How to build a World-Class Culture in your PMO

I wanted to start this article with a problem that is very common across PMO Leaders. That problem is simple and will resonate with a lot of you reading this article today. You are so busy with all the projects and programs running in your PMO, that building out the culture is the last thing on your mind. Right? Do you face the same challenges?

See, after running project management offices over the last 20+ years across four different companies, even I get caught in all the events happening in the PMO, that sometimes improving the culture of the organization takes second fiddle. But, I can tell you, that’s not good, and it is risky to running a long-term organization when there is no focus on improving culture. So many PMOs come and go and that is often because PMO leaders worry far too much about the program and project’s execution, then they do about culture. This is a mindset shift every PMO leader needs to make to run a successful project management office. It is a balance every PMO leader needs to adjust to. When that happens, you will see PMOs shutdown, they dispersed PMs to different groups, and the company moved to a decentralized model. I saw it; I have lived it, and it is not fun. It is part of the job, but it is not fun.

So, if we agree that creating a world-class PMO culture is possible, but takes work, how do PMO leaders create that within their organizations? That’s exactly what we want to cover today. Let’s get into it.

But before we do that, I think it is important that we level set and talk about what is culture. What does that mean to build a world-class culture in your PMO? Good questions, and important to level-set from the beginning.

What is culture?

This is such an important question to start with because people are going to consider this differently from one person to the next. One person, based on their background, life experiences, and other perspectives, can change the way they perceive culture. Another person with different life experiences, is going to perceive culture a different way. So, it is important for PMO Leaders to set a culture in their PMOs. You do that, so you can control what you want to have happen in your PMO, regardless of a person’s backgrounds and experiences. Does that make sense? Be clear, it is not a matter of discarding or ignoring anyone’s backgrounds or experiences. Nope, you are just controlling your PMO environment and ensuring you are driving a level of consistency and repeatability you need to be successful. You, as a PMO Leader can and should control the culture you want in your organization.

How is it described?

Well, if you Google “Culture” you will get hundreds and hundreds of search results. So, when we say how do we describe it, that’s hard to pin down a single definition. But, what I like to do is go to Wikipedia first and see what it says as the definition of “culture”. Here is that link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

Let me summarize what it says ”Culture is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions and norms found in human societies.” It keeps going, but let’s just unpack some of that for PMOs.

I just want to focus on the one word I found in that Wiki definition and that is “norms”. The question is, how can “norms” define culture in your PMO? I love that concept. I have used that term “norms” for many years now in my PMOs, and that is a concept that many PMO leaders should get behind as well.

Ok, we will keep talking about “norms” soon, let’s now cover about another concept I have used around culture in my PMOs and that is about putting people first, and what I did in that area in my organizations.

Let’s dive in.

Here is what I have done about it in my PMOs.

Many-many years ago 2012 to be exact, when I wrote my book “The Tactical Guide for Building a PMO”, I developed this concept of the 4Ps of the PMOs. I rooted those concepts from PMI, that includes Portfolio, Program and Project Management as the three main Ps, and the 4^th P being PMO. When I say PMO, I mean People and have always meant People as the 4^th P. That concept is still taking off, but when I think of the culture and the PMO’s I have built in my lifetime, I drive from a People first approach. I was proud of that and still driven by that people first approach today in my PMO.

Over the last couple years, to solidify my people first approach, I ended developed a series of people focused programs in my PMO. I rooted those programs in learning and career advancements for my PMO team members. These programs include leadership programs, mentoring programs, buddy systems and other people based events.

I developed a webinar on those people based programs here for you to check out: How to build a People Focused PMO Webinar. I want to clarify that this is a paid webinar, not free. If you are interested in elevating your PMO and showcasing your dedication to people and their professional growth, I highly recommend you seriously think about watching it. Recently, I gave much of this same material(not all) and clearly didn’t go as deep as I do in the webinar, as my Keynote speech at a House of PMO Conference event in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a huge hit, so consider watching it when you get a chance.

Ok, enough about how I do it. You have the webinar link if you are serious about the topic, and you can learn more there.

Now, let’s dive into some best practices (“norms”) that I used to create a world-class PMO culture in my PMOs.

Ten Best Practices (“Norms”) for creating a World-Class PMO Culture

In my time running PMOs, I have done some pretty big things, from working at AT&T Wireless and running a very large PMO there, moving to Microsoft where I ran several PMOs there, to my current PMO, I been in this space a long time. I say that because working in different companies, they each have their own cultures and that connection between the culture of the company and your PMO is something we can’t overlook in this conversation.

However, as a PMO Leader, I always felt like this was my job in making the PMO the best possible environment I could with the surroundings I was in. So, with that, today I wanted to share the best practices and approaches I have taken to create world-class cultures in my PMO.

Ready, let’s go.

1. Communicate often and openly

I believe the number of component of creating a good culture in your PMO is to create several channels of communications in your PMO. That could mean various 1:1 meetings, to running open office hours sessions, to having group meetings with everyone in the PMO. Whatever the case may be, you will want to make sure that you can communicate with all levels of the PMO and they can communicate with you whenever necessary. That two-way communications between you and the rest of the PMO will be tremendous in you creating an amazing culture.

2. Promote collaboration

One thing that I find in my PMOs is that the individual PMO team members don’t spend a lot of time collaborating with one another. I’ve observed a common challenge in PMOs: siloed teams where individual members immerse themselves in their specific programs and projects and no time for anything else. This limits collaboration and hinders knowledge sharing among PMO staff. So, what do we do? Here are some ideas:

• Cross-functional process improvement initiatives: Assign diverse teams to tackle process improvement projects within the PMO. This encourages collaboration, diverse perspectives, and a sense of shared ownership within the PMO. I wrote an eBook on that called “PMO Process Improvement Projects” that you can download for more information.
• Knowledge-sharing platforms: Encourage PMO staff to share best practices and project experiences through internal forums, wikis, or knowledge bases. This builds a collective PMO expertise that benefits everyone. Microsoft Teams has been amazing for this, and I am using it for cross PMO collaboration today in my PMO.
• Regular team-building activities: Organize informal gatherings, workshops, or casual brainstorming sessions to break down silos and foster connections. These activities help build trust, mutual understandings, and a more collaborative spirit.

3. Focus on the mission and values

One way to drive a positive culture in your PMO is to ensure you have a set of mission and value statements to align staff. Here are some ones I used in the past and have documented in both of my PMO books. Make sure you obtain executive buy-in on these mission and value statements, the last place you want to be in is not having alignment there. 

Mission Statements:

• “The XX PMO will provide customers with high quality, faster, cheaper projects, aligned with strategic goals of the company”.
• “The mission of the XX PMO is to drive a consistent approach to how we setup, manage and close-out our Programs and projects.”

Values Statements/Sentiments:

Are principles and believes that guide a company’s operations that:

• Provide direction
• Cultivate corporate cultures within your PMO.
• Dictate conduct and set the tone for interactions in the PMO.

4. Empower people & teams

There is nothing more important to set the culture of an organization is how much or how little the management chain empowers their people. Empowerment is crucial for people to avoid feeling lost and seeking direction on a daily basis; it is with empowerment that we see organizations shine. PMO leaders need to get out of the weeds and empower their teams.

5. Recognize and reward

This is another interesting component of setting culture in your PMO. That is because every staff member needs to feel some level of value and recognition. As a PMO leader, create a recognition and reward process to reward people who do great work and show that you value their contributions. In my PMOs, and I have done this for years, but I created a program called the PMO Employee of the Month award. Each month, a new employee wins the award and the manager and I recognize them for the great work they did that month. We even have a trophy we pass from employee to employee! What is also important in this process is to recognize that people don’t all want to be recognized in the same way. You need to understand how each person likes to be recognized, and then adapt and scale to that if possible. Is that sustainable to adapt and change to a PMO that has 40 – 50 people, maybe, maybe not, but the idea is the same, and it is important for you to understand that one size does not fit all!

6. Lead by example

Within a PMO, nothing shapes the culture more than the PMO leader’s behavior. Their interactions with staff, the staff’s interactions with each other, and the overall tenor of communication set the tone for how the organization operates. This is where “leading by example” truly comes alive. Words alone fall short; it’s through actions that we guide and inspire.

As a PMO leader, you become the model for your team. This means embodying good behavior consistently, not just occasionally. Of course, everyone makes mistakes. But the crucial difference lies in your response. Those mistakes will help you learn, grow, and show how to turn missteps into valuable learning experiences every time. I was there; I made plenty of mistakes in my career and learn and grow each time.

7. Promote Work-Life Balance

I love this topic because as a PMO leader, one of the core aspects of your job is to instill in people, work-life balance is as much their responsibility is it is yours. See, when you put the responsibility back on the employee, they feel empowered to control their own work-life balance and that just makes for a much happier employee. So, as a PMO Leader, you need to set the boundaries, set the norms for working hours, and then empower your employees. Trust me, they will do the right things. Once you do this, you can sit back and watch the culture in your PMO grow!

8. Invest in training

I have always believed that when you train people in your organization; it has a fundamental impact on the entire organization. When you train one, you train twenty, but what that does is make the whole PMO feel valued with the investment you made on them. That value they feel has a positive impact on the culture of the organization. Many PMO leaders have training budget allocated to their staff each year and often never use it. They also sit back and let their PMO staff find the training they want to take, and I say instead of that, but go look for PMO training for your staff to take. If you know where you want to take and mature your PMO, then get your staff trained so they can help take you there. Imagine how that would turn the dial on culture if you are looking for training for your staff, and then you set it up, and arrange for them to all take it and learn a new skill.

Currently, I am working on finding PowerPlatform training for the whole PMO, because not only will it help each employee grow with a future skill set, it helps me take my PMO to the next level. It is a win-win for everyone!

9. Be transparent

One way of growing the culture in the PMO is being transparent where possible. That is easier said than done for sure as a PMO leader, but when possible, share if you can. Sharing the organization’s goals, difficulties, and achievements with your team can foster trust and collaboration, and ultimately enhance the organizational culture. In our PMO today, and in the past PMOs I have led, I have implemented a PMO leadership program that encourages different members of the PMO to join. In these sessions, we actively share all the happenings of the organization. We share the good, the bad, the ugly, and the PMO staff member who is part of the program at the time hears it all. We hold nothing back, because it is important for them to understand what we are dealing with while they are part of the leadership program. It is also great for being transparent, addressing the current set of problems, and determining how to move forward.

10. Give Feedback

To grow a PMO includes giving feedback. Sometimes that feedback will be positive and sometimes it won’t be, but it is important to give it, regardless. Of course, there are lots of ways to giving both types of feedback we won’t explore now, but creating a great PMO culture will be the ability to be transparent in your feedback to your PMO staff. I believe that most companies have a performance goal system where they give formal feedback once a year, but I think that, because it is yearly, it does little to drive the culture. Giving constant and ongoing feedback to your PMO staff goes a long way in driving a positive culture in your PMO.

But wait… There is one more…

11. Promote Fun

Creating a fun culture is essential for a successful PMO. Many PMO Leaders and staff are so overwhelmed by their workloads, they forget to take the time to have fun. As a PMO leader, you have a vital role in making sure your team has fun. You should seek ways to inject fun into your organization throughout the year. In our PMO today, and past PMOs, we have had fun committees. These are PMO staff that want to make the PMO a fun place to work. They create social events, happy hours, picture taking contests, all to promote fun. Work should not be boring or stressful, but fun and engaging where possible. You should be authentic and enthusiastic in creating a fun PMO atmosphere, and make fun a part of everything you do. It may not be easy, but it is worth it.

Making it real – Doing the work

Ok, we just covered the top 10, I mean 11 of the best practices “norms” that you as a PMO leader can do to promote a world-class PMO culture. In each of those points, I have given you some advice and tips on what I do in my PMO today and have done in the past. However, that is a lot of different areas and I believe strongly that you can’t do them all at once, so just to summarize quickly, here are the ones I would start with today in your PMO.

Top 5 Culture Best Practices to move your PMO forward

1. Align PMO staff to your Mission and Values
2. Train your Staff
3. Empower Work-Life Balance
4. Share the Big “why” aka – Be transparent
5. Communicate – Communicate – Communicate

Again, tackling these five best practices first will go a long way in building a world-class PMO culture. By starting with these five first, it will not overwhelm you, and give you the best chance to succeed. Trust me, you need to tackle them all, but start first with these five, and you will start seeing your PMO culture improve.

Summary

As we summarize, it is quick to see that building a world-class PMO culture will not be easy and it won’t be fast, but you have to start somewhere. Regardless of how many of these best practices you have in place today, this list is what I believe will get you going in the right direction and will have tremendous benefits to your organization.

What do you think?

If you like this article, you will like this one on how to build a PMO. Or this one on how to run a PMO.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the culture of the PMO?

The PMO’s culture revolves around the concepts we just covered in this article. If you are stuck, please re-read what we covered above because this is really a great starting point for any PMO leader.

2. What is the common trait of a successful PMO Leader? How does that impact culture?

PMO leaders must be confident in their skills in the PMO space. They must have some understanding of the PMO space, so the PMO staff knows they can turn to them when they need help. I have seen PMO leaders that don’t have a lot of experience in PMOs, really struggle to be successful. When a PMO leader is not confident in their own skill sets, you see them create very toxic environments, and thus making very difficult organizations.

3. How do I build a strong PMO team?

There are lots of methods to building a strong team. Start with building strong relationships with each team member. Then focus on communications, then focus on social. Again, lots of tips and best practices you can read and research on your own, but these are my go-to tips.

4. How can I make my PMO better?

The first thing to focus on to make your PMO better is what is wrong with it. What is the “Better” you are going after and trying to achieve? Once you know what is wrong, you can start putting small improvement steps in place to drive a better PMO. So focus on finding what “Better” means first and then adapt and adjust your PMO.

5. What makes a bad PMO?

Well, that’s all relevant as well. A bad PMO could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different companies, to leadership teams, to people working in the PMO. So, I would understand what bad means and then adapt. It is almost the same as the “Better” conversation.

6. How do you mature a PMO?

When you think about maturing your PMO, go from a place of maturity. What maturity level are you today in your PMO and where do you want to go? I would do this first. I would read my free eBook called The Balanced PMO that will get you started and going in the right direction.

7. What are the 4 Ps of a PMO?

That’s easy and things I have been saying for years, Portfolio, Program, Project Management, and People. Those are the 4 Ps, we have seen various versions of that, but I have to tell you that I have been doing this a long time, and if you focus on these 4Ps, you won’t go wrong.

8. What does a good PMO look like?

I feel like this is almost like the “Better” question, but the focus here is more on what is your PMO providing to the organization? If your PMO is providing everything it needs to, then that could be good, but then as a PMO Leader how do you keep moving the bar forward?

9. Why do PMOs fail?

Well, I think it is important here to understand what fail means because that meaning is going to differ from PMO to PMO, company to company. When I think about when I have seen PMOs fail, it has been around them shutting down. But, if you are looking for a clean and simple answer from what I experienced over the last 20 years, it is the lack of executive or leadership support that “fails” or shuts down a PMO.

10. What is a PMO Model?

There are many different definitions of PMO Models but the three most common are Directive, Controlling and Supportive. I would say that Agile is coming up fast as a viable model as well.

Ready to test your knowledge on the article you just read? Ready to change the culture of the PMO?