Basic PMO Templates

Perhaps a better title for this article would be “Core PMO Templates” meaning, the ones that should be used to form the basis on any good project management office!

This post will cover a popular question, namely what basic PMO templates are needed to support a project management office? The reason for this question is that as PMO‘s mature, the data and reporting can become more complex. This gives the impression that PMO templates have to be complicated.

If this is your impression or experience then I have got some very good news for you, the templates DO NOT have to be overly complicated. In fact, the simpler and more easy to complete, the better the results.

Take a moment to consider the primary purpose of a project management template. It is to simplify and standardize the process to allow the efficient collection of data to allow rapid review and consolidation. So, if a project template is too difficult to complete it will result in the data being collected with errors, gaps or, in extreme circumstances, not at all as it just is ‘too hard’ for the users.

So a good PMO will always take time to consider the objectives so as to define what data needs to be collected. This will then allow for simple templates and processes to be designed to enable the collection process.

What are the basic PMO templates?

As well as being easy to use, there are a basic (core) set of templates that should be used by all PMO‘s. This basic set will enable the successful and smooth operation.

Planning and milestones
Project Plan
Costs plan
Benefit plan
Resource plan
Risk register
Issue register
Assumption register
Dependency register
Communication plan
Procurement plan
Document storage strategy
Project status report
Change request template and register
Consolidation templates
Programme / management report

While other templates may be required such as Quality Assurance, Quality Management Plan, Gantt Chart, Metrics, etc, the above list forms the core of most PMO‘s and will collect all of the important project lifecycle data points

Basic PMO Template Formats

The project templates will typically be developed using standard desktop tools such as:

Powerpoint
Excel
Word

The reason that they are popular is that it makes the templates easy to share. Additionally, most users know how to use the packages so do not require training on how to open and update the templates.

If an organisation is using an enterprise project or portfolio management platform, this will contain the required templates.

Conclusion

Basic PMO templates do not equate to low value. The purpose is to allow the rapid, efficient capture and consolidation of the key data points across all projects so as to provide management with visibility and transparency.

If templates are too hard to use, they will not be used.

Focusing on these points, especially if you are new to the project management office environment will help ensure you do not become overwhelmed thinking you need to design very complicated tools and processes.

Please share any thoughts and experiences on using simple tools and processes that have resulted in good outcomes through the comments section at the bottom of this post.

If you are looking for professional, ready made templates you can quickly deploy, please take a look at the PMO Template page . This shares details of a very good resource that can be used to quickly deploy the core templates required. The package represents excellent value for money and will save a lot of time compared with creating each template from new.