There is a tried-and-true process to setting up a project management office (PMO). However solid this can be, you can still come across pitfalls in a new PMO, including ensuring stakeholder buy-in to the process.
Getting the relevant people and teams to understand what your PMO does and how it adds value will set it off on a sound footing. When your office goals and aims are clear from the start, the right people will be supportive and give assistance when needed.
There are different ways that you can work towards stakeholder buy-in, so to help you navigate what needs to be done, we’re going to explore:
- Who the main stakeholders in your PMO will be
- The steps you can take to get their buy-in
- Practical examples of how to get stakeholder buy-in for your PMO
Who are the main stakeholders for a new PMO?
When you go about creating a PMO, there are a range of people and departments you will need to interact with and build up goodwill.
You are going to need to work with:
- The C-suite to ensure you align your PMO with business strategy and report the data they want to see
- Project managers and their teams so they will engage with the work that you do, implement changes, and deliver the data you need
- Project sponsors are the people who commission, pay for, and oftentimes receive the project deliverables
- External stakeholders, such as suppliers, freelancers, and contractors, who will all need to understand what your PMO is about to be able to support it
Initial buy-in is critical to establish ongoing relationships. You will be providing support to some people, such as project managers, while you will need to ask for work from other areas, such as your external stakeholders.
How do I get stakeholder buy-in when setting up a PMO?
Stakeholder buy-in is going to mean you get initial and ongoing support to make sure your office can be a success.
To do that you will need to:
Articulate your PMO’s offer – when you are creating your PMO, you will start by defining its goals and you need to make sure these are communicated to the people your office works with. This could be in the form of a meeting with stakeholders or even creating a short video that explains exactly what you aim to achieve.
Build a support network – establish who is going to be a key player in helping get your PMO up and running; this may not always be the most senior people in the business, but those who know how to navigate the internal structures. Look at the people who have strong, soft skills and a wide network in the business to engage with.
Communicate your successes – stakeholders will want to see returns for their support, so show them the quick wins your PMO can achieve. When defining your PMO services, you’ll pick some fast deliverables so be sure that people who need to, know about this. Establish communications early on and send out regular updates to stakeholders through email newsletter.
Seek regular feedback – your relationship with your PMO stakeholders shouldn’t flow in one direction. Asking your stakeholders for feedback on the set-up and ongoing work of your PMO will make them feel valued. You can hold a workshop to gather suggestions for changes and improvements, for example.
Align with the company goals – your PMO will be supported when it can show that it feeds into the aims of the business in general. Make sure you build in targets that match the business’ needs and fit with the culture. Be sure to engage with company policies, such as embedding ESG principles from the start, if it’s part of the business in general.
Avoiding stakeholder apathy when setting up a PMO
Bringing in your stakeholders from the beginning of your PMO journey should ensure their continued buy-in as your office grows and evolves. We’ll get into more PMO pitfalls and how to avoid them in the rest of this series of posts.
