The PMO Competency Gap No One Talks About

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Author:

Americo Pinto, PMI-PMOCP, PMP | PMOGA Managing Director at PMI

Summary: 

Inspired by a thoughtful comment from Trevor K. Nelson, this article examines the critical gap between PMO structural frameworks and the actual capabilities needed to execute them. Pinto argues that while the PMO Value Chain provides an excellent roadmap from needs to recognized value, it cannot execute itself - success depends on people with the right competencies. The article challenges the "halo effect" assumption that successful project managers automatically excel in PMO roles, emphasizing that PMO professionals require distinct competencies including business acumen, consulting skills, and strategic thinking capabilities.

Why PMO Leaders Should Read This: 

This article addresses the fundamental people challenge in PMO success. The PMI PMO Practice Guide identifies 30 core competencies for PMO professionals, but the article goes deeper into why traditional project management skills, while foundational, are insufficient for PMO success. The discussion of how competency gaps break the PMO Value Chain at each transition (Needs→Services requires strategic listening, Services→Outputs requires design skills, etc.) provides a practical framework for identifying and addressing capability gaps within PMO teams.

Why It's Worth Discussing:

The article elevates PMO work to professional discipline status, arguing that PMO professionals deserve recognition, standards, and growth pathways distinct from project management. The exploration of PMO customer competencies - whether stakeholders have the capabilities needed to turn PMO outputs into outcomes - opens an important discussion about shared responsibility for value creation. This represents a maturation of PMO thinking from purely delivery-focused to relationship and capability-focused approaches.