The Effect of Project Management Office on the Organizational Performance: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia

Project Management Offices (PMOs) have been adopted worldwide by many companies and government agencies to cope with the accelerated pace of change in all industries and fields. In Saudi Arabia, PMOs have gained much momentum recently, especially in the public sector. Many offices were established in all types of governmental authorities to manage and support the implementation of Vision 2030 programs. However, the specific roles of PMOs and their added value to organizations are still vague. This study develops a framework for identifying PMOs' functions, maturity levels, and effect on the public sector organizations of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was used to solicit responses from 29 PMOs around the country. Findings revealed that PMOs have an overall moderate maturity of the provided services. Their focus is to control & monitor project performance, develop project management methodologies & competencies, and support strategic management. Thereby, PMOs were able to affect organizations positively and create values. The results showed that the overall effect is moderate on many aspects of the organization, mainly on strategic management and project management. Also, PMOs contribute to improving multi-project management, organizational learning, and culture change. Disciplinary: Industrial Engineering, Project Management. (C) 2021 INT TRANS J ENG MANAG SCI TECH.