A new project management office (PMO) is going to need a range of resources to be successful from the start. Securing enough resources for your new office is a common PMO pitfall that you need to know how to handle.
While in an ideal world, you would have stacks of cash, an unlimited pool of talent, and access to the best technology in the world – reality doesn’t work that way, and you need to make sure you get funding and people to get your PMO set up.
How do you go about getting the resources you need to create a new PMO? Here, we’ll look at:
Which resources you need to be planning for
How to determine how many resources you’ll need
How to go about securing the right resources for your PMO
What resources are needed to set up a PMO?
You will need a range of resources to set up a PMO; primarily, you’ll need to hire people, rent space, and buy or subscribe to technology and other hardware.
Every PMO will be different, depending on what you define your goals to be, so you will need to draw on your experience in planning tasks and budgets to get this right.
The biggest expense in most businesses is the people costs. You will need different skills in your office, such as analysts, administrators and coordinators, and specialists. There is a lack of available talent in the project management sector as of 2023, so you may need to compromise based on what is available.
Physical space may be needed to create your PMO – unless you go for a fully-remote PMO set-up. The technology you will use will also be a big investment, with initial set-up and training along with ongoing support and subscriptions needed to be taken into account.
It all comes down to how much cash you’re going to ask your PMO sponsor to invest.
How do I calculate the resources my PMO will need?
Every PMO will need a different set of resources to function optimally. If you have project management experience, you can draw on your skills in planning and scheduling to estimate the tasks your office will complete and what you will need to get that done.
For the people you need, plan out your best-case scenario with all the people and functions they will complete. Define the roles of the people you want to hire and use job boards and industry data to determine the going rate of pay for each person.
Once you know how many people you want, you can figure out how much space you will need. Consider:
Is your PMO going to take up already-vacant office space?
Does the business premises need to expand and have initial sunk costs?
Will you avoid the issue entirely with a fully-remote PMO?
Next comes your technology stack, which you’ll have a good idea about based on your project management and PMO experience and your plans for the services your new PMO will provide. Work with vendors to understand the costs and how software packages can grow with your office.
If you have to buy or rent hardware, make sure you tap into existing supplier relationships the company already has.
With all of this information on hand, you will be able to put together a budget to propose to your PMO’s C-suite sponsor.
How do I secure enough resources for my new PMO?
The first step is to get allocated enough money to get your office going. To do this, you need to make a solid business case to the person or people who set budget.
Make a clear case for all the resources you need with a solid business pitch. Be sure to link back what you need to the goals you’ve set and align it with the business’ strategic aims. Break down your costs and detail how they will generate returns for your PMO, projects, and the business in general.
Prioritise what you want to spend money on in case you don’t get the funding you requested.
Securing enough funding for your PMO can be a challenge, but when you plan your pitch properly, you should be able to make a clear argument to get what you want and need.
