Recent PMO research* reveals a landscape where PMOs have become a strategic delivery partner in high-performing organizations—yet remain constrained by persistent challenges. High-performing PMOs are deeply aligned with enterprise strategy, operate with greater stakeholder trust, and deliver measurable improvements in on-time, on-budget delivery, productivity, and strategic outcomes. However, many PMOs—especially in low-performing organizations—continue to struggle with prioritization, resource constraints, role misalignment, and limited data visibility.
Top Five PMO Challenges Identified:
- Prioritization (61%) – Ranking as the #1 challenge, up sharply from 47% in 2022.
- Lack of PMO resources (61%) – Critical in large and fast-scaling organizations.
- Insufficient staffing to cover all projects (57%) – Especially acute in mid-sized firms.
- Resistance to organizational change (48%) – Cultural inertia hinders transformation.
- Resistance to PMO governance (47%) – Particularly problematic in low-performing PMOs
Action Plan for Addressing PMO Challenges
1. Triage Your Portfolio to Align Work With Strategic Goals
- Action: Conduct a full portfolio assessment to identify low-value or misaligned projects and shift resources to high-impact work.
- Why: Organizations executing the wrong plans due to poor alignment is a top concern—reported by both Gartner and the 2025 research data.
- Enablement: Implement structured intake and prioritization workflows that balance corporate, departmental, and functional priorities.
2. Shift From Resource Constraints to Capacity Control
- Action: Implement a capacity-based staffing and funding model that flexes with demand.
- Why: Staffing and resource constraints are cited as core challenges by 57–71% of mid-sized to large organizations.
- Enablement: Use a “credit capacity” model to reallocate effort dynamically across strategic initiatives without overextending teams.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE AS A SERVICE (PMOaaS)
- Over 15% of organizations outsource their PMO or select PMO services
- A much higher percentage of high-performing PMOs outsource their PMO or select PMO services than low performers (35% vs. 5%)
- Small organizations (27%) are much more likely to outsource their PMO or select PMO services than mid-size
3. Clarify the PMO’s Role Across the Organization
- Action: Reposition the PMO as an enterprise execution partner, not just a reporting function.
- Why: 81% of low-performing PMOs struggle with role misalignment.
- Enablement: Establish shared-service governance structures and tie PMO charters directly to strategy delivery and executive accountability.
4. Build Ruthless Transparency With Real-Time Reporting
- Action: Deploy deep instrumentation on metrics that connect execution to strategy in real time.
- Why: 40% of organizations report data visibility as a barrier; high-performers use real-time data to manage alignment, risks, and performance.
- Enablement: Build KPI frameworks and instrumentation that surface risks early, support course corrections, and maintain focus on outcomes—not just status.
5. Embed Execution Into the Rhythm of the Business
- Action: Shift from episodic project delivery to structured, iterative mobilization aligned with business cadence.
- Why: Business-aligned cadence minimizes disruption and improves predictability—an approach proven in complex initiatives such as M&A integrations and data center.
- Enablement: Adopt a mobilization framework that breaks delivery into repeatable units of value, supported by cross-functional sprint cycles and application-specific plans.
* pmsolutions research | The 2025 State of the Project Management Office (PMO)
