The Project Management Office (PMO)

In the literature as well as in companies, the most diverse designations circulate for what is called Project Management Office (PMO) here. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that these organizational units often coincide or are at least similar in terms of their characteristics, functions, and tasks. On the other hand, despite the same name, there can be significant differences in the interpretation of the term Project Management Office. In this chapter, some definitions from project management literature will be presented, showing how similar, but also how different, the terms and definitions can be. In addition, a brief explanation is given of what is meant by PMO in this book. Also, 10 good reasons for wanting to implement or operate a PMO in a company are described. Finally, we turn to the preparations for implementing a PMO.