The main aim of any Project Management Office is quite simple - to provide a stable framework that supports all project teams and stakeholders to improve the probability of a successful delivery. Below are the necessary PMO objectives:

• Increase the available budget.
• Develop the number of projects that is concurrent.
• Have a high percentage of successful projects.
• Prevent repeated project management issues.
• Establish a standardized project management process- this will in turn reduce the upfront cost and time to initiate a project.
• Supplement project resources for specific projects activities, such as initial Project Planning; Project Monitoring and performance measurements; and review of project deliverables.
• Provide Quality Assurance for all projects ­ from the assessment of deliverable project quality to auditing the compliance and progress of individual projects against processes and objectives.
• Coach and mentor Project Managers and project team members.
• Create a central repository of Project Management knowledge, best practices, failures learnt from, and resources.

Designing Approach

Tailor-Made for Your Needs: Solid State Training Solutions works closely with every client as a long-term strategic partner. We conduct pre-training requirements process which includes collecting details of the registered delegates and conducting training needs analysis meetings to align the training solution with the client’s objectives.

Delivery Methodology

• Simulation – providing life-like scenarios through structured learning experiences and to improve business awareness and management skills.
• Role Play – acting-out situations in groups, under the supervision and feedback of a lead coach.
• Presentations, Videos and Video Recording – visual materials to support presentations of theory.
• Games – learning is fun with Solid State Training Solutions! Using a variety of tools and games to emphasize the learning experience.
• Discussions – use two-way communication between the trainer and the trainees to increase learning opportunities.
• Questionnaires – to gather information from the participants, attributed or anonymous, free-form questions and multiple-choice.
• Case Study Analysis – a key tool for such workshops, either individuals or groups review the materials provided to understand a key message and then present their findings to the other participants.

• The PMO is most valued, for helping companies prioritize good projects over bad, getting the right people on the job, airing out progress and problems, and executing consistently using the company standard practices.
• The PMO provides standardization, procedure and templates, orientation, training, support to PM processes in the organizations. 
• The PMO, properly supported by the high level management, can effectively collect, group, make analyses and distribute information to several levels in the organization, in order to support the decision making process, as well as, provide support to the PM processes and give feedback of information to the project team and medium level management.
• The PMO provides means for a suitable decision making process, according to the dynamic of the market by joining the vision of project management with the vision of organizational management, in terms of corporate governance. This combined vision establishes a link between strategic planning and corporate results, by means of an effective portfolio management and the application of best practices in project management, achieving more success in the projects. 
• The PMO provides better corporate results optimizing efforts and resources among projects, sharing risks and contingencies, accelerating schedules, reducing costs, optimizing project cash flows and the overall cash flow, reducing conflicts, managing conflicts, enhancing the communications, documentation, applying best practices, standardization, templates, tools, techniques and software. So, the PMO drives the governance development process. 
• The PMO provides methodology, orientation, standardization of processes not only for project management, but also for strategic management of portfolio, programs and projects related processes through data collection and analysis, documentation and reporting, flowcharts and diagrams, templates and forms, spreadsheets and checklists, standard clauses and contracts, procurement and audits, communications and collaborative environments, organizing the decision making process. These elements are applied, or not, to all projects in the organizations. 
• The PMO establishes mechanisms for project control that allow the integrated planning and control for all projects and for the projects at all, summarizing standard information through effective communications in order to achieve the strategic goals of the organization, aligned to the corporate strategic planning.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to gain the following:

• Define the basic concepts – projects and project management.
• Determine the organization-level concerns related to project management.
• Appreciate the lack of consensus over PMO definition.
• Identify the areas where a PMO can provide support.
• Decide if a PMO is needed and if you are in a position to set one up.
• Use a seven-stage model to create your PM.
• Recognize the skills needed to staff a PMO.
• Determine what factors to include in your initial PMO budget.
• Measure progress using appropriate metrics.
• Identify five main causes of PMO failure and realize that failure rates are high.