PMO Analyst - Scotland

PMO Analyst Jobs

Large projects can become incredibly complex, and with complexity comes confusion and a tendency to let inefficiencies creep in. That’s why the project management office (PMO) analyst is brought in. He or she is tasked with monitoring the data flowing through the process and identifying weak spots, inefficiencies and other problems that are causing unnecessary costs to mount up. Often, the PMO analyst is required to audit a process and come up with a set of standards that become the goal of those involved in the process, and then he or she will ensure these standards are met.

The PMO analyst usually oversees the project support officer and they collectively support and maintain the project management, and often report to a project manager or director who should act on the PMO analyst’s recommendations. PMO analysts can be on short–medium-term contracts as they oversee a particular change or transformation, or they could be full-time employees imposing constant improvement and efficiencies on an ongoing process.

The skills required

Depending on the role and the industry, some companies demand experience in industry-standard methodologies like PRINCE2 or similar as a basic qualification, whereas others will be happy with a proven record of process improvement through analysis. The handling of data is the PMO analyst’s most important individual task. You should know how to collect process data accurately and to maintain it clearly and accessibly. You also need to understand how to interpret the data so that you can start putting reparative measures in place.

You probably won’t be sitting looking at dials and graphs all day – you will be getting out into the workplace and talking to people about their processes and problems and thus identifying issues. This can be more telling than any raw performance data. Experience in the same industry as the business will be of great assistance if you are to quickly get up to speed with how it works.