Building Your Project Management Office

There are three general kinds of Project Management Offices. These kinds of PMOs exert different levels of control over a company's various ongoing work, and it is vital for a project office to determine which one is best suited for the company's needs. A description of each sort of PMO follows.

1. Assisting Project Management Environment

This leadership style offers support to employees when help is needed. Theory X Management may offer this support in the areas of project advice, information access, and useful templates or job aids. It is important to realize that this is an effective style for organizations which allow employees to work independently while accomplishing their projects. A supportive environment allows workers to have freedom in project design while providing employee motivation. It would be a good match for offices that have effective systems to communicate and access information. You may find this most successful in a matrix organizational structure.

2. Project Management Controlling Office

This approach is most effective where there is an increased need for closer supervision of project progress, procedures or documentation. This approach offers resources to provide support, but also has requirements about standards that must be met. Such a program may dictate requirements and methods, including supplying forms or templates that must be used, or the utilization of a PMIS or other project management software. They may dictate authorization structures or other rules the organization must obey.

The organization may conduct regular inspections of project offices to see if there is a problem or anything that may harm the organization itself. There are two conditions to help the procedure to take effect. First, meeting the requirements regarding PMO offerings must bear good results such as carrying out of the projects for the improvements of the organization itself. Lastly, rules and regulations must be enforceable by Project Manager as mandated by the organization.

3. Directive Project Management Office

Under this, the project is supplied with the necessary resources as well as relevant management experience to execute the project successfully. So, implementation as well as control are taken care of. At the outset, the project is handed over to seasoned project managers who are used to a directive organizational format. The managers report directly to the organization and there is uniformity in the treatment of all the projects that the organization has going. Big companies using supportive networks in most areas benefit the most from this. There would be a problem, however, if the underlying culture of the organization clashes with this style.

The most beneficial one will be determined by the organization's culture and structure, as well as company history of previous successes and failures in connection with each style. However, the overall objectives connected with a Project Management Office include:

1. The basic methodology should be standardized, with minimal changes.
2. The entire organization should be familiar with the same terms.
3. Project management techniques followed should be doable and fruitful.
4. Support centers should be common for all projects
5. The organization's goal of succeeding in all projects should be projected as the main focus.

The better you assimilate these objectives, the easier it is for you and your organization to work towards them and succeed.

Matrix Organizational Structure

In the 1960s and earlier, frequently big corporations were logically arranged into silos, in which divisions of employees reported to a line or functional manager with a Master’s degree. The attempt to restructure the organization to develop workable project management teams is referred to as a matrix organization.

There are a wide variety of matrix organizations that possible. The goal for each of them being that they struggle to balance the power between each leader's functional needs. Primary types of matrix's can vary from: The Weak Matrix, Strong Matrix, and Balanced Matrix which all possess an organizational structure. This article in cover the in-depth benefits and drawbacks of the Strong Matrix organizational structure in particular.

A Balanced Matrix Structure

You can argue whether or not absolute power breeds absolute corruption but, in the business world, absolute power can cause havoc and decreased productivity. Each department or group has their own function to contribute to a project. Balance, harmony, and cooperation between the different groups are key to a successful project. If one group supersedes another group, the focus shifts from attaining goals to dissension and power struggles. The ideal of teamwork breaks down into every group and individual being out for themselves.

Guidelines need to be in place to solve any problems that might arise due to conflicts with organizational boundaries. These guidelines should clearly state when each manager is in control of a particular worker. For example, make a rule stating that a worker may only be managed by the functional manager for projects lasting less than a week. For projects expected to take longer than one week's time, the rule could be that the project manager will control that employee. Another rule to consider is that one person may not be employed for two consecutive projects by the project manager.

A variety of possible rules and structures may be imposed to achieve the goal of balancing power between project and functional managers so that a win/lose condition is avoided. Obviously, the balanced matrix takes its name from the balance of power that results in this structural format.