We all know what PMO means (or not!) And when I ask my friends and colleagues by profession, they always have a standard answer like: "Project Management Office," "Portfolio Management Office," "Management Office of projects, "
So far, so good, but then why are companies NOT clear about it? The reason why I am asking this because when I see the job postings related to PMO, they are neither defined as a person or as a role?
I will try to share my vision as a current PMOfficer Authorised Trainer. We all know that there is always an excellent Project Manager behind every successful project, but what about Products under agile frameworks? Based on my experience, it is a mix of two perfect roles: Product Owner and Project Manager evolved into a Digital PM or Agile PM according to each organization.
These successes are undoubtedly and mostly due to experience, soft skills, and the person's character & personality (role) that defines them as successful, but on the other hand, it requires specific fundamental training in project management and products.
But what happens when you have to manage or lead a Program of at least 50 projects or products with a few million? Or even more interesting a Portfolio of at least 100 projects and products with many millions.
Successfully leading & delivering these programs or portfolios are the characteristics of "The Champions." Therefore, you have to consider that you require other training and skills far beyond the current ones if you currently have certifications such as PMP, Prince2, Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Kanban, Lean, PM2, PM4R, and everything else you have in mind.
When I discuss all these issues with my friends and colleagues, the immediate questions they ask me are:
- Is there a PMO Certification?
- What path can I take to become a PMOfficer and lead a PMO?
- What are the alternatives as professionals to be certified to lead a PMO?
Before answering these questions, one must first consider the different organizations globally that offer PMO courses, workshops, and certifications.
We find the following in alphabetical order:
- AIPMO (Association of International Project Management Officers)
- AXELOS
- PMOfficers
- PMOGA (PMO Global Alliance)
- Wellingtone
Related Notes Worth Considering:
- The Project Management Institute -PMI- has related Certifications at the Program and Portfolio level. However, from my vision and professional experience, I do not consider them as certifications to specifically lead Project and Product Offices, but rather view them for fundamental roles that are part of said Project Offices but at the Program (PgM) & Portfolio (PfM) level.
- PMO Flashmob offers training to take into an account called "The PMO Competency Framework" personally, I consider it complimentary for every PMO leader since it does not provide specific content as a reference framework a sheet of the path to lead a Global Portfolio of Projects and Products.
When I inform the People, they all respond that all this info is adequate, but here we don't see this information on any organizations you mention! They are right but calm; there is no problem; in my next article, "Top 5 Organizations with Certifications to lead a Global Office of Projects and Products", I will share all the complete information not to miss any details.
Conclusions
The knowledge acquired and the award of the certifications are the best companion for a professional who aspires to the Role of PMOfficer to lead a Projects and Products Office successfully.
All this knowledge should empower and evolve every Senior Professional who currently works in project portfolios or product portfolios
And finally, together with the experience acquired, have the ability to be able (RE) to Design, Implement and Successfully Lead any Project and Product Office either in your current organization or in a future challenge.
Bibliography and final comments by the author
The views expressed in this article are my own. The article is based on my personal opinions and experience. My objective is to share with the entire community who seek to evolve in the profession and exploring various relevant certifications to successfully lead the Project Office and Products in the current evolving times.
This article I wrote in collaboration with my good friend and founder of PMOfficers Leonardo Reyes Torres
Below given are some of the key abbreviations relating to PMO, Project, and Products.
PMO = Project & Product Management Office
VMO = Value Management Office
AVMO = Agile Value Management Office
APMO = Agile Product Management Office
AMO = Agile Management Office
PSO = Project Support Office
OTP = Technical Office of Projects
OVGO = Oriented Value Agile Office
