Sastra's guide to setting up a PMO for Digital Transformation Projects

Setting up a Project Management Office (PMO) is one of the essential activities before we embark on a Digital Transformation journey. At Sastra the PMO serves as the clearing house for information. The information could be those sought by Project sponsors or the Project team. Essentially the responsibilities of the PMO include :

1. Project Methodology - Defining the methodology for identifying the Project candidates for Digital Transformation

2. Project Planning - Selecting the Project Candidates for Digital Transformation

3. Staffing the Project - Manage Project resources both men and material

4. Collect Project Metrics

5. Project Governance - Monitor the effort expended, the budget consumed and the work delivered

6. Document best Best Practices for use in subsequent Projects

7. Serve as the clearing house for Project Status reports that are sent to Project Sponsors and Management. 

8. Serve as a clearing house for templates like estimation sheets, Fit-Gap Templates, Guides etc

FEATURED RESOURCE
Download Now: Free Implementation Schedule Template (OpenOffice)

 

Staffing the PMO

We are often asked what kind of people should be part of the PMO and whom should the PMO report to. Considering that the PMO is a clearing house for the Digital Transformation Project(s) it should be staffed with people with the following skills

1. To peruse the attendence/leave records of the Project members to determine the incremental and cumulative effort that has gone into the Digital Transformation Project

2. To convert these efforts to costs and determine the budget consumed and the budget burn rate

3. To check the feature repository and the commits in the repository to determine the work delivered.

4. Prepare the presentation on the Project Status 

5. Circulate the presentation to the Project Sponsors

The PMO staff should report to the Project Sponsors and not the Project Manager. This ensures that the Project Manager does not influence the PMO reports. The Project Staff should pick the metrics from the automation tools rather than get it by asking from the Project Staff. This ensures that the merrics are not influenced by the Project team.