To complete projects on time and on budget, consider a central PMO
Structured project management is essential for the timely and on-budget completion of high-cost, high-profile projects that involve many stakeholders. Without dedicated individuals focused on successful implementation and integration of systems during technology projects in particular, institutions may squander months of planning and thousands of dollars due to poor execution.
While there are benefits to distributed project management, various indicators can signal the need for a move to centralized oversight. A proliferation of unit-level project managers, duplicative purchasing of project management tools, and the implementation of campus-wide systems all indicate a growing need for a central project management office (PMO). Central PMOs can be most useful during the implementation and integration of a campus-wide tool, and these kinds of projects offer ideal opportunities to pilot an institution-wide PMO. Other ideal first projects for central PMOs are sourced from functional areas most likely to support the transition to the central PMO—often a business school, finance department, IT department, or construction office.
This resource is part of the Prioritize the IT Projects that Best Serve Your Institution Roadmap. Access the Roadmap for stepwise guidance with additional tools and research.
The utility of a central PMO extends beyond large-scale project implementation and into the day-to-day of IT governance and vendor management. With a campus-wide PMO, central IT is more likely to identify instances when multiple functional areas seek to purchase different technology to accomplish similar tasks, for example. Central PMOs can also facilitate flow of information between PMs in functional units or provide oversight of distributed PMs to ensure their work is successful in furthering the goals of the project.
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