PMO Strategies

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

Having more than one PMO is not the problem.

Disconnected PMOs are.

In larger organizations, it is completely normal to have an IT PMO, a business PMO, a transformation office, a product delivery function, and maybe even a strategy execution group all trying to help the organization get important work done.

That can be powerful.

But only if those teams are connected.

When they are not sharing information, coordinating resources, aligning priorities, or working from one enterprise view of strategy delivery, the organization starts paying the price.

Executives get different reports.
Teams compete for the same critical resources.
Priorities conflict.
Baton handoffs break down.
And strategy slows down.

In this episode, I’m talking about what really happens when your organization has multiple PMOs and how to move from fragmented delivery functions to one connected strategy delivery system.

You’ll learn:
• Why multiple PMOs are normal and when they become costly.
• How disconnected PMOs create different versions of the truth for executives.
• Why quiet competition between PMOs damages credibility and slows strategy delivery.
• How to treat information as infrastructure instead of power.
• Why resource conversations need to happen before conflicts land on exhausted team members.
• How better baton handoffs can keep strategy moving across delivery teams.
• Where an EPMO can help and why relationships still come before structure.

I also share a client example where one CEO was getting four different views of the organization’s delivery landscape, four different definitions of “on track,” and four different answers to one capacity question.

That is not a reporting problem.

That is a strategy delivery problem.

If your organization has multiple PMOs, transformation teams, product delivery functions, or strategy execution groups operating in parallel, this episode will help you see where the fragmentation is costing you and what to do about it.

Press play and learn how to stop competing for the same table and start building a stronger IMPACT Engine for the entire organization.

P.S. The first IMPACT Application Lab workshop is next week. Map the Mess will help you take one real strategy delivery challenge and identify what is actually getting in the way. This workshop is free for everyone who owns The IMPACT Engine. 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: 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