PMO setup and delivery governance that works
As you grow, delivery gets harder to manage. A well-designed PMO creates alignment, reduces rework, and gives you the clarity you need to scale with confidence.
When delivery outpaces structure, the gaps show up fast
You're running ten projects in parallel. Three PMs are reporting to different functions. Your prioritisation happens through informal chats. Capacity planning is a spreadsheet someone updates when they get the time. You have no unified view of what's blocked, what's at risk, or whether any of this maps to strategy.
​
This is the inflection point. According to PwC, mature project management offices become "problem solvers, enablers, and motivators" rather than administrative burdens. But most companies wait too long to build this function, and by the time they do, they're firefighting instead of designing.
The cost of not having proper delivery governance
Without a PMO, you're not just losing visibility, you're losing money.
​
PMI estimates that $1 million is wasted every 20 seconds globally due to poor project management. That waste shows up as: scope creep no one caught early, resources double-booked across projects, dependencies discovered too late, decisions delayed because accountability is unclear, and executive time consumed by operational questions that shouldn't reach that level.
​
Organisations with a PMO report 65% project success rates compared to 56% without one. But it's not just about having a PMO. Only 22% of organisations without a strategic PMO achieve all business goals, versus over one in three with a strategic PMO achieving full success. The difference is whether your PMO is built for control or built for delivery.
​
The symptoms we see most often: inconsistent project initiation processes, no single source of truth for portfolio status, resource contention resolved through politics rather than prioritisation, risk management that's reactive instead of systemic, and reporting that takes hours to compile but doesn't answer the questions leadership actually has.
What a working PMO actually delivers
This isn't about templates and Gantt charts. A functioning PMO gives you three things that matter:
​
Portfolio visibility and prioritisation
PMO maturity models assess performance across governance, integration and alignment, processes, technology and data, and people. At the operational level, that means you know what's running, what's competing for the same resources, and which initiatives align to strategic goals. You can answer "should we start this now?" with data instead of instinct.
​
Delivery governance that scales
Governance isn't bureaucracy if it's done properly. It's decision rights, escalation paths, stage gates that catch problems before they compound, and a rhythm that keeps projects moving without constant intervention. PMOs deliver 33% improvement in projects under budget, 27% improvement in customer satisfaction, 25% increase in productivity, and 25% reduction in failed projects.
​
Capability building, not just oversight
The best PMOs don't just report on projects. They coach project managers, standardise what works, capture lessons learned while they're still useful, and build the organisation's delivery maturity over time. The top 10% of PMOs are delivering across five key dimensions: governance, integration and alignment, processes, technology and data, and people.
Rapid diagnostic
We identify the reasons your transformation is slipping: unclear ownership, weak governance, overloaded teams, or poor sequencing.
You get clarity on what’s broken and what must change first.
Governance reset
We establish the structure your transformation has been missing: roles, decision rights, meeting cadence, and reporting that leaders can rely on. It brings alignment and reduces the noise that slows everything down.
PMO setup or uplift
We build or strengthen the delivery engine behind the programme. That includes practical frameworks, templates, risk management, dependency tracking, and a way of working that keeps teams focused and coordinated.
Restore delivery rhythm
We put a predictable weekly cycle in place so progress becomes visible again. Clear updates, real escalation paths, aligned priorities, and agreed next steps help the programme regain momentum and stay on track.
"Michael and I met during a challenging time in an operational environment that had multiple competing priorities. Michael and his team worked closely with me on prioritising, managing and then resolving a mountain of issues and did so with humour and style.
I would love to work with Michael again. He brings energy, fun and solutions to business situations and worked with me, at pace, to resolve things. He is open to feedback, broad minded in getting things done and his flexibility was exceptional."
– Chris Neale
Chief Operations Officer, Skillsoft
How we build PMOs that don't become bureaucracy
75% of PMOs fail within the first three years. The most common reason? They're built for compliance instead of delivery. They accumulate processes without proving value. They become gatekeepers instead of enablers.
​
We build PMOs differently. The design starts with understanding what decisions your organisation actually struggles to make, what information leadership needs but doesn't have, and where delivery consistently breaks down. Then we design the minimum viable governance structure to fix those specific problems.
What we set up in the first 30 days:
Operating model
Scope of influence (project level, enterprise, or departmental), services the PMO will provide, and how it integrates with existing functions
Governance framework
Decision rights mapped to organisational structure, stage gates aligned to risk appetite, escalation protocols that work
Prioritisation model
Weighted scoring based on strategic alignment, capacity constraints modelled realistically, transparent criteria that withstand scrutiny
Portfolio reporting
Dashboards that show status without requiring manual compilation, exception-based reporting that surfaces problems early, metrics that track delivery health, not just activity
What we build in the following 30 days:
Risk and dependency management integrated into project workflows
Standardised initiation, planning, and closure processes that PMs actually use
Resource and capacity planning connected to portfolio demand
Tooling configuration that supports the model rather than dictating it
PM capability and role clarity development plan
This isn't a concept document. It's a working system. By day 60, your PMO is operating, your PMs are following processes because they see the value, and your leadership has visibility they've never had before.
Why most PMO implementations fail (and how we avoid it)
PMOs that function only as report-generating bodies tend not to last. We've seen the pattern: the PMO launches with enthusiasm, imposes new templates and reporting requirements, project managers comply reluctantly, the PMO becomes seen as overhead, and within 18 months there's a reorganisation and the PMO is quietly dissolved.
​
The failure modes are predictable:
​
Lack of executive sponsorship
PMO success depends on appointing the right person to promote it and ensuring senior leadership backs it consistently. If executives bypass the PMO or undermine its authority, it's dead on arrival.
​
No clear value proposition
There must be a clearly understandable mission statement signed off by senior managers. If the PMO can't articulate what problems it solves or how it contributes to business outcomes, it will be seen as bureaucratic overhead.
​
Inflexibility
Most PMOs fail because they lack flexibility. Organisations are dynamic. Projects vary in risk, complexity, and strategic importance. A rigid, one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.
​
Poor change management
The most common challenges in PMO implementations are not technical but cultural and change-related. If you don't secure buy-in from project teams and don't communicate why processes exist, you get compliance on paper only.
We avoid these failures by designing flexibility into the model from day one, building the PMO's credibility through early wins, and ensuring the people operating it have the experience to adapt as the organisation evolves.
What you get
​
In 30 days
Operating model defined and socialised. Initial governance in place. Portfolio visibility established. PM community aligned on approach.
​
In 60 days
Full PMO operational. Standardised processes adopted. Reporting automated. Resource planning connected to demand. First round of lessons learned captured and applied.
​
In 90 days
PMO embedded as delivery function. Predictability improved across portfolio. Leadership visibility at the level they need. PM capability visibly growing. The organisation wondering how they managed without it.
Case studies
We rebuilt delivery governance to align global teams across Product, Enablement, and Operations. Introduced shared scheduling, vendor management frameworks, and automated reporting. Result: 30% faster programme launches, clear ownership model, and a scalable global delivery rhythm.
Implemented fractional PMO for a scaling AI consultancy managing multiple client portfolios simultaneously. Built prioritisation frameworks, resource planning models, and consistent project governance across all engagements. Forecasting accuracy improved by 40%, and the business gained the control needed to scale without slowing down.
