PMO: the rare bird at the heart of digital transformation

This contribution was originally published in the “Digital transformation” section of Be A Boss.fr (May 2025).

The role of PMO (Project Management Officer or Project Management Office) has undergone radical change over the past 20 years, as organizations have become more digital and information systems more complex. This has led to new HR requirements: people skills to assert themselves and gain legitimacy within the company, and to overcome resistance to change. But it also requires the know-how to juggle strategic imperatives, technological requirements and budgetary constraints.

Staying aligned and finding the right balance is all the more challenging in today’s fast-moving, agile business environment. As a result, new projects are frequently added to the PMO’s portfolio at the crossroads and heart of digital transformation. This is not going to diminish, quite the contrary. AI and the inflation of IT projects linked to it are at the forefront of development trends in 2025.

The first observation, despite this context of digital inflation: the PMO is a rare bird. Only 38% of CIOs have a dedicated PMO to track Projects and optimize the use of Resources⁽¹⁾. In the absence of such a function – typical of small companies – project portfolio management, carried out in fits and starts and without any real best practices, is problematic. As we all know, the need for PMOs will become even greater as digitalization gains ground, and the transformations it entails are far more complex than in the past.

Referee, coach, diplomat and salesman: who could do better?…

Second observation: this highly exposed strategic function requires a wide range of Skills. The PMO must combine technical and interpersonal skills. Their role reflects a complex reality: understanding multiple, often chaotic, multi-layered IT Projects, in highly cross-functional organizations. He/she must have a good knowledge of the company’s Businesses to understand their needs, master techniques and methods, and have the ability to analyze large quantities of information, often incomplete, to steer Projects portfolios in line with the company’s strategy and Resources. He/she will have to set up and/or reinforce methodologies, reference systems and tools common to all project managers, enabling them to measure the value of new project requests, and to ensure the steering and tracking of ongoing projects.

Playing the role of interface between the company’s technical Teams and the various Business Units, it must also be motivated by a desire to improve practices and advance IS, by giving them the means to perform: today, only 20% of new project requests are subject to factual scoring ⁽¹⁾, and the regular challenge of ROI – Return on Investment – for Projects remains neglected. As a result, 41% of CIOs assume sole responsibility for arbitration, without any discussion with Business Units. Less than half of Projects managers (45%) share methodologies and a common frame of reference, with the risk of partial and chaotic management ⁽¹⁾.

The PMO may be a rare bird, with an indisputable strategic role, but he or she still needs to convince people at all levels of the value he or she brings, and of his or her impact on the CIO’s overall performance. The PMO needs to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, and be able to communicate effectively at all levels, from COMEX to operational teams, via middle managers. He or she must ensure that departments that do not work together interact coherently.

This role of facilitating coach is all the more delicate as the PMO often has no direct hierarchical link with the Teams he coordinates. This position demands a feat of diplomacy. This almost commercial communication skill (yes, he “sells” critical Projects to departments that don’t necessarily see the direct added value – did you say MCO?), is essential to win the trust of the various players and get them to accept the necessary changes.

… Catalyst for a Projects culture of change

It’s important to remember that, according to a study by McKinsey, 70% of business transformations fail to achieve their objectives⁽²⁾. Entrenched habits, change resistance and intrinsic organizational mechanisms are frequent obstacles to progress, even when the technology is in place. The implementation of a “PMO cell”, and the accompanying culture of transformation, is a fundamental lever for removing these obstacles, as is high-level, cross-company sponsorship.

As a true catalyst of change culture, he or she must no longer simply animate and supervise, but facilitate and instill a culture of Project management and permanent transformation in all strata of the company. From PMO to Director of Digital transformation, there’s perhaps only one step to take. Provided, of course, that the PMO’s role is fully understood in terms of its impact on overall IS performance, and that he/she adopts a proactive stance within the company to be recognized as a key player in Digital transformation.

⁽¹⁾ Source: Barometer 2025 – IT department steering maturity
⁽²⁾ Source: https: //www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-how-of-transformation