With the development of economy, project management office (PMO) plays a more and more significant role in organizations. To many organizations, project management office provides such an important process to help the organizations increase the success. In order to support and coordinate management of projects with better outcomes, a lot of organizations establish PMO to achieve their business objectives. However, what is project management office? The most general definition about “PMO” is the department which can harmonize, normalize, optimize, and manage the process of projects. (Letavec, 2005). There are some specific definitions regarding PMO as the method which can promote efficiency, reduce cost, enhance the
The role of a project manager has been the subject of numerous publications that have attempted to provide a precise set of qualities and responsibilities for the job title. However, the job role is so encompassing that there are still many different schools of thought on the subject and much debate over the precise terminology to best describe a project manager. This paper analyzes five such publications, and attempts to rationalize their research into a cohesive and comprehensive description of the roles of project manager. This paper establishes the roles of the project manager in the current setting in order that a newcomer to the subject matter will be able to understand the concepts as it relates to modern technology and business practices.
A project is a task that is performed by a temporary organization in order to achieve a predetermined result. Projects are not limited in size or in persons involved but are always temporal and have a clear start and a clear end [59]. Projects can be used for different kinds of assignments, but most commonly they are used for realizing visions or business goals [60]. It is important to have a clear distinction between the project activities and the line organization activities to ensure that there is no confusion about who performs what [61]. Working in projects requires project management but it is often ignored [62]. However organizations that use project management experience better customer relationships, shorter development times, higher reliability and a clearer orientation towards goals [63]. For well functioning project management it is important to have a supporting function, generally called a Project Management Office (PMO). The PMO is responsible for developing and administrating project methodology. It should have a resource and competence centre where education as well as administrative support is offered. The PMO is also responsible for distributing the results and experiences from finished projects to the rest of the organization [64].
Heldman, K. (2011). PMP: Project management professional exam study guide, sixth edition. Indianapolis, Ind: John Wiley & Sons.
Gray, Clifford F.; Larson, Erik W., Project Management – The Managerial Process, Copyright © 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) was formed in 1969 to provide a non-profit organization for project professionals. This global organization offers eight different endorsements to aid project management professionals in acquiring positions with higher wages and career prospects (Learn about PMI, n.d.). The Project Management Institute is the foremost authority in project management (PM) fundamentals and serves as the lead organization for project administration. With organizational groups that extend globally, this institution
With the intention of providing the organization and team members the opportunity to improve their skills and understand project management models, the PMO will foster education and a “lessons learned” database for future
The concept of agile management enables the program to meet its needs and provides a value for business effectively and efficiently, unlike the traditional project management which was highly based
The concept of project management is a vague yet essential part of the average work environment. Typically, this process is overlooked by the average person, and its function within academic, business, and research environments is essential to the development of products, theories, and success. The idea behind project management is to separate a group of people, small or large depending on the size of the company, and focus their efforts on a goal or ‘project’. Each company or organization has a different methodology when it comes to arranging their project management group. However, these organizations usually follow a core set of ideas or concepts that have been proven successful in the development of goals. Two factors contribute to the overall goals of a project management team, individual skills on the team and the process by which those skills are applied.
Project Management is quickly becoming a field of study and importance in the business world. A search on the Internet of the title “Project Management” yields hundreds or results including forums, training manuals and job openings for related positions. Project Management is a broad term referencing the necessary steps taken by management to ensure a product is feasible before and during implementation. According to Project Management Learning Objectives, the steps to achieve success in this area include: testing and measuring products, evaluating and managing the product cycle, comparing costs and benefits, measuring product worth, economic analysis, product analysis, teambuilding and leadership, and budgeting and cost control (Project Management Outline). Project Managers oversee many different areas of the business and are responsible for project success.
Dinsmore, P.C., & Cabanis-Brewin, J (2014). The AMA handbook of project management (4th ed.). New York, NY: AMACOM. ISBN: 9780814433393.
“Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to organisational and project activities to achieve the aims of an organisation through projects” (PMI, 2003).
The conventional software development methodologies projects have failed to overcome the problem of volatility in the present project management processes in organizations. This is because they are mostly linear and sequential, imposing a significant challenge when meeting changing user requirements. Volatility in user requirements has been a significant predicament until the discovery of agile project management methodologies such as scrum, Extreme programming, and Future driven development. Volatility originates from the urge of organizations to cope up with varying technological structure and market dynamics (Cockburn, 2002). The conventional software development methods include sequential and linear processes cannot meet changing user requirements, but have shown their efficacy in meeting consistent requirements. These challenges have increased sophistication and inter-reliance of systems subjecting the usual methods to extinction. The concept of agile software development refers to an iterative method employed when determining the necessities of software developments projects with regard to flexibility and intensified interaction. Apparently, agile software development methodologies are more advantageous than conventional methods. The supporting facts to this statement reveal why scrum and XP are increasing emerging as preferable techniques. The main purpose of this is to discuss the criteria used to support the claim that agile software development methodologies are a superior design method. This paper affirms that agile software development methodologies are more effective than the conventional project methodologies because they are simple, iterative and incremental, resulting to efficacy in meeting changing customer requir...
The Project Management Office (PMO) is an essential support structure in an organisation that generally acts as a source for guidance, documentation, and metrics related to the practices involved in managing and implementing projects within an organisation. Their form can range from that of a department, body, entity, or group, however their underlying responsibility is defining and maintaining project management standards and guidance in a repeatable process within an organisation – i.e. their responsibility is to oversee and manage a project, which is a process that connects all other project activities and processes together.
Project Management Institute (PMI) (2013). Project Management Professional (PMP) Handbook. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pmi.org/certification/~/media/pdf/certifications/pdc_pmphandbook.ashx. [Last Accessed 20 April 2014].