More on PM and the Times We Live In
| by Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin
Leveraging PMOs, project portfolio management, and long-term executive vision enables organizations to optimize resources and maintain strategic resilience during economic downturns.
This blog was updated August 2026.
Just after I made my last post, several things came across my desk that said, "Nope, you aren’t crazy after all."
First, my colleague Matt Crawford sent me this to read about the role of PMOs in the financial downturn.
According to the previous CIO of the Baylor Health Care System,
“Anytime you add what might appear to be a process, you always get a little bit of pushback,” [Muntz] said. “But the benefits are huge - how we justify our employees, managing our resources, asking for more resources, and how we spend our time ...”
Reading through more of the information available about “staff resources” in the article leads to another piece highlighting how the CIO of Roseville, CA used project portfolio management to lop a cool $680,000 off his $10 million budget. The key point that I draw from both these articles, as well as from our own recent research on PMOs and Resource Management, is that the PMO is a powerful nexus of people and processes; companies that use this organizational structure wisely can invest wisely, cut costs wisely, preserve valuable resources wisely ... and avoid the worst dislocations of recession.
Then, a new survey of CEOs around the globe by Pricewaterhouse showed that, surprisingly, the top honchos share my unreasonable optimism. I was especially cheered by the way they organized their research findings into four key themes - not the themes you generally associate with global CEOs, either. Short-term profits are absent from the list, as is draconian cost-cutting and planetary slash-and-burn. Instead, PWC says, what these business leaders see developing (and necessary) as we move forward are:
- Durability: Measuring success in decades, not quarters
- Collaboration: Rethinking assumptions about the relationships between the private sector, governments, customers and employees
- Balance: Meeting present challenges, redefining future success
- Connectedness: Recognizing the financial meltdown is a downside of globalization; rethinking priorities in a world united by crisis.
And it’s not only global CEOs who are upbeat. A friend of my husband’s works at a popular local restaurant that did a record business on Valentine’s Day, defying all expectations. On Monday, he remarked that people should stop reading the news because it was only instilling a false sense of dread.
FAQs
How does a PMO help an organization navigate an economic downturn?
A Project Management Office (PMO) provides the governance and visibility needed to optimize resource allocation, justify staffing, and eliminate redundant effort. This structure allows leadership to make strategic cost reductions without compromising core organizational capabilities.
What role does Project Portfolio Management (PPM) play in budget optimization?
PPM gives leaders full oversight across all active projects and budgets. By evaluating initiative performance holistically, organizations can identify low-priority spending, optimize resource distribution, and make data-driven cuts that protect the bottom line.
Why should leaders focus on long-term durability over short-term cost-cutting during a crisis?
Focusing on long-term durability, cross-sector collaboration, and balanced priorities prevents panic-driven downsizing. Organizations that protect their structural foundation during economic turbulence recover faster and are better positioned to capture new opportunities.