The Steering Committee and PMO

Relationship with Steering Committee

In addition to a Sponsor, a PMO should have an executive steering committee. The steering committee is composed of the senior executives of each major organizational unit.

If the Sponsor is the senior executive of the PMO, then the steering committee members report to him and follows his lead, ensuring that the specifics of PMO methodology, standards, and services fit well within their own respective units.

If the PMO Sponsor is not the organization's senior executive, then the Steering Committee members will be peers of the Sponsor, and their role becomes to promote the PMOs activities within their own organizations, as well as to specify unique details appropriate to their organizations.

The Steering Committee is defined by its mandate, schedule and rules, which are adopted during the PMO Initiation Phase.

Relationship with Organization

The PMO serves the entire organization according to its charter. The charter defines the objectives, and specific goals the PMO will achieve in order to benefit the organization, and the services the PMO will provide to the organization.

Both the PMO and the organization will change over time. Thus, it becomes necessary to review, and perhaps revise, the PMO charter frequently.

There are two goals to these periodic reviews. The first is to ensure that the PMO charter includes the most beneficial services that the PMO can offer to the organization. The second is to ensure that the PMOs actual day-to-day activities are closely aligned with those specified in the charter, and nothing that no deviations are present.