Basic PMO and Supportive Services

Basic PMO

A PMO will operate at the basic level in its first one to two years of operation. In this time, it will get started by providing basic services. It is likely to provide some supportive services, as well, especially staff training, project support, and any administrative or accounting functions which are easy to implement and which reduce costs promptly.  

The exact services a basic PMO should provide will vary depending on an organization's needs and its culture. These are determined during the initial assessment that starts when the PMO role is defined, and is completed when the PMO prepares its execution plan. The criteria for selecting which services to provide at the basic level is simple – each service should either solve an immediate problem or promptly reduce costs of operation.

A basic PMO can be quite small. For example, it may have only two full-time staff members: the PMO Manager and an administrative assistant and/or secretary. Other services can be provided on a part-time basis by project managers and experts within the organization, or by retaining expertise from consulting services.

Once a basic PMO has been operating for one to three years, it should review its charter and growth plan in preparation for growth to become a Standard PMO. First, the PMO performs an assessment to determine exactly how current services can be improved and which new services should be added. Then this assessment is used to update and to add detail to the growth plan. See the learning section planning and assessment for more information.