The Future is Already Here for These PMOs

Yesterday during the opening keynote of the PMI Global Summit here in Las Vegas, the speaker, Amy Webb, a futurist and best-selling author, urged project managers to "move up the value chain."

She's correct, of course, in thinking that project management experts deserve a seat at the strategic level of organizations. The signature capabilities of great project managers include things like risk and opportunity assessment and mediation, benefits planning and realization, and stakeholder engagement ... and who can plan for the future without these?

What she perhaps doesn't realize is how far up the value chain project management has already leapt. The high-performing PMOs in our State of the PMO 2022 study already sit at the strategic or enterprise level of their organizations, prioritize and balance portfolios, contribute to strategic planning and alignment, monitor organizational risk and more. For these PMOs, the future Amy imagines has already arrived.

Just taking a glance at the many PMO sessions on the schedule here (wish I could clone myself!) tells us that PMOs have the opportunity to transform their organizations in fundamental ways. From ethical AI to creative ideation, PMO leaders are being urged to take the reins of important intiatives that will change organizations ... and perhaps the world, In this high-energy mix of cultures, with a younger crowd than I've seen before at PMI gatherings, the focus is on change and sustainability. Even this old dog is learning some new tricks (did you know that Las Vegas is LEED Cities certified?).