Impact of the PMOs' Roles on Project Performance

Abstract

Organizations increasingly often set up project management offices (PMOs) in order to overcome the challenges of increased complexity and importance of projects, and thereby create value, but evidence for value creation, such as improved project performance, has remained scarce. This paper uses a sample of Finnish firms in order to evaluate the impact of PMO roles and processes on project performance. Using factor analysis and regressions, the authors show that the PMO's coordinator and trainer processes have a positive association with project performance. However, a PMO in the role of a strategy manager has a negative impact on project performance.