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Your 90-day PMO setup checklist

Work through this checklist as you set up your PMO. Progress is saved automatically — come back any time and pick up where you left off.

Overall progress0%
Week 1
Listen and learn
Do not build anything yet
0 / 6
Listen more than you talk. Ask what frustrates them about how projects run currently.
Don't contribute — watch how decisions get made and where communication breaks down.
List every active project you can find: name, PM, sponsor, rough status.
Who do PMs actually go to for help? These people will make or break your PMO.
Listen for themes. If five people mention the same problem, that is your quick win.
Is anyone producing a portfolio view? If so, who reads it?
Week 2
Understand what exists
Audit before you build
0 / 6
What do PMs currently use? Document it before you replace it.
What information is being shared? What is missing? What is inconsistent?
Are there steering groups or portfolio reviews? Are they working?
This shapes everything you will build.
What could you do in four weeks that would make PMs lives noticeably easier?
Score your PMO across five dimensions. This gives you a baseline to measure improvement against.
Month 1
Build the foundation
Charter, standards, first quick win
0 / 7
Purpose, scope, services, authority, reporting line, resources, success measures, sign-off.
A PMO without a signed charter has no mandate. Do not skip this.
Start with two or three services maximum. Templates and standards, reporting, and maybe risk oversight.
One list of all active projects: name, PM, sponsor, stage, RAG, start and end date.
Share the templates, get feedback, adapt, then agree. Do not mandate templates nobody has seen.
Whatever topped your list from Week 2. Do it. Tell people you did it.
Weekly status from PMs, monthly portfolio report to leadership.
Month 2
Establish standards
Governance, gates, and first reports
0 / 6
Define the stages every project goes through with what happens at each stage.
What must be true to move from one stage to the next? Exit criteria, not just dates.
Where does a PM take a problem? At what point does it go to the portfolio board?
One page. RAG by project. Top risks. Decisions needed. Get leadership feedback.
Get the key sponsors together and walk through the project register.
Do not wait until everything is perfect. Real feedback from live use is more valuable than more planning.
Month 3
Deliver something real
Prove the PMO adds value
0 / 6
Pre-read circulated in advance, decisions documented, outcomes communicated.
By now people should be reading it. If not, find out why.
Host a retrospective, document the output, act on one recommendation.
Update it if needed. A charter nobody looks at is a wasted document.
How much has your score moved since Month 1? Even 0.3 improvement in 90 days is meaningful.
What gets developed, what gets added, what gets paused?
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PMO foundations complete

You have worked through all 90 days. Your PMO has a charter, standards, reporting, and real governance.

Want structured support through this process?

Our PMO Foundations Programme guides you through each stage with expert facilitation.

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