TOPIC: How to setup a PMO - Project Management Office?

Dear Cornelius,

Please feel free to delete this message if you find it off-topic. Although I think my question could be interesting for some another PMs.

I have been working as PM for more than 5 years already and mainly working on internal projects like SAP implementation, R&D, BPR etc. On the another hand I am also involved on large projects for our clients like PC desktop rollout etc. I decided just recently to step further and prepare for my PMP exam. I am willing to take the exam mid September this year. I am listening your PMPrepCast on regular bases. Rita's bokk and PMBOK is always under my pillow in my bedroom

Meanwhile I was given another challenging task to set up our PMO ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_office ). I consider it as a project so I started to plan the project. I wonder if you or another PMs have any experience with setting up a PMO? My duty is to standardize the PM framework, documents, procedures etc. which would be used within our firm. There is going to be a big step since three of us would go for the PMP certificate so we "speak the same language" The next step would be that most of our PMs would attend proper classroom PM training so the PMBOK and PM framework would be implemented is our enterprise.

I would be very much interested how you would handle such project? How would you start? Do you have any LLs? Any help would be highly appreciated!

Regards,
Laszlo - Hungary

Laszlo,

Yes, PMO set-up is definitely an off-topic discussion because it is not part of the PMP Exam. So let's not discuss it in here much further.

However, I enjoy PMOs myself, have set up a few and I also "moonlight" as a PMO consultant occasionally. So frankly... I could talk about this stuff for hours.

Here are a few recommendations for you to consider:
- You may know that I also host The PM Podcast and I did a number of PMO episodes. Look through this page here www.thepmpodcast.com/index.php?searchwor...n=com_search&Itemid= and listen to the various episodes on PMOs.
- Listen to The PMO Podcast: www.thepmopodcast.com - This one is by Mark Perry and quite informative in regards to PMOs.
- Mark recently published a book titled "Business Driven PMO Setup" (I wrote a chapter in it) and we are giving a copy away on www.thepmpodcast.com in the next 4 weeks. So listen in and participate to win
- Lastly, I highly recommend "The complete PMO Handbook" as a reference. I think the author Gerard Hill is giving away a book a month: www.hillconsultinggroup.com/

Again, all of this is not really relevant to the PMP Exam. Please contact me directly for more input (but be patient... too much work on my plate.)