A Project Support Office (PSO) is different from a project management office. A PSO can be understood as a provisional, or long-lasting organizational unit that provides a range of services to provide support to project teams that are accountable for a defined group of projects (Wysocki, 2011). There are three kinds of PSOs. For starters, there is the directive PSO where project managers are administratively linked to the PSO and are allocated to projects from the PSO. In general, this structure is earmarked for enterprise-wide projects. Second, there is controlling PSO and in this kind, the components, templates, and procedures are all provided by the PSO and all project managers, irrespective of their resident department are expected to utilize them. Lastly, there is the supportive PSO that provides any kind of assistance and specialty the project manager or members of the team might require when requested (Wysocki, 2011; Pemsel and Wiewiora, 2013).Mission of PSOs

There are three possible mission statements, in relation to the types of PSOs. The first mission is linked to directive PSO and it is to provide general management and administrative support to the ALPHA program. This is the characteristic mission statement of a PSO providing administrative support for a program, which takes into account a set of projects linked to the ALPHA Program. Once this program is finished, the PSO disbands. The second mission statement is linked to the controlling PSO, to institute and monitor amenability to the project management methodology. The third mission linked to a supportive PSO to provide an extensive set of support services to all project managers on the basis of when entreated (Wysocki, 2011).

Structure of PSOs

There are different structures of Project Support Offices and can be listed as follows.

1. Virtual or Real Structure

A virtual PSO undertakes all of the purposes and roles of any other kind of PSO; however, their personnel are assigned to the business units. In particular, these PSOs are largely accessible when their services are required. They do not undertake any mundane functions. Aside from a director or an administrative support individual, the virtual PSO does not encompass any other budgeted personnel. On the other hand, the real PSO has a budgeted workforce of professionals, which might encompass numerous project managers. They undertake numerous routing roles, for instance project appraisals and software assessments. In particular, these appraisals are a proper way of monitoring the espousal of the methodology and discover the best practices. Their prominence lies in providing a fitting project support services to project teams (Wysocki,...

Temporary or Permanent Structure
Temporary PSO structures are created to provide services for the administrative and managerial necessities of large projects. These projects are disintegrated into minor sub-projects and very one of them allocated a project manager. They are liable to the program manager via the program office. The remaining PSO structures are permanent and provide services to an incessantly changing number of projects (Hill, 2013).

3. Reactive and Proactive Structure

The reactive PSO structure is in close alignment with the virtual PSO structure whereas the proactive PSO structure is closely aligned with the real PSO structure. On one hand, the real PSO structure can be proactive because they have the workforce to perform leadership roles in an assortment of projects to augment project management processes and practices. On the other hand, the reactive PSO structure does not have the workforce and simply gives responses to appeals for assistance (Pemsel and Wiewiora, 2013).

4. Enterprise or Functional Structure

PSOs within an organization can be linked to the functional or enterprise level. At the functional level, PSOs are mostly liable to the enterprise PSO if there exists any, and in overall provides services of a particular discipline. On the other hand, at the enterprise level, PSOs have to provide services to all disciplines. In general, they are well financed and manned, have perceptibility at the project portfolio level, and might take part in strategic roles (Wysocki, 2011).

5. Hub and Spoke Structure

PSOs can have a hierarchical structure particularly in big organizations. At the central office, also referred to as the hub, there is a high level PSO that establishes course of action and criteria for the organization, also referred to as an enterprise PSO. This PSO notifies a C-level executive of any progress. Business unit PSOs provide service to different functional areas and take their bearing for course of action and standards from the hub (Pemsel and Wiewiora, 2013). Characteristically, the hub consists of strategically motivated high-level project executives. At the end of a spoke, the divisional PSO encompasses operational roles for the unit they embody. Within the course of action and standards set by the hub, each division PSO has the freedom to establish and institute their own course of action and standards on condition that they are well-suited with the hub (Rosenhead, 2015).

Methods to Establish Project Support Offices

In order to establish a PSO, four vital elements t are taken into consideration and steps taken. The first one is to delineate the envisioned future of…