Project Management Offices (PMOs) have been established by organisations over the past decades. The literature review investigates the relationship of project management success and the existence of PMOs. My research topic is to look into how a PMO function can help with successful project delivery and what PMO model in particular is proven to manifest. This study is important when considering the monetary loss of US$122 million for every US$1 billion invested.
Table of Contents
1. Problem Statement
2. Approach
3. Literature Analysis
4. Conclusions
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this literature analysis is to examine the relationship between the implementation of a Project Management Office (PMO) and project management success within organizations, while identifying specific PMO models that contribute to successful project delivery.
- The role of PMOs in delivering organizational value.
- The impact of Enterprise Project Management Offices (EPMOs) versus traditional PMOs.
- Challenges in resource management and the necessity for Agile methodology skills.
- The importance of performance metrics in evaluating PMO effectiveness.
- Addressing the high monetary loss caused by poor project performance.
Excerpt from the Book
Problem Statement
As Varajão (2008) states projects can be found in almost every organization and industry in the world and have developed in maturity over the past decades (p. 10 - 11). The 8th Global Project Management Survey (2016) ordered by the Project Management Institute (PMI) identified that “fewer projects are being completed within budget or meeting original goals and business intent. More projects are actually failing and creating significant monetary loss for their organizations.” (p. 2). Further it states that “US$122 million wasted for every US$1 billion invested due to poor project performance” (p. 5) which represents a 12 percent increase to the previous year. This indicates that projects are not successfully delivering despite decades of maturing the profession.
To help manage projects better, many organizations have implemented one or more Project Management Offices (PMOs) over the past decade, attributing a variety of both operational and strategic roles to their PMOs (Dai. 2004. p. 523–532). Jones (2016) defines the PMO as “an organizational structure, based within the IT function, that provides support for projects within IT and often across the organization. It is a management structure aimed at ensuring project success, but does not necessarily deliver or execute projects directly” (p. 33). Essentially the PMO defines the standards for project management within the organization and provides support on Project Management Tools. It is usually headed by a senior Project Management practitioner.
Summary of Chapters
Problem Statement: This chapter introduces the ongoing struggle organizations face in delivering projects successfully and defines the role of the PMO as a potential mechanism to mitigate financial loss and improve project performance.
Approach: This section details the methodology used for the literature review, including the selection of nine academic and industry-based artifacts and the application of the three-pass reading method.
Literature Analysis: This chapter synthesizes findings from various industry surveys and studies, focusing on the value of EPMOs, the need for Agile upskilling, and the critical importance of PMO performance metrics.
Conclusions: This section summarizes that while the PMO is highly valued, future research is required to specifically investigate the correlation between the EPMO model and improved project delivery success.
Keywords
Project Management Office, PMO, EPMO, Enterprise Project Management Office, Project Success, Literature Analysis, Project Performance, Organizational Value, Resource Management, Agile Methodologies, Performance Metrics, Stakeholder Buy-in, Strategic Alignment, Project Delivery, Monetary Loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the relationship between the existence of a Project Management Office (PMO) and the overall success of project delivery within organizations.
What are the central themes addressed in this work?
The central themes include the evolution of PMO roles, the distinction between standard PMOs and Enterprise PMOs (EPMOs), the necessity of Agile training, and the importance of establishing specific performance metrics.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to understand how a PMO function helps with successful project delivery and to identify which specific PMO models are proven to be effective.
Which methodology was employed for this analysis?
The author conducted a literature review of nine selected artifacts using Boolean search strings in databases like the QUT library, Google Scholar, and Gartner, followed by a three-pass reading and systematic note-taking process.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the current global state of project performance, the definition and strategic roles of PMOs, challenges such as resource management, and the current gaps in PMO metric standardization.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Project Management Office, EPMO, Project Performance, Strategic Alignment, Agile, and Performance Metrics.
What does the literature suggest regarding the EPMO model?
The literature indicates that EPMOs are increasingly valued because they operate at an organizational level, allowing for better alignment between projects and corporate strategy.
Why does the author highlight the "US$122 million" figure?
This figure, cited from the 2016 PMI survey, serves to emphasize the significant financial impact of poor project performance, thereby justifying the importance of the study.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Theres Mitscherling (Autor:in), 2016, The relationship between Project Management Office (PMO) and project management success within organizations, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/496233
