7 Examples Of Project Management Office Director Skills

The director of a project management office is a type of leader who helps guide the project management standards and practices of an organization. As a leader, the director applies a broad range of skills to motivate others, make sound decisions, achieve goals and think toward the future. If you’re interested in moving into a leadership role related to project management, it’s important to know what these skills are and how you can present them in your search for a director role.

In this article, we define project management office director skills, provide some examples of these skills and discuss what you can do to improve them, apply them and highlight them at every stage of your job search.

What are project management office director skills?

Project management office director skills refer to competencies and qualities that are essential for overseeing project management practices. Also known by the titles “PMO director” and “director, project management office,” the project management office director is responsible for developing and leading a project management office—an internal or external group that determines and enforces the standards that guide the management of an organization’s projects. In general, the project management office oversees the project manager and their process, and the PMO director oversees the office, so high-level leadership qualities are essential for the role.

7 examples of project management office director skills

Here are seven skills that effective project management office directors typically have:

1. Business acumen

Business acumen is the ability to comprehend and deal with various business matters. A person with strong business acumen understands how a business operates and generates revenue, and they can use this understanding to inform their decisions. For example, a director who’s knowledgeable about how money moves in and out of an organization is likely to be aware of what activities are valuable in terms of generating profit. Therefore, they’d have a better sense of how to direct resources to those activities to increase the profit potential.

2. Leadership

Leadership refers to a set of qualities that allow you to motivate others to reach a common objective. As a project management office director, you’re the leader of the group responsible for the successful completion of large organizational efforts. With leadership qualities, you’re capable of aligning the goals of the various members, identifying and optimizing others’ strengths and empowering them to make well-reasoned decisions.

3. Communication

Particularly in the context of the PMO director role, communication is the ability to convey ideas to others in such a way that they understand both their meaning and their value. Communication is vital because it’s how you relay important information, which is an important resource for the appropriate execution of a project. Communication is also important for coaching others so they can contribute optimally to the group and the organization. Clearly expressing expectations helps to guide the members of an organization toward desirable outcomes, and providing actionable feedback can encourage them to improve continually and persist amid challenges.

4. Organization

A person with organizational skills can arrange both their resources and their priorities in a way that fosters comprehension and productivity. An organized project management office director can keep track of their duties, the responsibilities of others and the statuses of various projects. Thus, they’re also able to document project activities thoroughly and accurately while keeping a precise mental record of the important occurrences concerning these activities.

5. Decision-making

Decision-making is the ability to assess a situation, consider the options available to you and choose the one that’s most likely to bring about a positive result. Two of the important roles of the project management office are to set the standards by which to measure the organization’s success and guiding the directions of its projects. As the director, you play a large role in determining those standards and making decisions throughout project life cycles about how to proceed at particular junctions.

6. Problem-solving

Problem-solving is similar to decision-making except that it relates to choices that help to overcome challenges. The director of a project management office can expect to face various problems as they navigate around obstacles common to the project management life cycle, such as delays, budgeting concerns, staffing issues and shortcomings concerning performance targets. With strong problem-solving skills, the director can devise imaginative fixes that facilitate project completion.

7. Strategic thinking

If you can think strategically, you can envision your goal in terms of all the steps required to achieve it and the various scenarios that may arise as you work toward it or after you’ve attained it. Having such a broad view of matters can strengthen your ability to make decisions, solve problems and lead others toward goals since you’ve deeply considered the potential outcomes of many possible paths. This improves the likelihood of guiding an organization down a course that produces a desirable outcome.

How to improve project management office director skills

If you want to improve your project management office director skills, you can follow these steps:

1. Learn more about your field

Developing your business acumen can be an excellent way to build a foundation for the rest of your skills. Whether you’re currently employed or aspiring to enter a field, build your understanding of how businesses in the field operate. Familiarize yourself with areas that could bear on a business’s ability to complete its projects, such as the supply chain, plus the factors that drive profits and losses. With a deeper understanding of these factors, you’re likelier to be able to direct an organization’s project management practices in a way that maximizes profits and minimizes risk.

2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses

Effective leaders are often skilled at leveraging the strengths and bridging the weaknesses of others. You can improve your leadership skills by applying the same approach to yourself. To identify your strengths and weaknesses, perform a self-analysis in which you deeply and honestly reflect on your abilities. Think about your major accomplishments and also your failures. If you notice any patterns in terms of your practices or behavior, those may point to strengths or weaknesses. Alternatively, ask a trusted associate about what they think are your defining characteristics.

Once you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses, you can focus on ways to improve on both. With some competencies, you can become stronger through sheer repetition and practice. If, for example, you want to become a better communicator, consistently applying mindfulness as you listen to and speak with others can lead to improvement over time. With other skills, consider enrolling in professional development opportunities, which are often available through employers or professional organizations.

3. Be mindful of your experiences

Your experiences, both professional and personal, can inform how you approach situations in your role as a project management office director. If you’ve encountered a particular problem in the past, for instance, the circumstances and consequences of the experience become knowledge that’s useful for guiding future decision-making, problem-solving and strategic thinking. With that in mind, try to reflect on every significant experience you have. Ask yourself what lesson you can glean from it and in what potential scenarios the lesson may be useful.

Project management office director skills in the workplace

The following are some ways that you can apply your project management office director skills in the workplace:

• Maintain a positive attitude. Having a positive, optimistic approach to your tasks and interactions with others can be an effective way of setting an example for those with whom you work. Your positive energy can also be a motivating factor that others may admire in a leader.

• Take note of others’ contributions. A project management office director is a leader, and part of being a leader is optimizing the abilities of those with whom you work. To do so, it’s essential to observe their work, evaluate their talents and determine how they can best serve the group.

• Regularly give feedback. Leaders also help to guide others in their success by providing feedback about work well done and areas of improvement. The feedback you give not only can improve morale and performance but also allows you to practice your communication skills.

• Keep a planner. Keeping track of dates, activities, milestones and other important events in writing can be an effective way of staying organized. You can use the planner according to your own system to make sure you retain valuable information.

• Identify problems. Assess the needs of the organization and determine what challenges are hindering the meeting of those needs. Once you’ve identified these problems, you can apply your problem-solving, decision-making and strategic thinking skills to them.

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