How to Build a Digital PMO That Drives Real Business Change
In an era where disruption and transformation are constant, organisations need adaptive insight-led governance. It is becoming increasingly important that the Project Management Office (PMO) is a strategic driver of change, as opposed to just a reporting tool.
PMO refers to an organisation structure responsible for providing support to projects [1]. Deecon build digital PMOs that support our clients to make informed and efficient decisions.
The Benefits:
In Deecon’s experience, Digital PMOs play a crucial role in driving cross-functional efficiencies within organisations. The benefits include:
1. From Governance to Guidance
A Digital PMO automates box-ticking exercises such as process enforcement and KPI reporting, allowing the organisation to focus on utilising a PMO for on-demand data insights, guidance and adaptable frameworks.
2. Predictive by Default
Digital PMOs utilise predictive analytics to identify emerging risks, flag delivery bottlenecks, and pinpoint where resources will be most effectively allocated before issues escalate. This allows organisations to stay ahead of the curve and tackle issues before they snowball into costly problems for the programme or wider organisation.
3. Agile in Approach
Digital PMOs support the industry shift towards agile project management. Agile project management is an iterative approach to delivering a project throughout its life-cycle. One of the aims of an agile or iterative approach is to release benefits throughout the process rather than only at the end. Digital PMOs facilitate agile project management by continuously reviewing roles, functions and outputs as the priorities of projects evolve.
4. Continuous Communication
Digital PMOs facilitate better communication and collaboration by providing a single platform where all project-related information is stored and accessible. This ensures that everyone has access to the latest updates and documents, reducing misunderstandings and miscommunication.
5. Cost Efficient
By automating data collection, processing, and reporting, digital PMOs significantly reduce the time and resources required for manual tasks. This allows project managers to focus more on strategic activities. There is also less time needed for meetings, saving time and resources.
How to Build and Utilise a Digital PMO:
Deecon have identified six guidance points to help your organisation optimise the use of a Digital PMO:
Assign a PMO Owner: Appoint an individual responsible for monitoring and updating the Digital PMO tool to ensure it operates effectively.
Define the Digital PMO Services: Conduct a PMO Maturity review to identify which PMO services and processes will provide the biggest improvements in your operation
Build the Digital PMO: Select a Digital PMO software, such as Jira, Microsoft Project or Smartsheet, dependent on which suits the specific needs of your organisation.
Train Employees: Provide sufficient training on how to interpret and use the Digital PMO. Adoption tools such as WalkMe can aid users in getting up to speed.
Enforce the Digital PMO: Ensure the new ways of working are properly enforced, by providing effective leadership and encouraging stakeholder buy-in.
Monitor and Review: Regularly monitor and review the digital PMO’s activities and outputs to ensure it’s providing value and identify new opportunities for support.
The Bottom Line:
Building a Digital PMO that drives business change is not about implementing a complex system or flashy tool. It's about adopting an approach that prioritises adaptability, collaboration, and actionable insights. When your PMO is deeply integrated with delivery teams, powered by forward-looking insights, and nimble enough to evolve with changing priorities, it becomes a strategic driver of decision-making and risk management.
Contact us to hear about Deecon’s experience in utilising, optimising, and implementing workflow management tools across companies. We work with our clients as partners to strengthen their internal capabilities and deliver tangible change.
Written by Jake Emmerson
Edited by Anna Pringle