PMO Strategies

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working

Organizations have more data than ever before.

More dashboards.
More reports.
More tools.
More conversations about AI.

And yet, many leaders still cannot get the trusted information they need to make fast, confident decisions.

In this episode, I am joined by Scott Ambler to discuss why organizations continue struggling with fragmented data, siloed systems, disconnected reporting, and decision-making delays.

Scott is a recognized thought leader, international keynote speaker, former Vice President at PMI, and co-author of 31 books, including his latest book, Not Just Data: How to Deliver Continuous Enterprise Data.

Together, we share why better decision-making does not come from creating more reports. It comes from building the systems that allow trusted enterprise data to flow continuously to the people who need it, when they need it.

If your organization is investing in dashboards, reporting tools, transformation, AI, or enterprise modernization, this conversation will help you see the data foundation underneath all of it.

What you’ll learn:
🔹 Why more reporting does not always lead to better decisions.
🔹 How siloed systems and disconnected data slow strategy execution.
🔹 Why executives may still lack decision-ready information with constant reports.
🔹 What continuous enterprise data pipelines are and why they matter.
🔹 Why AI cannot compensate for poor data quality.
🔹 How PMO and transformation leaders can help protect and prioritize the data work.
🔹 Why trusted data flow is becoming a strategy delivery capability, not just an IT concern.
Press play and learn why better decision-making does not start with more dashboards. It starts with trusted enterprise data that supports decisions, action, and measurable IMPACT.

Connect with Scott Ambler:
Follow Scott Ambler on LinkedIn
Visit ScottAmbler.com

P.S. Want help applying what I teach in The IMPACT Engine?
This summer, I’m hosting The IMPACT Application Lab inside the IMPACT Insiders Book Club, where book owners will take one real strategy delivery challenge and work through how to Map the Mess, Make Your Case, and Build Your Plan.
Your book is your ticket.
📘 Get the book here.
👥 Join IMPACT Insiders here.

Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

One of the hardest parts of leading a PMO has nothing to do with project management.

It is credibility.

You can have the right framework, the right tools, the right templates, and the right intentions. But if the organization does not trust the PMO yet, every process you introduce can feel like more overhead.

More meetings.
More reporting.
More templates.
More “governance.”

And suddenly, the PMO that was created to help the organization deliver strategy is being seen as the thing slowing everyone down.

That is the credibility deficit.

And many PMOs start there before they have even had a chance to prove themselves.

In this episode, I’m talking about how PMO leaders build credibility in a way that actually sticks. Not through control. Not through more process. Not by chasing people with templates and dashboards.

Through visible business value.

Because credibility does not come from authority. It comes from helping the organization solve real problems, make better decisions, and move strategy forward.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why many PMOs start with skepticism instead of trust.
• How to spot the credibility deficit before it becomes a bigger problem.
• Why more process can make the PMO look like bureaucracy if value has not been demonstrated first.
• The fastest way to build credibility with executives who are already questioning ROI.
• Why visible early wins matter more than building the perfect operating model.
• How to shift from reporting activity to communicating outcomes.
• Why consistency is what turns one win into real executive trust.
• How credibility expands your influence and earns the PMO a stronger role in strategy delivery.

I also share a client example where the organization thought it had a delivery problem, but the real issue was prioritization. With more than 300 initiatives underway and everything treated like a top priority, no amount of extra methodology or reporting was going to fix the problem.

The shift happened when the PMO helped leadership connect the work to the business goals, identify what truly mattered, and make the hard calls about what needed to pause.

That is where credibility starts.

Not by proving the PMO is busy.

By proving the PMO helps the organization focus, decide, and deliver.

If your PMO is doing good work but still not getting the trust, influence, or executive confidence to match, this episode will help you see what may be getting in the way and what to do next.

Press play and learn the five moves that help PMO leaders build credibility, earn trust, and become the strategy delivery partner the organization actually needs.

P.S. Want help applying what I teach in The IMPACT Engine?
This summer, I’m hosting The IMPACT Application Lab inside the IMPACT Insiders Book Club, where book owners will take one real strategy delivery challenge and work through how to Map the Mess, Make Your Case, and Build Your Plan.

Your book is your ticket.
📘 Get the book here.
👥 Join IMPACT Insiders here.

Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

PMOs rarely fail because of a weak plan.

They fail because the adoption stalls. Pilots linger. Big bets like AI never move into everyday behavior. The initiative launches with energy. People say yes. Then six weeks in, nothing really changed.

In this episode, I sit down with Tracey Lovejoy, behavioral scientist, strategist, and co-founder of Catalyst Constellations. Tracey spent 12 years at Microsoft leading innovation at the intersection of design, technology, and change. As an ICF certified executive coach, she helps leaders navigate complexity with clarity. And with a deep passion for unlocking human potential, she is the perfect guest to tackle the adoption problem head on.

We get into what is really happening when change falls apart. And more importantly, what can you do about it right now.

What You Will Learn
Why adoption fails before the plan is even finished.
The biology of change resistance. And why is it not your enemy.
Why people resist change done TO them. Not change they choose.
The grief cycles inside every major initiative. Even the ones people wanted.
Lovers, haters, and just don't care. How to move each group forward.
Build your listening skills first. Everything else follows.
The network map that has nothing to do with the org chart.
Two red flags that predict transformation failure every time.

Press play. Your initiatives can only succeed as far as your people follow. This is the conversation you did not know you needed.

Connect with Tracey Lovejoy:
Tracey Lovejoy on LinkedIn
catalystconstellations.com/book

P.S. Do you want my help applying what I teach in The IMPACT Engine?
This summer, we’re launching the IMPACT Application Lab inside the IMPACT Insiders Book Club to help you turn the ideas in the book into real movement inside your PMO, portfolio, and strategy delivery work.
Book Club and these workshops are free for all owners of The IMPACT Engine: Accelerating Strategy Delivery for PMO and Transformation Leaders. If you already have the book, upload your receipt or a photo of you with your copy (if it was gifted to you) and we’ll send your invite.
📘 Get the book here.
👥 Join Book Club here.

Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Most PMOs do not fail because of the people leading them.
They fail because they were designed around the project management process instead of business outcomes.
Organizations launch PMOs hoping they will improve visibility, create accountability, and help leaders execute strategy. But too many PMOs become administrative overhead instead of strategic assets because they start with templates, governance, and reporting instead of solving the business problems executives care about.
And executives are not asking for more templates.
They are asking for confidence that the organization can deliver its strategy.

In this episode, Laura Barnard walks through six powerful steps for building a PMO executives trust, support, and rely on to accelerate strategy delivery.

You’ll learn:
Why do most PMOs fail before they ever launch.
The first question every PMO leader must answer before the building process.
Why aligning the PMO with strategy changes how executives perceive its value.
How PMOs accidentally create governance bottlenecks that slow delivery.
Why early wins are critical to building executive trust.
How to position your PMO as a strategy delivery engine instead of an administrative layer.
The role PMOs should play across the entire strategy of lifecycle.
Why do busy teams not always mean strategic progress.

When a PMO is designed around business outcomes instead of project mechanics, everything changes.

The PMO stops becoming a reporting function and starts becoming one of the most valuable strategic capabilities in the organization.

Press play to learn how to build a PMO executive trust.

P.S. Reading about PMO transformation is one thing. Applying it to your organization's challenges is where real results happen. Inside the free IMPACT Insiders Book Club, I'll guide you through the IMPACT Application Lab, a free live workshop series designed to help you identify what's slowing down strategy delivery and create a focused action plan for change.
Learn more and join here: IMPACT Insiders Book Club

Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Ponder this - “Are you running a project or running a business?”
Most project managers never ask that question. They track tasks, manage timelines, and report status. Meanwhile, executives are quietly asking a different question: does this person understand how the business works?

I had an incredible conversation with Eddie Monroe, CEO of CCE Business Solutions, about what it really means to think and lead an entrepreneur inside a project or PMO role. Eddie founded CCE in 2022 on two non-negotiable principles: culture and customer experience. Those are not soft skills. Those are survival skills for project leaders who want a seat at the table.

What You Will Learn
How executives view PMO leaders and what they expect
The three intangibles Eddie looks for when hiring project leaders
How financial acumen separates good PMO leaders from great ones
Why 51% of PMOs shut down within 3 years and how to avoid that fate

Press play and hear how project leaders who think like entrepreneurs stop getting managed out and start getting promoted up.

Connect with Eddie Monroe on LinkedIn
Website: CCE Business Solutions
Email: emonroe@ccebusiness.com
Book: Your Career Will... Valuable Insight On What To Expect
Free 90-Minute PMO Workshop: Mention PMO Strategies when you reach out to Eddie Monroe to claim your free session, plus a complimentary 45-minute PMO Strategic Roadmap Session for your leadership team.

P.S. If leadership keeps questioning the value of your PMO, the problem is probably not your team. It may be your starting point. Join me on Tuesday, June 2 at 12:00 PM EDT | 5:00 PM BST for a free House of PMO webinar on how PMOs can become seen, trusted, and valued for the IMPACT they create. This is also a great opportunity to ask questions if you’ve been curious about IMPACT Engine Fundamentals, IMPACT Engine Practitioner, or the full IMPACT Engine System. Register for the free webinar here.
Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS