Role of Planners in PMO environment

What is PMO/PO ?

Hi Mary,

Project Management Office(PMO) / Project Office(PO).

As Per PMBOK(3rd Edition),
A Project Mangement Office(PMO) is an Orignizational unit to centralize and coordinate the management of projects under its domain. A PMO is also reffered to as Project Office, or Program Ofice or Program Management Office.

For Further Info regarding PMO refer to 1.6 of PMBOK - 3rd edition

Cheers
Vamsi

Dear Vamsi,

Can you please be more specific and give us your guidance on where to begin our discussion and which item to elaborate? Your thread has an interesting title but is very general.

Thanks & Regards,
J.S. Daniel

Hi
With companies opting for PMO, I feel that the role of the planner has broadened. It’s more evolving & aligning to a Central management support system in a projectized organization apart from offering traditional services of planning and scheduling to individual project or multi projects managed individually.

Some of the functionality:

Establishing and implementing Standardized Planning Procedures, Methodologies, Systems and Tools across all the projects

Integrate the Projects in the Portfolio

Advice the senior management regarding the Schedule and Resource priorities in the portfolio, Optimize specific facilities, manpower and equipment utilization and assignment across projects.

Enabling senior management to make relevant business decisions against that knowledge of status, progress, and performance of the project portfolio of ongoing and completed projects

I would want planning community to share their Experiences and Opinions in this regard.

Cheers,
Vamsi

Hellow Vamsi,

Do you think it will work in a place like U.A.E. ???? However it will be quite intresting to be part of this thread...


Sunil

Hi Sunil,

Y Not,

Hi Sunil,

I understand that implementing PMO is an uphill task in UAE, as lot of companies (I don’t say all) look at planning as a function to fulfill the requirements laid down in the contract regarding the Programme (clause 14) , updates thereof and to some extent prepare EOT claim programmes. Very few companies look at planning/project controls as a pivotal role for the project and business success. But I feel the scenario is quite changing now. With boom in this place, lot of companies have taken up huge no. of projects and top management sensing the need of a central project management entity to have a better control . Management’s Understanding & Support is a must for PMO to be successful. I think more firms would be gradually adopting this for improving project success rates and implementing standard practices.

Cheers
Vamsi

Hi Sunil,

i Agree with Vamsi

regards,

Vamis

PMO - Interesting Subject indeed.
P can stand for Project
But also can stand for Program or Portfolio.

The role of a planner is a Project Management office my view is,
1. To maintain the status of all project in each phases (@ high level only if there is site planner)
2. Analysis the updated information with the baseline
3. Reporting exceptions
4. Establishing and update Project Prorities
5. Establishing and update selection criterion

Alex

Hi Vamsi!
I was surprised to read that a Project controls sheduler/planner is not taken seriously in UAE.I thought it’s the problem only with the Indian companies where a schedule is prepared only to fulfill the contractual requirement and the site people are prejudiced against working with the schedule....
In my organisation I work in Project controls department under PMO(Program Management Organisation) and have all the job responsibilities defined the way you wrote it( Bechtel formulated our procedures)but on the ground the implementation leaves much to be desired.