Project governance and Project Management Office (PMO)

Course Overview

Project governance should not be confused with project management. Project governance deals with the strategic management and governance of a portfolio of projects to deliver business value. Project management, on the other hand, manages projects on a day-to-day basis, making any decisions that have to be made based on the scope they have been given by the project board.

About this lesson

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand the principles of effective governance of projects
• be aware of the roles and responsibilities of those involved in project governance such as project board, project sponsor, project manager and Project Management Office
• recognise the different types of Project Management Office and the services they provide
• identify good governance or make recommendations to improve governance by using project experience
• understand the importance of good communication between all stakeholders in project governance.

What skills are required to become a project manager? 

Some of the key skills required to be a successful project or program manager are:

What is career growth for project managers?

Project and program management is a generalist role, so there is always a demand for project and program managers but there is a ceiling to career growth. Not too many companies may have SVP of Project Management though they will always have SVP of Sales, SVP of Product etc. It is good to start as a project manager, spend some time, learn the skills and at some point in the career, one should make a transition into one of the specialist roles if he or she wants to grow and one day lead a function.

Why Project Management is a Great Career Option?

As a project manager, you'll need to track work to be completed, set deadlines and delegate tasks to your project team, identifying any potential risks. Ultimately, you're responsible for completing the project work in line with the plan and will often report progress to senior managers. You could also be known as:

• assistant project manager
• business change manager
• junior/senior project manager
• project coordinator
• project officer.

Types of work

You can specialise, or work across a variety of sectors such as:

• construction
• engineering
• IT
• marketing.

Responsibilities

As a project manager, you'll need to:

• follow a standard process, as defined by a professional project management organisation, such as the APM (Association for Project Management) or the PMI (Project Management Institute)
• initiate the project - check feasibility and work out budgets, teams and resources
• carry out planning - this will include setting goals and objectives, defining roles and producing schedules and timelines for tasks - in accordance with the needs of your client. Some tools, such as Gantt charts, can be used to create a visual project plan
• select, lead and motivate your project team from both internal and external stakeholder organisations
• manage the project - which includes coordinating the project team to keep them on track and keeping the project on budget
• carry out monitoring and control activities in order to track the progress of the project
• identify and manage risks to ensure delivery is on time
• implement any necessary changes throughout the process
• report regularly to management and the client
• close the project - including evaluating successes and challenges to enhance learning for your next project.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• excellent organisation skills, to plan the use of people and resources to meet deadlines
• strong interpersonal skills, to motivate and lead your project team
• the ability to monitor and control budgets
• good communication and negotiation skills, to manage expectations
• the ability to use your initiative and make decisions under pressure
• technical knowledge related to the project may also be required.

Employers

As a project manager, you can work in a variety of both public and private organisations, across a range of sectors, including:

• architecture
• construction
• engineering
• IT
• manufacturing
• retail.