Building the Blueprint: Standing Up a PMO and Center of Excellence

When you're responsible for delivering cross-functional initiatives at scale, consistency matters. As our organization evolved, it became clear that we needed more than just strong project managers—we needed a common language, shared governance, and a way to bridge the gaps between product, process, and project work. That’s when the vision for a true Project Management Office (PMO) and Center of Excellence (CoE) came into focus.

The Catalyst: Growth Without Structure

Our enterprise was moving quickly—new products, regulatory changes, internal improvements—but our delivery model hadn’t caught up. Project Managers were siloed. Product Owners had roadmaps, but little integration with strategic priorities. Process Improvement Leaders were making local changes without visibility into broader initiatives.

The question was no longer “how do we get the work done?”—it became “how do we get the right work done, together?”

Uniting Through Strategic Pillars

We made a pivotal shift: aligning every Project Manager to a strategic pillar of the organization. This gave each PM a clear domain of ownership and created natural alignment between strategy and execution. It also allowed Product Owners and Process Leaders to plug into the same planning rhythm—turning our disconnected functions into a unified delivery ecosystem.

My Approach

With support from the COO, I led the design and implementation of this new model—foundational to our PMO and CoE:

• Role Clarity & Governance: Created detailed RACI matrices for Project Managers, Product Owners, Process Improvement Leaders, and Senior Leadership.

• Strategic Alignment: Assigned each PM to a strategic pillar, with ownership over roadmap planning, initiative sequencing, and delivery pacing.

• Central Intake & Categorization: Launched a SharePoint-based intake and tracking system to classify incoming work (strategic project, backlog item, or process change) and route it appropriately.

• Tool Standardization: Integrated Jira and Confluence into our Agile SDLC framework to support consistent planning, visibility, and documentation.

• Workshops & Collaboration: Facilitated recurring roadmap alignment sessions where teams jointly reviewed priorities, resolved resource conflicts, and shared progress.

Cross-Functional Impact

The CoE structure created space for all three functions—project, product, and process—to operate in sync. The alignment workshops became a cornerstone of our governance rhythm, creating visibility for senior leaders and structure for delivery teams.

Results We Delivered

• Created a scalable PMO and CoE model that connects all delivery functions to strategy

• Embedded project managers into strategic pillar ownership to drive end-to-end accountability

• Launched a centralized intake process that streamlined prioritization and eliminated work duplication

• Enabled portfolio-level insights and agile planning across workstreams, with shared tools and metrics

• Fostered a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and aligned decision-making

  
  

What I Took Away

Standing up a PMO isn’t just about process—it’s about enabling people. By anchoring project leadership in strategy, building trust across roles, and creating shared rituals, we transformed how work flows through the organization. This wasn’t about control—it was about clarity, connection, and capability.