Completing the PMO jigsaw may require another pair of hands

The gap between "will" and "skill" is often where projects fall down. That chasm separating the two is where an intention to enact change, or carry out programme delivery, fails - often causing businesses money, time, deviations from ambition and even a step out of line when it comes to compliance.

In recent years, PMOs have become a more familiar way to get these facets back on track. However, what organisations are often doing through their introduction is giving themselves a hub for existing failures to be intensified and exacerbated. Essentially, the gap between "will" and "skill" becomes contained, but it does not disappear.

Many of Match's clients encounter the same pattern when it comes to running projects: starting at pace, bringing in a mixed delivery model, merging a disparate team of resources from different suppliers and then wondering why the work is not aligning and running smoothly. The idea of a PMO is to mitigate that challenge and convert a fragmented network into a conjoined culture and mindset.

A PMO, in theory, serves as a space to specify, manage, audit and report on projects. But that is often where an organisation's PMO strategy ends. It is like having hundreds of jigsaw pieces and deciding to put them in a box to make them easier to manage. Just because all the components are now in the same space, it does not mean the final picture has been created.

Pressure points

When initiated properly, the benefits of a PMO can be vast. Being able to demystify project management processes through a holistic scope is likely to ensure better value from a programme's delivery, while having everyone pulling in the same direction under transparent goals is more likely to deliver a stronger outcome.

Getting from A to B needs more foresight than simply establishing a PMO and hoping for the best. There are four pressure points organisations need to keep in focus:

• Visibility - a PMO should facilitate transparent, digitally enhanced views of risk and capability against desired outcomes.
• Top-down alignment - portfolio priorities and corporate objectives from senior leaders need to be reflected in PMO-driven strategies.
• Execution-driven alignment - delivery realities, capability constraints and competency gaps need to feed back into senior decision making.
• Ultimate value delivery - the PMO should focus on outcomes and stakeholder expectations, not only whether something was delivered on time and on budget.

With everyone working from clear, real-time facts, teams are less likely to be perturbed by bottlenecks and more responsive to decisions based on accurate data rather than gut feeling.

Don't forget the technology

Understanding true project value goes hand in hand with optimisation once visibility is assured and all levels are bought into the process. Naturally, this is what creates business value. But to achieve those outcomes, organisations need not only the right people and processes, but also supporting technology.

This is where the PMO model often suffers. It is not necessarily a failure to need outside support for such a complex process, but it is risky to proceed as if the capability already exists in-house when so much investment and coordination are required.

The "people, process, technology" message may feel familiar, but many organisations still try to manage those pressure points without clear, digitally derived data. For many businesses, that means third-party help is not an optional extra but a practical requirement.

Completing the jigsaw

What companies really need from an outsourced provider is consultancy, guidance and help. They need support to assess capability, understand priorities, weigh objectives against scope, demonstrate programmes in a clear data-driven way and guide digital transitions where needed.

That is the model Match brings to clients across sectors and functions. An outsourced PMO support model can establish consistent methodology, tailored expertise, economies of scale and improved cost efficiency without losing control of the programme.

PMO as a Service may seem counter-intuitive when the aim is to streamline delivery, but if an organisation cannot identify the optimum roadmap, the tools to get there, and the right metrics for success, the jigsaw remains incomplete whether a PMO exists or not.

With complete budget control, real-time visibility of milestones, tighter scope control, better reporting and stronger compliance, the gap between will and skill can finally be bridged and the PMO jigsaw can be completed.