What is a PMO (Project Management Office)

The Project Management Office (PMO) sets the standards for work and processes among project managers. They establish documentation, best practices, and training for internal project managers. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is an AI assistant that works alongside you and through all your applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more, within your Microsoft Ecosystem. Copilot can be particularly beneficial for The PMO but there may be concerns about how it aligns with PMO best practices. In this blog, we will discuss PMO practices and Microsoft 365, how they fit together, and why using Copilot can be beneficial for your project management team.  

How Microsoft Copilot Aligns with PMO Practices  

Copilot adapts to your preferences, goals, and context and therefore helps you achieve more than you were previously able to. Copilot can also help project managers adhere to the PMI talent triangle, which consists of technical project management, leadership, and strategic business management. 

Project managers can use Copilot to assist with various tasks across the project lifecycle, such as brainstorming, communication, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing. However, Copilot cannot replace human judgment or decision-making. Project managers are still responsible for evaluating the suggestions put forward by Copilot and then tailoring them to their specific content. They will also need to approve any changes before their final implantation.  

Many people have expressed their concerns over Copilot having access to sensitive or confidential information. Copilot does not handle this type of information (such as proprietary data or personal information) and does not predict future events or outcomes with complete certainty. That is why Copilot won’t replace human judgment. Project Managers are ultimately responsible for evaluating Copilot’s suggestions and deciding if they are worth pursuing. Additionally, Copilot does not and will not ever use your data to train LLMs.

Use Cases for Copilot and PMO Best Practices

Copilot can make the life of a project manager much easier. Below are a few ways project managers can use Copilot for everyday work: 

1. Copilot can help project managers with brainstorming and communication. It can suggest ideas for a project based on a simple prompt. It will then categorize, organize, and summarize the generated ideas in a loop component that can be inserted in an email, Teams message, OneNote page, or Word document.  

2. Copilot can help project managers create a project plan based on a prompt or file. It can generate a summary, rationale, project goals, budget, and timeline for a project based on a Word document that has information about a specified project.  

3. Copilot can help project managers create custom and engaging presentations from a file or prompt. It can create a kickoff deck based on a document and include an outline, slides, and slide notes.  

4. Copilot can help managers respond to RFPs faster because it can analyze and summarize large documents. It will also highlight the key project requirements, risks, assumptions, and deliverables.  

5. Copilot can help project managers improve client meetings. Based on a presentation file, it can schedule a client meeting and include a summary, agenda, and attachment in the meeting invite.  

6. Copilot can help project managers collect and share feedback. From a prompt, it can create a survey and insert it in an email, Teams message, or PowerPoint slide.  

Copilot can help project managers direct and focus their attention on the most important parts of a project by taking care of certain tasks. With the additional time, project managers can better prepare for client meetings and gain a deeper understanding of the requirements and deliverables of a project. 

Want to make the most out of your Copilot investment? There are many possibilities with Copilot, but it isn’t always easy to know where to start. Imaginet can help you with the organizational adoption and implementation of Copilot. Fill out the form below and someone will be in touch. And make sure to subscribe to our blog for more data tips, tricks, and updates.  

Discover More