Project and Program Management Made in America … Expertly
| by Bruce Miller
Virtual project management here today ... and maybe forever!
This blog was updated October 2026.
One of the questions that often comes up in RFPs is whether PM Solutions’ PMaaS service offering includes an offshore component. Although we have served clients around the globe with consulting and training solutions, we prefer to deploy our own home-grown project management resources. Not only does this sidestep a variety of security issues — particularly important as the shift to virtual work creates a slew of new cybersecurity challenges — but, with 25 years of developing and recruiting skilled personnel, we feel that our US-based staff are best qualified to meet our clients’ needs. Among the roles and skills at our command are:
Program Managers - The program manager manages complex, strategic programs that span organizational boundaries, managing multiple high-risk projects, including projects involving external vendors across multiple business units and locations. PM Solutions’ Program Managers have:
- 5-10 years’ program management experience with large, complex projects and management of distributed project teams
- PMP®, industry-specific certification such as Agile or Scrum, or equivalent experience
Project Managers - The project manager manages cross-functional teams responsible for delivering projects on time, within budget, and with quality results. Project Managers plan, organize, monitor, and oversee one or more projects and project teams to meet specific requirements or business objectives. PM Solutions’ Project Managers have:
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
- 2-5 years’ experience with PM methodologies, techniques, and tools.
- PMP® and/or industry-specific certification such as Agile or Scrum or equivalent experience
Project Controllers - Project Controllers have the primary responsibility of tracking enterprise or divisional program and project performance against budgets, plans, and schedules. Their primary area of responsibility is managing the integration of multiple programs and/or projects; providing data, analysis, and reporting to program or project managers and management. PM Solutions’ Project Controllers have:
- Proficiency with PPM and/or Project Management software and tools
- 3-10 years’ experience in planning, scheduling, and controls
- Experience supporting multiple programs either onsite or remotely
- PMP® or certification in cost and schedule management
Project Planners/Schedulers - Planner/Schedulers assist Project Managers by developing, analyzing, and managing project plans and schedules, and resource forecasts. The planner/scheduler expedites information from employees throughout the company to develop, update, and monitor detailed project plans for all tasks, durations, resources, and the critical path. PM Solutions’ Project Planners/Schedulers have:
- Strong communication skills
- Proficiency with Project Management software and tools
- Experience supporting one or more projects either onsite or remotely
- 2-5 years’ project planning and scheduling experience
Project Controllers and Project Planner/Schedulers are very experienced project management team members and successfully support projects both onsite and remotely. Project Controllers and Project Planner/Schedulers can support project teams full-time onsite or, as it makes sense for each initiative, support multiple project teams up to 100% remotely. As we noted in a previous blog, when making the shift to working virtually, it helps to have a partner who is already experienced in this mode.
Our focus on providing remote service by skilled Controllers and Planners/Schedulers actually predates the popular use of the term “PMaaS” by over a decade! Our CEO, Kent Crawford, coined the term “Remote Controls” years ago; in this and many other areas of project management, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. We feel confident that once organizations experience the efficiency and cost savings of managing projects and programs virtually, they may find that what began as an emergency measure is here to stay.
Subcontractors: Yes, But
We periodically broaden our team with project management professionals from the subcontracting marketplace when needed, based upon specific experience, skill sets, and geographic requirements of our clients. Currently, ten percent of PM Solutions’ project management resources are subcontracting partners.
We apply the same rigorous search, interviewing, and screening process for sub-contracting partners as we do for all our full-time hires. This process includes sourcing candidates from our strong project management network, conducting an initial human resources interview for strength of interpersonal skills and initial fit against requirements, conducting a second-level technical screen for depth and breadth of project management and client-required specific knowledge, skills, and abilities by a seasoned member of our consulting team, speaking with references and reviewing representative work products, and, lastly, performing background and reference checks for all candidates.
PM Solutions takes on staff augmentation activities to allow the client’s staff to re-prioritize their time and focus on other core PMO activities. PM Solutions’ PMaaS resource processes include:
- Alignment and Proof of Concept Design
- Intake Screening and Selection
- Initial Onboarding
- Demand and Capacity Planning
- Account Management
- Ongoing Project Management Learning Opportunities
- Resource Offboarding
In our experience, organizations often do not allow enough collaborative time at the beginning of the PMaaS arrangement to allow PM Solutions to assimilate, understand, and adapt to the organization’s culture, making their PM approach our own so that each project management resource who provides services to the client is fully prepared for success after completing the onboarding process. The clearer and more specific requirements we have for each project management position, the better the fit, the likelihood of success, and the greater customer satisfaction with our project management team.
Our PMaaS approach is to plan and take proactive action whenever possible. This includes mutually agreeing on key characteristics of what will make successful project management resources within the client’s environment. These characteristics include not only PMP® and Agile credentials, experience, and specific technical skills required within the client’s environment, but leadership style and interpersonal skills that will fit within the company culture. By agreeing in advance to key attributes and characteristics of the ideal project management resources, PM Solutions proactively identifies our team, builds a local queue of qualified project management candidates based upon anticipated peaks and valleys of demand for project resources, and conducts onboarding so that we are as ready as we can be when additional project management resource needs arise. As an example, for a leading insurance company, PM Solutions ramped up from three to forty qualified project managers and project management specialists in a similar PMaaS within a twelve-month time period.
Read more about similar case studies here.
FAQs
Why does PM Solutions prioritize domestic, US-based resources over offshoring for PMaaS?
Deploying domestic talent significantly mitigates data privacy and cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with offshore access during virtual operations.
It also ensures seamless cultural alignment, deep expertise with standard methodologies, and direct access to a mature, vetted network of certified practitioners.
What is the difference between a Project Controller and a Project Planner/Scheduler?
A Project Controller focuses on macro performance integration—tracking multi-project budgets, analyzing variance against baseline schedules, and managing PPM reporting.
A Project Planner/Scheduler focuses on granular execution—building detailed work breakdown structures, updating tasks, forecasting resource needs, and actively managing the critical path.
How does a PMaaS model quickly scale project capacity without sacrificing quality or culture fit?
Through proactive capacity planning and multi-stage screening (interpersonal fit, technical evaluations, and work product reviews), PMaaS pre-identifies qualified talent based on client-specific criteria.
A structured onboarding and assimilation period ensures external resources adopt the client’s culture and internal PM standards before delivery begins, enabling rapid ramp-ups—such as scaling from 3 to 40 specialists in a single year.
