Perceptions & Expectations of the Roles & Functions of the IT Project Management Office

The concept of the IT Project Management Office (PMO) appears to be rapidly growing in popularity and influence globally. This indicates considerable interest in the industry on the potential of the IT PMO, a central element of IT project management in organisations. Although established to ensure project success, the value of these IT PMOs is being questioned, putting them in a paradoxical situation. Prior research has uncovered a key factor behind this tension – the fact that IT PMOs play multiple roles in multiple organisational processes, and have to meet often competing demands and expectations from various stakeholders. Despite acknowledging the importance of these stakeholders’ expectations, there is little empirical research on these varying perceptions and expectations of the roles and functions of the IT PMO. This action research study will attempt to investigate the implications of congruence (or incongruence) between these differing stakeholder perceptions and expectations. This study also hopes to better equip IT PMO leaders by helping them gain shared understanding of their stakeholders’ perceptions and expectations, and support them in the development of strategies in order to better manage these perceptions and expectations.