A PM’s Toolbox Tour: Treasure Chest or Pandora’s Box?
So. It’s the end of the week and I’ve shown you mine, now let’s take a look at yours! Is your toolbox a treasure chest full of bright, shiny, valuable tools or is it more like Pandora’s Box, full of unreliable, outdated, more-trouble-than-they’re-worth tools? Lowe’s Home Improvement has some good advice on the question: “If you use a tool often, sharpen it often.” It’s pretty easy to agree that maintaining your tools (vs. fixing broken ones) is necessary if you want to get the most from them; the trick is taking the time to do it.
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Ainsley Nies at 28 Jun 2008 under Implementing project management
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I see no point in reinventing the wheel – I prefer to accessorize! So to make the most of what I’ve learned already, I keep a basic set of templates and checklists in the toolbox, along with the inevitable expectation that they’re a starting point for adaptation and customization. 
The second tray of my toolbox has two compartments, one for key components of various project management methodologies/ approaches, and one for facilitation exercises. The number of variables per project ensures that every project will be unique – a standard methodology does nothing to change this, though most do their best to control them (control change? Good luck…). 
The top tray of my project management toolbox has three compartments which hold my Chimes, Linked Lists and Open Channel. Tibetan chimes (tingshas) are prayer chimes traditionally used to focus and clear the mind before and after a teaching or meditation. I use them a bit differently as a way to attract people’s attention without having to raise my voice or bang on the table. 
The first thing I see when I open my toolbox is the inside of the lid, so here’s where I post reminders of the things that will have the most overall effect on my work – my project management principles and mantra. The project management principles define how my values are implemented on the job. I know that, consciously or unconsciously, they are the underpinnings of all the decisions I make.
I’ve been talking to folks lately about their favorite project management tools – the essential ones that they just can’t do without. I expected much of what I heard and was surprised and delighted with the unexpected - like “my sense of humor”. It got me to thinking seriously about the tools I rely on most and why, so this week I’ll be writing about what’s in my own toolbox, it’s maintenance and what I learned from mulling it all over. 
I always wondered where you would find a PMO practitioner? The width and breadth of a PMO covers many distinct and different components designed to meet the strategic needs of that enterprise. The scope of each PMO may begin differently but with maturity and support over time, can be expected to evolve into a contributing unit, providing a broad set of services filling the needs of any successful organization. You can’t just buy a PMO practitioner at Walmart…or on ebay.