This is a question that has been posed many times and answered many times. Yet, we continue to see PMOs failing very often. Does it mean that the answers that have been presented are incorrect? Not necessarily. In fact, most answers surrounding metrics and value are relevant but don’t address the question of “fit”. The metrics that make sense for one business may not make sense for another.
At the end of the day it is about demonstrating value to the business as a whole. A successful PMO is a PMO that is focused on business value and helps the C-suite succeed in its strategic objectives. Daptiv’s four-part PMO Success Webinar series explores this in more detail. The goal of the webinar series is to provide real-world insights on how PMOs can become strategic assets to the business.
It’s been my experience that PMOs fail when they don’t have high enough senior backing. Often, in matrix-managed environments and programs, some of the contributing organizations don’t feel obligated to adhere to the standards and ‘go rogue’ so to speak, because they don’t actually ‘work for’ the same boss as the PMO. I’ve seen it both ways and have had great success where the PMO is seen as endorsed by senior leadership.