Over the last decade, the project management office (PMO) has become a prominent feature in many organizations. Despite the proliferation of PMOs in practice, our understanding of this phenomenon remains sketchy at best. No consensus exists as to the way PMOs are or should be structured nor as to the functions they should or do fill in organizations. In addition, there is no agreement as to the value of PMOs. Despite the importance of this phenomena and the lack of understanding, there has been very little research on this topic. A three-phase research program has been undertaken in order to develop a better understand of PMOs. This paper presents the research strategy, the overall program, and the results of the first phase of the research.
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