Building a High-Impact PMO
Speakers
Tony Prensa helps organizations turn strategy into execution. With 35+ years in project leadership and AI-enabled transformation, he builds high-performing PMOs that align portfolios to business goals, accelerate delivery, and prove value. He is the author of The Digital Project Playbook and a long-time educator and mentor.
Stuart helps PMO and portfolio leaders build strategy-aligned portfolios and prove ROI. A guest lecturer on project prioritization at the University of Oxford, he speaks widely on killing pet projects, focusing investment on value, and using decision science (AHP) to make clear, defensible choices.
About this webinar
Dr Tony Prensa joins host Stuart Easton to explore what makes a high-impact PMO: one that empowers strategy, accelerates delivery, and proves business value. They highlight why so many PMOs fail—by not demonstrating value—and stress that executives care about outcomes, not methodologies.
The conversation underscores the need for co-creation with leadership. PMO leaders can’t wait for a perfect strategy to land on their desks; they must actively uncover it, align with business priorities, and turn intent into portfolio choices and delivery guardrails. As Tony puts it, the PMO “builds the road” the business drives on: it may not own outcomes, but it enables them.
Framework for a High-Impact PMO
- Start with a clear vision and mandate.
- Understand how the business creates value.
- Establish governance and structure.
- Follow a maturity roadmap with outcome-based KPIs/OKRs.
- Operationalize through portfolio prioritization, capacity alignment, benefits realization, and risk management.
Above all, stay adaptable (“be like water”) and position the PMO as a go-to hub for ideas and decisions, not just a back-office function.
