Your PMO monitoring and reporting needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider using standardised status reporting templates, reporting process and operating rhythm. Also make a constructive challenge, scrutiny and assessment of overall progress collation of individual reports, identify over-commitment of resources and over-commitment of changes to the business. Remember to monitor assumptions and dependency logs.

Your PMO monitoring and reporting is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider undertaking periodic reviews of progress (outputs/outcomes) against Program/project plans, and identifying and reporting deviations (forecast and actual), and advise and trigger exception reports. Also horizon scan for impending policy or strategy changes and assessment of their impact on the Program or project. Remember to give advice and constructive challenge to Program and project management boards, and make recommendations on corrective actions and options to management boards.

Well done, your PMO monitoring and reporting is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider undertaking periodic reviews of progress (outputs/outcomes) against strategy and portfolio plans, and identify and report deviations (forecast and actual), and advise and trigger exception reports. Also provide strategic oversight support for SROs and management boards (horizon scan for impeding policy/strategy changes/new business initiatives and assess impact on portfolio). Remember to perform ongoing amalgamation of data analysis of portfolio/project selection and delivery performance.

Your PMO resource management needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider planning and initiating acquisition of the necessary resources to ensure they're in place when needed. Actively monitor the deployment of staff, arranging new postings ahead of assignments ending, to meet staff development needs and to maintain a good match of skill to role. Also provide a view of commitments (of Program staff) on other Programs/projects and/or on business as usual activities that will impact the ability of the portfolio to deliver.

Your PMO resource management is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, ensure there is a framework to manage unplanned requests, adopt an automated information system to assist in resource management, reassess the accuracy of your resource forecast calculations and assign a resource evaluator.

Well done, your PMO resource management is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider capturing the resource requirements of portfolio, Programs, projects and the portfolio office itself. Also forecast future resource needs, based on Program/projects plans, close liaison with the relevant managers and (where appropriate) wider business plans and business office objectives. In consultation with HR and others, decide on the best source for the required resources, depending on the long-term requirement for particular skill and its likely availability.

Your PMO risk management needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider establishing and maintaining a portfolio risk register. Remember to monitor the portfolio risk register to ensure that all risks have a nominated owner and actionee, and ensure that the agreed risk mitigations are planned, resourced and implemented. Remember to communicate with stakeholders, particularly those who are directly affected either by the risk itself or by the risk mitigations.

Your PMO risk management is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider proactively looking across risk registers across the portfolio (within Programs and projects) to identify common themes and establish consistent mitigation and contingency plans across the portfolio. Also proactively examine Program and project risk registers for common risks that should be tackled portfolio wide, and advise on risk mitigation and contingency planning. Remember to facilitate risk escalation to high authority (e.g. strategic/business management).

Well done, your PMO risk management is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider assessing how effective any mitigation actions have been and whether the risk identified have actually materialised. Remember to actively monitor and regularly 'check and challenge' all risks, and establish and maintain an efficient two-way flow of information between the portfolio, Programs and the projects, regarding risk handling and escalation.

Your PMO issue resolution needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider establishing a portfolio, Program or project issue resolution process, ensuring that procurement/commercial lead on contractual issues and changes. Use standardised issue management templates, source tools for issue management, facilitate issue resolution workshops and consider issue management training for project teams.

Your PMO issue resolution is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider performing logging and tracking to resolution of Program or project issues. Review effectiveness of issue identification and resolution processes, and proactively examine issues across Programs/projects.

Well done, your PMO issue resolution is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider clearly communicating the issue resolution strategy, and the benefits of following it, to all personnel involved with the portfolio, Program and projects, including business operations. Remember to control escalation of issues to high authority, e.g. portfolio or business management.

Your PMO change control needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider developing the overall change control strategy, processes and templates. Develop/source/tailor tools for managing change and train the organisation in their use, and facilitate independent change impact assessment workshops.

Your PMO change control is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider facilitating cross-Program impact analysis for changes that affect the wider portfolio area. Remember to control escalation of changes to higher authority, e.g. business area management.

Well done, your PMO change control is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider clearly communicating the change management strategy, and the benefits of following it, to all personnel involved with the portfolio, Program and projects, including business operations. Also consider providing secretariat function to Change Approvals Board (CAB) or Change Control Board (CCB) for the portfolio.

Your PMO finance needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider monitoring and reporting on portfolio spend, and preparing monthly financial reports for the portfolio, manager/strategic board and for inclusion in management dashboard reports. In conjunction with finance, develop and maintain the portfolio, Program or project financial processes, controls and templates, paying particular attention to audit requirements.

Your PMO finance is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider estimating future portfolio spend, and challenge cash-flow/spend profile as appropriate. Also provide guidance in developing business cases and going through the approvals process, and develop business case process and templates.

Well done, your PMO finance is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider monitoring and reporting on portfolio spend, managing invoicing and collection activities of portfolio deliverables and activities, and calculating and analysing portfolio cost variance.

Your PMO quality assurance needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider conducting post-Program/project reviews, assuring the development of portfolio, Program, project quality plans, and providing guidance on quality criteria reviewers and sign-off authority to ensure cross-portfolio/Program(s) consistency. Remember to liaise with internal or financial audit functions.

Your PMO quality assurance is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider developing, implementing and promoting a comprehensive quality strategy. Also agree standards and establish clearly defined quality methods for staff to apply. Monitor quality performance, ensure compliance with standards/good practice and oversee the quality review process for contractual supplier deliverables.

Well done, your PMO quality assurance is above average. Consider providing a Stage Gate Review or Gateway support/coordination service. Also provide health checks, assurance or audits through a risk-based approach geared to the Programs and projects that need it most. Remember to oversee the quality review process for contractual supplier deliverables, and analyse feedback from reviews, including Stage Gate Reviews/Gateway, health checks, post-Program/project, audits and lessons learned.

Your PMO information management needs improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider developing or sourcing tools for Configuration Management, and developing standard information library structures and templates. Also establish and administer Program/project baselines.

Your PMO information management is ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider ensuring supplier configuration terms (documentation and assets) are under control by providing a single point of entry and exit to the Program/project for such items (working with procurement/commercial staff, as appropriate). Also manage archives of Program/project documentation, and consider owning Asset Management.

Well done, your PMO information management is above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider holding master copies of all portfolio information, and establishing and maintaining the index to an electronic library of portfolio information. Also undertake configuration audits and manage archives of portfolio documentation.

Your PMO communications need improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider providing a secretariat service to Management Boards.

Your PMO communications are ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider working with procurement/commercial to establish frameworks for the acquisition of resources.

Well done, your PMO communications are above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, remember to plan, forecast and manage non-HR resources requirements for both P3O and portfolio (math supply to demand - switch and release resources as necessary).

Your PMO standards and methods need improvement. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider developing tailored guidelines for standards, methods and approaches. Also provide a link to other standards, e.g. SAFe™ for Agile or ITIL for Service Management, and ensure tools and processes facilitate collaborative working across team, department and organisation boundaries.

Your PMO standards and methods are ok. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider advising on tools and software, reducing project lifecycles through effective methods, and tailoring standard processes and templates to the Program or project. Also set up standards for collaborative working across teams/organisations.

Well done, your PMO standards and methods are above average. If you’re looking for ways to improve this area, you could consider defining and implementing governance standards, reporting and information requirements, financial management standards (through link to finance), accountability and escalation routes.