About the Enterprise Project Management Office

The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) supports the State Chief Information Officer by establishing and applying standardized processes, quality measures, and accountability structures that guide the planning and delivery of all non‑exempt IT projects across North Carolina. The office ensures projects align with statutory requirements, strategic priorities, and defined performance expectations through structured review, monitoring, and continuous improvement practices.

The EPMO provides expertise, metrics, and consultative guidance to help agencies plan effectively, manage cost and schedule, and deliver expected outcomes. By serving as the state's quality assurance arm for IT project management, it promotes transparency, consistency, risk awareness, and informed decision‑making throughout the project lifecycle.

Purpose & Statutory Responsibility

The EPMO is committed to overseeing the State CIO’s legislated mandate for all IT projects and programs. This means the development and implementation of standard processes, systems, and accountability measures that enable qualified PMs to deliver results on time, within budget, and as expected. This, and all associated governance and oversight document, help ensure IT projects are planned, developed, and delivered in a consistent, controlled, and transparent manner throughout the project lifecycle. The EPMO defines the operational project parameters for effectiveness and quality initiatives to ensure continual improvement and customer satisfaction.

The EPMO’s focus is:

  • Fulfillment of Article 15 of N.C.G.S 143B for IT project management
  • Development and implementation of standards for IT projects and project management
  • Meaningful metrics that improve financial and schedule performance
  • Consultative support for effective planning and cost estimation prior to the commitment of state resources
  • Streamlining decision points
  • Minimizing the need for IT project change requests
  • Independent review, as needed, of large or high-risk IT projects and weekly review of all others
  • The application of lessons learned, feedback, and metrics to continually improve the overall process
  • Leveraging existing State assets and tools for effective portfolio, program, and project management

IT Project Quality Policy & Objectives

Policy and objectives focus EPMO efforts on qualitative goals amenable to all IT project efforts, provides a framework for establishing and reviewing applied governance and oversight, and can be easily communicated throughout the State to achieve full understanding. The EPMO recognizes that successful IT projects leverage highly qualified people, effective processes, and appropriate technology to continually increase its value.

Policy

To support the State CIO, it is the policy of the EPMO to uphold consistent, disciplined, and evidence‑based practices that guide the management and delivery of IT projects across the state. This establishes the expectations under which the EPMO evaluates and ensures that project activities observe statutory requirements according to the following policy guidelines:

  • Employ expert staff to pursue evidence-based decision making in support of the SCIO’s IT project governance and oversight mandate for strategic planning processes
  • Assess IT projects for compliance with all executive, statutory, regulatory requirements, goals, and objectives
  • Work closely with stakeholders to determine the necessary level of awareness, tools, training, and guidelines to effectively deliver projects, programs and portfolios within planned cost and schedule
  • Respond to stakeholder requests and decision points with clarity and transparency based on defined timelines
  • Investigate when objectives are not met to determine why and initiate corrective action when necessary
  • Continually look for opportunities to improve effectiveness

Objectives

IT Projects are planned and executed to deliver expected IT solutions within a defined cost and schedule, and according to decision points that meet process defined timelines. These metrics translate into the following objectives:

  • Deliver IT projects following an approved schedule
  • Deliver IT projects within an approved budget
  • Facilitate statewide reviews and DPs based on timelines associated with defined processes and forward recommendations or return decision packages for corrective action in accordance with processes as required
  • Achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction through effective, measurable, and continually improving IT project oversight and delivery
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