Postscript for the Smaller PMO

The smaller PMO will generally find itself in a support role more than in an oversight role, and therefore it is likely that no formal PMO-based auditing function is established or currently planned within the relevant organization. However, even in a support role, the PMO can be a key contributor to project performance improvement, and it can achieve that through the use of less-formal project examination methods.

The following list identifies a few ways in which the PMO can examine and monitor performance within the project management environment in the absence of a formal "project audit" function:

• Review project status reports and progress reports to obtain insight into project performance information. Compile information and analyze trends on individual projects and across all projects within the PMO's purview.

• Examine conditions and establish a few simple indicators of the effectiveness of project performance, and request that project managers include that information in their monthly reports. Alternatively, go out and meet with project managers on a recurring basis to discuss the prescribed indicators.

• Develop a professional relationship with individuals in business units that conduct audits within the project management environment, e.g., quality management. Request collaboration on their audit findings and recommendations as a routine action. Then, review their audit reports and perform trend analyses on individual and groups of affected projects.

• Convene a group of senior or otherwise prominent project managers to gain individual and group perspectives on project performance issues, e.g., general problems, deficiencies, and inconsistencies. Facilitate their discussion and deliberation for remedies to the top issues identified.

There is another activity the smaller PMO can consider, particularly if there are one or more obviously troubled projects in the relevant organization. In lieu of establishing the full project audit functionality, the PMO can coordinate its needs and gain approval to obtain the services of an external, third-party project management audit consultant. This will allow a comprehensive examination of the identified projects and the subsequent application of appropriate remedies that will enable them to become viable and more likely to achieve successful completion.