Embracing PMO Customer Centricity
This chapter examines in depth how the PMO should adopt and sustain a customer-centric approach. Customer centricity is not just a slogan — it is a fundamental principle that shapes all PMO activities.
Customer Identification and Segmentation
PMO customers are diverse: senior management (information for strategic decisions), program/project managers (methodology and tool support), functional managers (resource planning), team members (training and coaching). Each customer segment has different needs, expectations, and value perceptions. The PMO must customize its services according to these differences.
Customer Expectation Management
Proactive management of expectations is critical for success. The PMO should regularly assess customer expectations, establish realistic expectations, and make it visible when expectations are exceeded. Expectation gaps — the difference between what the PMO delivers and what the customer expects — are the most common cause of dissatisfaction.
Feedback Mechanisms
Collecting customer feedback and acting on it is the essence of customer centricity. The PMO should use multiple assessment methods including surveys, individual interviews, focus groups, observation, and data analysis. Feedback should cover not just service quality but the entire customer experience.
Empathy and Relationship Management
Customer centricity requires empathy — the PMO understanding the pressures, challenges, and goals of the people it serves. It also requires humility — the PMO acknowledging that it exists to serve the organization.
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