The way to quickly set up a PMOThe mobilisation of a PMO can appear daunting, especially if you organisation does not have an established PMO methodology and you have not set one up before. The objective of this post is to provide a simple but powerful framework that can be used to build and establish a PMO in 4 weeks.

PMO Mobilisation

Establishing a PMO should be thought of as a project. You need to ensure you complete the correct activities as part of a plan. Breaking the steps down is very important as it makes the whole task look less challenging, helping you feel in control and avoiding the feeling of overwhelm. It also means that you have a clear action plan to follow.

4 Week PMO Mobilisation Plan

The PMO mobilisation framework breaks the activities into ‘bite size’ chunks that can be achieved over a 4 week period.

Week 1 Action Plan

Activities to be addressed.

  • Confirm PMO sponsor (very important see the post on PMO Sponsorship)
  • Appoint / formal notification of PMO lead
  • Start work on PMO charter
  • Draft PMO organisation
  • Capture roles and responsibilities

Week 2 Action Plan

  • Environments assessment (what tools, processes, templates exist). Remember my tip of buying project management / pmo templates to save valuable time)
  • Define portfolio of projects
  • Establish governance process
  • Define communication strategy

Week 3 Action Plan

  • Define reporting / dashboards, etc
  • RAID’s
  • Cost Management
  • Benefit Management
  • Resource Management
  • Planning
  • Change Control

Week 4 Action Plan

  • Hold briefing sessions with stakeholders
  • Finalise and issue PMO charter (should include all items above)
  • Publish reporting calendar

Week 5 into business as usual

Week 5 is where you get the processes and reporting routines embedded into the projects / workstreams. There will be issues so don’t be afraid to fine tune the process. Making changes is a sign of a mature PMO and will gain you credit with the project teams. Another important aspect is that you will have feedback based on real world activities.

Summary

Remember this is a framework and, as such, can and should be adjusted to be made fit for purpose for your own needs. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you and your organisation. Add, remove and amend steps. The principle is to focus on what needs to be done and then take action to make it happen quickly.
You can accelerate some of the activities, run some in parallel, add to, eliminate, etc. The principle is what works best for you.

The post on how to setup a PMO will provide you with more information about each of the steps. This includes links to other articles on this site that cover specific areas.  Make sure that you download the free guide on 7 Steps to set-up a PMO as this includes useful links and resources.

Following a PMO mobilisation approach based on these principles will allow you to take effective action to establish a PMO that works.

Programme Mobilization Framework ProductYou may also be interested in our Programme Mobilization Framework that provides a simple but very effective tool for shaping and tracking the mobilization of programmes, portfolios and PMO’s.

Visit Programme Mobilization for more details.