What are the 7 essential qualities of a PMO?

PMOs must have full focus on work planning and expected deliverables.

Project Managers, or PMO's, are a central figure in IT consultancies. These are professionals who work on several fronts, whether coordinating the implementation of a new module in SAP or implementing improvements to the system. Its mission is to "orchestrate" the service, that is, to plan the project stages, pay attention to deadlines, lead teams, ensure the quality of work and, finally, ensure that the internal team and the client's team are always on the same page .

With so many responsibilities, the question remains: what should be the characteristics of a PMO so that it fulfills its functions efficiently?

To answer this question, we turned to PMO Jorge Gonzalez, from Homine. With more than six years of experience in this leadership position, he has been at the forefront of systems implementation and improvement projects in the United States, Dominican Republic, Chile, Argentina and, of course, Brazil. Currently, he leads concurrent IT projects at large clients in Brazil and abroad.

According to Gonzalez, the PMO must have 7 Indispensable attributes to be able to deliver services efficiently, with quality and on time:

1. View of the whole: PMO's are not necessarily detail oriented, or “detail technicians”. He/she needs to have a vision of the whole project, from the scope to the objectives, and thus guarantee its full execution within the foreseen period.

2. Assemble teams: the figure of the PMO is who evaluates the professionals available for a given project and whether there is a need to add other resources to the team, in order to compose a technical and qualified team to handle the complexity of the project in question.

3. “Handfull” planner: project managers are professionals who organize the stages of work – with their vision of the whole, they are able to distribute tasks over time, allocate resources, set deadlines and goals, and even promote adjustments in the planning itself, if necessary.

4. Cold blooded: PMO's need to be calm and cool to deal with moments of pressure and stress. They work on several projects at the same time and are at the forefront of dialogue with dozens of internal professionals and clients. Challenges, urgencies and problems are part of your routine, and despair does not help at all. A PMO is therefore the leader who understands the situation, reflects and proposes the best solution.

5. Focused on delivery: Project managers are always on top of what they need to deliver to the client – the agreed scope for the project, deadlines, targets and level of performance. For this, the PMO must have an eye on the present (what is being done) and another on the future (what we still need to do).

6. Conciliator and communicator: the PMO is the focal point for all the client's team involved and also for its internal team. He/she has to be open to listening to demands and suggestions from both parties, seeking the best path for the project and, of course, communicating clearly and objectively with all professionals.

7. Speaks languages: these managers also need to be able to interact with foreign customers. Speaking languages, especially English – the universal language of the IT world – is a basic requirement for PMOs.