PMO Strategies

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: [email protected]
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

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Many organizations still debate whether a PMO truly adds value. Some leaders see it as essential. Others believe it slows everything down. The reality is that most PMOs are judged based on outcomes they were never designed to deliver.
In this episode, I talk about why so many PMOs struggle to demonstrate value and the five most common mistakes that lead to that problem. When a PMO focuses only on project mechanics instead of strategic outcomes, it risks becoming known for governance, reports, and meetings instead of results.

Executives are rarely asking for more project documentation. What they want is confidence that the organization can turn strategy into real results.

That shift requires a different approach. Governance must support decision-making. Metrics must connect to business outcomes. And the PMO must demonstrate early value that builds trust with leadership.

When designed around outcomes instead of activity, the PMO becomes something far more powerful than a reporting function. It becomes the capability that helps the organization deliver its strategy.

What You’ll Learn
✓ Why many PMOs struggle to demonstrate value.
✓ How governance can unintentionally slow execution.
✓ Why measuring outputs instead of outcomes creates confusion.
✓ How complexity and overdesign weaken PMO effectiveness.
✓ Why delivering early results builds credibility for the PMO.
Press play to learn what the top 5 mistakes PMOs make and how to avoid them.

P.S. Many PMOs are working harder than ever and still struggling to earn the support needed to THRIVE, not just survive. The problem often isn’t the effort. It’s resistance, lack of engagement, and poor results. If you want to rebuild credibility with your executives and stakeholders FAST, the PMO Rescue Webinar walks through how to identify where your PMO is off track and shift to create immediate IMPACT. Learn more and register now.
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
Stakeholder engagement is called a soft skill. It is one of the biggest drivers of delivery success.
I had an incredible conversation with Dr. Kimberly Strickland. She is the Director of the PMO at SAS Institute. Kimberly leads complex government and education project work. She built the Keystone Relationship Strategy from 20 years of practice.

PMO and transformation leaders lose momentum for one quiet reason. It is not weak plans or tools. It is trust and alignment eroding across your stakeholders.

Kimberly shares the early signals that something is off. She walks through the moves that reset expectations fast. You will hear how 15 minutes can change a project.

What you'll learn
Why projects rarely fail because the plan was weak.
The early signals that trust and alignment have started to erode.
The "meeting after the meeting" rule and why it matters.
Why cameras on in virtual meetings is a leadership choice.
The one 15-minute stakeholder conversation that can change a project.
Three questions every leader should be asking right now.
Why busy does not equal productive in delivery work.
How to make trust visible and measurable as a PMO leader.

Press play to learn the people-side moves that protect your projects. You will build credibility and accelerate the IMPACT you deliver. Process and people are not a choice. You need both, and Kimberly shows you how.

Connect with Dr. Kimberly Strickland:
Follow Kimberly on LinkedIn

Special offer from Kimberly: Download the Keystone Relationship Strategy Action Guide. It is a one-page checklist with reflection questions and stakeholder templates. Use it right away. Available at https://pmostrategies.com/359

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

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
Have you ever felt the pressure to expand your PMO services because stakeholders keep asking for more? It can feel like a sign of success. If people are asking for more support, your PMO must be doing something right.

However, adding services without the right strategy can quickly overwhelm your team and dilute your IMPACT.

In this episode of the PMO Strategies podcast, I walk through four critical questions every PMO leader should ask before expanding their services. These questions help you determine whether new services will truly increase your strategic influence or simply create more complexity.

When PMOs focus on the right services instead of more services, they become true drivers of organizational outcomes.

What you'll learn
• Why expanding PMO services too quickly can reduce your strategic influence.
• The four questions every PMO leader should ask before adding services.
• How to evaluate demand for new PMO capabilities.
• How capacity and capability IMPACT PMO service expansion.
• Why aligning services with business outcomes is essential.
🎧 Press play to discover the four questions that will help you expand your PMO services strategically.

P.S. International PMO Day is May 12th. Join Laura Barnard and Alexander David for a live 2.5-hour session showing how to close the gap between strategy and measurable business IMPACT.
→ Register for free and get the Value Gap Assessment.
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
Mentioned in this episode:
355: The Strategy Gap Your PMO Must Close Now

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills
Most leaders know sustainability as an environmental strategy. Reduce waste. Lower your carbon footprint. Build circular systems.
But there is a version of sustainability that is not on any corporate dashboard. It lives inside the people responsible for executing strategy. And when it runs out, everything fails.
In this episode, I had an incredible conversation with Mita Broca, Sustainability Leader of the PMI Norway Chapter, facilitator, and storyteller based in Oslo, Norway. Mita brings over 15 years of global experience partnering with orgs like Unilever, IKEA, Shell, and MasterCard. Working in sustainability, leadership, and human development, she makes it clear you cannot build regenerative organizations with depleted people.
What You Will Learn
The difference between extractive and regenerative ways of working.
Why 70% of large-scale transformation efforts fail and what it actually costs.
The burnout signals that are already present and most leaders override them.
One practical shift you can make this week to protect your energy and sustain your IMPACT.

Press play. Your organization's strategy can only execute as far as your own capacity allows. This episode is the conversation you did not know you needed.

Connect with Mita Broca:
Mita Broca on LinkedIn
mitabroca.com

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