A PMO delivers the most value when its capability grows in step with the organisation’s needs. Rather than advancing along a rigid process maturity path, high-performing PMOs develop through layers of work that support adaptability as delivery activity changes.
Key Insights:
- As PMOs become effective, their work can become invisible; complacency leads to plateau.
- Strategic value comes from simplifying controls, uplifting capability, and tailoring oversight by risk and maturity.
- “Right-sized” does not always mean smaller; scale up, down, or rebalance as conditions change.
A high-performing project management office (PMO) evolves over time. Its value lies in how well it supports delivery, builds capability and strengthens decision-making, rather than how strictly it sticks to a defined model or methodology. While many organisations view PMO capability through a linear curve, capability actually develops in layers that expand and adapt to the organisation’s needs.
Understanding these layers, and why PMOs often stall before reaching their full potential, is essential for building and maintaining relevance, especially as large transformations conclude and questions emerge about whether the function should shrink, evolve or take on a different form.
The lifecycle of PMO capability
Most PMOs are created to bring order to an ‘adhocracy’ environment where individual ways of working can no longer support the organisation’s goals. While this move toward more structure is important, it can oversimplify how capability actually grows.
At Quay, we view PMO maturity as a series of layers that strengthen over time rather than a set of sequential steps. Most new PMOs begin with the first layer and build from there as organisational needs evolve.
The layers are:
- Establishing standards and governance
- Providing coordination and support
- Refining practices through optimisation
- Operating as a strategic partner
Each layer reinforces the next, and all remain relevant throughout the PMO’s lifecycle. What changes is the emphasis placed on each one as the organisation’s level of delivery activity shifts.
In the early stages, structure is the priority. Standard methods, clear sequencing and consistent reporting form the foundation for stable delivery. Once this stabilises, coordination becomes more important. The PMO begins to align sponsors, support teams and give leaders clear visibility across the portfolio.
This is the point most PMOs reach, and where many stop progressing. They fail to reach the final two stages, where the most value is unlocked. Optimisation involves refining how the PMO supports delivery, and strategic partnership is where the function begins to influence planning and decisions. Many PMOs do not move past coordination long enough to reach either stage.
Why PMOs lose visibility as they become ‘successful’
This becomes especially pronounced when a major transformation ends and executives reassess whether the PMO should evolve, scale down or shift its focus. Our recent conversations with PMO leaders have revealed that many have reached a point where the more effective the function becomes, the less visible its work is to the organisation.
The effort involved in building structure, order and consistency is clear at the beginning, but it soon becomes part of business-as-usual. Once reporting settles and delivery feels predictable, leaders quickly become accustomed to predictable outcomes. Over time, the effort required to maintain that stability can be overlooked. What once felt essential may now be perceived as overhead.
This is often when the PMO starts to level off. Familiar processes continue because they appear to be working, and the “leave it alone” mindset becomes more comfortable than reviewing or refining the model. Incremental improvements happen, but they are small and often too limited to move the function into genuine optimisation.
The challenge is that while the PMO remains largely the same, the organisation does not. As conditions change, a model designed for an earlier phase can begin to feel out of step. What was once viewed as essential may start to look heavier than necessary, particularly when decision-making becomes more complex or delivery expectations increase.
The result is a growing perception that the PMO is not rising with the environment around it.
The temptation to add more control when issues arise can increase this gap, as extra steps and detailed checkpoints accumulate over time. These additions may seem useful in isolation, but together they slow delivery and make the function feel heavier than intended. Evolving the operating model helps avoid this pattern and keeps the PMO aligned with the organisation’s needs.
The real lever of value: optimisation without adding weight
Reaching the strategic partner stage requires a deliberate approach to optimisation. High-performing PMOs create value by removing effort from the system, not adding layers to it. This often means refining what already exists rather than adding new requirements.
As organisational capability improves, some controls can be simplified or combined. Instead of responding to issues by introducing extra steps, the PMO can direct support through uplift, coaching or delivery assurance. This strengthens performance without increasing administrative load across the portfolio.
A lighter methodology can look like flexibility or inconsistency to those unfamiliar with how capability develops. In reality, it signals a high-trust environment supported by strong foundations. When the PMO adjusts its level of oversight based on risk, complexity and organisational maturity, it becomes more adaptive and more aligned to how the organisation actually operates.
Right-sizing the PMO as the organisation evolves
Every PMO leader aims to build a function that is trusted to contribute to planning and decision-making in a meaningful way. Reaching this stage is not a fixed end point, but the result of continued optimisation and growing influence. As credibility strengthens, the PMO is included in earlier conversations and its advice shapes how work is directed.
As the PMO progresses through the lifecycle, its operating model needs to evolve with the organisation. A right-sized PMO is not necessarily smaller; rather it is appropriate to the need. This means the PMO may need to:
- scale up when investment accelerates
- scale down when the environment stabilises
- rebalance when capability is uneven across teams
- lean into insight when portfolio decisions increase
- strengthen governance when risk heightens
The PMOs that remain relevant are those that demonstrate they can scale intelligently. When the function shows it can evolve with the organisation, not operate independently of it, leaders stop questioning its existence and start relying on it to shape what comes next.
Supporting your PMO’s next step
Our recent discussions with PMO leaders, alongside insights from our executive workshops, highlight how varied the journey through the lifecycle can be. But one theme is consistent: the PMOs that maintain influence and trust are those that continue evolving in step with the organisation around them.
If you want a clearer view of where your PMO sits and what it would take to progress toward strategic partnership, we can help you map that path. Quay Consulting’s maturity assessments and leadership roundtables give executives practical insight into what to refine and what to preserve.
Quay Consulting is a professional services business specialising in the project landscape, transforming strategy into fit-for-purpose delivery. Meet our team or reach out to have a discussion today.
