Do PMOs Destroy Productivity? Finding the Balance Between Chaos and Bureaucracy
Speakers
Mike Hannan is a thought leader, best-selling author, and speaker on Project Portfolio Performance Improvement. With 25+ years of experience, he helps organizations—from Fortune 500s to start-ups—boost project flow, ROI, and strategic impact through practical, engaging insights.
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
Do PMOs destroy productivity, or can they be the key to unlocking it? In this thought-provoking webinar, our speakers challenge the assumption that organizations must choose between chaos and bureaucracy. Instead, they reveal how to create a balance of governance and autonomy that enables both control and agility.
You’ll explore:
- Why traditional governance approaches often overcomplicate rather than enable delivery.
- How to flip the org chart and re-imagine leadership as a service, not a hierarchy.
- The power of “buffer signals” and other lightweight techniques to improve flow and portfolio outcomes.
- How PMOs can move from enforcing compliance to driving value and strategic impact.
- Practical steps for building self-managed, high-performing teams without adding layers of bureaucracy.
This session is for PMO leaders, portfolio managers, and transformation professionals who want to break free from outdated governance models and build organizations that deliver more value, faster—and with less friction.