Setting a research agenda for IT Project Management Offices

This paper recommends a number of research directions and themes to IS researchers concerning the planning, implementation, operations, and delivery of business value from IT Project Management Offices (IT PMOs). The recommendations are based on a review and analysis of academic literature on PMOs in which the authors noted that there were many challenges and tensions regarding PMOs that seemed unresolved. These formed the basis for a recommended research agenda that is presented in this paper. The research agenda is organized under three main themes: Up front planning and preparation for an IT PMO implementation, implementing and operating an IT PMO, and finally, delivering value from an IT PMO. These themes were then discussed with IT PMO managers in the context of their organizational environment, to establish whether they represented issues and challenges that were of genuine concern. It is intended that the research agenda will motivate and guide future research into IT PMOs.