A review of the role of project management offices in establishing offsite construction capabilities

Modern construction calls for lean principles which promote optimal use of resources and offsite construction (OSC). Project Management Offices (PMO) are important to establish project management (PM) methods. OSC is one of the domains in which PMO can facilitate communications and processes. Considering recent OSC technology developments and interrelations between off-site and onsite activities, the application of PMO can be advantageous in managing the interfaces and achieving on-time delivery. Research advocates many opportunities for OSC key players to harness the full potential of changing technological dynamics. However, the overlapping and diverse body of knowledge on OSC requires integrative studies to capture the contrasts and provide an exhaustive framework of such OSC capabilities. This research adopts a qualitative approach to review expert opinion on the role of PMO in inducing integrated OSC PM through central governance. The coherence of PMO capabilities in the OSC domain needs to be maintained since they are closely interrelated and complementary to each other. This study indicates the impact of central governance on bringing separated elements of OSC PM together and aligning offsite operations with strategies.