Report into PMO effectiveness

A global survey on project management offices conducted by research firm ESI International has allowed comparison between how organisations around the world regard the effectiveness of their PMO.

The Global State of the PMO in 2011: Its Value, Effectiveness and Role as the Hub of Training found that PMOs in the Asia-Pacific were well ahead of their North American and European counterparts in measuring the effectiveness.

Almost two-thirds of survey participants in the Asia-Pacific indicated that their organisation measured PMO effectiveness compared with just 51% in North America and 43% in Europe.

Interestingly, the measures for PMO effectiveness differed also, with 73.3% of all survey participants claiming the PMO communicates and reports its own effectiveness through projects delivered on time and to budget, while 66.4% claimed PMO effectiveness was expressed through an increase in successful projects.

More than 60% said customer satisfaction played a role in PMO effectiveness, with India the standout country in this regard—71% of Indian organisations indicated that ‘increased customer satisfaction’ was their guide to PMO effectiveness.

The survey also investigated the role the PMO had in training project managers, where there was a distinct disparity between what the PMO believed it offered and what non-PMO staff indicated.

According to PMO staff, the PMO is the hub of training for three-quarters of its project-related staff, but some 40% of non-PMO staff claim the PMO is not actively involved in the training and development of project-related staff.

For the full report, go to ESI International > The Global State of the PMO.