Why do Project Managers hate PMOs?

OK – this week I am going to delve into a rather controversial subject in the PMO community.

There is a raging debate occurring on the PMO board at PMI about the relationship between Project Managers and PMOs. It was all started by a gentleman who posited that most PMs hate PMOs, and asking for input as to why. This has lead to two camps on the subject.

In the first camp are those who agree that PMs hate PMOs. Their line of argument is that PMOs and the methodologies they impose are seen as a threat to the creativity of PMs, who would rather follow their own tried and true processes than conform to a rigid methodology. They are also afraid of exposing the “meta-data”, mostly related to performance of their projects. The PMs do not like the added administrative overhead, including signature gathering, regular status reporting, and the like imposed by the PMO. Finally, PMs do not appreciate the portfolio view of projects and would rather be left alone to manage their specific projects to success.

The other camp says this is pure nonsense – professional project managers are known for bringing good, sound project management processes and discipline to the table, and are therefore fully supportive of the work of the PMO, and readily comply with and enhance the work of the PMO. They also understand that good portfolio management is key to their own success. If their projects are low priority, lack sponsorship, etc, then their chances of success fall accordingly.

Naturally, yours truly has weighed in on this debate. I have found that which camp a project manager falls into can be heavily influenced by how the PMO is implemented. If the PMO adopts a rigid, one-size fits all SDLC methodology (see Common PMO Mistakes on this blog), project managers will have a difficult time succeeding. This kind of “police state” PMO almost always fails, with PM dissatisfaction being one of the primary reasons for failure.

On the other hand, a truly strategic PMO that implements a flexible, multi-tracked methodology, properly prioritizes project demand, and matches that to available capacity, becomes the project manager’s best ally. These PMOs also listen to input from their PMs to constantly improve the organization’s project management processes and culture. Finally, proper automation can go a long way toward relieving any additional administrative overhead, while increasing visibility and collaboration. In short, professional project managers feel they are an integral part of these successful PMOs, and that the PMOs are critical to their own success.

What’s your experience? Please feel free to weigh in on this debate! I’m sure we all have a great deal to learn about making PMOs more “PM friendly”.