A PMO facing disbandment builds its own business case
A Tier 4 assessment quantified maturity against portfolio risk — each point worth 8% less value at risk — and turned a doubted PMO into a funded transformation.
- Start
- 18 Oct 2024
- Assessment level
- Tier 4
- Current maturity
- Level 1
- Current impact
- Level 1
- Future state
- Maturity 3, Impact 2–3
Where it started.
The company, a major player in the financial services sector, operated a single PMO that was broadly acknowledged — even internally — as delivering minimal impact. With its strategic relevance in question and disbandment being seriously considered, executive leadership recognized that decisive action was needed.
They engaged an official PMO-MI® partner to help evaluate how the PMO could increase its value (impact) and make any improvements sustainable through a structured maturity development program.
Using the PMO-MI® framework, the engagement began with a Tier 4 diagnostic assessment to map the current maturity and impact levels of the PMO. This process enabled the identification of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for service-level improvements, as well as the definition of multiple future-state scenarios.
To secure executive buy-in, the partner quantified the relationship between maturity, impact, and portfolio risk. A critical metric demonstrated that each one-point increase in maturity or impact could reduce the value of at-risk projects by 8%. With the transformation investment equating to just 20% of the projected annual savings, the business case was strong — and the CEO approved the initiative immediately.
What the assessment showed — and what was done.
Conducted a Tier 4 maturity and impact assessment
A comprehensive evaluation of the PMO was conducted, including structured interviews, service domain analysis, and stakeholder validation. The assessment used PMO-MI®'s dual-scale model — maturity (enablement) and impact (value) — to uncover structural gaps, behavioral challenges, and opportunities for targeted improvement.
Developed a PMO Target Operating Model
Based on the findings, a tailored PMO TOM was designed to formalize governance, clarify service responsibilities, and embed accountability mechanisms. The new TOM enabled better coordination, streamlined reporting, and alignment with business priorities.
Defined and accelerated a phased roadmap
A 12–18 month roadmap was developed to link priority service domains to strategic goals. With support from the partner, the organization accelerated implementation — achieving key milestones within 6 months. This included coaching the PMO team, managing stakeholder alignment, and launching ClickUp as the governance and documentation platform supporting the new operating model.
Maturity and impact, plotted.
The near-term target lifts the PMO to the maturity 3 / impact 3 threshold.
Where it stands now.
- +1 maturity level improvement across three key service domains.
- 30% increase in stakeholder-perceived PMO value within 6 months.
- Unified governance model established and operational.
- First-time benchmarking against industry-level PMO performance data.
- Approved business case for further PMO investment and scaling.
Let's elevate your PMO.
Book your assessment and see where your PMO stands — on evidence, not opinion.