278: From Struggles to Success: Samantha’s PMO Journey

PMO Strategies

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen As a PMO leader, you’ve probably been in a situation where you have all the best ideas, the latest templates, and the enthusiasm to drive change in your organization. But then, somewhere along the way, things don’t go as planned, and you find yourself wondering: what went wrong? In this episode, we’ll take you through the story of Samantha, a new PMO leader who faced these exact challenges. Her journey, taken from The IMPACT Engine book, is a powerful example of how PMO leaders can turn early struggles into success by focusing on what really matters—delivering outcomes, not just enforcing processes. The Enthusiastic Start Samantha was thrilled to start her new role as the leader of a newly formed PMO. After seven years of managing projects, she was ready for the challenge. During her interview, the CEO was clear: “Projects take too long and cost too much. You need to fix project management fast.” Excited but aware of the high expectations, Samantha dove headfirst into setting up her PMO. She spent hours researching best practices, reading books, and gathering templates. She believed that by putting the right structure in place, she could solve the company’s project execution problems. She got straight to work on creating detailed processes to ensure consistency in project delivery. It seemed like the perfect solution at the time. The First 90 Days: A Reality Check After 90 days of hard work, Samantha was eager to present her progress to Alex, her boss. She walked into the meeting with a binder full of templates and processes, ready to showcase everything she had built. But instead of the praise she was expecting, Alex asked a critical question: "How is this actually going to solve our execution problems?" Samantha’s smile faded as she realized she had been so focused on creating the how—the templates, the methodology—that she hadn’t fully considered the why behind it. She assumed that once people saw the new process, they’d be excited to jump on board. But she hadn’t considered how these processes would resonate with the people who needed to use them. A Common Mistake for PMO Leaders Samantha’s experience is a lesson many PMO leaders learn the hard way: just having the right tools and templates won’t necessarily solve deeper issues. While she had developed a robust structure, she hadn’t shown her stakeholders how it aligned with their goals or why it was important to them. In fact, Samantha’s early focus on enforcing processes without explaining their purpose led to resistance. People felt the new procedures slowed them down rather than helping them move faster. The Turning Point At the six-month mark, Samantha’s boss, Alex, called her into his office again. He explained that team members were frustrated with the PMO and felt the processes were burdensome. Instead of delivering faster results, projects were taking even longer. This feedback was a wake-up call. Samantha realized that while she had perfected the “how” (the tools and templates), she hadn’t spent enough time understanding the “why” from the perspective of her stakeholders. Focusing on Outcomes, Not Processes Determined to turn things around, Samantha shifted her approach. Rather than pushing templates, she began having conversations with her stakeholders. She asked, “What would make this process easier for you?” and “What are the biggest roadblocks you’re facing?” This change in focus—from enforcing compliance to understanding stakeholder needs—made all the difference. Samantha discovered that delivering business outcomes required more than just hitting timelines and budgets. Executives cared most about results aligned with growth and goals. Transforming the PMO’s Image Samantha’s new approach led to a transformation in how the PMO was perceived. By listening to her stakeholders and tailoring her processe...