While the general concept of project management is undoubtedly utilized by associations for key initiatives like events and membership management, many associations can augment their various teams’ efficiency and program effectiveness by establishing a Project Management Office (PMO).
For anyone unfamiliar with this term, a PMO is defined as “an organizational structure that standardizes the project-related [and/or program-related] governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools and techniques.” (Project Management Institute, 2017, p. 48).1
Types Of PMOs
At first glance, this is a pretty loaded definition. But stick with me, because Figure 1 shows how there are different types of PMOs that can be implemented. In addition, each association can tailor the PMO structure to align with organizational culture, current level of project management maturity, and strategic requirements.
Figure 1: PMO Types and Definitions