Delivering Projects and Strategy 2030+ Programmes at European XFEL: A Lean PMO Approach// How we train Project Managers at European XFEL, and why

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Project Management at research institutions aims to balance agile science with structured, waterfall like delivery and accountable spending. We present how the European XFEL Project Management Office (PMO) has evolved since 2019 into a supportive, lean supportive function that provides clear processes, standardized documents, and hands on support so Project Managers (PMs) can deliver reliably while protecting day to day operations. The PMO clarifies the project lifecycle, establishes fair and transparent resource allocation from support groups, and introduces a predictable monitoring cadence and escalation paths to enable timely decisions. These processes cover different project categories, from the relatively small Development Projects (up to two years) to Strategy Programmes (multi year activities overseen by a Strategy Implementation Board to implement EuXFEL Strategy 2030+). In particular, programmes are "sliced" into phases and constituent projects with explicit exit points; Oversight by Management and Strategy Implementation Boards, with PMO and Controlling support, ensures traceable scope, schedule and budget baselines, mitigates negative side effects on other activities, and enables "learning by doing" across the portfolio. All these structures aim at improving predictability, prioritization, and accountability while remaining lightweight enough for cutting edge research.

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