So You Need To Sell The PMO

Many CIOs struggle with getting the business to buy into the idea of paying for an IT program management office (PMO) — creating and sustaining an "indirect expense" function that, at first scrutiny, doesn't appear to really "do" anything. Why? IT has not done a good job of marketing the PMO; business execs don't understand its value; and the PMO is looked at as overhead. As a result, CIOs ask the question, "How do I sell the idea of a PMO to the rest of the firm?" And although CIOs intuitively know that a PMO increases project and investment value, they grapple with how to convince the business — they need a compelling argument to convey the importance of an IT PMO to their colleagues.