Want to understand your journey to becoming a rounded, experienced, and knowledgeable PMO person? The Wellingtone PMO Competence Framework has been designed to provide a simple-to-use tool that enables professionals at all levels to work across the three domains of PMO: capability, delivery, and strategy.
Competence versus competency
A search for Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) frameworks reveals two types: Competence Frameworks and Competency Frameworks. Competence is a noun that refers to the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. Competency acts as an alternative noun with the same definition according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Competency has been adopted and used through several professional channels as ‘jargon’ relating to some areas of professional life and legal proceedings. Because a PMO professional is more than the sum of his or her professional accreditations, it is on this premise that the Wellingtone PMO Competence Framework has been developed. You can learn more about this here.
PMO competence framework research notes
When our team looked into competence frameworks, our research indicated that PMO people are typically bound by competence frameworks or guidelines that are delivery-focused. However, PMO people offer much more than ‘just’ enabling the delivery of projects through successful project management.
One of the key facets of PMO success comes down to the people and how they build and maintain relationships. This is especially important when the PMO is supporting the implementation of organizational change. This action of effecting the change while also being affected by the change requires a degree of mastery.
The Harvard Business Review published several articles focusing on emotional intelligence and the impact of how many perceive it. They found that people take EQ into consideration when thinking about someone’s sociability, but not how EQ relates to their professional ability.
They found that when people think about EQ, they are not thinking broadly enough and so, they introduced the concept of EI which includes four domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The competencies that sit within each of these domains are learnable. Further, when understood and applied, they support an individual in delivering outstanding performance as a Leader.
The Wellingtone PMO Competence Framework
PMO Competence Framework Across Three Domains; Delivery, Strategy, Capability
PMOs touch all aspects of PPM in an organization. We already know that the skills needed to become a successful PMO professional are different from those that you need to become a successful project manager. Some are transferable, but others are not copy/paste. Our PMO Competence Framework balances the three domains: Delivery, Strategy, and Capability.
Strategic competencies test an individual’s toolset; strategic foresight and business management skills.
Delivery competencies test an individual’s toolkit; they adapt to their environment to enable successful outcomes.
Capability competencies test the mindset; behaviors and leadership skills of an individual.
As with all things PMO, there is no one size fits all. Instead, it is about understanding the boxes that are important to the individual (and the PMO) journey.
As a PMO professional, the framework provides a view of how an individual performs in each domain and incorporates the emotional intelligence competencies. This provides a path to a well-rounded performance that Harvard Business Review discusses in their report. Additionally, it considers elements from the APM Competence Framework and the PMI Talent Triangle, which also emphasize that talent is not just about delivery but understanding your business context and being equipped with indispensable ‘complementary skills’. The Wellingtone PMO Competence Framework is designed to stimulate the desire for knowledge.
The competencies
The PMO Competence Framework includes seven competencies in each of the three Competence Domains (21 in total): Delivery, Strategy, and Capability, and covers all the skills required for an individual to forge a successful PMO Career Path; regardless of their route into the industry, or their previous experience. Within the framework itself, each competency is fully defined and provided with an illustration of characteristics and behaviors to enable individuals to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Delivery
Strategy
Capability
The result
An individual’s current skill will be graded on the below scale and provided in a report that provides insight into key areas of strength and opportunities. If our consultants are working with an individual on a one-to-one basis, they will also develop an action plan to target areas of opportunity and to make the most of notable strengths. Like many other Competence Frameworks, we do this by reviewing both an individual’s knowledge of and their experience delivering, that competency.
This allows the result to be truly bespoke to the individual, their role, and their aspirations.
Work and life balance
This unique blend of competencies includes the same ethos that Wellingtone has for PMOs. There is no one better ‘type’ of PMO or PMO professional. Thus, the competence framework enables individuals to look inwardly for context to create a well-rounded journey, adding to their competencies over time.
According to Reed (How to Achieve a Work-Life Balance), a work-life balance allows individuals to realize their personal as well as their career goals. We achieve this through understanding our nature and how that appears both in life and work. The Wellingtone PMO Competence Framework blend of domains and competencies includes some elements that can be applied in both contexts. Therefore, this allows for a career path that reflects the individual as much as it reflects the professional.
How to access the PMO competence framework
Wellingtone offers the Competence Framework through several channels:
- At the start of PMO engagement, the PMO teamwork with the new client with a self-serve toolkit to get an overview of the level of competence in the team to deliver an appropriate roadmap
- A stand-alone service, which includes the competence framework through a series of interviews, coaching, and mentoring over an agreed period
- Those attending the PMO Professional course get an insight into their competence levels with a taster of the framework to get them started on their journey
