The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation

Rating:
Summary: About *project*, not *program* management offices
Review: his book is about setting up a project management office, not a program management office. Although to many the distinction is either subtle or moot, there are key differences. A project management office is an organization that manages a single project and is usually disestablished after the project is complete. A program management office is an organization that is either established to manage a portfolio of projects or a major contract that has a complex statement of work requiring a number of simultaneous projects. A program management office can also be a permanent organizational function that provides continuous oversight of all projects from start to finish.

The forgoing distinctions do not diminish the value of this book, but merely set the expectations of potential readers. In fact, this book contains a wealth of excellent advice about establishing and managing a project office. It also goes deep into details regarding required skills, roles and responsibilities. I especially liked the discussions on project performance management and maturity models.

Another point in this book's favor for project managers who want to establish a project management office the right way is other books about "PMOs" are more focused on program management, which is too broad in scope.

I like the way the author approaches the topic, which is structured and clearly described, and the way the book covers all of the major issues, factors and details.

Rating:
Summary: About *project*, not *program* management offices
Review: his book is about setting up a project management office, not a program management office. Although to many the distinction is either subtle or moot, there are key differences. A project management office is an organization that manages a single project and is usually disestablished after the project is complete. A program management office is an organization that is either established to manage a portfolio of projects or a major contract that has a complex statement of work requiring a number of simultaneous projects. A program management office can also be a permanent organizational function that provides continuous oversight of all projects from start to finish.

The forgoing distinctions do not diminish the value of this book, but merely set the expectations of potential readers. In fact, this book contains a wealth of excellent advice about establishing and managing a project office. It also goes deep into details regarding required skills, roles and responsibilities. I especially liked the discussions on project performance management and maturity models.

Another point in this book's favor for project managers who want to establish a project management office the right way is other books about "PMOs" are more focused on program management, which is too broad in scope.

I like the way the author approaches the topic, which is structured and clearly described, and the way the book covers all of the major issues, factors and details.

Rating:
Summary: Sadly overpriced and irrelevant
Review: In spite of its claim to "illustrate how the PMO can be effective in reducing costs of projects, decreasing the time to market for new products, increasing corporate profits, and ensuring project success," this small, overpriced book actually does none of these things.

A collection of unrelated articles, all written in a dry, overly academic style, the book totally fails to address the proposition that a Project Management Office (PMO) adds value to an organization. There are many statements to the effect that "the PMO can ..." perform this or that function, but no assertions about the function itself, or whether it can just as easily be performed in organizations that do not have a formal PMO.

It is surprising that more than half of the eight chapters have no relationship to PMO functions at all. They discuss various project management issues, some of which are interesting, but all of which are better covered elsewhere in the literature. These topics are not what one expects when purchasing a book purportedly discussing the PMO function.

The book is completely devoid of real world examples, so we are left with the authors' assertions as to the efficacy of their ideas. There is also a paucity of real action items. The chapter on "Implementing the PMO" obsesses on where this group should report in the organization, and has no practical step-by-step advice on how to go about actually creating a PMO. This chapter does, however, contain an interesting, albeit irrelevant, discussion on managing "Projects with Virtual Teams."

As someone charged with actually creating a working PMO in a large organization, I was extremely disappointed with this book. It offers almost no practical information on this topic.

Rating:
Summary: It is about the essence of PMO
Review: The authors did an outstanding work in presenting this book in simple terms and easy-to-read style. They used Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) analogy to explain concepts of Project Management Office and make it easy to comprehend the complex subject. It is a book that covers Project Management Office (PMO) concepts in great detail. The book is a useful reference to establish and improve the perfomance of PMOs.

Rating:
Summary: The need for a Project Management Office
Review: This is an excellent, comprehensive treatment of what a project office, or project management office should be. Anyone considering forming a new PMO, or wanting an assessment of an existing PMO, should read this book. Use it as a calibration checklist.

Quentin W. Fleming
Author, project management consultant...