- Provides administrative support and guidance to PM.
- Replaces PM.
- Standardize approaches
- Provide assurance to Sponsor,Stakeholders and PM.
- Ensure continual improvement
- Provide administrative support and guidance to PM: Project office (P.O) relieves the PM from the overburden of the administrative works. That enables PM to focus on his other responsibilities. For example P.O can take care of configuration management and document control, assist PM in meetings preparations, typing minutes of meetings, following up responses…etc.
- Replace PM: Project office can deputize the responsibilities of the PM especially if its members have remarkable experience in the management field. That is important as it provides continuity in case if the PM is replaced. For example, PM resigned with one month notice. New PM who will replace him will join the project after two months. PM will hand his responsibilities to the PO who will deputize the PM responsibilities until the new PM arrives and takes over his responsibilities. New PM will be closely assisted by the PO until
he gains all the information about the project. - Standardize approaches: Project office is the vehicle that enables organisation to standardize approaches by using common methods of implementation. That is important as it maintains consistency in managing different projects in an organisation, the one thing that saves time and cost. For example, P.O standardizes
the register forms, and log sheets such as risk and issue logs, change control request forms, etc. as well as the management procedures such as configuration management, change control, quality control…etc. - Provides assurance to PM., Sponsor, and stakeholders: Project office carry out internal audit on the project team and assures the PM that things are in proper place. P.O share audit reports with the sponsor and stakeholders in order to give them assurance that work is conducted in correct manner. For example, PO makes sure that technical review is conducted prior to any official submission and that relevant technical review forms re filled and duly signed.
- Ensure continual improvement: Project Office is vehicle that ensures that lessons learnt are communicated
between projects in the Organisation. That is important as it will assist in avoiding repeating same mistakes along different projects and will lead to saving both time and cost. It will also ensure continual improvement in the organisation since best practices will be adopted. For example early lead time will be considered for the delivery of overseas materials to avoid the delay that occurred in other projects.
another very good answer, enough detail in each point to get good marks in the exam.