From the course: Setting Up a PMO

PMO leadership

From the course: Setting Up a PMO

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PMO leadership

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- So, who is a PMO leader? A PMO leader is responsible for the setup, management, operation, and continuous improvement of the PMO. That's the short answer. The long answer is in taking a deeper look at the nuances of PMO leadership. To make this exploration interesting, let's give the PMO leader an avatar. Mae will be our beloved PMO leader for this video. So, let's talk about the characteristics that personify this role. Let's start with Mae the Dreamer. Mae knows that she has to dream it before she can live it. As PMO leader, she believes in her PMO and understands the real reasons why a PMO should be set up. She enables her leadership, stakeholders, and team to see the vision that she has in mind, even if it means challenging the status quo. And then there is Mae the Innovator. Mae sets up a new entity, her PMO, completely from the ground up, and she's constantly finding ways for her PMO to be resourced for her organization. She's her creative best when it comes to solving business challenges and streamlining processes for her stakeholders. Next we have Mae the Master Planner. This one's a no-brainer, but Mae is continuously aware of it. She strategizes, formulates rock-solid plans, and coaches her team so that they can apply it to their projects. Mae masters not only scheduled planning, but also the project budgets, risks, and the management of resources. She recognizes the intricacies of running a department and knows that a practical roadmap is a tool she must have to set it up, align it to organizational leads, and keep it relevant. Then, there's Mae the Team Builder. Mae is the face of the PMO, its go-to person. She's the bridge between the executive leadership and the rest of the organization as far as projects are concerned. She may start off the PMO entirely on her own or may have a team with her, but hiring for PMO and project management roles, cultivating her team, coaching it, rallying her troops, and ensuring that they're equipped to succeed are all perennial elements of her job description. Mae the Collaborator. Mae is in the business of building relationships. Not only is she a role model in working with everyone around her, she also ensures that everyone is working together. She facilitates discussions, advises on priorities, and uses relevant information to influence her position. Mae also communicates eloquently, provides crisp reports, shares PMO and project progress, and translates the need of stakeholders in a language that her audience can understand. Next up is Mae the Administrator. At her core, Mae gets things done. Whether she has to do them herself, work with her team to do so, or monitor the performance of others, she is close to the pulse when it comes to the execution of her PMO and its projects. For her PMO to get the respect it deserves, Mae ensures that it sets project management standards, delivers projects on time, on budget, and on scope, and her stakeholders are satisfied. Finally, we have Mae the Change Agent. Mae knows that her PMO and its projects are always inducing change, and because of this, there are new or different things people have to adapt to, which is not easily accepted. She acknowledges this and works with the stakeholders so that the change is smooth. She shares why these changes are necessary, and more importantly, explains what's in it for them. Securing their buy-in for change is a constant feature in Mae's day and she makes sure that her life becomes easier by evangelizing her wins so that people continue to trust her and her PMO. As a PMO leader, which characteristics of Mae will you mold into, and to which extent? It all depends on which type of leader your PMO needs you to be.

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