delivery position and whether project managers can maintain the information without duplicating existing work.
The Open University’s guidance on PMO relationships highlights the importance of clearly defining responsibilities between the PMO, project managers and other organizational roles. This is useful background when agreeing the mandate.
Put the framework into use
In the later stage, introduce the agreed practices to the remaining projects within scope. Explain each requirement and the reason it exists. Give teams examples and a route for resolving questions.
Review actual reports and decisions, not simply whether templates have been distributed. Identify where information is unavailable, approval responsibilities remain unclear or escalation is not producing a response.
Track these findings as implementation actions with owners. Agree which improvements must happen immediately and which can follow once the core process is working.
Review the effect on decisions
At the end of the initial period, assess whether leadership has a clearer view of the portfolio and whether teams understand their responsibilities. Measures could include reporting completeness, decision turnaround and unresolved dependencies, where these are relevant to the mandate.
Set the next improvement priorities based on that assessment. The PMO’s development should respond to demonstrated needs rather than a predetermined list of features.
JMB provides PMO setup and implementation support, including a scoped PMO in a Box service for organizations establishing their delivery framework.