Frequently Asked Questions

The PMO provides dedicated project management support to help you deliver on your project goals. By utilizing established methods, tools and processes, your project manager will collaboratively establish a plan that best delivers your project needs and then lead your team through delivery of this plan. 

The project manager at the PMO is in charge of planning, doing, and finishing your project. They help figure out what tasks need to be done, who will do them, and when they should be completed. They make sure the project goals are met on time, stay within the planned details, and don’t spend more money than planned. 

Working with a PMO project manager helps make your project goals, timelines, and responsibilities clearer. This improves how your team organizes and works together. Plus, their skills in solving problems, handling risks, and communicating with everyone involved help overcome challenges, keeping your project on track and your team efficient. 

if you have a goal or deliverable you need to achieve within a required timeline, chances are you have a project.

You can reach out to the PMO by requesting a consultation or by emailing Clare Martin at c.martin@northeastern.edu. Once you submit your request, one of our team will setup a meeting to discuss your project and agree the best way forward.

PMO services are available to all departments, colleges, and units within Northeastern University. No matter the type, scale, or location of your project, the PMO is here to support you.

The PMO operates on a fee for service basis. We charge $95/hour for hours worked only. There is no minimum fee or engagement. 

Your dedicated project manager will provide you with a Statement of Work (SOW) identifying the budget cost for their support. This SOW will detail the services being provided, the likely duration of the engagement, an estimate of the hours, and a budget cost for the work. 

No, the PMO does not charge for the initial consultation call. 

The PMO offers many services like finding out what your project needs, planning it, managing risks, and organizing resources. Our experienced project managers will work with you to give advice, support, and tips to make sure your project is successful. 

Your project manager will help you create a project charter, which is a formal document that starts the project and explains its goals, scope, stakeholders, and initial resources. It acts as a guide throughout the project. 

Using this charter, your project manager will make a project plan, which is a detailed timeline showing the order and length of tasks and milestones. This helps with planning, tracking, and communication during the project.

The PMO team utilize Microsoft Teams for collaboration and document storage and Smartsheet to create project plans, reports, and dashboards to support your project. Smartsheet is an enterprise software available to everyone at Northeastern.

Your project manager will work with you to create an implementation plan at the start of your project. Using the charter, project plan, risk management, stakeholder management, project meetings, and other documents, your project manager will customize a delivery plan just for your project. 

Your project manager will agree a reporting cadence with you during the project charter drafting phase. This reporting may include weekly status reports, action item tracking and dashboards.

The PMO can use different project management methods like Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches. We work with everyone involved in the project to choose the best method based on what the project needs and any limitations.