Is your PMO adding less value than you hoped? Let’s explore why.

An effective strategic PMO is needed more than ever in today’s business world. With the pace, complexity cost and uncertainties of today’s large scale digital transformation efforts, someone needs to ensure coordination and alignment.   And the appointment of a PMO seems like the logical solution. 

Unfortunately, we too often see a PMO whose behavior can be summed as in the following 3-step dance:

1.      Require initiative leaders to “put all their tasks and milestones into a standard spreadsheet” and template (steps, responsibilities, time line, dependencies).

2.      Ask for monthly updates

3.      Quickly following-up with the endless variations on the question of “why haven’t the tasks been completed on schedule”?

So why is this activity so low value added?  For one, in today’s world we can and must reasonably expect senior leaders to be able to plan their own team’s work and hold themselves accountable for working towards the agreed plan to the best of their abilities.  And having someone with only a limited understanding of the issues probe for reasons of delay adds zero value.  In fact, the answers are quite predictable – including, under-estimating the task, unforeseen requirements, diversion or loss of resources, conflicting priorities, employee schedules and  availability, etc.

A better way does exist. The successful PMO leader needs to take a very different approach to the old “command and control” style, acting more as coach, facilitator and problem-solver of the “white spaces.” Specific activities could include:

1.      Ensuring that the objectives, scope and charters of initiatives are clear and aligned.

2.      Identifying the areas of conflicts or misalignment and working with stakeholders to resolve in a fact-based and pragmatic way.

3.      Working with leaders to make sure they have the appropriate skills, resources and methodologies to execute their work

4.      Personally taking on specific tasks/issues are not yet fully structured (or do not neatly fall within current initiative boundaries) and bringing them to the point where they be properly addressed or assigned to the most appropriate team. 

Of course, to successfully operate in this strategic mode some level of standard reporting is absolutely essential.  But the dialog and follow-up around the reporting is quite different.  It requires a level of deeper thinking, and root cause analysis.  Not “why isn’t this done??” But rather, what does the pace of progress tell us about the maturity and effectiveness of our efforts? Where and how do we need to adjust?  How do I help top management understand the adjustments they need to make to accelerate results?

An effective PMO is essential to increasing the probabilities of success in large-scale transformations.   One of the most important tasks for senior leaders is to ensure that their PMO doesn’t fall into the old “command and control” trap – and evolves into the strategic, value-added role.