The State of the PMO 2012: A Few Highlights

We are deep into the jungle of numbers here, with a record number of responses to our PMO research study (over 500), thanks to the participation of our media partner Gantthead. Call me a research nerd, but it's always exciting to see patterns begin to emerge from the chaos. It's early days yet - but here are a few of things we notice:

• Times are hard. Across the board, there's a slight decline in the array of services offered by PMOs. Nevertheless, more and more companies continue to invest in a PMO - a new high of 87% of companies - including record numbers of small businesses.
• Staffs have remained about the same size (see, "times are hard" above). However, the PMO's commitment to training remains strong and 84% of those who offer training, train in PM basics. And the use of contracted resources to fill the gap is up significantly
• The functions that PMOs have not cut back on are those that are directly tied to measuring performance and boosting productivity. Project audits are up and there's a renewed focus on monitoring and controlling. In addition, more PMOs are developing performance metrics.
• PMOs report to higher levels in the organization, and with that visibility comes pressure to show results. PMOs' top challenges are in defining the role of the PMO and demonstrating its value.

Stay tuned for the release of the full report, which is now in production. If you sign up for the PM Solutions newsletter, you'll receive a link to the research summary as soon as it is posted online.