Is Your PMO Standardized? Check YES or NO!

Do you own a set of documents and folder structures with the basic project management road map and methodology? Does this standardize your PMO? Do you have a Sharepoint site where all projects and documents are stored? Is everyone on your team, whether FTE or Contract Project Manager(s), understand your organizational structure? Do you operate as an enterprise or a single entity within the organization?

It’s common for healthcare organizations PMO to not capitalize on the benefits of being fully standardized. It’s also common to find standard sets of documents within a templated folder structure. Such templates are tool-sets which typically follow the PMBOK methodology, and many organizations tweak the structure to fit their needs accordingly. Nevertheless, to be a fully standardized PMO, several key pieces should be considered to include internal policies and a governance structure that surrounds the PMO.

5-KEYS ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER WHEN STANDARDIZING YOUR PMO:

1. Establish Enterprise-wide Governance
2. Establish Standardized training modules to enroll all PMO members (internally and externally). Such modules should include knowledge of the overall organizations corporate structure that is consistently updated.
3. Establish a Standardized project process, and apply the algorithm to all projects (small and large scope)
4. Establish continuous education enrichment tools
5. Establish Enterprise-wide education. This allows all current and prospective stakeholders to better understand the PMO requirements. This is not necessarily in-depth education to PMBOK methodology. Rather, this will education the organization to better understand the various steps and requirements prior to projects being approve, planned, executed, and fully delivered.

WHILE THE STANDARDIZATION OF A PMO REQUIRES TOOLSETS, POLICIES, AND GOOD STRUCTURE, CONSIDER SOME OF THE BENEFITS:

1. Streamlining
2. Transparency
3. Commonality
4. Efficiency
5. Effectiveness
6. Fiscal
7. Accountability

Standardization of the PMO is the spelling of fiscal responsibility and the engagement of organizational human equity. In such, while a PMO could be staffed with highly experienced individuals, without standardization, PMO’s could be spending larger budgets than necessary while engaging in the management of programs/projects.