Why is my Programme Management Office (PMO) not landing?

Why is my PMO not landing? 

There are many great reasons to implement a Programme Management Office (PMO) to support your transformation and change initiatives. In our previous insights, we’ve discussed many of these reasons (see PMO…. it’s more than just programme admin – Project One). 

However, implementing a PMO into an Enterprise isn’t always easy and sometimes the PMO is faced with resistance. In this insight, we explore some of the key issues you may face what you can do to address these.  There are specific challenges for global PMOs that stretch across different Time Zones, cultures and languages that we will explore in a future article. 

For now, let’s look at some of the common reasons for resistance and how these can be addressed. 

Challenge #1 – Perception that PMO is an overhead / Bureaucracy 

A common challenge is organisations seeing a PMO as a bureaucracy or overhead.  If an organisation is change averse, then bringing in a new function can be a challenge.  The purpose of the PMO may not always be clear to the internal teams, at least initially.  Also given their role to add control to a portfolio they can be perceived as blockers to change rather than the enablers they can and should be. 

Action: To address this, it’s important that the role of the PMO is aligned to the strategic goals of the organisation and that its purpose is clearly understood and articulated. Start with the senior team in the organisation – it’s key that they understand the role of the PMO and will champion this. Next ensure that there is a good Communications Plan to engage up throughout the organisation. Demonstrate how your PMO underpins your transformation programmes and the wider team will soon become key supporters. 

Challenge #2 – Overlap / Clash with Project Management cohort 

Great PMO and Project Managers often have different emphasis and skills. However, when a PMO is implemented it’s not uncommon for there to be friction with Project and Programme Managers.  There can be a perceived overlap in responsibilities i.e. who ‘calls the shots’ on resourcing and prioritisation and frankly a feeling of ‘stepping on my turf’.  It is key that this is addressed as a great PMO can do wonders to help make PMs lives easier.  Therefore, it’s important any concerns here are addressed quickly.   

Action: Ensure the role of the PMO is clearly understood by the PMs particularly (but not exclusively the more junior ones). Ensure that the PMO support and coaches PMs in the standards and best practices for your organisation. 

Challenge #3 – Ambiguity / Overlap with Product Managers / Product Owners 

Many organisations are moving towards a Product Management approach to IT development. Some are mature on this journey; others are just starting out. Similarly with the PM/PMO overlap we tend to see less of these issues in mature organisations where the demarcation of roles is understood and there is a mutual respect and reliance across the various functions. However, issues particularly over prioritisation and resourcing can be seen as PMO and Product Managers/Product Owners come to terms with each other’s scope. 

Action: Ensure that you have clarity on the prioritisation ‘delegated authority’ that is given to the Product Owners within their sphere and what needs to be prioritised at the Portfolio level. This is a subtle area so don’t be surprised if it takes time to bed in and may need continual review as the functions mature. 

Challenge #4 – Try to do too much too quickly 

The PMO is the custodian of an organisation’s critical change standards and best practises. When you implement a PMO there is going to be some significant amendments to your change framework to ensure appropriate standardisation of current good practice. One potential pitfall to this is negatively impacting the change portfolio with too many changes too quickly. You will have many initiatives in-flight, through different stages and it is important to ensure you have the minimum negative impact to this as possible. In the long run, you know the changes will have a positive effect, but it can be a PR issue if the implementation of the PMO is seen to have slowed down some critical deliveries. 

Action: Depending on the scale of changes you are going to make to your change framework and deliverables, look to implement these in an incremental way. It’s common (and a good idea) to implement the changes in a small area first, often starting with a new initiative. This will allow you to ensure the changes work for your organisation and are appropriate but not onerous. Consider allowing other initiatives that are well through the change cycle to complete using the old approach.  A hybrid approach can be applied to other initiatives in-flight.  Don’t make projects retrospectively complete change deliverables unless you can demonstrate value or are addressing a known control weakness. 

Note, that continuous improvement is a core part of the PMOs responsibility. You won’t get the perfect set-up in the first few months. Accept that the roles, responsibilities, process and tools will evolve as you mature your PMO.   

Challenge #5 – Demonstrating Value 

Even those that are critical or unconvinced of the merit of PMOs will usually accept that they add a degree of control to a change portfolio. The most common criticism is whether this control is worth the effort. PMOs are often challenged to be able to demonstrate the value they bring and do this quickly. This is a perfectly reasonable challenge and one that should be addressed. One issue with this is that the real value appears as the PMO matures. It’s just like establishing a brand-new scrum team / development pod – you’ll start to see the real value when they’re on later sprints. 

Similarly, a PMO delivers more value as they mature. That said it’s important that the PMO is on the front foot and focuses early on the value-add parts of their role. PMOs are not just gatekeepers – if they are performing just this in your organisation, you are missing a trick.  So, even in the initial stages on implementing a PMO ensure that you have time (and resources) for value added activities such as: – 

• Support with initiation of projects in terms of scope/Objective & Key Results, Dependencies etc.  
• Active support with Business Cases / Benefits definition and tracking  
• Deep dives into more complex initiatives (on a risk basis) 
• Actively sharing good practice, latest tools/tips 
• Circulation of Lessons Learned and Success Stories 
• Assurance of inflight projects, done in a positive way to ensure delivery is on track, or identifying areas that need attention early 
• Support for the overall Portfolio Management of your change initiatives 
• Stakeholder management and keeping them up to date with progress 
• Continuous improvement of the delivery function, including maturity of your PMO. 

Summary 

It is key when implementing a new PMO function (or rebooting an existing team) that the purpose of the PMO is aligned to the organisations strategic goals and is clearly understood from the Executive Team downwards.  It’s roles and responsibilities need to be clear and articulated to other functions such as PMs and Product Managers/Owners. Good and continuous communications here will be critical. An incremental approach to implementation is often advised to ensure that the maximum benefits are gained whilst minimising disruption. Build some time and resource into the implementation plan to ensure that value added activities are undertaken. Finally, accept you won’t get everything right initially and the PMO team will need some time to become fully effective and efficient – just like any new team.  

We’d be interested to know if any of these challenges resonate with you or whether you have experienced different challenges?  If you’d like to learn more or just need a sounding board, please get in touch with theteam@projectone.com