Culture Club

Culture Club Mark Mullaly, PMP November 17, 2004

Program Management Office

Since I started writing for gantthead's PMO department, we have spent a lot of time discussing how to define and establish the PMO in an organization. What has emerged from a few recent consulting engagements is an interesting question surrounding the definition of PMOs: Is the nature and structure of the PMO a product of the culture of the organization? In other words, is there a level of pre-determination regarding what a project management office will become within any given organization?

While the question borders on the nature/nurture debate, it is a critical one to understand in planning the structure and services of the PMO, and the relationship it will have with the projects it supports.

Organizational culture is itself a fairly intangible quality. It is a product of the history, industry and leadership of a particular organization.