The role of different project management office types in organizational development

Abstract

This paper investigates the different types and levels of project management offices (PMOs) and their functions in creating organizational development, together with the best way to structure project work in the organ-ization. Based on semi-structured interviews from managers of seven organiza-tions located in Hungary and Switzerland, the outcome is that PMOs function as brokers between corporate strategy and project delivery whose performance is determined by aspects like positioning, access to senior executives, and pro-ject culture maturity rather than by formal design. Successful PMOs balance decentralized execution with centralized standards and governance by utilizing common hybrid models that combine support, compliance, and project manage-ment freedom. The paper also found that PMOs significantly improved transpar-ency, prioritization, and organizational resilience. The study that the most-used model is the hybrid type of PMO and stresses the combined effect of positioning, maturity, and integrated skills as the most important factors that have an influ-ence on effectiveness. The research is limited by the small sample size and the limited sectoral coverage, suggesting the need for larger-scale mixed-method studies as well as cross-national studies.