Project Management Office
The main goal of the Project Management Office (PMO) is to align IT efforts with SSU strategic priorities and ensure that projects are executed effectively and efficiently to advance the mission of the university. Consult the PMO charter (Seawolf login required), for more information about the goals and objectives of the PMO.
PMO Services
The PMO facilitates strategic project selection and project prioritization. Project requests must align with Sonoma's key strategic priorities, including student enrollment, engagement, and revenue generation. The prioritization process considers factors like urgency, risk, constraints, and IT resource capacity.
To submit new project requests for consideration, follow the process outlined in the IT Project Proposal Form.
The Project Management Office (PMO) team provides strategic oversight and execution support to ensure the successful delivery of technology initiatives. The PMO team partners with stakeholders across SSU to manage the project lifecycle, including scope definition, planning, communication, progress tracking, and transition to operations while ensuring compliance with governance standards. By following best practices in project management, the PMO team enhances collaboration, optimizes resource utilization, and helps stakeholders deliver solutions that improve SSU's technological capabilities to support students, faculty, and staff.
To see the status of approved projects and new project requests, consult the IT Project Portfolio Dashboard.
The PMO leads a Project Management Community of Practice (CoP). The main goal of the PMO CoP is to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among project management professionals and other SSU employees interested in project management. It provides a platform for members to exchange best practices, insights, and experiences, enhancing their skills and competencies. By promoting a culture of continuous learning and innovation, the community helps standardize methodologies, improve project outcomes, and elevate the overall maturity of project management practices within SSU. Read the PMO CoP Group Charter and view past Agendas and Materials.
The PMO team can facilitate the mapping and analysis of existing business processes to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
- To learn more about key PM concepts and processes, consult our PMO FAQs
- To get a copy of the PMO Project Management Templates, access the PM Templates shared drive.
For any questions related to the PMO, or to request accessible versions of PMO documents, contact pmo@sonoma.edu. The PMO team is here to assist you!
Project Management Process
These are the key phases of the project management process. Consult the list of key deliverables for each phase.
For a project to be prioritized and reviewed for approval, a project request needs to be submitted.
In the initiating phase, the project officially starts and the project sponsor allocates resources including the Project Lead and Project Coordinator (depending on the characteristics of the project)
In the planning phase, the project lead in conjunction with the project team fine the course of action to achieve the scope of the project.
In the Executing and Controlling phase, the project team implements the plans to complete the work and track and review the progress.
In the Closing phase, the project lead formally completes or closes the project. Once a project has been completed, the end product will be transitioned into operations/maintenance mode.