The Project Management Office (PMO) exists within
organisations to define and maintain project management standards.
The traditional practices of a PMO however are incompatible
with Agile, and so they have been forced to change their approach, sometimes even
adopting agile and lean processes within their own area of work. If there is a
disconnect between the PMO and the project premises, then significant issues
can occur.
When adopting Agile, many PMO’s opt to rename themselves to
better reflect their role. Although there is no one, defined name, options may
include Scrum Centre of Excellence, Development Support, Scrum Office or Scrum
Competence Centre.
The Agile PMO
Fundamentally, the objective of the PMO is to maximise value
with minimum risk, whilst responding rapidly to the businesses changing needs.
The Agile PMO work according to three key principles.
Maximising value by continuously prioritising
work based upon up-to-date measures of risk, time sensitivity and value for
money.
Minimising risk and providing strong governance
by making work visible, combining the right mix of people and making quick
decisions.
Breaking large projects down into smaller pieces
that can be delivered more frequently, allowing the organisation to respond
more quickly and effectively to changing business needs.
PMO Responsibilities
The PMO assists in numerous project and process related
activities.
Project Responsibilities
Reporting
Projects within large organisations are generally subject to
a report or a weekly status meeting with the Head of Department. Meetings will
be attended by the Product Owner or Scrum Master, however, if a report is
sufficient then the PMO can assist in compiling this.
Compliance
It is likely that projects undertaken will need to comply
with compliance standards, such as ISO 9001, or with rules specific to the
organisation, such as GDPR. The PMO office should ensure that the project team
is aware of and advises on how to comply with compliance needs.
Managing New Project Intake
Perhaps the most important responsibility of the PMO us to
manage the flow of new projects coming into the organisation.
If work starts to exceed capacity, then a whole host of
problems will occur. Once a project has been completed then a new project, of
the same size, can be started.
Process Responsibilities
Establish and Collect Metrics
As with traditional project management methods, the PMO
should collect metrics to identify how effective the team is in delivering
value.
Reduce Waste
One of the key purposes of Agile is to reduce waste, and the
PMO play a major role in this. Non-essential documents, meetings and approvals
should be avoided, and the PMO should help the project team to identify any
activities that do not add value.
Establish and Support Communities of Practice
Communities of practice are a great way to spread best
practice throughout the team and organisation. The PMO should encourage the
formation of communities and continue to support them as they grow.
Create Consistency
Creating and enforcing consistency across project teams
ensures that good practice spreads quickly. When most, or all teams agree that
a particular process is effective then the PMO can facilitate the spread of
that idea using communities of practice and shared coaches.
Coordination of Teams
As the PMO works with teams across the organisation, they
have the ability to recognise when separate teams start to overlap and are able
to alert them to this.
Lead by Example
PMO’s have extensive exposure to Scrum, and as such, often
recognise that it is a valuable general-purpose framework. Implementing it to
run the PMO gives them working knowledge of the processes and ensures that they
practice what they preach.
Work Cooperatively
In addition to working with project teams, the PMO will also
work with other departments within the organisation, such as Facilities or
Human Resources.
They can help to solve problems involving teams split across
floors or buildings and the employee annual review process.
The PMO office is central to delivering a successful project. In supporting Agile projects, the PMO must ensure that they work in a more collaborative role, rather than the traditional command and control, top-down style.
