Building consistent PMO execution takes time.

After my last post I had a few people reach out to see how we recommend starting a new PMO off so I thought this post might help.

I remember the first time I got tapped to help build a PMO. I was excited and I could see the end state in my head. I wanted to get there as quickly as possible, so I just started putting all the end state processes into play. Zero to PMO Maturity in a week. It did not go well.

I had to learn the tough lesson to fight that urge to immediately get to the goal, to slow down, to do less but do it better.

10+ years later, I recommend a phased approach to PMO implementation that drives much more consistent project execution. 

The key is giving your team enough time to build real habits before adding complexity and your leaders an experience that is consistent but always improving.

If you are starting a small PMO from scratch, here’s the template we use.

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀

 • Action log

 • Issues log 

 • Weekly status meetings

That's it. Have your PMs execute these consistently for 1-2 months until they become second nature. Your project teams know what they needs to do and your leaders can see you have the projects in hand.

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟮: 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

 • Status reports

 • Steering committees

 • Basic project timeline views

This is your communication phase. You have consistent data coming in from Phase 1, Phase 2 is where you start answering leadership questions before they are even asked. Again, let these settle in before moving forward.

𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆

 • Project kickoffs

 • Communication plans

 • Risk logs

 • Decision tracking

Phase 3 is another incremental improvement, better collaboration, better data, more granular issue management. 

Each phase should run long enough that your project managers aren't thinking about the process, they're just doing it automatically.

We have found it's better to deliver a limited early experience that works consistently than to deliver your end state inconsistently. Your stakeholders will appreciate predictable outcomes more than the amount of data they get.

Take into account that survival (just getting projects done) will always be a personal priority for your project managers. Make the new process adoption simple enough that you are not competing with your own project completion goals.

Start simple, build habits, then expand. Feel free to reach out if I can help.