How PMOs Help Address the Complexity of Technology Projects

Most organizations have traditionally distinguished between “technical” and “nontechnical” projects. Today, however, it’s difficult to think of any business project that does not have a technology component.

In a recent Techaisle study, most midmarket executives agreed that all business strategy discussions involve technical considerations. This increases the complexity of business initiatives and requires a different approach to project management. Project leadership requires business acumen as well as project management skills, and the ability to think strategically about the organization’s overall objectives.

Many organizations have established project management offices (PMOs) to address this complexity. A PMO is a multidisciplinary team tasked with defining project management standards and ensuring that project managers follow best practices. Most importantly, the PMO provides documentation, KPIs and other guidance to help ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Organizations that have multiple cross-functional projects are finding that a PMO is essential. According to a recent KPMG report, 57 percent of organizations use a PMO to coordinate their project portfolios.

Interested In Learning More?

Responsibilities of a PMO

A PMO serves as a centralized point for tracking project status and ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives. PMOs may implement various applications, management tools and templates to establish a “single source of truth” for project data that enables better decision-making. In addition, a PMO helps to manage resources and priorities effectively across the organization.

Communication is a key function of a PMO. The PMO team should provide project participants and stakeholders with regular updates, and communicate with employees to ensure that everyone understands how projects will benefit the organization. Many PMOs also coach individual project managers to ensure that processes are uniform and streamlined.

Project managers and PMOs are related but distinct. A project manager guides a specific project from beginning to end, while a PMO oversees multiple projects at the organizational level. The typical PMO involves individuals from multiple departments, including IT, finance, HR and risk management. They are concerned with defining project goals, ensuring high quality and achieving desired outcomes.

Taking on Operational Tasks

As we discussed in a previous post technical project managers are in short supply. There aren’t enough people with project management experience, strong business acumen and deep expertise in enterprise technologies. The PMs who do qualify are in high demand. They are typically assigned multiple projects to manage simultaneously while serving as the “go-to” resource for solving complex problems.

PMOs can help alleviate some of the challenges created by this talent shortage. By taking on many operational tasks, the PMO can enable the most skilled PMs to focus on critical issues, dependencies and integration problems. After all, tracking project data is one of the core responsibilities of the PMO. The PMO team can maintain spreadsheets and create charts and graphs for the technical PM to access.

Many companies are also using their PMOs to coach and mentor less experienced PMs. They’re creating career paths for PMs that provide for development and retention.

Finding the Right Talent

Still, it can be difficult to find technical project managers who work well within the PMO structure. It demands individuals with both IT expertise and the ability to understand how individual projects fit into the framework of the organization’s objectives.

DeSeMa can help. We have access to some of the top talent in the industry, and experienced hiring managers who understand how to match the right candidate to the role. Our unique talent appraisal process ensures that candidates have the technical expertise, project management skills and consultative ability to guide complex projects to completion.

Because of the escalating demand for new technologies, many organizations have large portfolios of concurrent projects. A PMO combined with the right project management team can help ensure the success of key technology initiatives.