A project manager’s office or PMO is the focus of all activities that are being carried out in an organization. A project management team has to plan, track, manage and report progress of work being carried out within an organization. Team managers and coordinators have to coordinate with their team members and project office about requirements and expectations to ensure that work is done as per client expectations and instructions are not misunderstood.
An effective project manager is able to manage different teams seamless towards common organizational goals and maintain cordial relationship between management and workers. Though professional certifications are a big plus for project managers, practical experience is more important as it helps them manage people of varied work cultures together and motivates them to achieve the common goals.
Importance of communication skills in PMO
The staff of PMO office has to manage relationship and communication between different groups working on a project and have to be proficient in interpersonal communication skills, making presentations and also in managing customer relationships.
Interpersonal skills
This ability will help to exert influence on different levels within the organization to get work done in time and on schedule. The have to build relationship with team managers and communicate management decisions and expectations effectively to build consensus on operations. These skills are not inherent and are acquired with time depending on the roles that each staff member has been assigned and also by training imparted to them after induction.
Presentation skills
PMO duties do not end with assignment of responsibilities to each group but extends further to communication of specific requirements of each task on a project by project basis. During this phase a project manager’s oral and written communication skills are put to test as they have to identify ideal people fit to do the tasks and explain them clearly to avoid confusion and mishaps. The project management team has to draw out detailed a plan of implementation which will be communicated to the team.
Managing customer relationships
PMO staff has to lay focus on implementation of deliverable which will lead to achievement of customer delivery goals. They have to be in constant touch with customer project team to understand their requirements and sync them with organizational activities to maintain delivery of each project phase on schedule. Managing amicable customer relationship throughout the project development phase is critical for the successful delivery of completed project as per customer specifications.
For a project management office to work effectively the management should provide them with professional work environment and technical expertise with competitive salary.
