Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  I know, I know, as much as I tell you NOT to make your focus the templates and tools (or dare I say the "F-word" forms), you DO need them.    However, I do want you to consider how YOU think AND how you talk about them.  In my new book, The IMPACT Engine, I introduce a concept that reimagines these critical resources that I learned from my friend, Dawn Mahan, Co-Host for the IMPACT Summit.   And in this episode, Dawn joined me to explain why she refuses to call them templates or forms and what you should do instead so that you can get them to do the right work for you.   📌 Why Listen? Strategic Thinking: Move beyond checklists to drive better business outcomes. Real-World Insights: Discover the importance of flexibility and smart decision-making. Actionable Advice: Get practical tips to right-size your processes and boost productivity.   Tune in to learn how to talk and think differently about the necessary deliverables that will ensure you get these projects done with big IMPACT.   If you haven't ordered your hard copy of The IMPACT Engine yet, now is the time! Pre-order today to get immediate access to the digital version, join a private workshop with me, and receive other exclusive goodies. Enjoy!  Connect with Dawn Follow Dawn on LinkedIn Check out Dawn's website Check out Dawn's Udemy Course   P.S. Have you registered for the IMPACT Summit yet? DO THIS!!👇   Sign up for FREE for the IMPACT Summit today.  Pre-order The IMPACT Engine to secure your spot in a special workshop, plus get early access to exclusive content.      Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  How Clearly Do Your Executives Understand the Value You Drive in Your Organization?  Is your role in accelerating strategy delivery clearly defined in a way both you and your stakeholders can simply describe?  It’s crucial to go beyond measuring project success or failure. You must also be able to clearly describe your unique value proposition. Imagine being caught in an elevator with your executive—could you confidently answer, “How does your work contribute to our business goals?”  In the time it takes for an elevator ride, you can either enhance or risk your reputation. Prepare yourself by mastering how to communicate the value you bring to your organization, emphasizing not just project metrics or budget sizes, but the substantial business outcomes your team achieves.  Listen to today's episode for some no-nonsense suggestions on mastering the art of telling your "Worth It Factor" story.   Enjoy!  P.S. Have you registered for the IMPACT Summit yet? DO THIS!!👇   Sign up for FREE for the IMPACT Summit today   Pre-order The IMPACT Engine to secure your spot in a special workshop, plus early access to exclusive content.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  In my new book, The IMPACT Engine, I share a concept I learned from my friend, Stuart Easton, Co-Host for the IMPACT Summit, that will change the game for you if you want to address the real root cause of project failures (and unhappy executives).  Even if you've heard Stuart and me discuss this before, something crucial came up during this recording that changed my perspective on this topic. It's not enough to simply prioritize — you have to go deeper to achieve the necessary IMPACT.  Curious about what I mean? Tune in to experience the same "ah ha" moment I did and transform your approach to prioritization.  📌 Why Listen?  Root Causes: Understand the real reasons why projects fail and how to address them.  Prioritization Frameworks: Learn about the AHP method and other techniques to improve decision-making and align your leadership team.  Practical Tips: Get actionable advice on engaging executives, setting strategic goals, and eliminating waste in your project portfolio.  If you haven't ordered your hard copy of The IMPACT Engine yet, now is the time! Pre-order today to get immediate access to the digital version, join a private workshop with me this year, and receive other exclusive goodies. Warmly, Laura   P.S. Have you registered for the IMPACT Summit yet? DO THIS!! 👇   Sign up for FREE for the IMPACT Summit today.  Pre-order The IMPACT Engine to secure your spot in a special live workshop, plus get early access to exclusive content.    Connect with Stuart Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn Learn More About TransparentChoice  The Power of PMO Strategies + TransparentChoice  Register for FREE for the 5 Steps to Double Your Portfolio ROI introductory course Download the free ultimate guide to project prioritization   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  I have a secret for you. If you want to move the needle in your organization, you might be trying too hard to do the big visible things and not spending enough time doing the boring work.   I was taking a Peloton class the other day, and the instructor said something that struck a chord: "Growth happens in the boring work." This got me thinking about the work you are doing to support the delivery of your organization's projects.  We often get caught up in the excitement of new projects, implementing tools, or geeking out on our templates (this girl loves a good template!), but what if the key to true success lies elsewhere? What if real progress is made through the daily grind, the tasks that aren't always glamorous but essential for building a strong foundation?   In this podcast episode, I'm getting real with you on how the boring work can lead to significant advancements over time. Want to find out how?   🎧 Listen to the Episode Now!  Enjoy!  P.S. – The IMPACT Summit officially begins in September, but we are starting to release content and live stream training NOW. Register for free so you can see the agenda of live and new release sessions, resources, and training for each week from now through September 13! You don't want to miss out! Go there now.  P.P.S. Order your copy of The IMPACT Engine now and start reading the digital version today, months before it's in stores. Plus, become an IMPACT Insider and get free training and coaching this summer before the Summit goes live!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  Ever feel like you're juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle? Welcome to the world of PMO professionals! The relentless pace of change can feel overwhelming, leaving you and your team gasping for air. But fear not—I’ve got your back.  In my latest podcast episode, I dive into the whirlwind of change fatigue. Yep, it’s a real thing, and it's wreaking havoc on productivity and morale. But guess what? It doesn't have to be this way.   Tune in as I uncover:  The sneaky signs of change fatigue that could be creeping into your team  Battle-tested strategies to help your team adapt without burning out  How to ensure execs don't overload your organization's plate with too many changes  A foolproof step-by-step guide to rolling out change smoothly and sustainably  The secret sauce to navigating both formal and informal networks in your organization  This episode is bursting with practical tips and a dash of humor to help you master the art of change management.  Ready to turn chaos into calm? Listen now!  Enjoy!  P.S. Know someone else who's juggling too many flaming swords? Share this episode with them—they’ll thank you for it!  P.P.S. The IMPACT Summit is back and better than ever! Register for free today to access pre-event trainings, live IMPACT mini-sessions, and MORE.  P.P.P.S. Order your copy of The IMPACT Engine now and start reading the digital version today, months before it's in stores. Plus, become an IMPACT Insider and get free training and coaching this summer before the Summit goes live!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  Have you ever felt personally attacked when trying to implement new processes? 😟  In this episode, I'm going to share a little of my own experience dealing with the blame game and explain why personal attacks happen when introducing process changes, how to navigate them, and how to prevent them from derailing your process improvements. This episode is crucial for anyone facing resistance and personal blame in their organization.  Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll discover in this episode:  🔍 Understanding the Root Cause: Explore why stakeholders often resort to personal attacks when they resist process changes and what this reveals about organizational dynamics. 💡 Strategies to Overcome Personal Attacks: Learn practical techniques to build strong stakeholder relationships, gain trust, and align them with the process improvements you’re driving. 🎯 Insights from The IMPACT Engine: Get a preview of the powerful techniques and case studies from my new book, The IMPACT Engine, designed to help PMO and transformation leaders overcome resistance and drive success.  Don’t miss this episode! It’s packed with actionable advice and proven strategies that can help you navigate personal attacks and drive real business value.  🎧 Listen Now  Let's do this!  P.S. – Order your copy of The IMPACT Engine now and start reading the digital version today, months before it's in stores.   P.P.S - Become an IMPACT Insider and get free training and coaching this summer!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  Are you frustrated with the gap between your organization's strategic plans and actual results? 🤔  I can tell you who likely is frustrated...your executives.  In this episode, I'm tackling this very issue head-on. If you’ve ever heard your execs complain about strategic initiatives falling short or you've been frustrated that you just can't seem to maintain momentum with all the shifting priorities, lack of focus, and never enough resources, this episode is a must-listen. I'm walking you through the groundbreaking system that promises to revolutionize your approach: The IMPACT Engine.  You'll learn the six steps to success to revolutionize your approach to building or elevating a PMO/strategy delivery team designed to accelerate every part of the strategy delivery lifecycle and deliver measurable results fast - the kind of results that earn you a seat at the leadership table faster than you may imagine.  The IMPACT Engine combines a winning strategy with high-powered execution.  Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll discover in this episode:  🔍 What is the IMPACT Engine? Get an overview of this comprehensive system and how it completely eliminates the "gap between strategy and execution" and why that thinking is part of the problem.  💡 Why is it Important? Learn about the common pitfalls in strategy delivery and how the IMPACT Engine addresses them to ensure your organization’s success.  🎯 The Six Stages of the IMPACT Engine: I'll introduce you to the six transformative stages that make up the IMPACT Engine. Each stage is designed to tackle specific challenges and drive significant organizational value.  Ready to unlock these insights and start accelerating the delivery of your organization's strategy?   🎧 Listen Now  P.S. – Order your copy of The IMPACT Engine now and start reading the digital version today, months before it's in stores.   P.P.S – Become an IMPACT Insider and get free training and coaching this summer!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Are you curious about where your PMO stands in 2024?  We've got something special for you!  Our friends at The PMO Squad have just released their 2024 PMO Research Report, and in our latest podcast episode, we're diving into the key findings. What we share with you about these findings might surprise you!  In this episode, Joe Pusz, CEO of The PMO Squad, and Rachel Hentges, Director of Sales & Marketing, explore the insights from the report that could change your perspective on PMO effectiveness.  From evaluating people and processes to technology and PMO success, you'll discover critical factors that could elevate your PMO’s performance.  Key Highlights:  The link between executive support and PMO success.  Why organizations struggle with measuring PMO value.  The importance of organizational acceptance and capability.  Tune in now to uncover insights that could drastically shift how you think about your PMO’s strategic IMPACT.  Enjoy the episode and let me know what you think!  P.S. Have questions or insights? Join our discussion on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hi, IMPACT Driver!  Do you ever wonder why, despite following all the industry advice, your organization still struggles to bridge the gap between strategy and execution? You're not alone. Many companies face the same challenge, and the root cause might surprise you.  When I was writing The IMPACT Engine: Accelerating Strategy Delivery for PMO Leaders, I delved deep into why typical guidance often fails. What I found was eye-opening: the traditional "Plan-then-Do" approach is outdated and inadequate for today's fast-paced environment. And throwing the strategy over the fence to be executed without including delivery leaders in the strategy process fails every time.   But here's the exciting part – In this episode, I'll share how the IMPACT Engine System offers a fresh, holistic approach that completely eliminates the concept of gaps between these two components, and includes the one that's missing (hint: it's after the execution is done) while also helping you earn your seat at the table in the process.  Exclusive Opportunity:  When you pre-order The IMPACT Engine today, you'll get immediate access to the digital version. Start implementing game-changing insights now, and you'll receive the physical copy on September 10.  Why Pre-order?  Immediate Access: Dive into the digital copy today.  Exclusive Resources: Gain access to templates and tools that enhance your strategy delivery.  Support the Cause: Help us elevate the profession by boosting the book's visibility.  I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the book and how it’s helping you drive more value in your organization. Share your experiences and tag me on LinkedIn!  Let's do this!  P.S. You can read chapter one here.  P.P.S. Make sure to pre-order your physical copy of The IMPACT Engine to start reading the digital version of the book and accessing all the great bonus resources today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!  What's in a name?   Well, a lot.   What you call yourself and your team can have a big influence on how your stakeholders perceive you and the value you drive in your organization. Do you call yourself a PMO leader, a project leader, a product manager, a...?  When I was writing my book, The IMPACT Engine: Accelerating Strategy Delivery for PMO Leaders, I had to make a lot of decisions.   And do you know what one of the biggest ones was? What to name YOU.   How do I refer to the superhero that helps the organization achieve its goals?   Rockstar?  Firefighter?  Counselor?  Miracle Worker?  Wizard?  Captain of Chaos?  Juggler of All Things?  Mastermind?  Yeah, it was a struggle. But then it hit me. There's one name that made so much sense. In this episode, I'm going to share with you the name I chose to describe you in a way that is simple, yet meaningful, and why this name matters for your team and your success.   But that's not all!   Don't forget that I'm offering you an exclusive opportunity. When you pre-order The IMPACT Engine today, you’ll get access to the digital version of the book to start reading now!  That means you can start devouring all of the game-changing insights while you wait for the physical copy to be released on September 10. Simply upload your receipt, and my team will send you the digital book along with all the resources and templates that complement the strategies in the book.  Why Pre-order?  Immediate Access: Start reading the digital copy today.  Exclusive Resources: Get templates and tools designed to enhance your strategy delivery.  Support the Cause: Help elevate your profession by boosting the book's visibility.    Don't miss this chance to get a head start on transforming your organization’s strategy delivery capability. Visit https://impactenginebook.com to pre-order your copy now!  I'd love to hear what you think about the book and how it's helping you drive more value in your organization. Share your thoughts and tag me on LinkedIn!  Enjoy today's episode!  P.S. If you haven’t already, check out Episode 255 for an introduction to the book and a preview of Chapter One. Visit https://impactenginebook.com to explore more.  P.P.S. Make sure to pre-order your physical copy of The IMPACT Engine and start reading the digital version of the book and accessing all the great bonus resources today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!  On May 14, it's International PMO Day. To celebrate, I'm announcing the official public launch of The IMPACT Engine: Accelerating Strategy Delivery for PMO and Transformation Leaders.   In this episode, I'm sharing with you a little bit about this book, why I wrote it and then reading the introduction. If you are in the business of PMO or transformation, driving change, or need to accelerate the delivery of your organization's strategy, you've come to the right place, IMPACT Driver!   If you catch this on or before May 14, please join us for our free International PMO Day celebration from 11-1 EDT | 3-5 GMT! I'm doing some live coaching, answering questions, and sharing some insights from the new book.     P.S. Bring your team and join me for free on INTERNATIONAL PMO DAY ON MAY 14! Plus, you'll get a sneak peek into my new book!    P.P.S. Become an IMPACT Insider by pre-ordering my new book, planning to submit a review in September, and sharing about the book online (you can start reading now)!     P.P.P.S. Pre-order The IMPACT Engine physical book and get the digital copy now plus other bonuses, learn more here.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!  I have a very important message for you in today's episode.  Are you celebrating International PMO Day on May 14? I'd love for you to join me here. It's free, plus you'll get a sneak peek into my new book The IMPACT Engine and learn how to get access to it months before it's available in stores!  See you soon! 🙂   P.S. Bring your team and join me for free on INTERNATIONAL PMO DAY ON MAY 14! Plus, you'll get a sneak peek into my new book!  P.P.S. Become an IMPACT Insider by pre-ordering my new book, planning to submit a review in September, and sharing about the book online (you can start reading now)!   P.P.P.S. Pre-order The IMPACT Engine physical book and get the digital copy now plus other bonuses, learn more here.      Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working Hey, IMPACT Driver!   This week, we're featuring Stuart Easton, CEO of TransparentChoice, and talking all about whether or not you really can use AI to transform your transformation.   Episode Highlights: Why Portfolio Management is So Important: Explore why effective portfolio management is pivotal for maximizing ROI and driving strategic change. The Role of AI: Unpack the realities of AI in managing complex portfolios and organizational dynamics. Expert Insights: Learn from Stuart’s extensive expertise in project prioritization and portfolio governance.   A couple of weeks after International PMO Day and right before Stuart and I head off to Saudi Arabia for the Global Project Management Forum, we're hopping on a webinar to give you a sneak peek into The IMPACT Engine book. Don't forget to sign up for our eye-opening webinar with Stuart Easton, where we'll talk about the FIRST place you should start if you want to accelerate the delivery of your organization's strategy.   Let me know what you think! Enjoy!   P.S. – Celebrate International PMO Day on May 14, 2024, 11-1 EDT | 3-5 GMT with a FREE 2-hour training and coaching workshop! Plus get a sneak peek into the brand new IMPACT Engine book. Register for FREE today!   Connect with Stuart Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn Learn More About TransparentChoice  The Power of PMO Strategies + TransparentChoice  Register for FREE for the 5 Steps to Double Your Portfolio ROI introductory course Download the free ultimate guide to project prioritization     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a PMO leader who commands the respect and attention of the executive team? If you've always wanted to know the secrets to earning your seat at the leadership table, this episode is for you.  In this episode, I'm joined by Bill Dow, PMP, a long-time PMO leader and 2023 World PMO Influencer of the Year, for a review of the five building blocks every PMO leader should embrace to amplify their influence and have a voice in executive-level decisions.  Join us for this episode to uncover the insider strategies that will transform your PMO into a driving force for organizational success and unlock your own potential as a leader. Don't miss this opportunity to take your PMO leadership to the next level.   Your seat is waiting...  Enjoy!  Connect with Bill  Check out Bill's Latest Publications Subscribe to Bill's YouTube Channel Connect with Bill on LinkedIn P.S. – Celebrate International PMO Day on May 14, 2024, 11-1 EDT | 3-5 GMT with a FREE 2-hour training and coaching workshop! Plus get a sneak peek into the brand new IMPACT Engine book.  P.P.S. - The IMPACT Engine book is coming. Make sure you check our newsletter each week because you will be the FIRST to know when you can get an early sneak peek. 🥳🎉👏  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                      

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Did you know that currently only 26.7% of tech jobs are filled by women? The majority of those are entry-level positions, which means an even smaller percentage of women are in leadership roles in the industry.    All too often, women find themselves struggling to balance personal and professional demands, lacking the necessary support to thrive in their careers. I know this all too well, spending many of my earlier years working in PMOs and building my company as a single mom!   Some would say that the odds are stacked against women in the workplace, but I’m not OK with that.    What can we do to fix this problem and give everyone the support they need to thrive in the workplace?    In this episode, IMPACT Summit speaker and a Certified Enterprise Agile Coach (CEC) with the Scrum Alliance, Apriel Biggs, and I will have an honest conversation about women in project leadership. She will share empowering insights from her career that will help you overcome any setbacks you may face in the professional world.    This podcast episode isn’t only for women! It’s for anyone who wants to create opportunities for their teams to thrive. In fact, you might be surprised by what I share regarding how I was treated in the workplace by men and women.    Check it out now.   Enjoy!   Connect with Apriel Biggs Find Apriel Biggs in LinkedIn P.S. International PMO Day is just around the corner. That's right, on Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, we'll be celebrating the vital role that Project Management Offices play in organizations across the globe. Reserve your seat today and learn more about how you can participate! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Do your project teams ever feel like they're wandering aimlessly without a map? Do misaligned expectations lead to disappointment in the project outcome? Our next podcast guest and my dear friend, Dawn Mahan, is here to help!   Dawn's new book Meet the Players in Projectland®: Decide the Right Project Roles & Get People On Board breaks down the unique dynamics of "Projectland" - where cross-functional teams come together for a temporary endeavor. Her insights equip project leaders with clarity around role expectations to set their teams up for success.    In this episode, Dawn shares practical tips like: How to get buy-in from execs to front-line Defining clear responsibilities for project sponsors & teams Ensuring no role feels like an "extra" player With Dawn as our travel guide through Projectland, you'll discover how to align your team around a common mission to bridge gaps and achieve collective wins. Be sure to check out this episode and learn more about Dawn's book for more role clarity essentials your project people need today. Enjoy!   Connect with Dawn Follow Dawn on LinkedIn Check out Dawn's website   P.S. – Grab your copy of Dawn's book here! P.P.S. – Love books? AWESOME! Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter emails so you're the first to get a sneak peek into my new book, The IMPACT Engine. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!  What if I told you that failure could be the key to your PMO's long-term success? It may sound counterintuitive, but in this episode, I'm sharing the surprising benefits of embracing failure in project management.  You'll learn why I challenge the conventional wisdom that failure is something to avoid at all costs. Instead, you can look at this as a strategic opportunity to address some of your toughest challenges (can we say there's never enough resources?) and position you, IMPACT Driver, to be the strategic business partner your C-Suite is looking for.   Listen now and discover how embracing failure could be the game-changer your PMO needs.  Happy listening!  P.S. The IMPACT Engine book is coming soon. Make sure you're staying connected to our newsletters for a very early sneak peek into the book, plus some other surprises I have in store only for our subscribers!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Do workplace conflicts leave you feeling drained and frustrated?   Do you wish you knew how to handle disagreements more effectively to get better results?   In this episode, I'm joined by my friend, Karin Hurt to discuss practical tips based on a nationwide workplace collaboration and conflict survey. You'll learn specific techniques to communicate effectively, problem-solve productively, and even prevent tension in the first place.   If you're thinking, "I'd love to know exactly what to say when I'm in the heat of the moment with that frustrating stakeholder," then Karin has you covered with 300 powerful phrases to help you turn even the most stressful conflicts into productive discussions that keep everyone driving toward the IMPACT you need! She shares some of her favorite phrases with us in this episode. You don't want to miss it!  Enjoy! Connect with Karin:Follow Karin on LinkedIn Preorder your copy of Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working Hey, IMPACT Driver! This week, we're going deep into the world of workstreams and how they can revolutionize your project management approach. You'll discover how this approach can help you coordinate work more effectively, enhance collaboration, and provide a visual representation that aligns with how your project teams naturally think about projects. We'll demystify the concept of workstreams and explore how they can help you: ✅ Coordinate work more effectively ✅ Enhance team collaboration and control ✅ Provide a visual representation that aligns with how you naturally think about projects ✅ Move beyond simple task lists to facilitate intuitive project management Plus, I'll share real-world examples of how workstreams have been successfully applied in various industries, from software development to marketing campaigns (and even wedding planning). Tune in now and discover how workstreams can transform your project management game! Enjoy! THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PROGGIO 1. Where you can catch Proggio's PM Pros: Webinars: How to Effectively Run Meetings Webinar hosted by Proggio & Antoni Lacinai - March 27 Demystifying Workstreams - In Conversation with Mike Clayton & Yaniv Shor - April 24 On the Road in Europe: Sponsorship at the PMI Global Summit-Europe - Berlin - April 10-11 On the Road in the US: PMI Utah Meetup on AI in Project Management, hosted by Yaniv Shor - Salt Lake City - March 26 Sponsorship & Workshop - PMI Local Chapter - Rochester - April 11 2. Free Version Exclusive Opportunity Experience the future of project portfolio management by signing up for a free account today. Create and craft stunning timelines that take your project management to the next level with Proggio! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver! Last week, we explored the challenge of sustainability in business. This week, in part two of our series with Mark Adler Madsen and Brian Cohn, we dive into practical strategies for helping your project teams consistently perform at a high level while navigating the relentless pressure to deliver more value, faster - and sustainably. Join us in this episode as we explore the key areas to focus on, from building intrinsic motivation and embracing servant leadership to prioritizing stakeholder analysis and incremental value delivery. Mark and Brian also share insights on the potential pitfalls of external processes and tools, emphasizing the importance of an empirical, team-centric approach to sustainable improvement. You'll learn the secrets to sustaining high performance in your project teams and learn how you can lead the way in creating a more sustainable, purpose-driven organization. Enjoy!  P.S. - Attention PMO leaders! Don’t settle for being considered just “administrative overhead.” Learn how to make a real IMPACT and drive measurable business value with our free training. Become the strategic asset your leaders need and earn your seat at the table for good. Register now for this FREE one-hour PMO Advantage training and start driving success today!    P.P.S. – The IMPACT Engine book is coming, and you will be the first to know when you can get a sneak peek. Make sure you're checking these emails each week, because we're about to get this party started!   Connect with Brian and Mark Find Brianand Markon LinkedIn Follow Aspire Innovation on LinkedIn Learn more about Aspire Innovation     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Climate dominates sustainability talk, but true sustainability runs deeper than carbon footprints. It means embedding ethical, social, and ecological values into the core of an organization.    In this episode, I'm joined by Mark Adler Madsen and Brian Cohn for a two-part series on managing sustainability projects and doing so in a sustainable way.   This week, we're looking at how sustainability strengthens the bottom line by building employee and customer trust - and what you can do as an IMPACT Driver. You'll learn about IMPACT analysis and other tools to make sustainability tangible for your own PMO. Hear why an internally-facing PMO holds the key to a resilient, thriving organization.  Join us for this episode to discover the key to transforming your PMO into a driving force for meaningful sustainability - and the secret to boosting your bottom line. Enjoy!    Connect with Brian and Mark Find Brian and Mark on LinkedIn Follow Aspire Innovation on LinkedIn Learn more about Aspire Innovation Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Do PMO leaders deserve a seat at the executive strategy table? Or are you destined to keep the lights on as tactical project supporters?  What if I told you the most forward-thinking PMOs are shaping business strategy itself by aligning directly to growth plans, market dynamics, and innovation goals?  They serve as the nerve center, catalyzing enterprise transformation - while dramatically expanding their influence.  Intrigued by this strategic elevation?   I’ve just recorded an insider podcast episode exploring:  Current PMO limitations   The vast untapped potential   Key steps to transform into a powerhouse driver of organizational success    Get the blueprint for PMO strategic IMPACT now by listening here.  This episode will upgrade how you view your role (and soon your executives, as well). Don't miss it!  Enjoy!  P.S. – Ready to transform your PMO into a strategic powerhouse? Our IMPACT Engine System can help you elevate your PMO's role and drive organizational success. Register today to explore how we can support your journey towards strategic alignment and influence.  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Do your stakeholders really understand the value your PMO brings?   Recent research reveals a startling gap between how PMO leaders, executives, and project managers perceive the role and purpose of the PMO.   The stats: Only 11% of executives said the PMO is responsible for business improvement 0% of executives said the PMO handles governance and standards 28% of PMO leaders define their role as reporting and tracking ...but 0% of executives see this as the PMO's purpose   What does this misalignment mean? Your PMO's influence and IMPACT suffer if stakeholders don't understand your value.   Listen to the latest episode of the PMO Strategies podcast as I dive into these perception gaps and what you can do to better communicate the vital business IMPACT your PMO drives. You'll get actionable steps to align stakeholder perceptions with the strategic value you provide.   The future of your PMO depends on stakeholder understanding. Don't let misperceptions limit your influence!   Enjoy!   P.S. – Want to bridge the gap between your PMO's perceived value and its actual IMPACT? Check out the IMPACT Engine System! Our comprehensive approach will equip you with the tools and strategies to communicate the true value your PMO brings to the table. Check it out now and take the first step toward maximizing your PMO's effectiveness today! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Resource management issues giving you a pounding headache? I hear you. Nearly half of PMO professionals in a recent survey said it's their #1 challenge.  In this week's episode, I'm tackling this pesky problem head-on. I'll share why throwing more people at it usually fails and what is more likely to be the root cause you MUST address if you want to actually resolve resource management challenges (for real this time).  Learn smarter ways to: Fix capacity planning to optimize your efficiency Allocate resources so projects actually get done Optimize your staff without expanding headcount   I'll also reveal my top tips for getting executive buy-in to shift the dynamics for good. Don't let resource problems keep holding you back. Tune in now to unlock a better way forward! Enjoy! P.S. – The IMPACT Engine System offers proven strategies and tools to help you effectively address resource management constraints. From capacity planning to optimizing staff allocation, we've got you covered. Don't miss out on this opportunity to streamline your processes and unlock better project outcomes. Learn more about how this program can benefit you today! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Today we're talking about the #1 complaint we hear from executives. I wonder if you're hearing this complaint as well, and if you're not...   It might be because you aren't close enough to hear it.   We hear it again and again...   And you need to solve for it.   In this episode, I'm tackling head-on the NUMBER ONE pain point plaguing senior executives worldwide when it comes to enabling organizational strategy.   Discover the root issue hampering strategic progress and PMOs’ ability to drive IMPACT.   Learn: Execs’ most common strategy delivery frustration How it cripples planning, resourcing, and priority setting Key places to start providing business-enabling visibility   If you solve for this, it can elevate your value overnight.   Let me know what you think!   Enjoy!   P.S. – The very best thing you can do to solve this and every complaint your leaders have about delivering on organizational strategy can be found inside the IMPACT Engine System. Check it out now and earn your seat at the table faster than you can say, "We need more resources!" Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hello, IMPACT Driver!   The data is out, and it's pretty clear. The PMO Outlook Report I just reviewed from Sciforma reveals shifting trends in how PMOs measure success.   In this multi-part series, I'm going to share my thoughts on what this data suggests and give you specific advice on things you can do now to drive more value with your PMO much faster.   First up is this week's episode on how PMOs are measuring success.   The time is NOW for PMOs to transform from narrow execution trackers to powerhouses enabling enterprise agility, innovation, and competitive advantage.   Tune in today and make sure to join us for the PMO Health Assessment workshop later this afternoon!   Enjoy!   P.S. – Last chance to join us for the FREE PMO Health Assessment Workshop live this afternoon! REGISTER NOW. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  PMO leaders are uniquely vulnerable to confidence crises that sabotage their performance. Even the most seasoned professionals occasionally struggle with uncertainty in their abilities or direction.  In this episode, I uncover the five fundamental reasons even competent PMO leaders second-guess themselves and what to do about it.   I share real-world examples of PMOs questioning their purpose, credibility, and IMPACT due to these confidence drainers. Plus, actionable solutions you can start applying today to restore assurance as you navigate uncertainty.  Listen in now and then make sure you check out our PMO Health Assessment to see where you really are with your PMO and get immediate guidance on what to do across 9 different areas to boost your IMPACT of your PMO and your confidence!  Plus, you can join me live on January 30th to review your results and create your PMO action plan for a high-IMPACT 2024!  Enjoy!  P.S. – Make sure to take our PMO Health Assessment today and then join me live on January 30th to build your high-IMPACT action plan for your best year yet. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  This week, I've got something a little different for you. Instead of giving you something to listen to, I'm going to ask you to take action!  My team and I have spent the last few months working on the ultimate PMO Health Assessment. It's a 20+ page report that measures your PMO health across 9 different categories and then provides you detailed feedback on each of the 9 areas. If you're strong in this area, I'll give you ideas to improve even more. If you're not so strong, I'll let you know how to get started in building the PMO muscle necessary to thrive with your PMO this year.   2023 was a tough year for a lot of companies and executives are going to be searching the organization for the trusted people that can help them achieve their goals this year. I want that trusted advisor to be you, IMPACT Driver!  So, take my comprehensive PMO and project health assessment that evaluates how well you are currently positioned and gives you my best advice on how to take the next steps in elevating your IMPACT in 2024.   We're looking at the nine most important areas you can make an IMPACT right now:  Reputation and Influence  Stakeholder Engagement  Organizational Change Management  Performance Management  Strategic Alignment  Portfolio Management  Governance  Training and Career Development   Project Management     Check out this episode to learn more about this assessment then head over here to take the assessment today. You'll also get an invitation to join me live on January 30th to review your results and help you create your action plan for high-IMPACT success in 2024.   Enjoy!  P.S. – Make sure to take our PMO Health Assessment today and then join me live on January 30th to build your high-IMPACT action plan for your best year yet.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    As we prepare to kick off another year, it's the perfect time to pause and assess the health of your PMO. An annual check-up enables you to benchmark progress, realign priorities, and set your PMO up for maximum impact in the year ahead.     In this episode, I'll be sharing the top 10 reasons why an annual PMO health assessment is essential and even some signs that you might be in need of some changes in your PMO ASAP.    The new year presents the perfect opening to hit the reset button for your PMO and you need an accurate picture of where you are to figure out how you're going to achieve all your goals in 2024.    Enjoy!    P.S. This episode is sponsored by our annual PMO Health Assessment workshop. Join me in partnership with Sciforma on January 30 for a LIVE workshop to discuss the current state of your PMO and build a plan for high-IMPACT in 2024. Register for FREE today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    As we head into 2024, now is a great time to set your intentions for starting off the new year right.     Whether you love creating New Year's resolutions or not, the start of a new year can be the start of something big for you, but to make that happen, you'll need to have a plan.    In this episode, I'll walk you through a technique that I use to help me reflect on what worked and what didn't work as well as I would have liked, then set some intentions for setting my new year up for success.     I hope you have an absolutely wonderful New Year and I look forward to helping you make an even bigger IMPACT in 2024.    Happy New Year!    Enjoy!    P.S. This episode is sponsored by our annual PMO Health Assessment workshop. Join me in partnership with Sciforma on January 30 for a LIVE workshop to discuss the current state of your PMO and build a plan for high-IMPACT in 2024. Register for FREE today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Happy holidays, IMPACT Driver! This time of year many of our listeners take some well-deserved downtime, so we created something special to make your break more productive and insightful. It's a bit of a "meta" episode. 🙂 We've organized all of our 2023 podcast content into useful categories based on the business problems you face and the IMPACT you want to drive. In this episode, you’ll discover our 2023 episodes bundled into themes like: PMO Establishment and Justification Executive Engagement and Alignment Project Management Techniques Business Owners Stakeholder and Client Engagement Project Culture and Change Management PMO Best Practices   I've listed the episodes you want to dive into in each of these categories and shared some insight as to why you might find each of the episodes useful. Whether you want to set up a new PMO, better engage executives, or start thinking about the future, we've got it all covered in this list! Grab a notepad and jot down the episode numbers to add to your holiday listening playlist. And don’t forget to download our handy podcast discussion guide by filling out the Podcast Club form (located on the right of this page) to take notes on episodes that catch your attention. It also includes prompts to get you thinking about how to apply the content with your teams when you return to the office. Wishing you rest, joy, and a little dose of productive inspiration this holiday season! We’ll see you in 2024 with a year jampacked with targeted content to empower you to maximize your IMPACT. Enjoy! P.S. – The IMPACT Entrepreneur Mentorship program is starting in January, but now through December 31, you can join for $5,000 off the 2024 price. As of right now, we still have a few seats left. Grab your seat today! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver! Have you ever considered starting your own business? In this week’s revealing episode, I’m sharing things I’ve never shared before on the podcast about why I started my company over a decade ago. I am taking you behind the curtain and sharing: The unexpected moment 12 years ago that triggered me to take the entrepreneurial leap The services we’ve built within my business and how it’s evolved over time Advice I really wish I had when I first started out   So if you've ever thought about starting your own business, currently run a small business, or might someday be interested in consulting, coaching, or training, this episode is for you. I was exactly like many listeners today – happy in my corporate job with ZERO intentions of ever becoming a business owner. But when an opportunity presented itself, something clicked, and I knew I had to take the risk. Even if entrepreneurship seems unfathomable now, tuck this advice away for “someday.” You never know what might change or inspire you when you least expect it! Listen now to learn what I wish I had known when I started ten years ago. It might just save you a lot of time and money! Enjoy! P.S. – The Consultant Mentorship program is starting in January, but now through December 31, you can join for $5,000 off the 2024 price. As of right now, we still have a few seats left. Grab your seat today! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle:   Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Who wouldn't love a little mind-reading prowess at work, right? 😉 It'd be a game-changer!    For project and PMO people, truly getting to what executives really want (beyond what they say) can feel like a puzzle.     But guess what? Our guest, IMPACT Summit speaker Alex Chapman, has some mind-blowing insights to help you unlock this skill!    With over 40 years of project mastery, Alex has honed her "mind-reading" techniques, starting with asking the right questions. Not only will this turbocharge your PMO's alignment with the big goals, but it'll also set the stage for more meaningful conversations and showcase the immense value you bring to the table.    Ready to dive in and start delivering the results they're craving? Join me in this episode!    Enjoy!    PS - Attention PMO leaders! Say goodbye to being labeled as "administrative overhead." It's time to make a real IMPACT and drive measurable business value. Join our FREE one-hour PMO Advantage training and become the strategic asset your leaders need. Claim your seat at the table for good, and let's elevate your PMO journey together!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle:   Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!    In the world of project management, women have faced uphill battles when trying to shatter glass ceilings and earn their seat at the leadership table.     What does it take to overcome challenges and excel as leaders of PMOs?     Yes, this is for you even if you aren’t a woman. 🙂 If you're smart, you're looking for ways to support everyone around you because you’ll go a lot further together than you can alone.     We all need to be mindful of how to create a culture of inclusivity, so the best ideas are driving the future of your organization.     In this inspiring discussion, you will meet IMPACT Summit speaker Dr. Mona Zoughaib.   Mona will share how she navigated barriers to drive success in this field. From trials and triumphs to resilience and empowerment, we will uncover the strategies and mindsets helping all PMO people ascend to new heights.     Take a listen now!    Enjoy!  This episode is sponsored by: Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle:  Power Skills  Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Change is inevitable. This is no secret in the PMO world, yet we still run into roadblocks all the time when leading change initiatives. One of the main factors that causes a change initiative to fail is lack of organizational change maturity.     But what exactly is organizational change maturity? How do we help our organizations build this crucial skill?     In this episode, IMPACT Summit speaker Isolde Kanikani will answer these questions for us and share with you exactly what you can do as a leader (and what you need from your stakeholders) to make an organizational change successful.    Join us for this episode to start building organizational change maturity in your organization today.    Enjoy!    P.S. – This episode is sponsored by Meisterplan. Meisterplan is an out-of-the-box tool that combines project portfolio management and resource management in one intuitive dashboard. Businesses can easily see resource availability and capacity, gain visibility into projects, prioritize and align project portfolios to strategies, and generate real-time scenario simulations with Meisterplan.     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!    It would be incredible if every project ran smoothly and on schedule every time, right?     Unfortunately, bottlenecks are a reality for any process. Knowing how to uncover and address those bottlenecks is critical to maximizing throughput, but how do you ensure you’re making the right decisions to achieve this goal, IMPACT Driver?    In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend and IMPACT Summit speaker Wolfram Müller, an internationally known speaker, author, and expert on self-organized changes based on the Theory of Constraints.  And if you don’t yet know what TOC is, you definitely need to check this out!    Wolfram walks us through the effective, accounting-based strategy he uses to find and exploit the constraints that hold projects back. He shares, based on his experience working with over 40 companies, the main factor that causes a PMO to fail.     Join us for this episode to find out how to maximize throughput for your projects – getting that higher ROI for projects your executives want!    Enjoy!    PS - This episode is sponsored by Planisware. Planisware offers cloud solutions that help you anticipate and shape tomorrow. By adding certainty in innovation and confidence to your decision making, Planisware cloud solutions allow you to make your vision a reality. Learn more today how Planisware can help you transform your projects.  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!    When it comes to Agile, it can be easy to get distracted by the methodology and terminology that comes with it (as Jesse Fewell put it in episode 210, we get so obsessed with the how, we forget about the why).     The reality is that things change fast. Successful organizations cannot thrive relying on terms and prescribed frameworks alone – they must focus on adapting continuously.    In this episode, I welcome my friend Christoph Hirnle, Managing Director of Meisterplan, to explore how PMOs can drive real IMPACT by anticipating what will matter, adapting plans when circumstances change, and accelerating execution - the Universal 3As of Agility.    Join us for this episode to learn how PMOs (and other parts of the organization) can leverage these principles to stay ahead of the curve. <- This is what you need to know to become more valuable to the executives in your organization!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                                

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Hey, IMPACT Driver!  The project economy is booming and PMOs are at the heart of it all!  As companies shift toward project-driven strategies, PMOs play a pivotal role in driving success – and you need to know how to take full advantage of this opportunity!   But here's the kicker: How can PMOs best serve their internal partners, like project and resource managers, all while keeping the big business goals in sight?  I am thrilled to welcome Moussa Gherbi, head of Customer Success at Planisware, to help answer this question.   In this episode, we're diving deep into how adopting a customer-centric mindset can be a game-changer for your PMO. Because, let's face it, mindset is where the magic happens!  Tune in for some serious PMO power moves. You won't want to miss this! Enjoy!    Learn More About PlaniswareConnect with us on LinkedInFollow us on TwitterFind us on FacebookLearn more about our productsRequest a demoQuadpack's Approach: A Case Study on Key Factors in New Product Development P.S. – This episode is sponsored by Planisware. Planisware offers cloud solutions that help you anticipate and shape tomorrow. By adding certainty in innovation and confidence to your decision-making, Planisware cloud solutions allow you to make your vision a reality. Learn more today about how Planisware can help you transform your projects.  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                              

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills Hey, IMPACT Driver!  In case you missed it, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Pierre Le Manh, President and CEO of the Project Management Institute, at this year’s IMPACT Summit.   The conversation was an important one for you to hear, IMPACT Driver, since he’s revealing what C-Suite executives are looking for from their leaders to help them make a bigger IMPACT.   We looked at what is holding many project professionals back in their careers and effective strategies to communicate your value to executives.  Join us for this episode to get the executive’s perspective on what it takes for you to break through the glass ceiling and get your seat at the table. Enjoy!  Connect with Pierre on LinkedInProject Managers as Strategic Leaders – in the C-suite and Beyond   P.S. – The IMPACT Engine System™ is the only program of its kind that shows you how to build, run, and elevate your strategy delivery organization. If you are building or running a PMO, SDO, Agile, or Business Transformation Office, your career depends on making an IMPACT. This program will help you drive measurable value for the business, making it easy to get your executives on board. Learn more today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                              

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen  Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Many executives today are frustrated by delayed projects, high budget overruns, and projects not resulting in the intended business outcomes and the first thing they usually do is blame project management. However, it might take some convincing that it will take more than some project management training to get their projects moving faster.  You know there’s more to it (because you listen to this podcast!) but how do you make the case for a PMO that can truly address the root causes of their pain points without having to push, convince, sell, beg, or plead for them to support you in setting up a PMO to solve their business challenges?   In this episode, I’m going to show you how to make the case for a PMO (or strategy delivery team) the right way and without having to spend a single minute feeling like a salesperson!   Join me for this episode to make an undeniable case for a PMO that your business leaders can’t ignore. In fact, they will be begging you to get started!  Enjoy!    P.S. – The IMPACT Engine System™ shows you exactly what to do to make the case for your PMO and then gives you the step-by-step-by-step for building a strong PMO that shows value fast. With our framework, you’ll be able to show your business leaders exactly what you’ll do in the first 90 days and how quickly they will see results. This program will help you drive measurable value for the business, making it easy to get your executives on board. Learn more today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                              

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  This week, I’m bringing you the last of three success stories from IMPACT Engine System students who shared the secrets to their success at this year’s IMPACT Summit. Mike Welch had no experience as a project manager and had never led a PMO when I met him two years ago. Now, he runs the Strategy Delivery Office for his organization and was featured in Associations Now magazine for driving success through a more disciplined approach to projects. Mike shares his biggest challenges, his ah-ha! moments, and the keys to his success as a new PMO leader. Mike Welch is one of many IMPACT Engine System and IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind program participants that spoke at this year’s summit. We are incredibly proud of him and thrilled to share his story! Is next year’s summit a chance for you to share your story, IMPACT Driver? Enjoy!   P.S. You can connect with Mike here.  P.P.S. The IMPACT Engine System™ is the only program of its kind that shows you how to build, run, and elevate your strategy delivery organization. If you are building or running a PMO, SDO, Agile or Business Transformation Office, your career depends on making an IMPACT. This program will help you drive measurable value for the business, making it easy to get your executives on board. Learn more today! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Get your popcorn ready! This episode is going to be fun (and maybe even hit a little close to home). 😉  IMPACT Engine System and IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind student, Paul Dunningham shares hilarious and poignant stories from his 15+ year career as a PMO leader.   Paul reflects on the winding road that brought him to where he is today - from moving cities, to quitting jobs, to taking six months off to find himself.  He also lets you in on something he likes to call the “PMO Hokey Pokey.”  We’re so proud of Paul and can’t wait to hear what you think!  Join me for this episode to hear how an experienced PMO leader turned setbacks into success.  Enjoy!  P.S. You can connect with Paul here. P.P.S. The IMPACT Engine System™ is the only program of its kind that shows you how to build, run, and elevate your strategy delivery organization. If you are building or running a PMO, SDO, Agile or Business Transformation Office, your career depends on making an IMPACT. This program will help you drive measurable value for the business, making it easy to get your executives on board. Learn more today!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    If you missed this year’s IMPACT Summit, you’re in luck because I want to share one of my favorite sessions with you.    In this interview, IMPACT Summit speaker Willetta Love joins Summit Co-host Amanda Oakenfull to share the transformative potential of strategic project management.    Willetta is a Technology Training Support Specialist at the American Psychological Association and one of the many IMPACT Engine System™ and IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind™ program participants who spoke this year. We are so proud of her and all the progress she’s made throughout her IMPACT journey!    In this session, she reveals her keys to success, the challenges she overcame, and the major "ah-ha" moments she's had in helping APA execute strategy through projects.     Willetta’s story demonstrates the immense IMPACT that is possible when you apply strategic project management principles. I'm sure this will inspire you on your journey to strategy delivery success!    Join me for this episode to learn how strategic project management can help you elevate your IMPACT.    Enjoy!    P.S. – The IMPACT Engine System™ is the only program of its kind that shows you how to build, run, and elevate your strategy delivery organization. If you are building or running a PMO, SDO, Agile, or Business Transformation Office, your career depends on making an IMPACT. This program will help you drive measurable value for the business, making it easy to get your executives on board. Learn more today!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Today, we're delving into a crucial but often neglected topic. When I queried my IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind students about their top advice, they unanimously emphasized the pivotal mindset shifts that propelled them to success. I know you’re probably here to learn actionable tactics and strategies to make an IMPACT on your organization (and we have plenty of that coming up), but without the right mindset, these tactics and strategies often fall flat. In this episode, I explain the importance of the right mindset before you deliver anything and how to align your mindset with the organization’s strategy to really elevate your IMPACT. Join me for this episode to learn why your mindset matters more than anything else. Enjoy! P.S. – If you lead a PMO, SDO, or transformation office, your career depends on delivering IMPACT. The IMPACT Engine System aligns your mindset with strategic goals, then teaches you everything you need to do step-by-step to build an IMPACT delivery engine that will accelerate your organization’s strategy faster than you can imagine. Learn more about the IMPACT Engine System. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! I have a very important 5-minute message for you today. The world’s largest virtual event for PMO, strategy delivery, and transformation leaders is here - the 2023 IMPACT Summit! The event has already started, and you don't want to miss this, IMPACT Driver. This virtual event is designed to help current and future PMO, transformation, and strategy delivery leaders build their leadership capabilities while helping you implement the strategies designed to drive higher IMPACT much faster. Connect with thousands of your peers and elevate your IMPACT now. Don’t miss out on this amazing FREE opportunity! REGISTER FOR FREE RIGHT NOW Join me for this week’s episode to hear all the details on what's in store for you now through September 22, 2023. Can't wait to see you there! Enjoy! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  We’re seeing more leadership conversations around culture and the way it’s influencing organizational value delivery. As a leader, what do you need to know and do to help ensure that your culture is working with you instead of against you?    In this episode, I’m joined by IMPACT Summit Co-host Amanda Oakenfull, an experienced executive and mentor who specializes in strategic delivery and recovery.    Amanda will give us insight into how we can strike the perfect balance between cultural norms, interpreting others’ intentions vs. cultural differences, and building positive relationships that support the organization’s bottom line.   Learn more about this topic and many others, register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for free! Connect with thousands of PMO, strategy delivery, and transformation leaders and gain invaluable insight that will help you earn your seat at the table. Don’t miss out on this amazing FREE opportunity!  Join us for this week’s episode to learn how to navigate cultural differences in your organization and create positive relationships that drive organizational success.   Enjoy!     Connect with AmandaFind Amanda on LinkedIn   P.S. –  The world’s largest virtual event for PMO, strategy delivery, and transformation leaders is BACK this September! Register now for this year’s IMPACT Summit for free and join us for a week of presentations, workshops, and discussions designed to help you boost results-driven IMPACT in your organization and career. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Are you a good storyteller? You may be able to explain things to people, but can you engage them in a way that has them supporting your cause?   Good storytelling is a powerful skill that can help you become a better leader and elevate your influence. With it, you can improve communication with your executives, navigate complicated topics in a compelling way, and foster creativity in your organization.    This week, I’m thrilled to invite my dear friend and IMPACT Summit Cohost, Dawn Mahan, to give us some insight into this topic.   Dawn and I will discuss the IMPACT of good storytelling, what it can do to elevate your leadership game, and helpful tips you can use today to improve this crucial skill.   Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE to catch Dawn’s sessions, along with many other presentations, discussions, and workshops designed to help you develop your leadership skills. Join us for this episode to learn how being a good storyteller can significantly help your organization, projects, and career.   Enjoy!  Connect with Dawn Follow on TwitterConnect on LinkedInFollow on InstagramCompany FacebookCompany LinkedInProject Guru AcademySubscribe to YouTube Channel P.S. - This month, the world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! The fear of losing your job to automation is nothing new, but it’s getting pretty real nowadays. A concern that was once confined to the customer service industry is now expanding far beyond it, and PMs could soon be next on the chopping block.  In this episode, I’ll be discussing this new reality with IMPACT Summit Speaker and Agile Thought Leader, Scott Ambler. He predicts that most PM work will be automated with AI by 2030.  So, how does this affect the role of a project manager and the PMO? Will AI expand the possibilities for PMs, or will it render the profession obsolete?   One thing is for sure: things will change, and you should be ready to adapt.   Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE to learn more about the future of project management. This week-long virtual experience connects you with thousands of PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders through presentations, workshops, and live discussions. Don’t miss out! Join us for this episode to learn what you can do to be a successful PM in an increasingly automated world. Enjoy! Connect with ScottFollow Scott on TwitterConnect on LinkedIn P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!   This episode is sponsored by: Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Whether it’s expected or unexpected, change is inevitable in any organization. Every project brings change, making change management a crucial element of a project leader’s job.  Addressing resistance to change can be exhausting and demoralizing to those you’re trying to lead. If you’re wondering how to effectively motivate your teams to embrace changes and follow your lead through them, my dear friend and IMPACT Summit Speaker, Barbara Trautlein has science-backed and experience-based answers for you.   If you want to learn more about leading change beyond this episode, register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE! This virtual event in September will cover much more on this topic and many others. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to help your organization thrive.  Join us for this episode to hear a thought-provoking conversation with actionable takeaways that you can start using today to benefit for organization, team, and career. Enjoy! Connect with BarbaraFind Barbara on LinkedInFollow Barbara on Twitter P.S. –  The world’s largest virtual event for PMO, strategy delivery, and transformation leaders is BACK this September! Register now for this year’s IMPACT Summit for free and join us for a week of presentations, workshops, and discussions designed to help you boost results-driven IMPACT in your organization and career.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  As your organization grows, you want to ensure that nothing is limiting its full potential. Far too often, as organizations grow and scale their operations, they lose sight of what drove successes early on.  Ensuring that this doesn’t happen is a process that requires the effort of everyone in your organization.    This week, I’m excited to welcome my dear friend and IMPACT Summit Cohost, Mike Hannan, to share simple, proven, and effective techniques to scale profits without unnecessary overhead, and how to avoid falling into the usual traps that limit an organization’s potential. If you want a seat at the table, IMPACT Driver, you need to make it your business to know how to elevate the IMPACT of your business. If you want to learn more about scaling your organization efficiently, register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE! This week-long event connects you with thousands of PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders through presentations, workshops, and live discussions designed to help you maximize your IMPACT and earn your seat at the table. Don’t miss out! Learn from a leading-edge thinker and PMO renegade who believes we ALL must do more to unleash our boundless potential so you can expand the possibilities for your growing organization, while avoiding the common pitfalls that will hold it back.  Enjoy!   P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!      Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  If you’re a freelance or consultant PM/PMO professional, or thinking of becoming one, you do not want to miss this episode. The truth is that you’re up against much larger and more established consulting firms and it can be difficult to get big contracts and ideal clients who are willing to pay you what you’re worth.   Trust me, I’ve been there.    And, by the way, IMPACT Driver, if you are looking to build your consulting practice, check out the P.S. below. I have something special I’m doing for you.   Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Candice Benson, IMPACT Summit Speaker and CEO of Benson Consulting Inc., will share with us her 3-step, tried-and-true framework that will help you bring in consistent, repeatable revenue in your business and avoid the “feast-or-famine” cycle that plagues so many freelancers and consultants.     If you want to learn more about how to grow your consulting business, sign up for this year’s IMPACT Summit for free! This week-long virtual event connects you with thousands of PMO, change management, and strategy development leaders through presentations, workshops, and live discussions. Don’t miss out!   Join us for this episode to learn how you can give your project management business the boost it needs to consistently land bigger contracts.   Enjoy!   Connect with Candice:FacebookTwitterLinkedIn Learn more about Benson Consulting:FacebookTwitterLinkedIn P.S. I am looking for 10 project and PMO consultants that want to learn directly with me how to apply our game-changing IMPACT Engine System in their own consulting practice. We have built a completely referral-based business over the last decade because our clients love us. Do you want that kind of business? I want to help you. P.P.S. The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    I have a question for you: were you prepared for AI, inflation, and a pandemic all at once? It seems like things are changing faster than we can keep up with! What will the world throw at us next?      We're moving into a world of increasing uncertainty. As a PMO leader, you need the skills and tools to not just keep up with the times, but to take full advantage of what’s to come.       This week, I am absolutely thrilled to welcome IMPACT Summit speaker Jonathan Brill to the podcast. Brill and I discuss not only how to prepare for the future, but also how you can use strategic foresight to leverage inevitable change and stay ahead of the curve.    Jonathan Brill is an expert on strategic foresight and technology innovation, an accomplished author, and “the world’s leading transformation architect,” according to the Harvard Business Review. His warm style, compelling stories, and intellectual rigor inspire visionaries and open even the most hard-boiled executives to new ways of thinking and doing.     Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE to learn how you can take a leadership role in preparing your organization for the future. This week-long virtual experience will connect you with thousands of PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders through presentations, discussions, and workshops. Join us and help shape the future of PMOs!      Join me for this episode to learn from Forbes’ #1 futurist how YOU can architect your future in the age of AI and increasing uncertainty.       Enjoy!     Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn  Visit Jonathan’s Website  Rogue Waves: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change  Assess Your Strategic Luck     P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK this September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to learn how you can earn your seat at the table. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out. Register for free now!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS                  

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Do you think that organizational change management belongs in the PMO or in a separate business unit? This has been a hot topic in recent years.   How exactly is it different from project management, and is it necessary? Can’t any project leader lead enterprise-wide change?    What if an intentional organizational change management function is what your PMO is missing?     This week, I welcome my friend and IMPACT Summit speaker, Jennie Fowler, to explore this topic with me.   Jennie has 25 years of experience in IT and Enterprise PM sectors across industries. She has started and/or matured 8 PMO / EPMOs in her career in roles such as Strategy Realization Office Sr. Director, Head of IT PMO, Head of EPMO, and CIO. In 2021, she started a new as the Global Director of Project Management with Percepta.  Now, Jennie is also in the top 3 finalists for the PMO Leader of the Year for the Americas.     To learn more about leading enterprise-wide change in your organization and catch Jennie’s thought-provoking session, register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for free! This one-week virtual experience connects you with thousands of PMO, strategy delivery, and transformation leaders through presentations, workshops, and live discussions, all for FREE!     Join us for this episode to learn from an industry expert and practitioner where change management fits in your organization, and if you need to make a change to better deliver on your projects.     Enjoy!    P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS            

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Executives want one thing from you: to help them achieve the maximum ROI for their strategy as quickly as possible.   All too often, PMO and project leaders overwhelm executives with the details, when what they really care about is the results.    Your executives need you to help them deliver on their strategy fast, but you must understand what you’re saying and doing that can either prevent you from earning your seat at the table or get you there quickly.    In this episode, long-time friend and IMPACT Summit Cohost, Stuart Easton, an industry leader who spends his days talking to the executives, joins me to help you understand how to speak the language of the executives and give them what they want before you give them what they need.    Stuart Easton is the Founder and CEO of TransparentChoice and a guest lecturer on Project Prioritization at the University of Oxford. In short, he is on a mission to help PMO leaders deliver successful projects far and wide.      Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE today! This week-long virtual experience in September connects you with thousands of PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders through presentations, workshops, and discussions designed to help YOU earn your seat at the table.    Join us for this episode to learn 3 techniques you can start using TODAY to deliver the results your executives want, while sparing them the details they don’t want.    Enjoy!    Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn  Learn More About TransparentChoice  The Power of PMO Strategies + TransparentChoice    P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS            

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Project management has always been an innate human talent. These days, however, fewer jobs need humans to do them, and professionals in every industry are feeling the effects of this new reality.   AI is on track to eliminate the “clerical” aspects of a PM job in the very near future. The question is, what’s left over?   In this episode, IMPACT Summit Cohost, Donna Fitzgerald, a global thought leader in this space, shares how AI will change the project management landscape, how PMO and project leadership roles will change as a result, and the must-have skills you’ll need to thrive.   Donna is the founder of Nimble PM, and probably the most opinionated person I know when it comes to project management (she even has me beat, which is a tall order!). While she’s occasionally accused of being an iconoclast, her commitment to helping PMs deliver successful projects and programs has never wavered.   Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE to learn more about how AI will change the world of project management, along with many other PMO, transformation, and strategy delivery topics that you won’t want to miss.   Join us for this episode to learn about the project management skills that can’t be replaced with AI, so you know where you fit in the future of project management.   Enjoy!   Connect with Donna on LinkedIn NimblePM Website   P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS          

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Let's be honest: Agile is broken. From the recent wave of tech layoffs, the post-pandemic debate over remote vs. in-office, and DEI being pushed to the sidelines, it seems the Agile silver bullet has lost its shine lately. How do we fix this?   I am thrilled to invite Agile pioneer Jesse Fewell back to the podcast this week to help answer this question.   Jesse Fewell has mentored thousands of technology professionals across 14 countries to improve their teams & companies using Agile methods. He’s founded several startups, contributed to three industry certifications (PMI-ACP, CST, CEC) and PMBoK 7, and has authored publications reaching over half a million readers in eleven languages.  According to Jesse, the problems Agile faces today cannot be solved by simply forcing everyone back into the office. He believes that navigating the post-pandemic collaborative environment is an existential leadership challenge that places one of the twelve principles of Agile into question. Can you guess which one?  Register for this year's IMPACT Summit for FREE to catch Jesse Fewell’s session and learn more about the future of Agile in a remote work environment, so you can achieve remarkable project outcomes from anywhere in the world.  Tune in to this week’s episode to find out what’s holding Agile back these days, and what we can do to fix it.  Enjoy!  Connect with Jesse on LinkedIn  Follow Jesse on Twitter  Find Jesse on Facebook   Untapped Agility by Jesse Fewell  Agile Transformation Toolkit  BAI Report: Reimagining Agility with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams: Collaborate to Deliver by Johanna Rothman & Mark Kilby  P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    This week, I’m excited to welcome award-winning author, globally recognized leadership coach, and IMPACT Summit speaker Susanne Madsen to the podcast.     In this episode, Susanne will tell us why emotional intelligence is such a crucial skill for anyone looking to develop their leadership abilities, build trust in the workplace, and influence key stakeholders.    Luckily, this skill can be learned and improved upon at any age!  Register for this year’s IMPACT Summit for FREE to join Susanne’s session and elevate your leadership skills along with thousands of PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders.    Tune in to this episode to explore what EQ is and how you can best develop and apply it in your day-to-day work as a PMO or project leader.       Enjoy!    Visit Susanne's Website The Power of Project Leadership by Susanne Madsen The Project Leadership Institute Connect with Susanne on LinkedIn Follow Susanne on YouTube   P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  There’s been a lot of talk lately about PMOs being reimagined with a different title to reflect alignment with value.  But should renaming your PMO be the primary focus? Will changing the name to Strategy Delivery Office change what the organization actually does?  In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend and PMO thought leader Andy Jordan. Andy will share what’s to come in the future of PMOs, and how the scope is evolving to create a highly valued organization that executives can trust to deliver results.  Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatán, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a strong emphasis on organizational transformation, portfolio management, and specifically PMOs. He is an in-demand speaker, author, and instructor who delivers thought-provoking content in an engaging and entertaining style on project management-related disciplines, including PMO and portfolio management courses on LinkedIn Learning.  Make sure you register for the IMPACT Summit for free so you don’t miss Andy’s session.  Join us for this episode to learn why it’s not all in the name and why changing the scope of your PMO should be your primary focus.  Enjoy!  P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Last week, I shared that one of the ways to get critical executive buy-in quickly is to shift your focus from a process-first approach to a principles-first approach.  In this week’s episode, I walk you through the specific steps you MUST take to win over your executives, align your organization with its strategic goals, and secure the critical support you need to make a lasting IMPACT with your PMO.   I share some key insights that I teach our IMPACT Engine System™ students to help you effectively communicate the value of your PMO and build strong relationships with decision-makers.  From understanding the executive perspective to demonstrating quick wins (and even addressing resistance along the way), I’m covering it all!  If you want to learn more about executive buy-in beyond this episode, the best way to do so is to register for this year's IMPACT Summit. This virtual one-week experience connects you with thousands of PMO and strategy delivery leaders through presentations, workshops, and live discussions, all for FREE!  Join me for this episode to learn how to earn executive buy-in for your PMO so that you can achieve greater efficiency, improved project outcomes, and a lasting IMPACT for your organization.  Enjoy!  P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for FREE now to claim your early registration bonus!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Last week, I told you about my debate with fellow thought leader Crystal Richards at the University of Maryland Project Management Symposium. We discussed whether a process-first vs. principles-first approach yields more success in helping your business leaders achieve their goals through projects.  In that episode, I also challenged you to ask yourself if you wanted to be thought of as an Order Taker or an IMPACT Driver.   If you’re here, that probably means you want to be an IMPACT Driver. But what does that actually mean to you and what do you do right now?  In this episode, I’ll be giving you the answer...along with a few questions to ask your business leaders so you can have better conversations that will lead to better business outcomes for your projects.  Enjoy!    P.S. - The world’s largest virtual conference for PMO, strategy, and transformation leaders is BACK in September! Join us at this year’s IMPACT Summit to find out how you can earn your seat at the table. Register for free now!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Recently, I was part of a fabulous debate at the University of Maryland Project Management Symposium. The UMD team has a special place in my heart because they’ve been the host of the Project Management Day of Service since our second year so many years ago now!  UMD is a staunch supporter of the power of Project Management and what better way to showcase the variety of ways that project people can show value than a friendly debate between two industry leaders?  It was so much fun!  I had the pleasure of debating with my friend and fellow thought leader Crystal Richards.   We tackled the age-old question facing so many project people: Is it better to have a process-first or principles-first approach to projects?  In this episode, you’ll learn why I believe that if you really want a seat at the leadership table to drive meaningful business value for your organization, there’s one approach that gets you there a lot faster than the other.   I won’t give it all away here, but I can’t wait to see what you think after you listen to this episode, so let me know! You can find posts about it on LinkedIn.  Enjoy!  P.S. - Attention PMO leaders! Say goodbye to being labeled as "administrative overhead." It's time to make a real IMPACT and drive measurable business value. Join our FREE one-hour PMO Advantage training and become the strategic asset your leaders need. Claim your seat at the table for good, and let's elevate your PMO journey together!  P.P.S. - If you would like to listen to the full back-and-forth debate, you can do so right here on my friend Kendall’s podcast. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Did you know that we STILL have some pretty wicked failure rates with PMOs? The typical PMO fails within 2-3 years, and I know EXACTLY why. Because there’s SOOOO much advice out there about PMOs now and frankly, a lot of it is sending you in the wrong direction.  That’s why I started PMO Strategies over a decade ago. I am fighting against the typical advice so you can get much better results.  Imagine a PMO that defies expectations, stands out from the crowd, and delivers high-IMPACT results. That's the kind of PMO I want to help you build, whether you’re just starting to build your team or looking to elevate your existing PMO. Listen to this episode now to learn how to take your PMO from ordinary to extraordinary and earn your seat at the leadership table in the process. Enjoy! P.S. - Attention PMO leaders! Say goodbye to being labeled as "administrative overhead." It's time to make a real IMPACT and drive measurable business value. Join our FREE one-hour PMO Advantage training and become the strategic asset your leaders need. Claim your seat at the table for good, and let's elevate your PMO journey together!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Are you unsure where to start with building a new PMO?  Wishing you had a shortcut for all the things you need to do to set yourself up for success?  On our survey, one of your peers asked for help with these same questions, so I created this episode with an easy-to-follow list of free resources to get you started.  If you are looking for a shortcut, a clear roadmap with all the answers, and the step-by-step that will give you the confidence that you are doing it right the first time, you should definitely join us inside the IMPACT Engine System™ now to fast-track your PMO journey!  Not ready to take the leap just yet? This episode will get you started on the resources you need so you don’t waste any time trying to Google your way to a PMO. Trust me, I’ve seen way too many failed attempts and can’t let you do that!  Listen to this episode now and get ready to take notes because I have a whole plan on where to go to get started with your new PMO, transformation, or strategy delivery office.  And if you haven’t filled out our survey yet, please do! I’m here to help you on your IMPACT journey, and you may even hear some answers to your questions in one of our future episodes.  Enjoy!  P.S. - Attention PMO leaders! Don’t settle for being considered just “administrative overhead.” Learn how to make a real IMPACT and drive measurable business value with our free training. Become the strategic asset your leaders need and earn your seat at the table for good. Register now for this FREE one-hour PMO Advantage training and start driving success today!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS        

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Are you ready to dive into a hot topic that often sparks debates in the PMO community? I know I am!  Today, I answer the age-old question: Should a PMO leader be required to have project management experience?  It's a controversial topic, with some arguing that experience is crucial for success, while others believe too much experience can hinder a leader's effectiveness.  So, what's the answer? Can a PMO leader without much project management experience still be successful in their role?   Join me in this episode now to explore the pros and cons and hear some tips on what YOU can do to be successful as a PMO leader, regardless of your level of project management experience.  Enjoy!  P.S. - Have you registered to join us for the very first International PMO Day this Tuesday, May 9th, 2023? We want to celebrate with you, IMPACT Driver! I’m going to host a FREE 2-hour workshop 11 AM EDT | 3 PM GMT! Change your life and the trajectory of your PMO to earn your seat at the table, PLUS get a chance to sit in the hot seat with me for some FREE coaching on your toughest pain points. Register now to join us for this chance to get unstuck and move forward in elevating your PMO success.  P.P.S. - Reading this after the live workshop? I have a special gift for you too! Visit the International PMO Day page for all the details.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS      

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!  Is the term “PMO” being left in the dust?  It's a big question, but let's be real — the name PMO can carry some serious baggage.  Some business leaders love it, while others have had bad experiences and want nothing to do with it.  That's where the conversation starts - with how prior experiences shape perceptions of PMOs and why executives like to be involved in the process.  But that's just the beginning!  Whether you call it a PMO, strategy delivery office, transformation office, or something else entirely, I’m giving you the tools to ensure you and your team are set up for success in this rapidly changing business environment.  Join me in this episode now to unpack what's happening in the industry, how the PMO is evolving, the mindsets of business leaders, and what it means for YOUR organization.  Enjoy!  P.S. - Have you registered to join us for the very first International PMO Day on May 9th, 2023? We want to celebrate with you, %FIRSTNAME|TITLECASE%! I’m going to host a FREE 2-hour workshop! Change your life and the trajectory of your PMO to earn your seat at the table, PLUS get a chance to sit in the hot seat with me for some FREE coaching on your toughest pain points. Register now to join us for this chance to get unstuck and move forward in elevating your PMO success. Hot seat opportunities are limited, so claim your spot today!        Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS      

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    I am bursting with excitement to share some incredible news with you!    I've been working on something very special and I can’t wait to get it into your hands.     It's going to be a total game-changer for PMO and strategy delivery leaders just like you, IMPACT Driver.    I’m writing a book to help PMO and strategy delivery leaders create powerful IMPACT Engines for their organizations to drive higher business value much faster. This book covers everything from stories and techniques to a step-by-step system framework I use in the IMPACT Engine System™ implementation program. Now, if you know anything about the publishing process, you know it will be a while before it’s in your hands, so I’m finding ways to bring you with me on this journey until it’s published.    Tune in to this episode to get a sneak peek into the upcoming book!    I can't wait for you to listen in and share your thoughts here.     Help me spread the word by sharing your excitement on all your favorite social media platforms and stay tuned for more exciting news and updates to come!    Enjoy!    P.S. - Have you registered to join us for the very first International PMO Day on May 9th, 2023? We want to celebrate with you, IMPACT Driver! I’m going to host a FREE 2-hour workshop! Change your life and the trajectory of your PMO to earn your seat at the table, PLUS get a chance to sit in the hot seat with me for some FREE coaching on your toughest pain points. Register now to join us for this chance to get unstuck and move forward in elevating your PMO success. Hot seat opportunities are limited, so claim your spot today!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management)  Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Are you building a new PMO or strategy delivery team, but feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of pain points your stakeholders have shared with you?     How do you figure out where to start when there seem to be so many things you need to fix to make progress?!    Don’t worry. I’ve got you, IMPACT Driver.     You aren’t the only one with this challenge.     On our survey, one of your peers shared this same challenge and asked for help.     So, today we’re diving into exactly how to figure out where to focus first to get your biggest results the fastest. You may be surprised by what you hear!     And if you haven’t filled out our survey yet, please do so here: https://pmostrategies.com/survey/     When you tell us what’s going on with you and share your pain points, we’re going to send you resources, suggestions, and specific podcast episodes that will help you address your toughest challenges.     Enjoy!    P.S. - The very first International PMO Day is on May 9th, 2023 and we want to celebrate with you! I’m going to host a FREE 2-hour workshop! Change your life and the trajectory of your PMO to earn your seat at the table, PLUS get a chance to sit in the hot seat with me for some FREE coaching on your toughest pain points. Register now to join us for this chance to get unstuck and move forward in elevating your PMO success. Hot seat opportunities are limited, so claim your spot today: https://pmostrategies.com/pmoday     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about the importance of earning your seat at the table. For you to be able to bring your organization through change effectively, they must know you, like you, and trust you, so that you can have the real conversations about what it will take to deliver on their strategy with the help of your team.      That trust part is where this seat at the table comes into play.     Your business leaders need you there to help them drive the right decisions and it’s hard to do when they don’t even know you’re there.     Today, I’m sharing 6 tips to get and keep your seat at the table – and when it’s time to just take it!    You'll learn:  Ways to help the executives see your value  How to earn your business leaders' respect  Strategies for joining the right conversations    Listen to this episode now to learn how to show your business leaders just how well you can help them drive the big strategy plays for your organization.     Enjoy!    P.S. - Attention PMO Leaders! It’s critical that you know how to measure and communicate your PMO value and there are FAR more meaningful metrics than projects being on time and budget. Instead, you need to learn to speak the value language of your business leaders so they WANT you at the table with them helping them set their strategy up for success. Register for my free training to show you how to measure and communicate the real value of your PMO: https://pmostrategies.com/value   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Recently, I asked my IMPACT Engine System™ and IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind™ program participants to share their journey through what I teach. I asked them to tell me about where they were when they started, their biggest challenges, how the work they have done in the program has changed them, their big "ah ha" moments, and what they would tell their former selves now that they are where they are with what they now know.    Their responses were so powerful that I couldn't help but cry. I saw how much they have grown and was so darn proud.     So, today I am sharing some of the insights that they said they wish they could tell their former selves before starting the journey of building or elevating their PMO or strategy delivery team. I hope you find this helpful in supporting you where you are today and feeling a little less alone in this process.    I'm incredibly proud of them and honored to support them. Building a PMO or strategy delivery team is not easy, but it's worthwhile. Just remember that you don’t have to do it alone.     Enjoy!    P.S. – The work you do in your organization is not just about templates, tools, and process – it's also about YOU as a leader. Join my IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind students in our hands-on support system to help you step-by-step through your journey to build a PMO, strategy, or transformation organization the right way. It’s time to earn (and keep) your seat at the table: https://pmostrategies.com/coaching     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    This week, Stuart Easton, Founder and CEO of TransparentChoice, joins the podcast to discuss why portfolio management is critical to delivering on your organization's strategy effectively.    It’s not enough to get good at ensuring that projects are executed well. There’s a bigger opportunity for PMO leaders – especially if they want to earn the respect of business leaders. You see, projects must be set up for success BEFORE they start and the PMO is the best positioned to make this happen.      Join us for this episode to learn exactly how to play a bigger game while ensuring much higher success rates for your projects and earn your seat at the table in the process.    P.S. – Stuart and I have been friends for a while now and are strongly aligned in our goals to help every PMO and strategy delivery leader have everything they need to thrive. Here’s what we came up with when we put our heads together. Yes, that’s right – it comes with freebies and other goodies: https://pmostrategies.com/transparentchoice    Stuart Easton is a long-time friend and supporter of PMO Strategies and the IMPACT Summit. Founder and CEO of TransparentChoice, he is on a mission to help PMO leaders deliver successful projects. Stuart is a guest lecturer on Project Prioritization at the University of Oxford, and he also speaks at various PMO conferences and events on how PMOs can deliver strategic value, identify waste, and eliminate those pesky pet projects.   Enjoy!    Connect with Stuart: Download The Ultimate Guide to Project Prioritization: https://www.transparentchoice.com/project-prioritization  Learn More About TransparentChoice: https://transparentchoice.com/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eastonstuart/    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!    Have you ever dreamed about taking some real time off to hit that reset button?    What would it look like to...  ✔️ wash your stress away?  ✔️ redefine yourself?  ✔️ reinvent yourself?  ✔️ get real rest and recovery?    ...and I already know what you’re thinking...that’s impossible!     Well, maybe...or maybe we can get creative and be sure not to miss any hidden opportunities.    My guest today, Susanne Madsen, has taken more than one long break, as have I, even back in the employee days.    We’ll share with you some creative ways to take a break when you really need it and the benefits of doing so.     Susanne is an internationally recognized leadership coach, mentor, and author who helps project managers become better leaders in the workplace. She is also an award-winning author of The Power of Project Leadership, which is a must-read for everyone in the project management world.  Join us for this episode so you can start exploring what might be possible for you to plan that break you know you so sorely need.    Enjoy!    Connect with Susanne!  Website: http://www.susannemadsen.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-madsen-1134312/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPfV1WRlHMLyCm2HJxuPGVw  The Project Leadership Institute: https://www.theprojectleadershipinstitute.com  The Power of Project Leadership: http://www.powerofprojectleadership.com  Grab Your Copy of Susanne's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Project-Leadership-Transform-Manager/dp/0749493240/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1565264474&sr=8-2      P.S. – If you're building, elevating, or rescuing your PMO, I have the perfect FREE training just for you! Learn my step-by-step system developed from 25+ years of experience to earn your seat at the table and lead your organization through times of crisis and well into a future of endless possibilities! Build an IMPACT Engine PMO for your organization today: https://pmostrategies.com/pmo/    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   I have a very exciting announcement for you this week.   I am thrilled to announce the very first International PMO Day!   That's right — we now have our very own International PMO Day.   International PMO Day is all about highlighting, promoting, appreciating, celebrating, and elevating PMOs in organizations around the world.   The inaugural day is Tuesday, May 9th, 2023.   In this episode, I'm going to tell you a little bit about International PMO Day and how you can celebrate in your organization with your own PMO team. Plus, I'll share tips on how to connect with others and celebrate as a global community. Just click the player button below my video to listen to the full podcast episode!   Enjoy!   P.S. – Learn more about International PMO Day by visiting https://internationalpmoday.com today!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Last week in episode 192, I shared the important way to engage stakeholders so you can get that critical buy-in you need early in the process of determining the right PMO services for your organization.    Now, we need to talk about a few big mistakes PMO leaders make when engaging stakeholders so that we make sure your stakeholder relationships and solid as you deliver PMO value.   Join me for this episode to make sure you know exactly what mistakes you must not make when building and delivering PMO and PM value.   Enjoy!   P.S. – If you're building, elevating, or rescuing your PMO, I have a FREE training just for you! Learn my step-by-step system developed from 25+ years of experience to earn your seat at the table and lead your organization through times of crisis and well into a future of endless possibilities! Build an IMPACT Engine PMO for your organization today: https://pmostrategies.com/pmo/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   If you are in the process of building your first PMO or elevating your existing PMO, it's essential to make sure you're putting the right solutions in place from the get-go.   The key to achieving this is engaging your stakeholders during the assessment process.   As a PMO leader, gathering input from your stakeholders is vital to understanding their pain points and challenges.   Get ready to elevate your IMPACT with my top tips for engaging stakeholders and avoiding costly mistakes.   Join me for this episode to start effectively consulting with your stakeholders in your own assessment process, especially if you're not including them already.   Enjoy!   P.S. – If you're building, elevating, or rescuing your PMO, I have a FREE training just for you! Learn my step-by-step system developed from 25+ years of experience to earn your seat at the table and lead your organization through times of crisis and well into a future of endless possibilities! Build an IMPACT Engine PMO for your organization today: https://pmostrategies.com/pmo/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   As an IMPACT leader, leveraging the right tools and resources can make all the difference in driving better business outcomes for your organization.   But when it comes to PMO templates, where do you draw the line between helpful and harmful?   Join me for this episode to learn how to use templates for good instead of evil and the role that templates should play in the process of driving IMPACT - the answers might surprise you!   Enjoy!   P.S. – If you're building, elevating, or rescuing your PMO, I have a FREE training just for you! Learn my step-by-step system developed from 25+ years of experience to earn your seat at the table and lead your organization through times of crisis and well into a future of endless possibilities! Build an IMPACT Engine PMO for your organization today: https://pmostrategies.com/pmo/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   As you know, the role of a PMO or Strategy Delivery Leader is demanding and requires a multitude of skills to be successful.   However, it is equally important to understand the habits and behaviors that can hold you back from reaching your full potential.   In order to thrive as a strategic business leader in your organization, it is essential to let go of the top five habits that could be holding you back.   These habits can prevent you from driving business value for your organization, identifying opportunities for improvement, or effectively managing projects to meet business objectives.   Join me for this episode to learn the 5 habits you need to leave behind to truly step into your leadership role.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Make sure you know what to do, in what order, why that matters, and how to do it to get the big-bang results your business leaders are looking for. If you are building, elevating, or rescuing a PMO or Strategy Delivery Function (or you WANT to be), you need to join the IMPACT Engine System™. We will guide you every step of the way to drive higher IMPACT for your organization quickly so you can build that credibility, take that seat at the leadership table, and make the IMPACT you are meant to make. Join us today: https://pmostrategies.com/ies/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands and expectations of your role?   It's no secret that the pressure placed on your position is high, but it's essential that you don't lose focus on the key skills that will help you earn a seat at the leadership table.   That's why this week I'm revealing the 10 attributes of strong strategy delivery business leaders.   These skills are the keys to not only succeeding in your role but also driving business value to make a lasting IMPACT.   Join me for this episode to discover the habits that will help you stand out as a true leader in your field.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Make sure you know what to do, in what order, why that matters, and how to do it to get the big-bang results your business leaders are looking for. If you are building, elevating, or rescuing a PMO or Strategy Delivery Function (or you WANT to be), you need to join the IMPACT Engine System™. We will guide you every step of the way to drive higher IMPACT for your organization quickly so you can build that credibility, take that seat at the leadership table, and make the IMPACT you are meant to make. Join us today: https://pmostrategies.com/ies/       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Do you find yourself thinking, "I just wish I could do more..." or feeling like you just can't get to some of those nagging projects that would help you create more value in your organization?   It turns out that you might actually be DOING something that is really holding you back.   In this episode, I'm sharing with you the big lesson I learned after trying so hard for SO long to get one really important project done, why I was struggling to get it done, and what you can learn from my struggles to accelerate your own value delivery.   Breaking these barriers could mean the difference between your success and hearing your business leaders say, “What have you done for me?”   Ready to dive in? Then tune into this week’s episode to learn how to start getting things done the right way!   Enjoy!   P.S. - The fully-updated IMPACT Engine System (IES) is here! This is a brand NEW program that you can dive into to help you build a PMO, Strategy Delivery Office, Agile or Business Transformation Office, or ANYTHING in between. Join us on the inside at https://pmostrategies.com/ies     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Are you ready to take 2023 by storm and set yourself up for a year of high-IMPACT success?   I know I am, and I've got some exciting projects in the works for 2023 to help you do just that!   But let's start at the beginning: the annual assessment for your organization.   You might be thinking, "Why do I need to conduct an annual assessment? I'm already so busy delivering on my projects."   But hear me out.   Whether you are just starting a PMO/SDO or have an existing one, an annual health assessment is a critical step to ensuring you're headed in the right direction.   In this week's episode, I'll be pulling back the curtain to share with you a few of the secrets that have made my IMPACT Engine System students so successful over the years.   You don't want to miss out on this opportunity to take control of your organization's direction and make 2023 your best year yet!   Enjoy!   P.S. – Speaking of annual assessments, it's time to conduct an evaluation of where you are today with your PMO/SDO. On Tuesday, January 24th, I'm going to help you figure out if you're doing the things you should be doing, if there are any pivots that you need to make, and how to ensure that you help your organization achieve the highest possible return on investment. Register for the 2023 FREE live Health Assessment workshop today: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/   P.P.S. - Even if you're seeing this after we've held the live workshop, still register to watch the replay. I'm not leaving you hanging — I've got something for you too! But only through January 31st!! Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Do you know how others perceive your organization?   How do they talk about your company & its IMPACT?   Whatever you represent as an organization, the value that you bring to your community — that is your brand.   And like it or not, you need people to care about your brand and support your organization to the fullest in order to maximize your outcomes!   The IMPACT you strive for starts with the way people support you, think of you, and engage with you.   In a time of rapid & constant change, you need to get clear on where you should focus your limited energy, funding, and resources to gain the most support.   Join me for this episode to learn how to own the message around your brand and be sure the way others are talking about you is the way you want them to talk about you.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Need help targeting the highest-value activities, services, and capabilities to drive stakeholder buy-in and increase credibility fast? Join us for the FREE Annual PMO Health Assessment Workshop on January 24th to streamline your Strategy Delivery Function in 2023 and gain a higher ROI for years to come: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   What is the secret to enacting changes that unleash your company's full potential?   Whether you’re managing projects or building & running capabilities to support your organization, Organizational Change Management is the answer.   But some people try to make this process WAY overcomplicated!   Which is why I’m introducing you to our 3-step process for developing effective and sustainable change…   Change Management Simplified™   If you're bringing any change to your organization (which I know you are), then YOU are responsible for bringing people with you through that change process.   Join me for this episode to learn how you can elevate your IMPACT this year by simplifying your organizational change management process.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Want to take your Change Management strategy one step further? In this month’s FREE PMO Health Assessment Workshop, we’ll focus on the highest-value capabilities you should be building, how to discover where they are, and any hidden barriers & roadblocks to avoid along the way. Join us January 24th 3:00pm – 6:00pm Eastern: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/ Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   How are you going to set yourself and your career up for success in the New Year?   Last week in episode 183, we talked all about looking back at your wins & challenges. Now that we’re officially into 2023, it’s time to look forward and plan your Best Career Year Yet!   What are your professional goals for the coming year?   What do you need to focus on? What do you need to let go of?   And how are you going to position yourself to get (& keep) that seat at the table this year so you can elevate your role, enhance your strengths, and really lean into the opportunities in front of you?   Join me for this episode to plan out how you’re going to boost your career and truly enjoy the work you’re doing in 2023, and for years to come.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Want to take a deeper dive into your Strategy Delivery, PMO, or Project Management Function to determine exactly where you want to go with your organization in 2023? Sign up for our FREE PMO Health Assessment Workshop on January 24th to evaluate where your organization stands today, as well as what you need to get the highest ROI for years to come: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/ Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   How many times have you told your stakeholders about the importance of doing the Lessons Learned?   Well, it’s time to take your own advice and look at your team, your organization, your function, and what you were able to accomplish this year.   What worked well? What didn’t go so well?   This week, we’re going to reflect on all of it so you can feed those lessons into your plans (and goals) for the New Year.   Join me for this episode to uncover your biggest wins and challenges of 2022 so that you can prepare yourself for a high-IMPACT year in 2023.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Ready to dive deep into your Strategy Delivery, PMO, or Project Management Function to determine exactly where you want to go with your organization in 2023? Sign up for our FREE PMO Health Assessment Workshop on January 24th to evaluate where your organization stands today, as well as what you need to accomplish to get (& keep) your seat at the table for years to come: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/ Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   This week's episode was made especially for you, the IMPACT Driver, and you need to hear this.   Why? Because I know you. I am you!   You work so hard to drive yourself and others toward making a big IMPACT.   You're constantly bending over backward for others and finding yourself in situations where you're pushing harder, bringing people through change, and probably doing 100 things at once.   Join me for this episode to look at 3 important ways you can take care of your most important investment if you want to make a big IMPACT and keep that High-IMPACT Engine going into the New Year.   Enjoy!   P.S. – If you are responsible for driving strategy delivery in your organization, managing and delivering projects, and making a high IMPACT, you must be at our annual Health Assessment Workshop on January 24th. Start your New Year out strong & sign up for this FREE event to achieve your 2023 high IMPACT goals: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/ Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical Project Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   There's something missing from your status report.   Do you know what it is?   In this episode, I'm going to show you what you should and should not include in your status reports for your status reports and in your communication with your business leaders & other stakeholders.   If you are finding that it's taking a long time for decisions to be made, for information to keep moving, or for projects to stay on track, let's see if any of this information is missing from your communications.   You'll learn why these details could be the difference between creating confusion or cohesiveness within your projects.   Join me for this episode to see why including these key pieces of information is a game-changer for all of the conversations you're having with stakeholders and how this simple shift in thinking will earn you even more credibility in the process.   Enjoy!   P.S. – If you are responsible for driving strategy delivery in your organization, managing and delivering projects, and making a high impact, you must be at our annual Health Assessment Workshop on January 24th. Start your New Year out strong & sign up for this FREE event to achieve your 2023 high IMPACT goals: https://pmostrategies.com/workshop/ Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Are you taking full advantage of your strengths? As a business leader delivering on strategy for your organization, you have an important responsibility to not only know what your strengths are but also to identify how you can leverage them effectively to get BIG results. If you're struggling to lean into those strengths, there might be some blind spots getting in your way. These could be holding you back from having the kind of career and driving the business value you need as a strategy delivery leader. Join me for this episode to learn exactly what to do (and what not to do) to be sure you're positioned as the power player your organization needs. Enjoy! P.S. – If you are responsible for delivering on strategy, get ready for the exciting changes coming to our IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind & IMPACT Engine programs. BIG changes are being launched to the public in 2023, but I'm giving you early access by joining now. Trust me, you're going to want to get in before everyone else in January! Don't wait to begin working toward your New Year's business resolutions — get a head start today: https://iepmo.com/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Are you moving from a PM role to a PMO leader role? Have you been mostly focused on execution and now you've been asked to level up to a PMO or strategy delivery leader? Or are you in a PMO leadership role already, but feeling like you just haven't quite settled in (or you think your leaders are looking for more)?   If you want to be successful in this new role, you'll need to make some pretty big shifts in mindset and focus - probably more than you expect.   Get ready for a really fun and exhilarating ride, my friend, but don't worry - I've got your back every step of the way.   P.S. Once you finish this episode, you might want to go back and listen to the IMPACT Driver Mindset episodes here.   Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Today we’re getting real about how hard it is to do the work all of you do as IMPACT Drivers.   We’re looking at why being a PMO leader can be so challenging and often takes every ounce of effort and resilience to create a meaningful, sustainable impact within your organization.   But don’t worry! I’ve got great news.   You’re also going to learn ways that you can turn hard work, stress, and even disappointments into a new way of living where everything flows smoothly, energy is unleashed, and opportunities to shine unfold before your eyes.  With over 35 years working internationally in Strategy, Digital Transformation, and PMO, Gilly Kennedy knows first-hand the pressures that can be experienced in this type of setting whilst struggling with life challenges along the way. Following a period of relentless adversity, she achieved a remarkable transformation and successfully created a life with more purpose, balance, fulfillment, and enjoyment. She now dedicates her time to helping tired, busy professionals do the same by making a pivot to what she calls “joyful living." Special Gift If you enjoyed this episode and would like to learn more about Lifestyle Pivoting with Gilly Kennedy, check out her website here https://www.lifestylepivoting.com/  Gilly is kindly offering all listeners of the PMO Strategies podcast a fantastic 40% discount off her unique Lifestyle Pivoting App until 31 December 2022. Following Gilly's unique Lifestyle Pivoting Method, the app will take you on an inspiring journey of personal growth leading to greater purpose, fulfilment, balance and joy in your life/work.  Information about the app and sign up instructions are available on the website. To avail of the discount, enter PMO40 at checkout.  Enjoy!          Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Last week, we talked about checking your ego and letting go of the need to be right so that you can achieve the big business results you’re trying to achieve WITH and THROUGH others, instead of doing things TO others…   Now this week, I want to talk about another aspect of self-reflection that will really help boost your impact in leading others through change.   Have you ever felt so stressed, like the walls were closing in on you and causing you to lose sight of the bigger picture?   In your desire to achieve big business results and help others, you may sometimes let things blow up to feel much bigger than they really are.   This can cause you to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the mess you’re in, further preventing you from keeping your eye on the prize.   But the truth is, you have everything you need to navigate your path toward boosting your IMPACT.   So let me shine a little light and guide your way in leading others through change!   Tune into this week’s episode as I walk through how to “check your darts” and why this expression I so thoughtfully stole from my husband has made all the difference in my own problem-solving.   Enjoy!   P.S. – Are you feeling overwhelmed by everything you have to do to get your PMO back on track? Then it’s about time I introduced you to our one-hour training, specifically designed to help you go step-by-step on what to do in the short term so that you HAVE a long term. Whether you just took over a PMO and realized what a hot mess it is or you’ve been in this role and felt you should be getting a lot better results, you NEED to join the 100% FREE How to Rescue Your PMO training program. Get yourself registered today: https://pmostrategies.com/rescue/   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   It's so easy to get caught up in being right.   Sometimes you can find yourself in a situation where you know you have the right solution on how to move forward, but nobody seems to be listening to your expert advice.   After all, your organization hired you for a reason, right?   But I'm warning you — do not lose the war by trying to win a battle.   Check your ego and remember what matters most in order to make the biggest IMPACT.   In this episode, I'm explaining how your desire to be right can derail your momentum, destroy your credibility, and have people working around you.   But don't worry; I'm also sharing my top tips on how to get the results you want and leave your ego at the door!   Listen to the full episode to learn how to balance being right with making a difference.   Enjoy!   P.S. - Need a game-changing system for building, up-leveling, or even rescuing your PMO? Save time, money, headaches, and resources by using our step-by-step approach. Watch our 1-hour FREE training on how to create a game-changing PMO for your organization: pmostrategies.com/pmo   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver!   Do you dream of being your own boss?  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go out on your own?  Our guest today left her senior corporate role to start her own business in project consulting and now shares her insights with others doing the same. You’ll hear about the lessons she’s learned along the way and the strategic steps she took to set herself up for success long before leaving her full-time position. We’ll both share tips for success, challenges you may face, and what your day in the life of a PM entrepreneur might look like, should you decide to join the movement of being your own boss! Nicole Jones, CAPM is the founder of Mediocre to Masterful, a platform that teaches women how to boss up in entrepreneurship, wealth, and wellness. She also owns The PM Suite, an operations project management consulting company supporting entrepreneurs, corporations, and project managers. Nicole worked in Corporate America in project management leadership for a decade until she retired at 33 years old after paying off over $80K in student loans and becoming 100% debt free — all while building her business and substantial savings using the F.I.R.E (Financial Independence, Retire Early) method. Nicole has been featured in Women of Project Management's Masterclass, Project Management Institute, our very own PMO IMPACT Summit, and hosts the tv show Boss Up through The Hope TV Network.  Here are some of the links we discuss in this episode:  Project Management Company  https://www.thepmsuite.com/  Helping PM Entrepreneurs - The C-Suite  Helping Entrepreneurs - Services  Financial Freedom  Unlearn: Ditch Failed Money Habits and Discover Financial Freedom  Enjoy!      Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Driver!  How can you act like the valued business leader you want to be?   As I mentioned last week in Episode 173, business leaders don’t ask for permission. They get things done, and the results speak for themselves.   This week, I’m diving further into how waiting for permission is holding you back from making an IMPACT within your role.   It’s time to stop blocking your own success and start taking action NOW. Are you up for the challenge?   Then tune in to learn how to start getting things done the right way!   And don’t forget to visit Episode 173 for even more discussion on how to stop asking for permission and start elevating your IMPACT. Enjoy!  P.S. Want access to the tools you need to start making IMPACTful business decisions? It’s time to join the ONLY program of its kind designed to help you build, elevate, or even rescue your PMO — IMPACT Engine PMO (IEPMO). Check out all the value-packed details and register today: https://pmostrategies.com/iepmo/       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Driver!  Are you standing in the way of your own success?  You may be sabotaging your entire career trajectory without even knowing it!  It all boils down to one question you’ve probably asked hundreds of times throughout your life.  But as always, I’m not just here to call you out (with some good ol’ tough love); I want to teach you how to go about elevating your role within your organization.  Want to know the one thing you can change to start seeing much faster results?  Tune into this week’s episode, and start making a difference RIGHT NOW!  Enjoy!  P.S. Ready to start owning your career today? It’s time to join the ONLY program of its kind designed to help you build, elevate, or even rescue your PMO — IMPACT Engine PMO (IEPMO). Check out all the value-packed details and register today: https://pmostrategies.com/iepmo/   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hi, IMPACT Driver!  I’m dropping a major truth bomb in this week’s episode of the PMO Strategies podcast — You ready?  YOUR BUSINESS LEADERS DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WAIT FOR YOU TO START SHOWING ANY VALUE.  You can’t start with a bunch of templates, tools, and processes. They want results the next day.  And if they try to tell you they understand it takes time, DON’T FALL FOR IT!  Instead, tune in to this episode to hear my top secrets to unlocking fast credibility for you and your PMO inside any organization.  And get ready to take a LOT of notes — I’m about to share the very specific thing that, up until this point, I've only been sharing with my students in our training programs.  Want to make a huge IMPACT right away? Let's do this. Enjoy! P.S. Want ALL the tools you need to take action now? It’s time to join the ONLY program of its kind designed to help you build, elevate, or even rescue your PMO — IMPACT Engine PMO (IEPMO). Check out all the value-packed details and register today: https://pmostrategies.com/iepmo/     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS      

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hi, IMPACT Driver!  I am still coming off a high from being with thousands of IMPACT Drivers last week at the PMO IMPACT Summit. I just love these events and love connecting with all of you hard-working IMPACT Drivers, doing the hard work of building and elevating your PMO and project management capability so you can help organizations deliver on their strategy with the highest possible return on investment quickly. And that's what we’re talking about today. I got a lot of great feedback from Episode 167 saying "Okay, I get it. Speed matters. AND you talked about this thing called ‘iterating your way to IMPACT.’" TELL ME MORE! In this episode, you’ll learn what it means to iterate your way to IMPACT and why it’s the key to accelerating your PMO value. P.S. It's time for you to start iterating YOUR way to IMPACT? It’s time to join the ONLY program of its kind designed to help you build, elevate, or even rescue your PMO — IMPACT Engine PMO (IEPMO). Check out all the value-packed details and register today: https://pmostrategies.com/iepmo/ Enjoy!      Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, IMPACT Driver!  In today’s results-driven world, it’s not enough to make sure projects are delivered on time and on budget, your PMO needs to be great at making an IMPACT – and be able to do it fast. You need to drive measurable business value for your organization through high-IMPACT outcomes, so there’s no denying the clear-cut advantage you bring to the team.  In this week’s episode, I’m sharing a little about why this mandate to Elevate the PMO is critical to the very future of our profession and what you can do to start positioning your PMO to make an even bigger IMPACT right now.  This week, we are hosting our free and virtual PMO IMPACT Summit conference – the largest and longest-running global conference for PMO leaders around the world designed specifically to help you Elevate Your PMO IMPACT. Register for free now and start accessing high-IMPACT content right now.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Do you have trouble getting your stakeholders to make decisions? In this episode, you’re going to learn several reasons why this might be happening and what you can do to drive faster action and decisions in your organization (and even improve your own decision-making). You’ll also learn about a few reasons that decision-making has gotten even more challenging and how to ease the burden so you can drive higher IMPACT outcomes on your projects.   Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In many organizations, the strategy development process and the project definition process are not connected. When this happens, the PMO and business units are left trying to backward map the projects they’ve defined to the strategy the leadership created. This misalignment is the underlying root cause of many of the challenges that appear to be related to resource management, prioritization, and project execution failures. This is just a hot mess! Here’s a lesson that many PMOs and business units learn the hard way - what you’re working on is WAY more important than how you get it done. In this episode, we’ll help you understand what it takes to connect the dots and align execution with strategy the right way so that you can set those projects up for success from the start AND ensure that you’re delivering the highest possible return on investment for the organization strategy as quickly as possible.   Ben Chamberlain is the Chief Product Officer for UMT360 and is responsible for the strategic direction and worldwide go-to-market activities for UMT360’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) software solutions. He is an accomplished enterprise software executive with more than a decade of experience in building innovative SPM solutions that have helped Global 2000 companies drive business transformation and increase their business agility.   Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! You may have heard me say that it’s important to show value quickly in the PMO and there are some very good reasons for this AND huge risks to you and your PMO if you don’t show value fast. In this episode, I’m going to walk you through some of the biggest reasons why you must show your business leaders quickly that they made the right call in trusting you with the PMO. You’ll also gain insights into what’s going on in the minds of your stakeholders and why they might seem to say they want the PMO but then not give you the time you believe you need to build the PMO correctly – and ultimately how to fast track your PMO progress. If you’ve been on the fence about joining the IMPACT Engine PMO program, there is no better time to join us! Our system is literally designed with you in mind, so if it’s important to you to show real and sustainable value quickly, you belong in this program. Our step-by-step program will have you showing value before you’ve even finished one pass through the program! Trust the process and you’ll see results faster than you even thought possible - and your business leaders will be thrilled! Click here to get started on your IEPMO journey today. Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Have you wondered about the differences between a Project Management Office (PMO), Center of Excellence (CoE), and Community of Practice (CoP)? In this episode, we are going to look at the differences between PMO, CoE, and CoP and how a Community of Practice, specifically, can be an incredibly important service to the organization, especially when you are a small or growing PMO. I’m joined by our dear friend, Jennie Fowler, to learn about her experience and insights gained from starting multiple Communities of Practice over the years in different organizations. You’ll learn how to know if a CoP is right for your organization and the steps you can take to start a high-IMPACT Community of Practice today. And don’t forget to join the PMO IMPACT Summit for free in September to see Jennie’s session on the differences between a PMO and a Strategy Realization Office. Jennie Fowler has over 20 years of experience as a PMO Leader in multiple verticals and has numerous PM Certifications as well as a being Certified as a DiSC Coach.  She has built and matured 8 PMO / EPMO / SROs and is passionate about all things project & change management! Jennie was also recently named a semi-finalist for PMO Leader of the year for the Americas as a part of the PMO Global Awards hosted by the PMO Global Alliance. Congratulations to Jennie!   Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! There are some huge differences between project management or functional management roles and the PMO leader role. In fact, it’s evolving right before our eyes, and I want to make sure you understand how to thrive in this role. If you: are thinking about moving into a PMO leadership role, are new PMO leader, or have been a PMO leader for a while, but want to be sure you’re doing all that you can to be successful,   then this episode is perfect for you, IMPACT Driver. In this episode, we’ll look at how this role might differ from your prior role and important steps to take to ensure you’re building credibility fast and showing value fast. By the way, if you’ve been on the fence about joining the IMPACT Engine PMO program, this is the time to do it! I guide you on exactly what you need to do to shift both your mindset and your actions in our step-by-step program. Students join us: BEFORE they start the new role so they can hit the ground running and show real results fast, as soon as they start the new role so they can have an instant plan for the first 90 days – which goes a LONG way with business leaders, to elevate their existing PMO (and own leadership capability) to get results much faster than they ever would on their own,   because time your time is valuable, and you need to make an IMPACT fast. There’s so much I can share with you and do to guide you on this journey. Don’t go it alone. You’ll see right away when you join that it works and that you’ll get everything you need to be successful. Click here to get started.   Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Many organizations are adopting Agile methods to get things done and this has sparked some opportunities and changes for the PMO. In episode 160, Ben Chamberlain and I discussed the role of the PMO in driving business agility. In this episode, we’re going to dive deeper into one of the places that many organizations lose their way when trying to achieve greater business agility – confusing big “A” Agile and little “a” agility. We’ll look at how you can avoid confusing “going Agile” from an implementation perspective with the brilliant opportunity you have in the PMO to lead your organization toward a more adaptive and responsive operating model.   Ben Chamberlain is the Chief Product Officer for UMT360 and is responsible for the strategic direction and worldwide go-to-market activities for UMT360’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) software solutions. He is an accomplished enterprise software executive with more than a decade of experience of building innovative SPM solutions that have helped global 2000 companies drive business transformation and increase their business agility.   Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Have you ever had a boss, colleague, or even a consultant take credit for your ideas? You do the hard work and put together all the content and then someone else presents it as their own in a meeting you are not even invited to attend? Ugh, so frustrating! I get it and I had that experience more times than I can count when I was in your shoes. In this episode, I’m going to share a few things I learned about how to handle these situations and even use them to your advantage so that you can achieve your ultimate goals with your PMO and organization. By the way, if you’ve been on the fence about joining the IMPACT Engine PMO program, this is the time to do it! We’re going to put plans in place for each of our coaching students in August in our monthly hot topic coaching session! It’s critical that PMO leaders address that perfect balance of working in vs. working on the PMO so that they can continue to build credibility quickly while also addressing the long-term strategic benefits that the PMO needs to become the IMPACT Engine your organization needs to thrive. Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Do you know what it really takes to step into a PMO leadership role? Hint: What got you here, won’t get you there. In today's PMO environments, a clear understanding of the PMO leadership role and responsibility is essential for a successful evolution, from project, program, and portfolio management roles to that coveted PMO leadership role. How do you know when you’re ready and what do business leaders really need from the PMO and you as the PMO leader? In this episode, I’m joined by Ruffin Veal III to explore the evolving expectations around PMO leadership and what you must know to perform in this role successfully now and well into the future. You’ll learn some of the ways the role has shifted and how to determine if you’re ready to thrive.   Ruffin Veal III, founder and Principal of Ruffin Veal and Associates, Inc., is an information technology and management professional whose career spans over three decades. He has been employed both full-time and as a consultant in multiple industries including manufacturing, banking, retail, and government. He is an educator, coach and mentor who provides continuing education to the project management community. He is also a published author whose industry related articles can be seen in the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Virtual Library as well as in national and international publications. Ruffin is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and an M.S. degree in Project Management.   Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Have you ever heard your business leaders say this? “OK, great! While you’re building the PMO can you also just manage a few projects, too?” WHAT?? In this episode, we’re going to address something that many of you are faced with when starting a new PMO – that request to “just” manage projects while you’re focused on trying to build a strong and solid PMO foundation for the organization. If you: Are a PMO of one person and they are trying to squeeze every last drop of effort from your soul, are trying to move up from managing projects to building a solid foundation of sustainable services and capabilities to deliver more value, or have a PMO team doing projects but listened to the podcast I did about working IN vs. working ON the PMO and realize you’re not spending enough time ON the PMO,   then this episode is exactly what you need to find a better path forward. Don’t bother trying to sell the PMO to get out of this vicious cycle. Instead, do what I teach you to do in this real-life example from my PMO leadership days!   By the way, if you’ve been on the fence about joining the IMPACT Engine PMO program, this is the time to do it! We’re going to put plans in place for each of our coaching students next month to address that perfect balance for each of their specific situations so that they can continue to build credibility quickly while also addressing the long-term strategic benefits that the PMO needs to become the IMPACT Engine your organization needs to thrive. Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! As a PMO leader, you may not realize that understanding and effectively supporting business agility is crucial, whether you are driving business transformation or simply responding to unforeseen disruptions. But achieving business agility requires the right processes and tools that go beyond managing execution. In this episode, I’m joined by Ben Chamberlain, Chief Product Officer for UMT360, to discuss why strategic portfolio management is what every aspiring agile business needs to succeed.     Ben Chamberlain is the Chief Product Officer for UMT360 and is responsible for the strategic direction and worldwide go-to-market activities for UMT360’s Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) software solutions. He is an accomplished enterprise software executive with more than a decade of experience of building innovative SPM solutions that have helped global 2000 companies drive business transformation and increase their business agility.   Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! How much time do you spend working IN the PMO vs. working ON the PMO? If you feel like you’re constantly busy but not necessarily making progress toward your bigger PMO goals or if you’re spending so much time working ON services and capabilities that your stakeholders are not seeing any real tangible value, then you need to correct that balance fast! In this episode, I’ll explain what I mean when I say, “Give them what they want before you give them what they need.” And why it’s critical to do both in the right balance for you and your PMO to be successful long-term. By the way, if you’ve been on the fence about joining the IMPACT Engine PMO program, this is the time to do it! We’re going to put plans in place for each of our coaching students next month to address that perfect balance for each of their specific situations so that they can continue to build credibility quickly while also addressing the long-term strategic benefits that the PMO needs to become the IMPACT Engine your organization needs to thrive. Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! What do you think of when you hear agile and governance in the same sentence? What about if you throw in culture? Believe it or not, they are actually all parts of the same high-IMPACT roadmap for organizational success – or another way to think about it – they go together just like peanut butter and jelly! 😊 In this episode, I’m joined by my friend, Fatimah Abbouchi. She shares how organizations are adopting and adapting Agile to bridge the divide between delivery and governance and what organizational support structures are needed to support this agility in a creative way. I just love how Fatimah simplifies both the components of governance and the various levels of governance in practice.     Fatimah Abbouchi is the Founder and CEO of Agile Management Office®; a thought leader providing governance solutions for organizations to manage and govern projects in the agile era. Fatimah is also the founder of Return of the Panda®, a not-for-profit focused on improving the mental health of millions of anxiety sufferers worldwide. As a successful businesswoman, Fatimah has been supporting businesses from start-ups to enterprises internationally for the past 18 years as an advisor, educator, and award-winning thought leader.   Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey, IMPACT Driver! What is the minimum company size for a PMO to make sense? Should it have at least 100 employees?  1000? How do you know if a PMO will work and what the PMO should do?  I’m often asked how big an organization “needs to be” for a PMO to make sense and you might be surprised at my answer…  In this episode, I’m addressing this question and sharing an example of one tiny organization we worked with to setup a PMO that made a huge IMPACT.  Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! There’s a big difference between managing up and sucking up. Managing up is not a set of insincere political maneuvers designed to fake your way to success. In this discussion, I’m joined by my pal, Andy Kaufman to talk and explore practical approaches to building and maintaining a productive relationship with a boss or sponsor. You’ll learn why waiting for your boss to change doesn’t work and why your success and your boss’s success are tied together. This episode is filled with book suggestions to add to your reading list and handy strategies for managing up effectively     Andy Kaufman is a recognized expert on leadership and project management, helping organizations around the world improve their ability to lead and deliver. Andy works with leaders at the United Nations, NASA, and other global clients to improve their ability to deliver on their initiatives. Before becoming an internationally sought-after speaker, Andy started as a software developer and was promoted into management for all the wrong reasons! He is the author of three books and host of the acclaimed People and Projects Podcast, which provides free PDUs through interviews and insights for his global listeners. Enjoy!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey, IMPACT Driver! Do you ever get a random request from your boss or business leaders and get frustrated that they are adding more and more to your already full plate? What you may not realize is that you have a golden opportunity to turn these out-of-the-blue requests into something meaningful and measurable that positions you more formally as the strategic business partner in the eyes of your business leaders. This is something that comes up for so many PMO leaders as they are building and elevating their PMOs and in this episode, you’ll learn how to think differently about these requests and use them to further secure your seat at the table. Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! I am betting you’re in a position where you must manage multiple projects…at one time. Whether you’re building out PMO services and capabilities or being asked to “just” manage a few projects while setting up a PMO, you need to be as effective and efficient as possible. If that’s the case, how do we maximize our IMPACT when there are so many things we’re supposed to be doing at once? How do we support our project managers also managing multiple projects and ensure that everyone avoids burnout? In this episode, we have Elizabeth Harrin, author of Managing Multiple Projects, with us to talk about ways to best support the project managers in your organization that are managing multiple projects AND ways you can also more effectively manage your own project workload.   Elizabeth Harrin is a project management expert and founder of RebelsGuideToPM.com. An author of seven project management books, mentor and experienced practitioner, Elizabeth prides herself on her straight-talking, real-world advice for project managers. She uses her twenty years’ experience doing the job to help people deliver better quality results whilst ditching the burnout. Enjoy!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This week, we’re doing part two of our fun discussion called IMPACT After Hours with our usual gang of thought leaders at the PMO IMPACT Summit and the audience just loved it. So, in case you missed it, or just wanted to hear it again, I’ve broken it up into two digestible episodes. This week’s episode is the second half of that fun and IMPACT-filled session to help you think about ways that you can accelerate your PMO IMPACT and show more PMO value fast. Special thanks to my IAH crew, Amanda Oakenfull, Donna Fitzgerald, Mike Hannan, and Stuart Easton for joining me. It was fun to get the gang back together! Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! You’re going to love the next two episodes! Have you heard of the series of webinars we do called IMPACT After Hours? If not, you’re in for a surprise treat. Do you remember back in the good old days when we used to sit around a pub or coffee shop with some of your colleagues talking about what it’s really like to work in PMOs? That’s what this is like, but virtual. We get real, raw, and honest, while also inspiring new ways to solve problems and take immediate action on what you’re learning. We hosted one of these fun discussion sessions with our usual gang of thought leaders at the PMO IMPACT Summit and the audience just loved it. So, in case you missed it, or just wanted to hear it again, I’ve broken it up into two digestible episodes. This week’s episode is the first half of that fun and IMPACT-filled session to help you think about ways that you can accelerate your PMO IMPACT and show more PMO value fast. Special thanks to my IAH crew, Amanda Oakenfull, Donna Fitzgerald, Mike Hannan, and Stuart Easton for joining me. It was fun to get the gang back together! Enjoy!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! We’re diving into the second half of the PMO IMPACT Summit Speaker Q&A session where we explore ways that you can accelerate your PMO IMPACT. This session welcomed great thought leaders Andy Jordan, Alex Chapman, Curtis Jenkins, Ed Leydon, and John Driessnack to share their top insights and expertise in a fun Q&A style format. If you missed episode 150 and the first half of the Q&A session, that’s OK! Now you can binge listen to both episodes back-to-back! 😊 Enjoy!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Wow! What another great PMO IMPACT Summit. My heart is so full of joy from the wonderful feedback from participants saying that they are feeling so much more inspired AND enabled to make a bigger IMPACT in their organizations. That’s exactly why we do these events, dear IMPACT Driver! This is Episode 150 of the PMO Strategies podcast, which means we’ve been around for about 3 years now! It seemed fitting to continue the great energy from our event last week by sharing a little of the great content you might have missed or just want to devour again! The theme for this most recent PMO IMPACT Summit was Accelerate Your PMO IMPACT and all the sessions were geared toward helping PMO leaders find their edge and drive more value for their organizations. Some of the speakers joined me for a live Q&A during the event to talk about the concepts they covered in their sessions and shared ideas on how to accelerate your PMO IMPACT. This week’s episode is the first half of that 90-minute discussion. Enjoy! Special thanks to Andy Jordan, Alex Chapman, Curtis Jenkins, Ed Leydon, and John Driessnack for your time in the Q&A session!     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Since it’s summit week, for this week’s podcast, I thought it would be a good time to talk to you about an incredibly important and often undervalued aspect of our self-development – peer connection. Learning from others and how they are doing what they are doing, sharing your successes (and failures), and growing together is an important way to accelerate your IMPACT. Make sure you are joining us live this week, starting today, and for the recordings through Friday so we can accelerate our IMPACT together.   Listen in to learn more.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! We’re continuing our deep dive into the business challenges that showed up on the PMO Outlook Report for 2022 and beyond. We’ve gone deep into three of the big challenges that showed up for PMO leaders and executives in the areas of resource management, project prioritization, and metrics and reporting. This week, we’re looking at the last of the biggest challenges reported – financial management. There’s a good chance the financial management challenges you’re having are just a symptom of an ever more pressing root cause that isn’t related. And if this root cause is your real challenge, you can’t do anything to get financial management right until you address this. Listen in to learn more. DOWNLOAD PMO OUTLOOK REPORT   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! We’re continuing our deep dive into the business challenges that showed up on the PMO Outlook Report for 2022 and beyond. We’ve gone deep on two of the biggest challenges for PMO leaders and executives - resource management and project prioritization. Now, let’s look at the third biggest challenge that came upon this report – visibility and reporting. The report was clear – lack of good, centralized data. However, before you even start saying, “We need a tool,” you must look at your process and what you’re measuring, then figure out what you actually need – it’s probably less than you think! Listen in to discover the way to fast-track your reporting IMPACT while leaning on the most important success metrics for the projects and your PMO. DOWNLOAD PMO OUTLOOK REPORT   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! We’re continuing our deep dive into the business challenges that showed up on the PMO Outlook Report for 2022 and beyond. Last week, we looked at the big challenge of resource management. This week, we’re diving into project prioritization. In this report, we see some staggering statistics related to the underlying root causes of prioritization and I share why the biggest problems with prioritization are likely there because we’re looking at this all wrong! Join me for this episode to discover why you shouldn’t really be saying no to projects and how to get your business leaders to the table to have the right prioritization conversations once and for all! DOWNLOAD PMO OUTLOOK REPORT       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Last week, we had a great episode to look at the big shifts taking place in PMOs, what those trends are telling us about what you want to be sure you’re doing in your PMO, and how to address some of the toughest challenges you and your peers are facing. This week, I’m going to dive a little deeper into one of the biggest challenges discussed in that episode and PMO Outlook Report, and what might initially appear to be a resource management challenge might be something else entirely. You’ll discover some questions you can ask yourself to determine if you’re seeing symptoms or a real resource management root cause and if your root cause is what I think it is, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to get on the right track! In fact, if you follow this path, you might earn that seat at the table faster than you think! DOWNLOAD PMO OUTLOOK REPORT       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this week’s episode, I had a fantastic conversation with Rachel Hentges, the Director of Marketing for KeyedIn about this very PMO-specific survey they conducted to learn what trends have been developing in PMOs, where the pain points are now, and what PMO leaders must know and DO differently to thrive in the coming year and beyond. You are going to want to dive right into this episode, my friend. So, grab your walking shoes, your keys for that commute, or a cup of something yummy to join you as you explore all the goodness in this episode, including: The big shifts starting to take place Biggest challenges PMO leaders are facing The push to redefine success metrics The story behind project failures and what they tell us The insights behind project portfolio failures and what they indicate And, of course, you know I’m all about taking action to apply what you’ve just learned! So, naturally, we wrap up this episode with important takeaways and action steps you can take today to help your PMO thrive and secure your seat at the table.   Rachel’s bio: Rachel Hentges is the Director of Marketing at KeyedIn, where she has been instrumental in developing engaging industry related content for KeyedIn’s audiences for the last almost 8 years. From insightful webinars to industry research reports and everything in-between, Rachel is proud to distribute educational resources driving organizations to think differently about how they do business today! When Rachel isn’t working her day job at KeyedIn, you can find her chasing after her three boys – under three years old! DOWNLOAD PMO OUTLOOK REPORT       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Do you know the two most important words to get instant stakeholder buy-in?These two little words can create an instant shift in how your stakeholders feel about the work that you’re doing and make them more inclined to say YES to your requests for resources, funding, role expansion, engagement on your projects, etc.In this week’s episode, I’m sharing with you the power of these two little words to drive higher engagement from your stakeholders and even help you earn a seat at the table in your organization because your business leaders will see you in a whole new light.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! I just don’t have enough time… …for that course …for my self-development …to build the PMO the “right” way …to take time for myself …to do ALL that stakeholder management …and on and on it goes… I get it. I REALLY do! And if that’s your reality, how do you handle all the demands for your time and STILL make your nice-to-haves (that really ought to be MUST haves) like building your personal and team capability a reality?  In this episode, you’ll learn a few of my productivity hacks and some hidden opportunities to make the most of the limited time you do have so that you can start making a bigger IMPACT this week!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This week, we’re exploring the PMO and Digital Transformation. I was recently asked to help kickoff a panel series about Digital Transformation with two of my colleagues, Americo Pinto and Joe Pusz.  As I prepared for that panel discussion, I started thinking about my own history with Digital Transformation and just how far back it went! 😊 AND just how much we're overcomplicating our thinking about if/how the PMO can be involved. In this episode, I’m going to remove the cloak of mystery around Digital Transformation and share insights with you on the role the PMO and project managers should be playing when it comes to helping your organization leverage the power of technology to make a bigger IMPACT. You can watch the whole interview with Joe, Americo, and myself here.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! We have a great podcast episode for you this week. To celebrate the Top Global Influencer of the Year award, I invited the other Global PMO Influencer Finalists to join me to share their thoughts on the future of PMOs. In this episode, I sat down with Bill Dow and Marisa Silva to talk about where PMOs are headed. We’ll look at what you can expect to change and stay the same with PMOs, PMOs and Agile, common mistakes we see PMO leaders make, tips for navigating change effectively, and where you should focus your energy to earn your seat at the table in leading your organization into the future. Special thank you to Marisa and Bill for sharing their insights!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Do you know that when and how you engage stakeholders in your PMO will determine how successful you are with your PMO? Their involvement in the right places, at the right time, and in the right ways are the key to your success. In this episode, I’m going to share with you some of the tips that have made my IMPACT Engine PMO students wildly successful with building, up leveling, and even rescuing their PMOs all while earning them a seat at the table.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are you looking for ways to maximize your resource utilization across projects? Before you start adding more projects to the plate, listen in to this episode to learn why that might not be the most effective approach to achieve the highest possible ROI for your strategy and what you might do instead if the goal is making a bigger IMPACT.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Do you ever see their eyes glaze over when you start talking about project management? You might even wonder what is wrong with them and why they don’t “get” what you do and how valuable it is. I hear you. I get it. And they just don’t. In this episode, I’m taking you on a short journey to explore what’s happening in those conversations, why it’s breaking down, why you aren’t seeing the results expected when you do explain it to them, and what you might want to do instead.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Have you ever tried to put process, templates, and tools in place to fix the project management challenges you are experiencing on your projects only to discover that you don’t get significant improvements? I mean, you should, right? You were asked to setup a PMO or up level capabilities and your business leaders said that you needed to improve project management. You look around and you clearly see that the project process could use improvements, so you do what you were taught…you fix project management. In episode 134, I explained why “fixing project management” doesn’t usually fix the underlying problems that are breaking the project delivery stage in the first place. In this episode, we’ll cover why you: hit so much resistance when implementing templates and process don’t see major improvements when fixing the project delivery problems make the situation worse when you put tools in place too early And then we’ll talk about what to do instead…       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In episode 134, I shared why “fixing” the project delivery process probably isn’t going to solve the underlying problems your organization has that are preventing them from achieving their desired business outcomes. Now, we’ll explore another opportunity to show value with the PMO that does not involve making any changes to your project delivery process and supports the work I recommended last week. In this episode, you will discover ways to improve what happens AFTER the project is delivered. You’ll learn how to ensure the organization is realizing not only the benefits of these projects but that these projects were worth doing in the first place.           Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Last week, I held a live workshop to help PMO leaders build their 2022 PMO Road Map. (You can still grab the recordings, templates, and resources at this link through the end of January.) And during this workshop, we used several assessment tools I provided them to determine the areas of focus based on recognized pain points the PMO could solve. Then, we worked to define solutions to those pain points. And that’s where it got interesting… Many PMO leaders mistakenly see symptoms of an underlying problem and start building solutions around those symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. This is dangerous. So, when you hear…“We need to fix project management.”“Projects take too long.”“Projects cost too much.”“Resources aren’t getting enough done.”“Why can’t we ever deliver our projects as planned?” And you start to fix…The templatesThe toolsThe processThe project managers …but nothing gets better… It’s because the underlying root causes are still there. We put a band-aid on when we needed surgical intervention. In this episode, you will uncover the fantastic opportunity you have in the PMO to fix the real underlying problems and make the need to “fix project management” go down significantly.  …and next week, I’m going to share with you ways you can improve the other end of the process. What happens AFTER the project is delivered and where do you have the chance to help ensure the organization is realizing not only the benefits of these projects but that they were worth doing in the first place.           Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! One of the biggest reasons for my success is that I asked a lot of questions and listened to A LOT of advice from those that had come before me, who were further along, and had a lot of stories of both successes and failures to share! That is the entire reason I started PMO Strategies…I had A LOT of lessons learned from the trenches. 😊 One of the best pieces of advice I could lever give you is to accelerate your own experience by learning lessons from others – both the good and the bad! In this fabulous episode, you’ll get to hear some of the war stories and lessons learned from my friend, Dev Ramcharan, as he takes us through some things he wishes he had done differently, as well as his top 5 best pieces of advice for PMO and project leaders at ANY stage in their career. You won’t want to miss this episode!   How's the health of your PMO? Very exciting news! In honor of the Top PMO Influencer of the Year award, I'm hosting a FREE PMO Health Assessment and 2022 Planning Workshop in January. Learn more and register below for free today!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are you as excited as I am to set yourself up for a high-IMPACT 2022? I’ve got so many fun projects in the works to help you this year and this first one is going to be so much fun. In this episode, we’re looking at why conducting a regular health assessment for your PMO is an absolute must and how to figure out exactly what your PMO should focus on to drive the biggest IMPACT. If you have a relatively new PMO, this can be a critical step to ensuring your PMO is headed in the right direction. If you have an existing PMO, it can be super easy to get caught up in delivering and if you don’t take a little time to step back and assess where you are and what you need to do next, you might find that the organization’s needs change while you’re not looking. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain to share with you a few of the secrets that have made my IEPMO Implementation program students so successful over the years. Plus, I’ll walk you through the exact steps they take to discover exactly where they should focus their PMO efforts, what services and capabilities to build, how to bring change to the organization properly, and specifically what to do to get that critical stakeholder support. You don’t want to miss this episode! And in honor of winning the Top Global PMO Influencer of the Year award, the only award of its kind, by the PMO Global Alliance, I’m hosting a FREE PMO Health Assessment and 2022 PMO Plan Workshop next week! Click here to learn more about this workshop and register for free today.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This week’s episode is a brief review of all the podcast categories we’ve created to help you on your learning journey. There are 8 topic areas you can choose from to point you directly to episodes that will help you address your toughest challenges and develop your skills quickly! The 8 categories are as follows: PMO Mindset – A series designed to help you up your game and understand what the PMO and your role as PMO leader can be for the organization. PMO Start Up – For new PMO leaders or those starting a new PMO whether your first time or fifth! PMO Accelerate – Key insights to help you accelerate performance of your existing PMO, getting it back on track, or helping you earn your seat at the table. Leadership Skills – The secrets to leading people and making a bigger IMPACT with and through people. Leading Change – The techniques you need to bring people with you through the change process and do change WITH them instead of TO them. Portfolio Management – Game changing techniques to establish a project portfolio and boost your portfolio performance and throughput. Agility and Agile – A mix of Agile techniques and advice on how to boost your organizational agility. Project Management – Techniques to boost any project performance and project team productivity.   I hope you enjoy these tracks of podcast episodes designed to help you boost your IMPACT. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! How's the health of your PMO? Very exciting news! In honor of the Top PMO Influencer of the Year award, I'm hosting a FREE PMO Health Assessment and 2022 Planning Workshop in January. Learn more and register below for free today!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Every day, organizations are challenged with learning how to operate on a global scale while learning how to effectively incorporate a wide variety of cultural norms and experiences. This cultural diversity greatly influences the project delivery process and ultimately the results you can achieve. How might effectively embracing this diversity help you achieve even better project outcomes? Our guest today, Michael Boyle, has several years of experience dealing precisely with this subject and will share his insights with us on how we can harness the power of cultural diversity to unleash the full potential of our projects. How's the health of your PMO? Very exciting news! In honor of the Top PMO Influencer of the Year award, I'm hosting a FREE PMO Health Assessment and 2022 Planning Workshop in January. Learn more and register below for free today!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are you realizing the full project ROI for your organization?  We know that focused, motivated project teams can move mountains. Innovation, quick problem solving, and creativity will become one of the most valued currencies in the future and vital for all project teams. However, sometimes human nature stands in our way to achieve great project performance and realize the full project ROI for our organization. In this episode, Gabriele Maussner will help us figure out the best way to create high-performing teams while avoiding some of the biggest mistakes leaders make that immediately damage team performance.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Have your business leaders ever told you to think strategically? The ability to think and communicate strategically is critical for you to get and keep your seat at the table, but we also need to support the internal operational engine, as well. In this episode, Greg Githens will explain how PMO Leaders can effectively interact with executives on the topics of both operations and strategy and why it’s critical that you have your hands and perspective on both sides of organizational value delivery. He will walk us through techniques to suggest appropriate metrics, benefits statements, and problem-solving approaches for both the operational domain and the strategic domain and why showing your value in both areas matters.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are internal politics standing in the way of getting your projects done? In this episode, Joe Perzel will explain why we’ve got it all wrong when we say that politics are standing in our way, how to handle the bumps in the road we encounter when our projects aren’t going as expected, and how to handle the myriad of different perspectives you’re likely to come across when delivering change in your organization (no matter how “political” you think it is).         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are you being pulled in too many directions and not taking care of yourself? The pandemic has shown us the importance of prioritizing mental wellness. However, accepting that it’s needed and integrating it into reality are two different things. Sound familiar? With the holidays coming up and the endless to do list still looming for most of us, now is the perfect time to learn a few easy techniques for keeping your energy and productivity up while avoiding burnout. In this episode, Cathy Dolan-Schweitzer will help you prepare a detailed vision for a healthier future.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Did you know that there are certain character strengths that are more likely in PMO and project practitioners and some that are scarce? This gap is leading to some challenges in our ability to lead teams through change to deliver the high-IMPACT we’re intending on our projects. As a long-time program manager, coach and character strengths practitioner, Ruth Pearce wanted to know if there are any positive personality characteristics that show up more (or less) in project personnel than in other people in the team or the general population. She collected data from hundreds of project, program, and PMO Leaders and the data was quite interesting…and very telling. In this episode, Ruth will discuss those findings and how you can close any gaps you see in yourself or your teams.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, I’m chatting with Skip Weisman about the framework he’s used to help teams lead more effectively to get the best possible project outcomes. You’ll learn what these special traits are and why they are critical to your leadership success.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! What is the role of the PMO in Strategic Planning, is there one? If you lead a PMO do you participate in your organizations Strategic Planning process? In this episode, John Cable, the Founder and Executive Director of the Project Management Center For Excellence at the University of Maryland will explore why the PMO leader should be at the table for the organizations strategic planning process and what the contribution may be. Listen in for a lively discussion!         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Do you want to get the most out of your team to achieve the best results? In this episode, I’m joined by my pal Jennie Fowler to discuss how you can align your teams strengths to the work they are doing to drive higher IMPACT across your projects. If you’re taking over a new PMO, building a team now, or simply running a PMO and want to drive the best results with your staff, you’ll learn the secrets here to aligning your teams based on their strengths (not just talents) to get the best results.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! As the number of projects in organizations skyrocket, understanding project fundamentals and fostering project management skills have become essential.  Leaders have too many projects with too little visibility into them, and they lack the project oversight and delivery competencies to untangle them.  In this episode, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez details a recent survey with Harvard Business Review, looking at the current challenges faced by senior leaders when dealing with projects and project management, as well as their expectations for the future. The results should help us better understand how project managers can translate their hands-on knowhow up to the leader’s-eye view.     UMT360 Positioned in the 2021 Gartner MagicQuadrant for Strategic Portfolio Management. Latest report is a must-read for any organization interested in understanding the strategic portfolio management capabilities needed to more effectively accelerate business transformation.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, Candice Benson shares key insights on how to build your project management consulting business.  In addition to serving corporate clients for over 20 years in her Project Management consulting business, Candice has a passion for helping other project managers scale their businesses while making more money and having more freedom in their day. Candice shares the mistakes she sees early and seasoned consultants making as well as the simple habits consultants can start building today that will get them more of the clients that need their expertise now.     Set strategy. Execute with agility.Drive business forward.             Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode,  Steve Fullmer, talks about the necessary shift in understanding essential to thrive. Executives regularly navigate complex business, political and social environments. Yet, how does one choose the best focus, pivot, and sustainably adapt to the changing business needs? The 21st century necessitates a cooperative, dynamic leadership tribe. How do you as a pmo leader create and show your value in an ever-changing environment and your customers change their minds faster than you can update the requirements? We’re going to bust some myths about diversity and cultures, as well as dive into the places you should focus your PMO efforts to achieve the best results. Cultures are not created, they evolve through needs and social pressures. Coordination of vision, strategy, tactic, and execution requires an integral approach. Enter the PMO. Where the P stands for People NOT Process. Every approach toward individual and social success must be based on human potential, rather than behavioral guidelines.     Uncomplicate Your Project Portfolio   A lightweight solution to get you back to business with the right projects and the right people at the right time.          Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode,  Ben Chamberlain, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at UMT360, talks about why true business agility is impossible if execution is disconnected from strategy. Indeed, Gartner now makes a clear distinction between traditional PPM execution tools and strategic portfolio management capabilities. If you’re still only focused on PPM project execution, or you’re using execution tools to try and address strategic portfolio management problems, you’re probably missing the critical capabilities needed to truly drive business transformation.     UMT360 Positioned in the 2021 Gartner MagicQuadrant for Strategic Portfolio Management. Latest report is a must-read for any organization interested in understanding the strategic portfolio management capabilities needed to more effectively accelerate business transformation.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode,  Michael DePrisco, Chief Operating Officer at the Project Management Institute, sat down with Laura Barnard of PMO Strategies, to share some of PMI’s recent findings and thought leadership on how “gymnastic” PMOs are navigating the disruption of COVID-19 and beyond. Mike and Laura touched on a wide range of topics, including how PMO leaders are acting as change makers and impact drivers in helping their organizations deliver on strategy with the highest possible return on investment.     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before project management got subsumed by paperwork, a project manager's job was primarily focused on risk mitigation and risk avoidance. To do this job successfully required agility, rapid decision-making, and the right people on the team.  In this episode, Donna Fitzgerald will explore the mental models and project management techniques that once made meeting deadlines consistently possible. She'll cover the relationship between risk and agility and what mental models help with increasing agility.  She'll get to the bottom of why having the right project team is so critical for agility and risk management.    Uncomplicate Your Project Portfolio   A lightweight solution to get you back to business with the right projects and the right people at the right time.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, Alexandra Chapman will explain outcomes-focus and what that means.  The word “outcomes" is getting plenty of attention at the  moment. But what exactly does the word mean - apart from something “more” than we are doing now with projects? She'll discuss how you define outcomes and why they matter for projects.  Then dig into how long it takes to define the outcomes, who should be involved and when you should do it.  Join us to find out more about how the PMO can position themselves as a true strategic business partner, and why that matters for the future.   UMT360 Positioned in the 2021 Gartner MagicQuadrant for Strategic Portfolio Management. Latest report is a must-read for any organization interested in understanding the strategic portfolio management capabilities needed to more effectively accelerate business transformation.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Traditionally, the PMO has been considered as an “execution” body, an entity whose primary objective was to execute project optimally. But the PMO can be much more than that. In this episode, Aimee Rodrigues will explain how, because of its unique position inside companies, the PMO can be a strategic business partner that enables companies to pilot their strategy, and when circumstances require it, pivot their business. Join us to find out more about how the PMO can position themselves as a true strategic business partner, and why that matters for the future.   Set strategy. Execute with agility.Drive business forward.       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! What if you could harness the power of artificial intelligence to make an IMPACT in your organization? Many markets are up to speed with the latest and greatest in tech, but the project portfolio management (PPM) market seems to be a bit behind and this could negatively impact your ability to be successful with your PMO services.     In this episode, Matt Muldoon and I will discuss all the hype about artificial intelligence and business process automation and what you should be doing to adopt these technologies to prepare your PMO to thrive now and into the future.  Powerful ProductsPassionate PeopleProfitable Portfolios As a leader in Agile Portfolio Management, KeyedIn offers SaaS solutions that support the evolving needs of PMOs, ePMOs and SROs, enabling business transformation, strategy realization and organizational change.     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! The feedback from our community has been that resource management is one of the greatest challenges PMO leaders face when delivering projects across the portfolio.What if you could finally demystify resource planning using a simple four part process? In this episode, we’re going to talk with Jerry Manas about the role of the PMO in resource planning and introduce a simple framework that will ease this process of resource planning and project delivery for your projects, across the entire portfolio and simplify things for you, the PMO leader, as well.Make sure to listen in to learn how the way a PMO can build a sustainable and easy to implement resource planning process for any organization.   UMT360 Positioned in the 2021 Gartner MagicQuadrant for Strategic Portfolio Management. Latest report is a must-read for any organization interested in understanding the strategic portfolio management capabilities needed to more effectively accelerate business transformation.     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! As PMO leaders, we are often caught up in the hot trend of agile methods and agile transformations. Well, in today's episode, we're joined by agile transformation author & expert Jesse Fewell. He's joined us in the past to talk about this topic, given his deep history with both the Project Management and Agile communities. This time, we're going to drill into the myths we hear about how to create agility in project organizations.  If you've been told either to drive or support an agile transformation, this episode will help you speak more intelligently than those overpriced consultants.   Set strategy. Execute with agility.Drive business forward.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! I’m sure you’ve heard about IQ as a way to measure your intelligence and in recent decades we’ve heard more about more about EQ, a measure of your emotional intelligence, but what about your CQ, your Change Intelligence®? With massive disruptors taking place around us every day, how do you as a PMO leader, develop your change intelligence muscle so you can lead your organization through change in an effective and sustainable way? This isn’t just for the changes that others are experiencing as part of the projects they are leading. As a PMO leader, how are you bringing the organization through changes you’re delivering as you develop and deliver PMO services and capabilities? In this episode, join Barbara Trautlein as she explores this concept of CQ, why it’s so important, and how it can help you deliver high-IMPACT change in your organization without the typical change resistance and frustration that usually surrounds the delivery of PMO services and capabilities. Barbara is conducting a fabulous workshop at this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit. Be sure to register now before our seats for his workshop are sold out! All proceeds for the PMO IMPACT Summit live workshops will be donated to Project Management for Change, a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide the project management discipline to nonprofits to accelerate the realization of positive social outcomes.   Set strategy. Execute with agility.Drive business forward.         Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Are you curious about how your PMO can generate more strategic value for the organization? In this episode, I’m talking to Wolfram Mueller, a returning speaker at the PMO IMPACT Summit, about why the PMO is the best and only part of the organization that can help business leaders make the best decisions about the right projects to be working on and ensure they are doing them in the right way to achieve the highest return for the business investment. Wolfram is also giving you a sneak peek into what he’s covering at this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit This Episode is Sponsored by: The PMO IMPACT Summit is BACK and better than ever! The PMO IMPACT Summit is our FREE and VIRTUAL event to support PMO and Project Leaders make an even bigger IMPACT in their organizations, teams, and projects while building the critical skills necessary to THRIVE now and in the future.    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! According to Gartner’s recent study on strategic workforce planning, the workforce is struggling to meet today’s demands and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find external resources to backfill because of the competitive nature of organizations allowing people to work anywhere and in whatever way they choose. This creates a challenge for PMO and project portfolio managers trying to reach an optimal capacity balance across the portfolio. In this session, Greg Bailey joins us to discuss how to enable our workforce to become more invested, avoid burnout, and deliver under a continually changing dynamic environment.   Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management”   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, we’ll explore why most PMOs are not designed to maximize IMPACT and how that affects the organizations they support. We’ll look at the most important change you can make to vastly improve your portfolio’s performance. My dear friend, Mike Hannan, joins me to discuss how today’s multi-tasking culture is playing a role in slowing down our portfolio throughput, how to use lessons learned from some of the worst traffic situations in the world to boost portfolio performance, and what you can do to experience the dramatic improvements available to you with some simple tweaks.     Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management”   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Seizing moments of possibility—no matter how small—is the heart of building support for our ideas, big projects, and organizational changes. (This will be the focus of Rick's session during the PMO IMPACT Summit) There are often hundreds of these moments of possibility during the life of a big project. Many of the moments are small and easy to miss, some are big, but all can help create and sustain energy if we know how to tap into them. Powerful ProductsPassionate PeopleProfitable Portfolios As a leader in Agile Portfolio Management, KeyedIn offers SaaS solutions that support the evolving needs of PMOs, ePMOs and SROs, enabling business transformation, strategy realization and organizational change.     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In the future of how project management professionals will work, live, play, and give, continued disruption will challenge many of your assumptions. The biggest one is how you’ll remain relevant. In this episode, senior leadership advisor, executive coach, and educator David Nour will share why project management professionals must embrace three critical ideas to accelerate their relevance: 1) Linear learning/growth will no longer suffice; you must embrace a non-linear path and reinvent yourself 2) A few strategic relationships, you choose to invest in, will dramatically accelerate your growth journey 3) Our organizational structures must evolve to deliver real and lasting innovation Join us on this podcast for an overview of Nour’s new book, Curve Benders, at the intersection of the future of work, strategic relationships, and personal reinvention. David is conducting a fabulous workshop at this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit. Be sure to register now before our seats for his workshop are sold out! All proceeds for the PMO IMPACT Summit live workshops will be donated to Project Management for Change, a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide the project management discipline to nonprofits to accelerate the realization of positive social outcomes.   Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management”   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, we’re looking at how you can get better at getting better by becoming a learning organization. There’s a shift happening in how organizations build capability and adapt to shifting demands which will have a huge influence on the PMO and project space (yes, even if you’re doing an Agile transformation program). Are you sure you’re keeping pace with the changes necessary to help your organization thrive? Today, Scott Ambler and I will talk about how transitioning to a learning organization will save your PMO, your agile transformations, and even help you boost your career. Check it out now because the future of your organization depends upon it! Powerful ProductsPassionate PeopleProfitable Portfolios As a leader in Agile Portfolio Management, KeyedIn offers SaaS solutions that support the evolving needs of PMOs, ePMOs and SROs, enabling business transformation, strategy realization and organizational change. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! When you’ve proven to your organization that project management delivers value, helping  everyone to accomplish more and stress less, invariably more people are interested in developing their project management skills too!  This shift is a testament to your good work, but also can present a variety of problems and opportunities.  If you’re running a PMO, do you have the time to teach everyone how to develop their skills from zero to proficient when they are not necessarily leading the most critical and visible projects?  Likely you don’t have time for that, but the payoff can be enormous for both the organization and your reputation as the go-to internal project guru.  In this episode, Dawn Mahan discusses the future of working more projectized and what this means for you, what "practical project management for everyone" looks like, and reflection/self-assessment questions and action taking ideas.    Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management” LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) In this episode, I’m talking with my pal Andy Jordan about Tomorrow’s PMO leader. You see, PMOs are evolving at a rapid rate, but are PMO leaders evolving at the same pace?  If not, what changes do you need to make, what skills will allow you to succeed and how are you going to continue to evolve in the near future? Andy is also going to give us a sneak peek into his PMO IMPACT Summit session he’s doing this year at our big event and tell us WHY he agreed to join us again this year. His answer cracked me up! 😊 Make sure you check out this episode and register for free for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit so you don’t miss out on the brilliant content we’re sharing this year. Powerful ProductsPassionate PeopleProfitable Portfolios As a leader in Agile Portfolio Management, KeyedIn offers SaaS solutions that support the evolving needs of PMOs, ePMOs and SROs, enabling business transformation, strategy realization and organizational change. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! I have a big surprise for you.... The PMO IMPACT Summit is BACK and better than ever! The PMO IMPACT Summit is our FREE and VIRTUAL event to support PMO and Project Leaders make an even bigger IMPACT in their organizations, teams, and projects while building the critical skills necessary to THRIVE now and in the future. We’ve built a strong reputation as the longest-running and highest IMPACT virtual summit in the PMO community with top-notch content that you’d normally pay a bundle to access and we’re bringing all the general sessions to you for FREE because we want NO PMO OR PROJECT LEADER LEFT BEHIND. We want you to have everything you need to build your own professional skills with sessions covering strategy, leadership, organizational change, Agile, PPM, women in PM, managing in chaos, future readiness from top industry thought leaders, and those actually in the trenches building and running PMOs and projects. And this year, it gets even better… We will have LIVE Workshops and the popular IMPACT After Hours Q&A sessions daily! You’ll get bonus live Q&A sessions with speakers, live stream training events, and other goodies to help you right now and throughout the months leading up to the main event that begins on September 20 and runs for the week.  So, download the IMPACT Driver Network app, JOIN the Community, and JOIN the PMO IMPACT Summit event inside the app! Then, introduce yourself on the Connect Wall, and let’s get the conversation going!    Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver!  We've made it to our 100th episode!  For this very special episode, we're taking a journey over the last 100 episodes and looking forward to what is next for you, my dear IMPACT Driver. If you've listened to these episodes, I talk about you as an IMPACT Driver A LOT and we need to talk about what that means to you and how that influences your success with your PMO and career. For many years, I've found myself saying, "Gosh, I really wish I had me when I was you." I want to share with you everything I've learned over so many years in this PMO and project delivery space and support you on every step of your journey.  Join me for this episode where we talk about what it means to be an IMPACT Driver and how transitioning to this role is the fastest way for you to drive incredible value, help your organization achieve the highest possible return on investment for their strategy, and boost your career in the process.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver!  Have you been looking for creative ways to build the capabilities of your team members, project managers, or even your colleagues and peers? Are you wondering how to get more people on board with putting into action what you're learning?  You've been on this journey to develop yourself...to become an IMPACT Driver...and to accelerate the IMPACT you can make in your organization, it's super important to bring others with you through the change process.  In this week's episode, I'm going to guide you through an easy, fun, and creative way to learn together and most importantly, apply what you are learning to your organization. I'm going to show you how to create a podcast club for your team. It's kinda like a book club, but more fun and easier to get everyone on board because the episodes are only 20-60 minutes! Because the commitment is so much lighter than getting through a long book, you will get greater engagement and faster results! I'm even including a worksheet you can share with your team to ask and answer important questions about what you're learning, how it applies to your organization, and what exactly you'll do, as a team, to put your learning into action.  DOWNLOAD THE DISCUSSION GUIDE WORKSHEET NOW   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers. In this week's episode, I'm diving into why less is really so much more when it comes to PMOs and if that’s the case, what do you do to provide value in your organization?We’ll look at some common mistakes PMO leaders run into when they try to deliver valuable services and capabilities in their organization, where it goes wrong, and what you need to do to make sure you don’t make any of these mistakes in the limited time you have to really make a difference.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers. It is so easy to jump online and do a quick search when we need the answer to something. I do it all the time! However, with all the information out there about PMOs, how do you know if what you're looking for is going to take you down the right path or set you up for a lot of frustration and spinning in circles.  This week, we're looking at the pros and cons of Googling your way to a PMO. We'll look at ways you can use it to help you and how to know if the information you're looking at is really going to help.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers. Last week, we explored what you can do to be successful if you have a very small PMO (or a PMO of one person), which is how many start out.This week, I'm sharing with you what I believe to be the most important service you can deliver for your stakeholders and WHY you should do it in the early days of PMO services delivery.Listen to this episode to unlock the secrets to building this capability quickly and mistakes to avoid along the way.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers. Today we’re talking about the best ways you can make an IMPACT with your PMO if you are a one person PMO. How do you successfully build and deliver PMO services and capabilities when there's only one of you and oh so much to do? Some of the students in my IMPACT Engine PMO Training and Implementation program join because they are starting a PMO. Some of them are starting their first PMO, some are starting their 10th, some have a team when they join, but many do not, but ALL of them benefit from following the tips I’m sharing with you in this episode. We’ll dive into how to determine what services you should build while getting buy-in right from the start, how to set appropriate expectations for what you can deliver, what to do when they want more that is reasonable for one person, and even what to do if you are asked to also manage projects while you’re building out services. Listen to this episode to discover how you can maximize the return for every bit of your time, energy, and focus on the PMO and position yourself for growth in the process. P.S. In next week’s episode, I’ll share with you my thoughts on what service you should likely start with to maximize your IMPACT with limited resources.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! You know that feeling when you are called in to rescue a project and you get to be the hero? The adrenaline is pumping, the stress is on, and you gotta admit...this is fun...at least a little. :) You probably also realize that when you act as a firefighter, again and again, you are letting your project people off the hook of learning better behaviors that will ensure future project fires are prevented. Instead of being a firefighter or perhaps, dare I say, a fire starter, we must walk a fine line to ensure that we rescue the project without rescuing our people.  Tune in to this episode to learn why rescuing our project teams can be a dangerous business and how to turn that project around while teaching the team a better way forward for next time.   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This is the final episode of the three-part series on implementing project management practices in an organization.  In Episode 091, we talked about how important timing is when implementing PM practices. In Episode 092, we covered who should own the PM and PMO processes.  Once we get those critical components right, and if we're still having challenges with resistance to PM best practices, we can turn to these surefire ways to address and resolve resistance to implementing the PM practices. In this episode, we're looking at specific techniques you can use to address the various types of change resistance you might face when rolling out PM practices and what to do about it so that you don't lose your sanity and can keep everyone moving forward to achieve the IMPACT the organization's PMO and projects are designed to achieve.  If you're looking for more on how to deal with difficult stakeholders, I've got your back! Just listen to Episode 088 next! Enjoy!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This is the second episode in a three-part series about implementing project management practices in an organization, and how important it is to get the when, how, and who just right.  Last week, we talked about how important timing is when implementing PM practices in the organization. This week, we're going to talk about who should own the PM and PMO processes. Are you wondering if this is a trick? You might be thinking, "Well, it's the PMO, of course!" I think you might change your mind after listening to this episode. I'll share with you why it's so important that ownership of the PMO and PM processes do NOT fall on the PMO or project managers, where the ownership should be, and how to ensure what you implement has the right kind of engagement, support, and adoption in your organization. Enjoy!  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Have you heard the saying, "Timing is everything?" That statement applies to so many things and implementing PM process in your organization is no different. Last week, I shared a huge mistake PMO leaders make when starting a PMO and this follows right along with that theme.  If you implement PM processes at the wrong time, you will run the risk of running your PMO right into the ground before you've ever had a chance to get really started. In this episode, I'm starting a multi-episode series all about implementing PM processes and practices in your organization, why timing is so important, and what to do when you are not getting adoption like you should.  And first things first...how do you know when it's the right time to implement PM process, templates, and methodology, and what you should do before you introduce any process to the organization.  Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Do you know that you might be making one of the biggest mistakes that PMO leaders make when starting a PMO? This mistake can be so detrimental that it can erode any credibility you have, set all of your stakeholders up to go around the PMO, and destroy all hopes you have for building a PMO that you KNOW will provide incredible value to the organization.  In this episode, I'm sharing a story of one client that was almost too late to save from making this mistake, what exactly they did, how we got them back on track, and what to do to avoid this mistake. And don't worry, if what you hear sounds a little too familiar, I'll explain what you can do to get back on track with your PMO. If you're really lucky and I've caught you before making this mistake, AWESOME! I'll give you the exact steps to take, and in what order, to get your PMO off to a high-IMPACT start.  Enjoy!       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) What is the purpose of a PMO and do you need one for your organization?  You may have heard that PMOs are a great way for you to deliver on your organization's strategy and are curious about what value a PMO would really bring to your organization. Or you might be on the other end of the spectrum and had a not-so-great experience with PMOs. I hear you and explain why this might be happening and what to do about it.  In this episode, I walk you through some of the many benefits you can expect if you have a PMO implemented the right way, how to get started, resources to support your journey, and what to do if the PMO in your organization isn't delivering these benefits and creating a positive ROI for you.  We're also covering when a PMO is not the right answer and how you can support your PMO team to get the results you need.  This episode is sponsored by:     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Today's topic...managing stakeholders! In my recent survey, many respondents listed managing stakeholders as one of the most challenging aspects of their day-to-day responsibilities. So how do you effectively engage your stakeholders, even the most difficult ones?You’ll learn some simple steps you can take immediately to manage your stakeholders more effectively, reduce the stakeholder-driven headaches on your project and PMO, and achieve greater IMPACT with the right stakeholder engagement strategy. Listen to this episode to learn: a more accurate way to define stakeholder how to identify the stakeholders you might not be thinking about the most critical thing you need to know to influence them most effectively simple categorization techniques that help you plan your engagement strategy how to assess their power and influence on your project or PMO different ways to engage them what to do about resistance the most important thing you can do when you interact with difficult stakeholders   Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management” LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) In this episode, I'm continuing my series of debunking some of the biggest myths in PMOs.  We're talking about the PMO charter. Should you have a PMO charter or not? If not, how do you clarify the goals for your PMO to get that incredibly important stakeholder buy-in we all need to be successful?  We'll cover... to charter or not to charter how to effectively communicate the goals, priorities, services, capabilities, and IMPACT your PMO will make what this documentation should look like to earn you immediate credibility how to get and keep stakeholder buy-in for your PMO exactly what to include to show you mean business Make sure to grab your notepad for this one, as I'm giving you a big list of items you must include. What you learn in this episode might surprise you A LOT.  Workflows for the modern enterprise Digital workflows are the building blocks for the modern experiences employees want and customers expect.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) In this episode, we're talking all about PMO Maturity Models.  Should you focus on maturing your PMO according to a predefined maturity model or framework? Is there a maturity model framework out there that's best for you and for your PMO? Join me for this episode as I share an eye-opening perspective on the Maturity Model prescription and even debunk some myths that could be holding you back from making the IMPACT your PMO is meant to make.  You'll learn how to ensure that you're focused exactly where you need to be to build the right services and capabilities for your PMO.    Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management” LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) There’s so much buzz out there about the type of PMO you should have and it can get super confusing. In this episode, I’m going to debunk the PMO Type myth, explain why typing your PMO is so dangerous, and what to do instead.   Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Do you know the true cost leaders pay when they take communication for Granted?  This is such an important topic and I'm pleased to have Skip Weisman on this episode to shed light on this topic.  You'll learn how to determine the cost of a "soft" skill like communication in a work environment or company culture, what leaders can do to not take communication for granted along with what can happen if they don't take action.  Communication is happening all the time and is talked about as being a problem.  We'll discuss how Skip claims leaders take communication for granted.    Workflows for the modern enterprise Digital workflows are the building blocks for the modern experiences employees want and customers expect.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) I have to admit…when I was early in my career, I was pretty outcome-focused and sometimes didn’t take the time necessary to bring people with me through the change I was driving. Sure, I had plenty of friends and colleagues I enjoyed working with, however, if I was on a tough project or under tight deadlines, I definitely didn’t worry so much if the people were on board. This cost me a lot of time and frustration early on. Truth is, I didn’t appreciate how much building the know, like, and trust factor with your stakeholders will influence the outcome of your projects. As IMPACT Drivers, we can get a myopic focus on getting to the results and if we’re not careful, we can forget just how much harder things will be to actually achieve those outcomes we’re looking for if we don’t bring people with us through the process. Remember, people are not actually resistant to change, they are resistant to change being done TO them instead of being done WITH them. In this episode, my pal Annmarie Curley, and I are going to talk about our own struggles and battle scars earned when we didn’t focus on building strong relationships first to help us drive change and deliver projects and how you can improve your relationships to achieve much stronger outcomes.     Take Annmarie's Relationships Accelerator Assessment Tool: https://newgrangeitconsulting.lpages.co/relationships-engagement-accelerator/ Join Annmarie's  free leadership community with resources on managing and leading in the real world: www.solasleadership.com      Enable change. Lead digital transformation. Drive innovation.    Enterprise-centric project and portfolio management software LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) There’s an art to building a project management competency program inside your company. If you do it too soon, you could face resistance and may not have the right top down and bottom-up support. What you will hear in this podcast episode is not just how to do it well and what to do, but the art of perfecting the timing. It is probably not the first service you want to build for your PMO because you will likely need to build some trust and credibility with your leaders and other stakeholders before you take on the task of bringing PM capabilities to the broader organization. But how do you know when it’s the right time? In this episode, you’ll hear Allison Primack’s journey as a PMO leader faced with building a PMO from the ground up and the nuances that she discovered when determining the best time and way to setup a project management competency program. Enjoy! Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver!  What if I told you there was ONE critical habit that the most successful PMOs have that will guarantee PMO success now and into the future? Would you believe me? Would you say, "Yeah, but she doesn't know the way things work in my organization"?  2020 was a wild year and while many PMOs were struggling just to get noticed or to keep the chaos under control, other PMOs were thriving and had finally earned their seats at the table in leading not only through the chaos of 2020 but are leading the charge in bringing their organizations to a new more stable place as we head into a new year.  Listen to this episode to hear that critical habit you must build with your PMO if you want to be sure that the PMO services you deliver are always on point.  Register now for the PMO Health Assessment and Plan workshop today! I'd love to see you there! LEARN MOREThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Wow. We finally made it to 2021 and it's time to look forward to the future and the endless possibilities it holds for you and your career. In this episode, I'm sharing some tips to position yourself to take advantage of all of your strengths and opportunities that come your way. You want to be ready and go after what you want! I'm also giving you a breakdown of all of the great podcast content you can use to fill your training and development plan to boost your professional performance.  Topics: Leadership Skills Career Development Organizational Change Management Building a PMO Pivoting Your PMO Project Portfolio Management Methods and Agile I would love to hear what episodes make it to your career development plan. If you need a little help accelerating your career, I'd love for you to join me for the self-paced Career Accelerator Workshop to have your best year yet! From my family to yours. Thank you for being an IMPACT Driver. Thank you for all that you do and know that I’ve got your back every step of the way. LEARN MOREThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers! Today, I’m talking with PMO Joe about the purpose-driven PMO. As you know, I believe very strongly that we must assess the organization for IMPACT opportunities before we build our PMO. It starts with understanding WHY you’re creating this PMO and creating that alignment right from the start with your business leaders so that you’re delivering on what really matters. Joe calls this creating purpose with your PMO. Join us for this podcast to learn how you can define the purpose of your PMO.   In this episode you'll learn: What is the Purpose Driven PMO The steps within the Purpose Driven PMO Why PMO Joe created the Purpose Driven PMO? The story behind how Joe started THE PMO SQUAD Why they call Joe, "PMO Joe"   Enable change. Lead digital transformation. Drive innovation.    Enterprise-centric project and portfolio management software LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hey there, IMPACT Drivers! What a year it’s been, huh? This week, it’s time to do a little looking back… I am joined by William Volpe to talk about how applying a stronger project management process earlier in this COVID-19 global pandemic could have significantly influenced the outcomes we experienced this year. What’s interesting is that in many places around the world, people with project and program management experience were not put in charge of these response and recovery efforts, leaning more toward people that were respected as business leaders. How might this year have looked if project managers were at the helm? After all, we are the natural cat herders, the chaos managers, and the IMPACT Drivers. This is what we do best. Note that we recorded this episode earlier this year and we’re sharing it now as more of a retrospective on how things could have turned better with a stronger PM influence. Now, we’re looking at the distribution of vaccines around the world which is an enormous logistics challenge (aka perfect opportunity for project and program management).   Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management” LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) I’m super excited to bring back Andy Jordan to the podcast. Andy is President of Roffensian Consulting management consulting firm with a strong emphasis on organizational transformation, portfolio management, and PMOs. Andy and I have partnered on PMO workshops, speaking engagements, and he is a regular speaker for the PMO IMPACT Summit. I love the way he opens our eyes and minds to the ways we can drive ever-higher IMPACT in our organizations with the power of the PMO and PPM. In today’s episode, we’re exploring the future of Project Portfolio Management and what you need to be thinking about if you’re looking for ways to up-level your PMO IMPACT in your organization, how the events of 2020 create an opportunity for PMOs and PPM, and who should own this function in the future. In this episode, you’ll learn: If PPM was impacted by COVID-19 What the future looks like for PPM What to do if your organization hasn’t embraced PPM Who will own PPM in the future The skillset needed to run a PPM function See what happens when manual becomes magical Transform the way you work with connected digital workflows.  LEARN MORE   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) In this episode, we dive into why PMOs are in the perfect position to lead change within organizations. It is now the time for PMOs to become "Chief Transformation Officers" and support the digital transformation within their enterprise.  Join us to discover why now is the time to evolve your PMO, starting with a 3-step process. I'm joined by Valerie Zeller who is Sciforma's CMO. Valerie Zeller is a growth strategist with more than 20 years of experience launching innovative software and middleware solutions in the U.S. and Europe. As a marketer, software enthusiast, and process optimizer, her goal is to develop solutions that increase organizations’ productivity. You will learn why PMO's should be the ones leading change, how they can practically be the agents of change for organizations and PMO can play a leading role in change by leveraging the data they own.   Enable change. Lead digital transformation. Drive innovation.    Enterprise-centric project and portfolio management software LEARN MORE   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Wow. What a year’ it’s been. I am certain that no matter what your plans were in January of this year, they were disrupted in some pretty big ways with the events that have taken place this year. A lot of us have been stressed beyond our normal levels of stress we face when bringing change to organizations. AND I just want to say you’ve got this AND you’re not alone. This year has been a struggle for a lot of folks. So, this week, I just want to tell you to give yourself a break. In the US it’s Thanksgiving week which is a time when many of us get together with family and friends and show our appreciation for each other. This year is probably not quite the same as usual for you and your family and that can add even more stress to an already stressful year. But you’ve worked hard this year. You’ve had to be the chaos manager for even more chaos than usual and people have been looking to you for the answers and often, you didn’t have all the answers. You did a great job. You did better than could be expected. You hold yourself to a high standard, I mean you are an impact driver after all, and its’ hard to feel like you could have done more. So a break…give yourself a break. That’s what you need. Let it go. Know you did your very best and say thank you to YOU for getting you through this year as best as you could. I’m proud of you. You should be proud of yourself too. And know that your team appreciates you too. They probably don’t say it very often, but someone has to hold down the fort and keep everyone sane, and that was probably you. This is also a great time to show them a little love. They are all dealing with the same stressors that you are and maybe we don’t say how much we appreciate them often enough. Give them a break. They could use a little support and breathing room. They did their best too. With that said, maybe the best thing you can do for yourself and your team right now is to let off the gas a little and let the weight of this year sink in for just a minute so you can then let it go. This will better prepare you for the new year and the certain chaos that is to come…that’s’ what we do. That’s our superpower. And even superheroes need a break occasionally. So give yourself a break. Give your team a break, and definitely give your boss a break. You’re all doing your best in a chaotic and event-filled year and we need you at your best, well-rested, clear-headed, and ready to drive more impact next year. You are what makes the world go round. From my family to yours. Thank you for being an IMPACT driver. Thank you for all that you do and know that I’ve got your back every step of the way. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) In this episode, you will learn that for any PMO to gain prominence and become a true partner to the business, it must focus on the most impactful discipline: resource management. Many PMOs fail to provide lasting value and become antithetical to strategy execution.   For a PMO looking to drive lasting strategic impact, resource management represents the surest path. I'm joined by Sean Pales who is the founder and ProSymmetry and Tempus Resource.  Recognized by Gartner Research and deployed globally and across the Global Fortune 1,000. PMOs are under constant pressure to deliver and you will learn why investing more aggressively in resource management will be beneficial.  If your organization is looking to address resource management, you'll learn where to start.  Additionally, if a PMO already has a PPM system in place, you will learn how to identify the resource management deficiences.      Resource Forecasting. Capacity Planning.  Purpose Built.    “ProSymmetry provides a resource management solution accessible to the masses.” -Gartner, “Cool Vendors in Project Portfolio Management” LEARN MORE       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) In this episode, you will learn how PMOs play a vital role in tying strategy to business value realization. As we transition to the “new normal” of a pandemic, companies are shifting focus from cost optimization to value optimization. I'm joined by Rani Pangam who is Head of PMO, Enterprise Agile Transformation and Organizational Change CoE at ServiceNow, where she has gained extensive experience leading strategic initiatives like Managed Services, Transformation CoE, ”Right Shoring”.  Digitization is core for survival and continuous change is a norm. With these conditions, PMOs need to understand the business strategy and supporting roadmap of key projects, products, or services that are critical to delivering business outcomes.  Delivering a strategic roadmap at scale, with shortened time to market while enabling organizational change adaptability, is key to realizing the project benefits. Be ready to roll when it's time to return Reopen confidently with the Safe Workplace suite - everything but the water cooler talk.  LEARN MORE     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before the chaos of 2020, there were changes in the air with our roles in the Project Management industry. Business leaders were beginning to expect more out of their project teams and those that were the most successful in the eyes of their business leaders had a seat at the table in driving not just outputs on projects, but the outcomes needed for the organization to achieve its strategic objectives. This trend continued into 2020, amidst the chaos of COVID-19, civil unrest, political unrest, and more that impacted how businesses delivered for their customers.  Many PMO and project leaders found themselves stepping up into business leadership roles to help their executives make quick decisions with little information in order to pivot quickly. As we approach are now in the last couple of months of 2020, many in our industry are wondering what's next and how they can continue to evolve to earn and keep their seat at the table in their organizations.  Our role is changing, as Sunil Prashara - CEO for PMI and I discuss in episode 068, and to avoid being left behind, it's incumbent upon all of us to embrace the increasing demands being placed upon us and learn how to up-level our own skills to lead our organizations into the future.  In this episode, I'm speaking with the fabulous Elise Stevens, about her new book, Unlocking the Opportunity, and the top skills for PMO and project leaders now and into the future.  I'd love for you to join me for Elise's book launch party and Q&A panel discussion on November 11, 2020 at 4:00 PM Eastern / November 12, 2020 at 7:00 AM Brisbane time. I will be joined by Elise Stevens, the host, Candida Tocci, and Dr. Wilma Slenders.  Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This episode is dedicated to the many people that have reached out to me recently saying that they've just been hired to new PMO roles and believe the guidance I shared with them helped give them an edge over the competition. It warms my heart and inspired me to share some insights and ideas with you to consider if you're looking for a new role in PMO or PPM or if you're just getting started in that new role and want to know what to do first.  Following these steps right when you start will ensure you don't hit the many mistakes that PMO leaders make that we covered in last week's episode here.  In this episode, you'll learn: what resources will help you ace that interview how to set yourself apart from the usual candidates what to do during your first weeks and months what NOT to worry about right away how to put your best foot forward and get off to a strong start I can't wait to hear what you think of this episode and if you want to dive deeper into my step-by-step program to help you build that PMO right from the start, you can join this free masterclass on my 6-Step Process to Build a High-IMPACT PMO by clicking here or if you're ready to dive deep with hands-on support and guidance from me, check out my IMPACT Engine PMO training and implementation program here.    Unleash the full power of your PMO to lead your organization into the future (and finally earn your seat at the table). Whether you're building a PMO for the first time, trying to get your PMO back on track, or just want to ensure that your PMO is as high-IMPACT as possible, this training will get right to the heart of what really makes a difference in the eyes of your business leaders, where to focus YOUR energy for the best results, and how to accelerate your PMO performance. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Many times when my new students come to me they are in desperate need of some help rescuing their PMO quickly so that they don't end up on the chopping block come budget time.  It can be a very stressful place to be AND you may not even know how close you are to being reassigned, replaced, or having the PMO disbanded completely. Now, I do not say that to scare you, but I've seen it too many times...PMO leaders get blindsided because they miss some of the warning signs that their PMO needs to shift directions quickly.  In episode 069, I talk about top mistakes I see PMO leaders making, and in this episode, I'm sharing with you 5 fast fixes you can do to get your PMO back on track, build credibility quickly, and accelerate PMO performance in the eyes of your stakeholders.  In this episode, you'll learn: obstacles to PMO success 5 fast and effective fixes to get your PMO back on track the step many PMO leaders skip and how that hurts them what to do if you have a small team or are a PMO of one how to align your PMO value with what matters most and so much more! I can't wait to hear what you think of this episode and if you want to dive deeper into the steps to take to implement these fast fixes, check out my free masterclass on How to Rescue Your PMO Fast.   How to Rescue Your PMO Fast Register for our free masterclass here to learn how to implement my fast fixes today! REGISTER NOW Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) I built my first PMO in the 90s (yes, in the last century!) and the truth is that I had no idea what I was doing! BUT, I had a Get. It. Done. attitude and a desire to learn and boy did I learn! A lot. I made a lot of mistakes and I learned a thing or two over the following two decades of putting PMOs and PM best practices in place.  Now that I teach and coach others the art of successful project management and PMO implementation, I am seeing some of the same mistakes I used to make when I was first starting out. I see PMOs that had a real chance of success getting bogged down in the not so important, while opportunity passes them by (as does their next promotion). While there are many things we can do wrong, there are MANY MORE things we CAN do right. Here are the top ten mistakes I wish I had known to avoid when I was in your shoes (and most importantly, what to do about it). I hope this saves you from learning the hard way, as I often did. Suffering from “Me Too” Syndrome Your execs go off to a conference or read an article and next thing you know, “we have to do that because everyone else is.” Sound familiar? Yeah, well, just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it is going to make the most sense for you. You better be crystal clear on exactly what business problem you are trying to solve if you are going to make the time, money, and energy investment worth it. For more on this topic, check out Why do PMOs exist? Getting Caught Up in PMO Types or Maturity Sadly, many PMO leaders start building a PMO and putting templates and processes in place before they figure out what services will actually get the biggest bang for the buck in the organization. This is even more likely if this isn't your first PMO. You have some experience, you know what worked before, and you want to leverage that expertise to guide your organization through this PMO journey. Don't do it! You must figure out what your customers need help with first. You must identify the pain points that you and your PMO can solve. Then DO THAT first. Start with asking the right questions. Are you going to provide project management support? Will you provide governance and portfolio oversight?  Do they need coaching of PMs that aren’t reporting to the PMO? Think about who you want to be when you grow up…do you want to be the policing organization that everyone fears, or that my friend Lee Lambert calls the PMO Gestapo, or do you want to be the support organization that everyone turns to when they need to Get. It. Done? There's also a problem with maturity models. Every PMO is different and climbing an artificial scale of predetermined PMO value that doesn't align with your stakeholders' needs is a waste of time. Every PMO is unique and more is not better. Sometimes what you really need to do to provide value is do LESS and maturity models are all about more and more structure and process that may be unnecessary. The key is to solve the business problems and evolve your PMO services and capabilities as the needs of your organization evolve. For more on this topic, check out 4 Questions to Ask When Starting a PMO. Blaming the culture It’s very easy to say the reason your PMO isn’t working is because you don’t have the support or people don’t “get it” and it’s not your fault. It feels like you just keep pushing that boulder up the hill and it keeps rolling back down. I totally get it. I’ve lived that slow and agonizing nightmare of change resistance around every corner. What I learned, however, was to focus on what I could control and the rest would come along…eventually. Yes, you must practice patience, but even more importantly, we must learn how to do change WITH people instead of TO them. People are not resistant to change. They are resistant to change being DONE TO them. So,

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! If you’ve been in my community for a while, you’ve heard me talk about the shifting role of the PMO and the requirement to pivot to become a strategic business partner that your organization needs to thrive in the future. You’ve heard me say that the role of the PMO is to drive ever-higher return on investment for the organization’s strategy as quickly as possible and that this is the key to earning your seat at the table. And…that message is being shared by business leaders globally… For this week's episode, Sunil Prashara, CEO of the Project Management Institute (PMI), joined me to share his vision for what is to come for PMOs and project managers with a very clear call to action to PMO leaders to build what he refers to as the Gymnastic PMO to lead our organizations into the future. The opportunity for us is here for the taking and I think you’ll hear some things in this episode that will help you see how to make that pivot and become that IMPACT Driver your business leaders need.         In this episode you’ll learn: how business leaders see the PMO and project management how the role of the PMO is evolving the key functions PMOs will need to perform to thrive the important role of automation in our ability to level up what you can do to earn your seat at the table I hope you listen to this episode again and again (and share it with your colleagues) whenever you need a little inspiration or reminder of just how important you are to the future of your organization.   Unleash the full power of your PMO to lead your organization into the future (and finally earn your seat at the table). Whether you're building a PMO for the first time, trying to get your PMO back on track, or just want to ensure that your PMO is as high-IMPACT as possible, this training will get right to the heart of what really makes a difference in the eyes of your business leaders, where to focus YOUR energy for the best results, and how to accelerate your PMO performance. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! This is a riveting episode with Scott Payne, President of PM Master Prep.  Scott and I dive deep into how the best organizations design their training programs for maximum impact.  We will explain how the best organizations abandon the traditional off-the-shelf training approach and follow a more agile, engaged approach.  What you learn here will help you create a more focused, impactful, and sustainable project management team.  This is a can’t miss episode! In this episode you’ll learn: Secrets that all great project management training programs share (and bad training programs are missing) The real purpose of your PM training program Critical mistakes you must avoid to keep your PM training program from becoming flat and uninspiring How to make your training program pay for itself! Step-by-step actions you will use to realize the untapped potential of your project managers   Meisterplan is a project portfolio management tool that lets companies create realistic and achievable portfolios. With Meisterplan, you can see project details, capacity, and financials all in one dashboard. Start making better project portfolios with a free 30-day trial.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Jennie Fowler over the last few years and I’ve been impressed by how she’s built and run a highly successful, highly IMPACT-ful Strategy Realization Office (SRO) for her company for over 7 years. The more I talk to her and hear her talk about their journey, the more I see the connections between what she’s been doing and the very things I learned as a PMO leader inside organizations for over 15 years. Jennie is sharing her journey of transitioning from a PMO to a Strategy Realization Office during the PMO IMPACT Summit and her session is one that you do not want to miss! In today’s episode, we are exploring what’s next for PMOs and how you can make some critical shifts that will be necessary for tomorrow’s PMOs to be a key player in how organizations deliver on their strategy. Check out this episode to learn: the unique characteristics of tomorrow’s PMOs reasons PMO failure rates are so high how to avoid being a PMO failure statistic if the SRO model is the right answer for your PMO the importance of uncovering your superpower   Make sure to catch Jennie at the PMO IMPACT Summit and say hi to her in the mobile app! Cora PPM contains a comprehensive suite of functionality that provides the strategic capabilities to optimize capacity, analyze scenarios, track benefits, inform all stakeholders, and integrate across the enterprise. Acting as the bedrock for delivering major transformation programs. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! Today I’m talking to Rick Morris about the portfolio management dream. You hold the keys to your organization's strategy delivery when you have a portfolio management practice in place. So, how do you get there in a way that makes it a dream come true instead of a nightmare? In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Rick calls it "a dream" and if it's actually doable the barriers to portfolio management you must conquer tips to expedite portfolio management and why it's necessary if PPM hurts or helps project management Make sure to catch Rick at the PMO IMPACT Summit and say hi to him in the mobile app! Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. Place the right bets, turn quickly, and deliver faster with this innovative approach to top-down portfolio and capacity planning with KeyedIn. Looking at adopting a more agile method due to the on-going crisis? Concepts like iterative development, continuous improvement, and prioritizing a dynamic backlog, when applied to portfolio management can deliver a host of compelling benefits that KeyedIn brings to life. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi IMPACT Drivers! There’s no question that leadership today means facing a unique set of challenges. Leaders must find a way to empower and motivate dispersed employees and facilitate cross-functional collaboration, operating in an environment like never before. With remote work as the new norm for so many, effective leadership is critical. In this episode, I’m talking to Amir Younes, Vice President of Client Success at Wrike. During his time at Wrike, Amir has built and led an internationally recognized client success team and has helped take Wrike from a $35M company to $100+M. We’re talking about leadership in a time of crisis so you can learn how to unite, empower, and inspire teams from anywhere. In this episode, you’ll learn: 3 essential leadership qualities for managing during a crisis how to build high performing teams amidst the chaos how to effectively manage your time as a leader what processes you should automate to create efficiency a unique way to think about leadership vs management   Learn more from Wrike: Wrike Virtual PMO Summit - Article   Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, there IMPACT Drivers! Have you heard of Disciplined Agile? I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Scott Ambler, the Vice President, Chief Scientist of Disciplined Agile at the Project Management Institute (PMI) and he’s introduced me to Disciplined Agile and I LOVE IT! It’s the perfect approach to putting common sense into common practice. It’s not a framework or methodology, but more of a toolkit of guidance and resources to help you make good decisions to have a more Agile approach to implementing your PMO, products, and projects. Scott is diving deep on this topic at the PMO IMPACT Summit and has agreed to give us a brief overview of Disciplined Agile and how that mindset applies to the PMO for this week’s podcast. In this episode, you’ll learn: what Disciplined Agile is all about how the principles of Disciplined Agile create opportunities for PMOs why Disciplined Agile is so important to the future of project work how the Disciplined Agile mindset applies to the PMO   Imagine it, achieve it, and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether waterfall, agile, or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans, and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Project leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency, and work smarter with better results. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) This week, I’m speaking with Philip Martin, CEO of Cora Systems. Philip has been working with organizations globally to implement portfolio solutions and how critical it is to get it right AND get it right. We’re going to walk through Philip’s 9 Rules for Successful Strategy Realization and if you like what you hear, make sure not to miss his session at the PMO IMPACT Summit where you can download his action-taking Pandemic Planning workbook that walks you through these 9 rules and so much more!   In this episode, you’ll learn: what is meant by a Strategy Realization Office (SRO) what an SRO does that’s different from the typical PMO how running an SRO helps you earn a seat at the table factors to consider when building an SRO Learn more from Cora Systems: https://corasystems.com/blog/project-controls-issues-portfolio-planning/   Cora PPM contains a comprehensive suite of functionality that provides the strategic capabilities to optimize capacity, analyze scenarios, track benefits, inform all stakeholders, and integrate across the enterprise. Acting as the bedrock for delivering major transformation programs. LEARN MORE     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Today, I'm talking with PMO IMPACT Summit Speaker, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, about PMOs moving toward this concept of the Strategy Implementation Office. Recently, Gartner claimed that 80% of today’s Project Management tasks will be eliminated by 2030 as Artificial Intelligence takes over. Will 80% of today’s PMO tasks will most likely also disappear too? In this episode, you’ll learn: How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted project management Why PMOs are struggling and what do we need to do differently What the Project Economy is all about Why what we’re doing now isn't working How PMOs and PMO leaders can adapt to these disruptions   Meisterplan is a project portfolio management tool that lets companies create realistic and achievable portfolios. With Meisterplan, you can see project details, capacity, and financials all in one dashboard. Start making better project portfolios with a free 30-day trial.  LEARN MORE       Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) In this episode, we’re talking with Sherry James about why a diverse and equitable PMO will be the PMO that thrives in the future. Today's environment is different for all of us. It is important to ensure that our teams are diverse in thought to best support our organizations. For many organizations, the Diversity and Inclusion training is a part of your onboarding process and that’s where the conversation ends. I think it’s critical that we look at how we as IMPACT Drivers are creating a more inclusive and diverse environment in our PMOs and project teams, not just in times of high racial tension or media focus, but ALL THE TIME, and to the great benefit of our organizations. We have a unique opportunity to lead (and be recognized for this leadership role) the charge in our organizations to help them become more diverse, inclusive and equitable and in this podcast episode we’re going to explore what you can do and how to get started. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why diversity and inclusion is critical in PMOs Why you WANT to be asked to drive this in your organization How to have that first difficult conversation How to educate ourselves and our teams How to make the habits that shift the culture   Make sure to link to her page to dive deeper with Sherry and learn more about mental health, diversity, and inclusion you can learn more here: https://www.sherryjamespmp.com To join her weekly IGTV show "With Your Mind in Mind" and her weekly IG Lives on Wednesdays at 7pm CST "Uncomfortable Conversations" https://www.instagram.com/sherryjamespmp/ Sherry James is joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to her in the mobile app and community! Cora PPM contains a comprehensive suite of functionality that provides the strategic capabilities to optimize capacity, analyze scenarios, track benefits, inform all stakeholders, and integrate across the enterprise. Acting as the bedrock for delivering major transformation programs. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) This is a fun episode with Tim Short, Senior Vice President of Global Operations for KeyedIn. Tim and I talk about our long histories in PMOs and project management and the evolution we've seen for PMOs and project management. Back in the 90s, we saw projects managed in a much more step-by-step approach.  Today, organizations must embrace organizational agility and learn to shift quickly as the needs of our customers are shifting. This creates an opportunity to embrace both big "A" Agile and little "a" agile in ways that are helping organizations thrive. And this is where the PMO comes in... In this episode, you’ll learn: the difference between big "A" and little "a" agile what Agile portfolio management looks like the opportunity for PMOs to earn their seat at the table how to easily start using PPM for your Agile projects how new ways of working support Agile PPM how PMO leaders can influence their executives' mindsets Tim Short is joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to him in the mobile app and community! Learn more from KeyedIn: Change-Management-in-the-Modern-Era-Whitepaper - Courtney McClay Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. Place the right bets, turn quickly, and deliver faster with this innovative approach to top-down portfolio and capacity planning with KeyedIn. Looking at adopting a more agile method due to the on-going crisis? Concepts like iterative development, continuous improvement, and prioritizing a dynamic backlog, when applied to portfolio management can deliver a host of compelling benefits that KeyedIn brings to life. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) This is a very exciting epidsode! My friends Karin Hurt and David Dye have just released their new book Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers and Customer Advocates.  In this episode, I sat down with these two to talk about ways you can create a more inclusive environment for ideas and ensure your teams feel heard and are able to contribute to supporting your project and PMO goals. We also talked about some great ways you can ask the right questions of your business leaders, sponsors, and stakeholders to ensure that you get actionable ideas that will help you direct your PMO services.  Join us in this episode to learn: What is it that keeps people from speaking up and solving more problems How can leaders create a culture that promotes contribution instead of safe silence What should you say to a leader who is overwhelmed with ideas - but they are bad ideas or irrelevant What leaders can do to cultivate more ideas When you’re the one who has a great idea and you want to get it heard   Karin and David are joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say to them in the mobile app and community! Meisterplan enables you to answer “What-If?” questions, identify and resolve resource constraints in just a few clicks, and see the impact of changes to your project portfolio in real-time.  Start making better project portfolios with a free 30-day trial.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This week, we’re talking about adaptability, agility, and big “A” Agile. There are a lot of terms floating around these days that all seem to mean something similar. I’ve got Angela Bunner, VP Customer Experience at Clarizen, here with me to help clarify these terms and put them in context for the PMO. In our current environment, we’re all facing a lot of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) and this can put a strain on IMPACT Drivers. Our ability to drive IMPACT from here forward will depend heavily on our ability to embrace agility, be more flexible and adaptable than we have ever been, AND incorporate Agile ways of working into our work.  Join us in this episode to learn: how our ability to adapt will determine if we thrive what it takes to become adaptable the difference between agility and Agile what industries are benefiting from these capabilities what you should do first Angela is joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to her in the mobile app and community! Learn more from Clarizen: Clarizen-Product-Overview-Datasheet PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Imagine it, achieve it, and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether waterfall, agile, or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans, and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Project leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency, and work smarter with better results. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! My colleague and PMO IMPACT Summit David Barrett joins us today to talk about what it takes to take YOUR career to the next level. If you've been curious how your business leaders think about project management and the PMO, your role in the organization, and what they're looking for in the next generation of project leaders - the ones that will get tapped when the next big project needs to be done.  In this episode, you’ll learn: what we have to do to get to the next level how to stand out and be chosen for the next big project what you might be doing that is standing in your way what senior management looking for in a good PM how to be that superstar your leaders are looking for   David is joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to him in the mobile app and community! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Cora PPM contains a comprehensive suite of functionality that provides the strategic capabilities to optimize capacity, analyze scenarios, track benefits, inform all stakeholders, and integrate across the enterprise. Acting as the bedrock for delivering major transformation programs. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Ohhhh, I’ve been so looking forward to sharing this since I first ready Jesse’s manuscript last year.   YAY!! I finally get to tell you all about it. :)  My dear friend, colleague, and partner in crime on keynote stages, Jesse Fewell has been working on this fun, thought-provoking, and insightful book that will help you understand why Agile transformations fail. This is a MUST HAVE book for ANYONE leading or participating in any transformation, Agile or not! You’ll discover (and maybe see yourself in) the various leadership personalities that are often at play when you’re driving big change in an organization.   If you’ve ever been frustrated by your transformation efforts toward a more digital, agile, or lean organization, you are not alone. This breakthrough approach helps you uncover the patterns that might be holding your organization back from transformation success.  In this episode, you’ll learn: the concept of Untapped Agility why there’s no such thing as a failed transformation leadership moves to get back on track the 3-part cycle to move people through the transformation how to access the book right now (and why you definitely want to!)   I encourage you to join me on the Untapped Agility Launch Team to get access to the book NOW plus extra fun bonuses.  Jesse is joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to him in the mobile app and community! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. Place the right bets, turn quickly and deliver faster with this innovative approach to top-down portfolio and capacity planning with KeyedIn. Looking at adopting a more agile method due to the on-going crisis? Concepts like iterative development, continuous improvement, and prioritizing a dynamic backlog, when applied to portfolio management can deliver a host of compelling benefits that KeyedIn brings to life. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. In today’s episode, I am talking to Christoph Hirnle, CEO of Meisterplan about the real difference-making skills that great PMO leaders all have in common. This year, especially, has been especially challenging for PMO leaders AND has created some incredible opportunities for PMO leaders to step into new roles and finally earn their seat at the table. To fully embrace this opportunity, we’re going to arm you with some new ways of thinking about the role of PMO Leader, what you might need to let go of to be successful, and what your business leaders are looking for you and your PMO to do to help them make a big IMPACT – even in times like this global pandemic...actually, especially in times of this global pandemic. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: What success looks like for PMO leaders The difference between business leaders and PMO leaders The mindset shifts that will define your PMO future The unique opportunity PMO leaders have in 2020 The role of PMO leaders in driving business agility Christoph is also joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit, so make sure to say hi to him in the mobile app and community. Read more from Meisterplan: Blog Article_A New PMO Mindset for Building Resiliency in Your Organization   We’re 100% laser-focused on giving you the knowledge, skills, resources, and guidance to help you build, grow, or reset your PMO AND we’ve added more resources for Portfolio/Program/Project/Agile Leaders this year!  Registration is now open!! LEARN MORE   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. In today’s episode, I am talking to Amanda Oakenfull, someone who is fast becoming a friend and partner in crime in sharing the mission and message of how PMOs can make a bigger IMPACT in their organizations. With the chaos of 2020, many organizations were forced to take their high-touch in-person PMO practices and go 100% virtual overnight, but is that sustainable? In this episode, you’ll learn: if a virtual PMO will work for you how virtual allows better decisions how virtual forces better management how to take advantage of the momentum the balance of data and context to drive decisions what to automate to focus on the real value add Amanda is also joining us as a speaker for this year’s PMO IMPACT Summit sharing how PMO leaders and project managers can and should be delivering value to the business. Make sure you check out her session at the PMO IMPACT Summit! Imagine it, achieve it, and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether waterfall, agile, or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans, and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Project leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency, and work smarter with better results. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. I've invited PMO IMPACT Summit Speaker Steve Salisbury to share some critical leadership techniques for PMO and Project Leaders to use to keep project momentum moving forward during the chaos of this year. We have an unprecedented opportunity to step into an even stronger leadership role in our organizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic AND help guide our organizations into the "new normal" future.    Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: unique leadership opportunities we have now how to reinforce purpose on your projects how to keep your leaders aligned and engaged how to create connection and bond virtually how to keep employees enrolled in driving change Meisterplan is a project portfolio management tool that lets companies create realistic and achievable portfolios. With Meisterplan, you can see project details, capacity, and financials all in one dashboard. Start making better project portfolios with a free 30-day trial.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here.   This episode is sponsored by Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. LEARN MORE     Show Notes: We're diving into an example of one PMO that needed to make a big pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the critical nature of their role in the healthcare field. With us for this episode is one of my fabulous students in the IMPACT Engine PMO Training and Coaching program, Andrea Cirelli. Andrea and her team needed to jump in and help their organization respond to the needs of their patients in the community.  Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: how this PMO responded to the crisis call why you don't need to sell the PMO in crisis what they did to keep everyone in sync how they became and stayed a trusted advisor how this PMO continued to drive IMPACT     Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. LEARN MORE     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. Registration begins June 1st, 2020 The online virtual conference and community dedicated to helping PMO and Project Leaders make a big IMPACT with project management. REGISTER NOW Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In a time of continued chaos, I'd like to give you some GOOD news to help you continue to make an IMPACT without having to spend a dime. The PMO IMPACT Summit is BACK and better than ever! The PMO IMPACT Summit is our completely FREE and VIRTUAL event to support PMO and Project Leaders make an even bigger IMPACT in their organizations, teams, and projects while building the critical skills necessary to THRIVE now and in the future. We've built a strong reputation as the longest-running and highest IMPACT virtual summit in the PMO community with top-notch content that you'd normally pay a bundle to access and we're bringing it all to you for FREE because we want NO PMO OR PROJECT LEADER LEFT BEHIND. We want you to have everything you need to build your own professional skills with sessions covering strategy, leadership, organizational change, Agile, PPM, women in PM, managing in chaos, the future of PMOs/PM from top industry thought leaders, and those actually in the trenches building and running PMOs and projects. And this year, it gets even better...The IMPACT comes not from the learning alone, but from putting that learning into ACTION, so we've added several new components to this year's summit to ensure you make the IMPACT! We've added even more sessions and categories to help those just starting out and those looking for more advanced techniques.  In addition to the top-quality content, you'll get an ACTION-TAKING resource to help you apply what you've learned for EACH session. We've created a brand new mobile app and community called the IMPACT Driver Network to take your learning with you anywhere and connect with other IMPACT Drivers from around the world. We've added tons of bonuses and extras with our Summit VIP access level. You'll get bonus live Q&A sessions with speakers, live stream training events, and other goodies to help you right now and throughout the months leading up to the main event that begins on September 14 and runs for a FULL TWO WEEKS!   So, download the IMPACT Driver Network app, JOIN the Community, and JOIN the PMO IMPACT Summit event inside the app! Then, introduce yourself on the Connect Wall, and let's get the conversation going!    Iframes not supportedWhy do we offer a free event with over 50 IMPACT-making resources every year? It's simple. I wish I had me when I was you.  When I built my first PMO in 1999, I didn't have the resources or access to the brilliant thought leaders I now know. When I applied the "typical" guidance that I found in books or courses back in the day, it failed miserably. Over the years, I discovered why that typical guidance wasn't working and learned how to build a PMO and run projects to maximize the IMPACT my organization was able to make with their customers. I've carefully gathered a list of thought leaders and practitioners to save you time, money, headaches, and frustrations that arise when you have to figure it out on your own. With me by your side, you'll never be on this journey alone again. That's my promise. When you apply what you learn, you'll see your credibility skyrocket with your business leaders and stakeholders, achieve greater return on investment for your projects, and ultimately love how much of an IMPACT you're able to make.You can see what others have to say about this event from prior years and if you've attended before, you're going to LOVE all that we've added to support you.  Take a quick listen to this week’s podcast episode to learn more.     Registration begins June 1st,

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here.   This episode is sponsored by Revolutionize Project Delivery through Agile Portfolio Management Download this whitepaper to respond faster to changing priorities, deliver strategic projects more quickly and accurately plan capacity through an Agile approach to portfolio management. DOWNLOAD NOW Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! In this episode, we talk about the very real issues organizations and PMs and Agilists are facing as we figure out how to deliver on our organization’s strategy. We tackle the big “us and them” conversations that are happening in companies around the world and talked about ways to move past the methodology wars to solving the real business problems we are there to address. And yes…that’s the punchline…sometimes it’s easy to lose focus on the real reason we are all gainfully employed in our organizations. We are there at the behest of the business to serve the business needs and help the organization deliver on its strategy. That could play out in a lot of ways in each organization, but the goal is to spend our energy focusing on the outcomes we are striving to achieve in our organizations instead of getting caught up in outputs. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: why both the Agile and PMO camps are right and wrong how to find common ground to move forward productively how to get straight on the terminology for more effective conversations services a PMO can provide to support Agile projects benefits of Agile that high-IMPACT PMOs love (and can leverage)   If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPT Revolutionize Project Delivery through Agile Portfolio Management Download this whitepaper to respond faster to changing priorities, deliver strategic projects more quickly and accurately plan capacity through an Agile approach to portfolio management. DOWNLOAD NOW     Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership)   Hear ways to engage with business leaders about how the PMO can bring order to the chaotic times. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. This episode is sponsored by: Imagine it, achieve it and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether water, agile or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across the many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Projects leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency and work smarter with better results. CHECK IT OUT Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This week, we're continuing our conversation about staying relevant and delivering high-IMPACT during our current chaotic times. I have invited back one of my clients, Erick Means, PMO Director for CDW. Erick and his team of 150 project managers are responsible for $260 million in services projects that generate a $2.5 billion portfolio of product revenue for CDW. This time, we're talking about how a PMO can become and STAY relevant during this global pandemic and beyond into our new normal. This was a hot topic during our weekly Q&A training sessions I ran to help PMO and Project Leaders with managing their projects and shifting gears during this global pandemic. I've been sharing a lot of guidance to support you on the podcast starting at episode 40 and I thought you might like to hear from one of your peers as he shares exactly what he's done to earn his PMO a seat at the table. Erick shares what they're doing to support their business areas and clients right now and how they are planning for a future that will likely be filled with continued chaos. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: connecting your PMO value to strategy how to respond to rapidly shifting business needs how to make your PMO a key player right now goal setting techniques when changes are constant how to stop the "continuous improvement" treadmill the importance of building your network of advisors If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Get more information on submitting your PDUs HERE. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hear ways to engage with business leaders about how the PMO can bring order to the chaotic times. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. This episode is sponsored by: Imagine it, achieve it and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether water, agile or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across the many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Projects leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency and work smarter with better results. CHECK IT OUT Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Starting the Conversation Last week we talked about the critical pivot many PMOs will need to make to not just stay relevant but truly earn that seat at the table during the current ultra-VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment we’re living in today AND thrive once we reach our “new normal” state in our organizations. The next step is to engage in a proactive dialog with business leaders about how the PMO can bring order to the chaotic times. In some organizations, this will happen organically because the business leaders are already engaged in conversations with the PMO on a regular basis. For others, the PMO must initiate these conversations and show how they can contribute to solving the business challenges facing executives in chaotic times. In organizations where the business leaders are not inclined to include the PMO at the table, the PMO leader cannot wait for that tap on the shoulder to get involved. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: the four-step process to winning leadership support how to listen for and express the business need what to say (and not say) about your proposed solution the most important words your leaders need to hear how to express the IMPACT your solution will make If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Get more information on submitting your PDUs HERE. READ THE TRANSCRIPTThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Learn why the role of the PMO is now more than ever a crucial function in this time of chaos.  This episode is sponsored by the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership Program. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! OK, let's dive into the episode! In times of crisis, many business leaders will underestimate the role a PMO can play in driving just-in-time business decisions that are critical when companies need to respond and adapt to increasingly uncertain market conditions. The role of the PMO is now more than ever a crucial function that is well-positioned to arm business leaders with the information and resources to guide the going-forward strategy that must be defined as quickly as the environment is shifting. In some organizations, PMO leaders have found themselves in a reactionary state trying to respond to ad hoc questions, while other PMO leaders are being completely left out of the conversation by business leaders that are not clear on the best way to properly engage a PMO to help drive critical business decisions. In times of crisis, as well as during business as usual, PMO leaders have an opportunity to engage their organizations by bringing valuable insight to the table during the inevitable fast-paced decision-making process taking place in most organizations today. In this podcast episode, we'll arm PMO and business leaders with a fresh approach to leveraging the power of a PMO to solve immediate and long-term business problems facing organizations. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: the new VUCA reality and what to expect going forward the opportunity being presented for PMOs right now what you'll need to let go of to move forward the role of agility in leading your organization now the concept of the Strategy Navigator role for PMOs the key actions to take to proactively pivot the PMO If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPT Get more information on submitting your PDUs HERE. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Learn how this PMO has been successfully running a 260 million dollar portfolio of projects while working from home long before the pandemic.  This episode is sponsored by the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership Program. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! OK, let's dive into the episode! We're continuing our series of episodes on ways you can manage projects and your PMO more effectively during chaos and this week's focus is on managing your teams. How do we take care of our people during this challenging time? We received dozens of questions about working from home effectively and how to engage your team members when everyone (or mostly everyone) is working remotely. For some organizations, working remotely is "business as usual" and for others, they are finding new challenges adjusting to the distance from their teams and the inability to connect in-person on a regular basis. When I think about people that do this well, one of my client's CDW, comes to mind. The fantastic team at CDW that I've been working with has mastered the art of creating connections and keeping themselves and teams productive while working from their homes on a regular basis. Today, you'll meet PMO Director, Erick Means, from CDW. Erick and his team of 150 project managers responsible for 260 million dollars in services that generates a 2.5 billion dollar portfolio of product revenue for CDW. Erick is going to share their best tips and creative ideas for creating that work from home balance, keeping yourself and your teams productive, and adjusting and adapting to working from home. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: how to shift to working from home part- or full-time how to find balance even when you're a hard charger ways to connect and engage with your team creative ideas for team building keeping your teams productive the secrets to mastering working from home If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Learn ways to support your team members and keep them productive during stressful times. This episode is sponsored by the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership Program. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! OK, let's dive into the episode! We're continuing our series of episodes on ways you can manage projects and your PMO more effectively during chaos and this week's focus is on managing your teams. How do we take care of our people during this challenging time? We received dozens of questions about supporting, motivating, and managing teams while still being sensitive to the chaos many have going on at home and the additional challenges many of us are facing with remote work, projects changing, decreased resource availability and capacity, while we're also dealing with similar challenges in our own lives. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: ways you can keep your team focused on outcomes ​how to maximize your team members' productivity ​how much you can actually push right now  ​how to right-size resource capacity with reality ​ways to connect to your team and show you care ​and so much more! If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Last live Q&A on Managing Projects During Chaos is live this Thursday! ASK A QUESTION OR WATCH TRAININGThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Get answers to your most pressing questions about managing projects during chaotic times.  This episode is sponsored by the Inner Circle Membership Program. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!  NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! If you want access to tons of Organizational Change Management resources, assessments, training and guidance, join the Inner Circle Membership today! LEARN MORE OK, let's dive into the episode! Today, I'm sharing with you a one of the episodes from a Free Training series I'm doing to answer your toughest questions about how to not only maintain relevance, but also truly step into a leadership role and bring value to your organization with your projects, portfolios, and PMO during this ongoing pandemic. No matter where you are in the world, it’s likely that you’re dealing with some fallout due to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. And for all of us that are often called upon to manage the chaos as project leaders, this can be an extremely difficult time and also a time to shine. In this training, I share some insights on where you should focus your energy so that you can get the biggest bang for the buck while resources are stretched, stressed, and overwhelmed. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: what to expect in the coming weeks and months the critical role we should step into now how to support your project teams and replan ​​​​what to do if your project accelerates now what a PMO can do to help business leaders plan If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. ASK A QUESTION OR WATCH TRAINING If you want access to tons of Organizational Change Management resources, assessments, training and guidance, join the Inner Circle Membership today! LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Learn the mistakes and misunderstandings about change resistance and what you can do to bring people with you through change.  This episode is sponsored by the Inner Circle Membership Program. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!  NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! If you want access to tons of Organizational Change Management resources, assessments, training and guidance, join the Inner Circle Membership today! LEARN MORE OK, let's dive into the episode! People are not resistant to change... No, seriously, they aren't. Don't believe me? Know anyone that has gotten married, had kids, changed jobs, tried a new hairstyle, remodeled their kitchen, bought new clothes, read a new book, taken a class, rearranged their furniture in their house, or any of millions of other large or small changes? How many of those have you willingly chosen to do, yourself? Yeah...we go through change, all of the time. The challenge is the WAY we handle change on our projects and programs that is what's causing people to resist the change YOU are trying to create. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: what is actually happening when you face resistance the big mistake people make when leading change why the traditional thinking isn't working how to bring people with you through the change process how to get people to fight for your change what to do about the naysayers If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPT If you want access to tons of Organizational Change Management resources, assessments, training and guidance, join the Inner Circle Membership today! LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Hey, IMPACT Driver. Just sending some good thoughts your way as we head into the weekend. With love, Laura If you want to dive deeper on this, you can check out this podcast episode: Click Here: Managing Projects During Chaos: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Please leave a note below and let me know how you're putting your oxygen mask on first as you head into the weekend...

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Learn the proven system for maximizing your productive time and do more without working long hours. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. This episode is sponsored by the Inner Circle Membership Program. Grab our 1-page free worksheet to help you follow the One Hour Manager plan. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! If you want access to this template and guidance, join us in the IMPACT Inner Circle membership program! LEARN MORE Okay. Let’s dive into today’s episode! We think and talk about spring cleaning and new year's resolutions, but what do we do later in the year to get ourselves reset and refocused on what matters? We all get so busy in the day to day of doing our jobs and sometimes that means we forget to do the things we know will help us be our most productive selves. The most important thing you can do for yourself every day as you are setting up, running, or just trying to figure out what the heck is going on with your PMO (or project), is to take time for yourself. I'm walking you through my 4-step process I've been using for years to make a much bigger IMPACT in my work and mazimize my productivity with NO multi-tasking. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: accelerate your productivity in just one hour a day the questions to ask to reflect how to plan your whole day in 15 minutes how to make your teams hyper-focused in 15 minutes a day the best way to keep momentum going how to avoid being caught off guard the way to improve your in the moment responses If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Grab our 1-page free worksheet to help you follow the One Hour Manager plan. READ THE TRANSCRIPTThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) As the global pandemic impacts cities around the world, hear ways you can step into a leadership role, and thrive. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. This episode is sponsored by: Imagine it, achieve it, and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether waterfall, agile, or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans, and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Project leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency, and work smarter with better results. CHECK IT OUT Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! No matter where you are in the world, it's likely that you're dealing with some fallout due to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. And for all of us that are often called upon to manage the chaos as project leaders, this can be an extremely difficult time and also a time to shine.All of us that oversee or manage projects and I want to offer some practical advice on how to handle what we are experiencing, what we might need to consider, and the never more important role we should be playing to help our business leaders manage during this chaotic time.  Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: what you might experience in the coming weeks the critical role we should step into now how to support your project teams and replan what to do if your project accelerates now what a PMO can do to help business leaders plan Also, I'd like to use this as a chance for everyone to connect and share ideas to step up and manage the chaos as only we can do.  Please share your thoughts on LinkedIn using this hashtag: #projectleadersmanagingchaos READ THE TRANSCRIPTImagine it, achieve it and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether water, agile or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across the many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Projects leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency and work smarter with better results. CHECK IT OUT Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Learn how a PMO can drive Agile inside your organization.  This episode is sponsored by the Agile Leadership Journey Certified Agile Leader workshop: Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!  NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here.LEARN MORE Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to invite you to join Jesse Fewell for one of his upcoming workshops designed for leaders that want to know how to prepare for and lead Agile transformations. If you're curious about the role of leadership in an Agile journey, definitely make sure you check out this program. This episode is sponsored by Agile Leadership Journey taught by Jesse Fewell our fantastic guest today. It's a 2-day immersive retreat, equipping leaders to guide their organizational journey towards more agility. Co-created by a collective of global thoughts leaders, this one-of-a-kind experience features research-based methods, hands on practice, and professional graphic facilitation. If you’re a PMO leader, I highly recommend this course to help you position yourself and your PMO at the center of shift to a more Agile environment. Make sure you use code LAURAVIP at checkout to get a discount on the course! The Agile Leadership Journey provides education, direction and coaching for leaders to personally navigate their own path toward improved leadership effectiveness and imporving the effectiveness of their organizations.  Great for all PMO leaders and PMs! LEARN MORE OK, let's dive into the episode! Our guest today is Jesse Fewell. Jesse is an author, coach, and trainer who helps senior leaders from Boston to Bangalore transform their organizations world-wide. As a project management pioneer, he founded and grew the original PMI Agile Community of Practice to 18,000 members and 40 volunteer leaders, co-created the PMI-ACP® agile certification, and co-authored the Agile Practice Guide® which has been translated into eleven languages. He is author of the upcoming book “Untapped Agility: Transforming your transformation”, equipping leaders to drive new ways of working. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, he is a dual-certified coach (Certified Enterprise Coach® and Leadership Circle Profile®) and an accredited instructor with multiple agile certification bodies. We're talking about whether or not the PMO can drive an Agile transformation. Hint: They ABSOLUTELY can and we're going to talk about exactly how to do just that. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: why there is a big gap (even hostility) between the PMO and Agile communities why executives sometimes believe the PMO is NOT a good candidate to lead agility the missing assets in many Agile transformations that PMOs can bring to the table how to get started if you're interested in learning how the PMO can best support a shift to Agile If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPT The Agile Leadership Journey provides education, direction and coaching for leaders to personally navigate their own path toward improved leadership effectiveness and imporving the effectiveness of their organizations.  Great for all PMO leaders and PMs! LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard   GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Master these 3 techniques for a productive path forward with Agile and traditional PM. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! NOTE: For the very best experience, listen to this episode on your favorite podcast provider here. This episode is sponsored by: Agile Organizations Need Modern Governance Structures Download this Forrester research report to learn the importance for Agile enterprise PMOs to provide a macro view of performance. DOWNLOAD NOW Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! Okay. Let’s dive into today’s episode! In this episode, we talk about the very real issues organizations and PMs and Agilists are facing as we figure out how to deliver on our organization’s strategy. We tackle the big “us and them” conversations that are happening in companies around the world and talked about ways to move past the methodology wars to solving the real business problems we are there to address. And yes…that’s the punchline…sometimes it’s easy to lose focus on the real reason we are all gainfully employed in our organizations. We are there at the behest of the business to serve the business needs and help the organization deliver on their strategy. That could play out in a lot of ways in each organization, but the goal is to spend our energy focusing on the outcomes we are striving to achieve in our organizations instead of getting caught up in outputs. Check out this week’s podcast episode to learn: how to stop the methodology war discussion the keys to moving past the noise toward productivity what you SHOULD assume the critical focus area you must shift the power of flexibility in achieving your shared goals If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPTAgile Organizations Need Modern Governance Structures Download this Forrester research report to learn the importance for Agile enterprise PMOs to provide a macro view of performance. DOWNLOAD NOW Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Join Laura and special guest Lindsay Scott as they share how the PMO career will evolve. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership program! Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership has undergone a big upgrade to make your learning and development super easy! If you want to access our hundreds of training and development resources, plus templates, tools, and guidance to help you make a bigger IMPACT in your organization, you can click the button below to learn more now! Okay. Let's dive into today's episode! Today we have the lovely Lindsay Scott, PMO Mob Collector and Director at PMO Learning, joining us from across the pond to talk about the shifts happening with PMO careers and how you can prepare yourself for the journey toward an even higher-IMPACT role in the future. Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: what is causing the shift in PMO responsibilities how to keep up with the changing PMO landscape the future of the PMO leadership role what you must do to prepare for the evolution the career-limiting mistake PMO leaders are making unique ways to gain some self-awareness the most important skills to focus on to succeed If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on yourfavorite podcast player. You can learn more about Lindsay, the PMO Flashmob, and the PMO Conference 2020 here: PMO Conference 2020 - I'd love to see you there! PMO Flashmob Lindsay's Profile Need to develop your PMO leadership competencies? Join the Inner Circle Membership today! LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Use these tips to streamline your sponsor communication that will keep their attention and drive faster decision-making. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that the IMPACT Inner Circle Membership program is undergoing a big upgrade and you can get on the wait list now to be the first to know when the new membership site is open for registration PLUS get some great bonuses only for wait listers. Okay. Let's dive into today's episode! Have you ever been in a status meeting where you had to provide a report to your executives? You’re about halfway through this meeting and they are on page 14 in the bottom right-hand corner stuck on some piece of data. You can’t get them to come back up and focus where you need them to be. They’re stuck, right? They’re drilling down into these details of this report, they’re asking you all types of questions, and you’re thinking to yourself, “This isn’t even relevant to what I need from you. I need some answers. I need some help on something. I need a decision. I need you to take action,” and they’re stuck on page 14. The key to project communications even your sponsor will love is knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it so that you keep your entire project team moving forward. Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: why the way you're communicating with your stakeholders isn't working my one-page format for succinct project communications how to draw your sponsor's attention to where it's needed most the right way to talk about what you've accomplished how to avoid that Monday morning "I've forgotten what we did" syndrome how to transition to a more effective and sustainable project reporting solution If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. READ THE TRANSCRIPTThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Get and keep your sponsor engaged on your project or PMO with these great tips. Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change.  Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive into today's podcast, I'd like to tell you a little about our sponsor, Project Management for Change. This organization is near and dear to my heart because I'm one of the Founders of this fabulous team. This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change. Project Management for Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to unleash the boundless potential of the project management profession to empower and transform communities around the world. They do this through pro bono support provided by professional project managers to address nonprofit organizations' most pressing world-changing initiatives. They provide this support at the signature event called the Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS)®. It's a community outreach event of unprecedented scale, enabling pro bono project management services for nonprofits and social organizations, and through continuous delivery programs, ensuring focus on the right projects and seeing those projects through to completion. If you want to learn more about theProject Management Day of Service (PMDoS)® events happening around the world, how you can get involved or how your organization could sponsor this fabulous nonprofit, just go to PM4change.org and as we like to say, "Join us in changing the world one project at a time!" Okay. Let's dive into today's episode! Have you ever struggled to get your sponsor's attention? One of the silent killers of projects is the wasted time getting on our sponsors' calendars and waiting for decisions to be made. Today's episode is all about getting and keeping your sponsor's attention so that you can keep your projects/programs moving forward. If you want to accelerate project performance in your organization, you've got to master these techniques to influence sponsor engagement and support.Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: the characteristics of a sponsor (and how to know if they really are your sponsor) why you're not getting your sponsor's attention the techniques that will guarantee their support what you're doing that might be derailing their engagement how to properly leverage the "power of sponsor" If you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. Read the TranscriptThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change.  Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive into today's podcast, I'd like to tell you a little about our sponsor, Project Management for Change. This organization is near and dear to my heart because I'm one of the Founders of this fabulous team. This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change. Project Management for Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to unleash the boundless potential of the project management profession to empower and transform communities around the world. They do this through pro bono support provided by professional project managers to address nonprofit organizations most pressing world-changing initiatives. They provide this support at the signature event called the Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS)®. It's a community outreach event of unprecedented scale, enabling pro bono project management services for nonprofits and social organizations, and through continuous delivery programs, ensuring focus on the right projects and seeing those projects through to completion. If you want to learn more about theProject Management Day of Service (PMDoS)® events happening around the world, how you can get involved or how your organization could sponsor this fabulous nonprofit, just go to PM4change.org and as we like to say, "Join us in changing the world one project at a time!" Okay. Let's dive into today's episode! I'm excited to share with you a new series called Practitioner Perspective. In these episodes, we will share PMO and PM leader stories and lessons learned as they made an IMPACT in their organizations leveraging the power of the PMO and Project Management. I decided I'd go first to get things warmed up and when I thought about all the PMOs I have run over 20 years, there's one that stands out above them all. This story starts with an executive searching for an answer to a business problem and a PMO leader being inspired to take action, becoming the "first follower" on what would be an incredible journey.I hope you are inspired to action and see opportunities for making your PMO and projects the catalyst for IMPACT in your organization.Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: the power of the first follower and the PMO role adaptive leadership in the face of unknowns when it's necessary to speak truth to power how to probe and challenge leaders effectively the ultimate role of PMO to solve business problems By the way, if you've never heard the lesson of the First Follower, you can check that out here: Read the article and watch the original video. Watch the 3 minute Ted Talk here. Hope you enjoy this exploration of executive and PMO leader on the journey to make an IMPACT.  Leave a comment below! And if you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player! Read the TranscriptThanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change.  Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive into today's podcast, I'd like to tell you a little about our sponsor, Project Management for Change. This organization is near and dear to my heart because I'm one of the Founders of this fabulous team. This episode is sponsored by Project Management for Change. Project Management for Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to unleash the boundless potential of the project management profession to empower and transform communities around the world. They do this through pro bono support provided by professional project managers to address nonprofit organizations most pressing world-changing initiatives. They provide this support at the signature event called the Project Management Day of Service (PMDoS)®. It's a community outreach event of unprecedented scale, enabling pro bono project management services for nonprofits and social organizations, and through continuous delivery programs, ensuring focus on the right projects and seeing those projects through to completion. If you want to learn more about theProject Management Day of Service (PMDoS)® events happening around the world, how you can get involved or how your organization could sponsor this fabulous nonprofit, just go to PM4change.org and as we like to say, "Join us in changing the world one project at a time!" Okay. Let's dive into today's episode. Today we're talking about what happens when the culture seems to be standing in the way of your changes, projects, or PMO. Let's face it, it's hard enough to do a lot of the work you do to bring about change in your organization. It doesn't help when you feel like you're hitting resistance at every turn. You know what I'm talking about... "Yeah, but that doesn't work in ." "Yeah, but we have to follow these 50 steps to get something done." "Yeah, but we don't do things that way." "Yeah, but that doesn't work in our culture." That "Yeah, but..." monster rears their ugly head and you hear all the excuses for why someone cannot change from their inefficient way to something better. I've totally been there. BUT, it doesn't have to be that way. Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: ·         the best strategy to start climbing the mountain of bringing in change ·         the connection between human evolution and the changes you're making ·         what to do when it all feels like there's been no movement ·         how to handle the "we've always done it this way" argument ·         when it's OK to be a disruptor ·         and what to do when the pace of change is driving you crazy (my favorite) Take it from me, you CAN influence culture, create effective and sustainable change, and make a big IMPACT even in the most "change-resistant cultures." It may not be easy, but it's certainly possible! I can't wait to hear what happens when you apply what you've learned in this episode to the big shifts you want to make! Leave a comment below! And if you love this podcast, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player! Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by KeyedIn. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before we dive into today's podcast, I'd like to tell you a little about our sponsor, KeyedIn. They are a generous sponsor of our free event, the PMO IMPACT Summit, helping us bring high-quality, relevant, and IMPACTful content to as many PMO leaders and PMs around the world as possible. KeyedIn is a project and portfolio management software provider that is leading the way when it comes to Agile for the portfolio. They have purpose-built their software solution to help PMOs to place the right bets meaning invest in the projects and programs that have the best chance of success and the biggest impact on the organization. To turn quickly by helping them identify ways to pivot their org when priorities or processes change without slowing down. And to deliver faster through continuous improvement and optimization of projects and resources. Definitely check them out by clicking here to learn more about how KeyedIn is helping PMO leaders and PMs implement Agile practices across the entire portfolio. Today we are talking about the latest version of the PMBoK that's being developed right now for release early 2021, how it's changing, the role of Agile in this latest version, AND how you can get involved and give your input.  Check out this week's podcast episode to find out more about: what happened with PMBoK 6 and the Agile add on. the deal with PMI acquiring a few Agile organizations lately. what all of this means for Agile and the PMBoK. the radical changes coming with PMBoK 7. the shift from projects to products and what that means for you. how you can get a sneak peek and give your feedback on PMBoK 7. I can't wait to hear what you think about this week's episode!  Links referenced in today's episode: Official 10 minute video on what is and what is not changing in the PMBoK 7. Get a sneak peek into PMBoK 7 and give your feedback. <- Only until February 14! Official PMBoK 7 news page. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE and download to listen on the go and if you love it, let us know in a rating and review! Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshops designed to jump start your 2020 career success. Show Notes: Hey there, IMPACT Driver!I hope you're having a super productive and high-IMPACT January!This week's podcast episode will help you ensure your PMO or program you're supporting continues to stay relevant. You don't want to be caught solving last year's business problem that's no longer important to the business!Check out this week's podcast episode to learn: why the key to PMO relevance is easier than you think the mistakes PMO leaders make that lead to PMO avoidance the secrets to staying relevant that your peers are using my step-by-step assessment framework that guarantees success the ways stakeholders will circumvent the PMO and how to stop it where to spend your precious time and energy for the biggest IMPACT where to get help with your PMO assessment and planning I can't wait to hear what you think about this week's episode! Make sure to SUBSCRIBE and download to listen on the go and if you love it, let us know in a rating and review! Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshops designed to jump start your 2020 career success. Show Notes: This episode is a perfect way to start the new year because we're talking about the biggest career limiter that might be holding you back in your career, your ultimate satisfaction with your job, and your personal success and progress in your organization. We're going to hit the reset button and cover the new year's resolution you should be focusing on if you want the career of your dreams. No matter where you stand on resolutions, making a personal commitment to yourself and your career on a regular basis is paramount to accomplishing your career goals. Yet, so many of your peers are making one HUGE mistake that's limiting their career progression, visibility, and recognition at work. Check out this week's podcast episode to learn more about this critical mistake, and: How to know if you're falling into this career trap What the data is telling us about your career development How you can take back control of your career Ways you can gather the knowledge you need to boost your career What many companies are expecting their employees to know and so much more... I hope you take the time to listen to this episode and the smidge of tough love I give you today because your career success matters to me! Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshops available to jump start your 2020. Show Notes: Today we are talking with Asya Watkins, a new but becoming a dear friend of mine in the project management community. Asya is the founder of Women of Project Management, the only global network connecting women and women of color in the project management industry. Don't tune out if you aren't female! This is for men too! Check out this today's episode to learn how you can: Ensure you are invite women, and women of color to the strategy table Where you can find community as a woman in the industry How to support each other as women in the industry How men can support women in project management too Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshops available to jump start your 2020. Show Notes: What if I told you that your PMP Certification was just table stakes? It's true. In today's episode we are learning why the best talent for your PMO may not be the most obvious. Check out this today's episode where you'll learn: Why experience shouldn’t be your top priority in your talent search Where the best talent might be hiding (it’s not in the most obvious places) Why a PMP certification isn’t the most important attribute for a project manager What to do once you have found good talent Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshop: PMO Health Assessment and Plan Show Notes: If you have ever seen the movie, The Little Mermaid, you remember when the evil Ursula steels Arielle's voice - that's what can happen when you hire a consultant and don't leverage it in your favor. This week I am teaching you how to leverage the consultant as your voice - take that Ursula - AND how to make sure the consultant teaches YOU to fish instead of fishing for you. I will give you key tips to avoiding the traps that come with hiring consultants AND how to get out of them if you are already in there. Check out this today's episode where you'll learn: Why you should beware of cookie-cutter consultants How to avoid the "nuance" trap How to avoid newbie "boots on the ground" and earn your sea legs What it means and why it is critical to assess similar challenges Why you must maintain control Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my upcoming workshop: PMO Health Assessment and Plan Show Notes: Think outsourcing your PMO is the dream situation (or maybe your C-suite does)? Think again! In today's episode - I will tell you WHY I am against it. While there is certainly more revenue for a consulting firm in being able to hire all of the staff for the PMO and run the organization, there are far greater risks to the organization (and eventually the consultant), ultimately making it a lose-lose situation. We’ll cover: Things to consider before making the decision to outsource your PMO Outsourcing your PMO from the consultant's perspective What areas consultants are best for helping your PMO Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: The Gamechanging PMO Strategy Show Notes: Today we are talking about a very important topic that applies to every single one of us at some point or another. We're talking about how to avoid burnout or recover from it if you're already experiencing burnout while achieving your goals, especially your big, scary audacious goals as we start getting closer to the end of the year. There is no one better to talk about this topic with us today, then my dear friend Beth Genly. Beth is a Yale-educated coach and speaker and the heart of her company Burnout Solutions. She's co-author of the groundbreaking book, Save Yourself from Burnout: A System to Get Your Life Back. Beth supports hardworking professionals who are really killing it and nearly killing themselves in the process to build a life that optimizes their careers and their wellbeing. Beth, thank you so much for being here. We’ll cover: How to recognize burnout Can you get good sleep and still be burned out? When are big hairy audacious goals the wrong move? 5 components to recognizing and recovering from burnout Links mentioned: Download Beth's Burnout Shield at https://burnout-solutions.com/stretchgoals/ Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: The Gamechanging PMO Strategy Show Notes: This episode is jam packed with information for you to you continue to evolve and create a sustainable PMO. Tune in to find out: how to make sure your PMO is NOT a one-trick pony how to ensure sustainability and longevity of your PMO why monitoring IMPACT is critical to your success the 4 simple questions you should be asking your stakeholders how to become the strategy navigator for your organization Remember, you are starting evolution, not revolution. Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: The Game Changing PMO Strategy Show Notes: Today we are going to talk about a really fun topic, getting it done. We're going to talk all about execution, delivering your services and capabilities to the organization. Many of us spend all of this time doing the work to define the right solutions for your organization. We spend months, maybe too many months planning and talking to people in the organization to figure out what we need to do to help the organization achieve its goals. Then we get to deliver, we get to execute, and sometimes this is where things start to fall apart. So today we're going to talk all about what happens during that delivery phase or what I like to call delivering continuously high impact and return on investment for the organization. And what sometimes can go wrong during that stage and what to do about it. Tune in to learn all about: Execution Delivering your services and capabilities to the organization How to keep delivering high-IMACT and ROI What can go wrong and what to do about it READ THE TRANSCRIPTThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: The Gamechanging PMO Strategy Show Notes: Today we talking about one of our favorite topics, building a plan, right? Many of us live and breathe this project management stuff and today we get to talk about building your PMO IMPACT delivery roadmap. So much fun. You ready to dive in with me? We’ll cover: PMO Charter (you know you don't need that right?!) Implementing the solutions, also known as creating our IMPACT delivery roadmap, and why you should K.I.S.S. How to avoid losing credibility and stakeholder support Don't boil the ocean or even sometimes if we really want to take on a big effort, we don't need to boil the ocean. Just put one pot on the stove at a time. Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: How to Setup a High-IMPACT PMO Show Notes: Today we are going to talk about why so many PMO leaders struggle to get engagement with their services and capabilities.  We are also talking about which services PMO leaders should be building first. Hint: It’s not what you think, and that's part of the reason so many PMO leaders struggle to get that engagement, support, and interest even when delivering services the stakeholders asked for.  Are you ready to learn the secrets to ensure that you build exactly the services your stakeholders need and in the right order?  Tune in to ensure you are not just successful in the short term but are on a path to a sustainable and high IMPACT and get the 4 step framework for building a case for a PMO. Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: How to Setup a High-IMPACT PMO Show Notes: Today we are talking about what do you need to do to ensure the PMO that you are setting up or that you are running is really hitting the nail on the head? I want you to ensure you are doing what is most valued, what is most important in your organization so that you truly have a sustainable IMPACT Engine PMO. Tune in for applicable information whether you are just starting out or already have a PMO established to: learn how to deal with impatient stakeholders and sponsors when setting up a PMO the wrong reasons to start a PMO (yes there are some!) what are the typical stakeholder challenges to look for? the importance of quantifying pain points what to assess when assessing for conflict? team members? stakeholders? sponsors? and culture? why understanding relationships are critical to your success You have to slow down, to speed up. Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass: How to Setup a High-IMPACT PMO Show Notes: Today we are going to talk about what you should do BEFORE you setup a PMO. Now, I know that many of you listening already have a PMO and I’m going to you to stick around and listen to this episode, too. Because, this is a good way to have a litmus test or just double check that you have all the right steps you need to ensure that you have the right stakeholder engagement, the right ongoing funding, and everything else you need to make sure your PMO is not just setup correctly, but sustainable for the long term, and really making that IMPACT you know your PMO can make. Stick around for this episode as we dive into the critical questions to ask and steps you need to take before you ever start building that PMO. I know that many of you are thinking, “But, I just really want to get started. I have to hurry up and show value. I have to make an impact quickly. I am not going to get a lot of time to get this right.” And I totally hear you. And you’re right. You DO need to get started quickly. You WON’T have a lot of time to get that credibility and sustainability and get that critical sponsor and stakeholder engagement you need. I’m going to ask you to slow down so you can speed up. Having answers to these fundamental questions will be a game changer for you, for your PMO, for your organization, and most of all, for your sanity! OK, let’s dive in with the first question you want to ask. What business problem are we trying to solve? Understanding your mission, your purpose, is critical to PMO success and sustainability and if you are defining this yourself, you’re probably wrong. How are we going to show value quickly? This is not about knocking things out to say you’ve accomplished something. You must use what you learned in answering question #1 to explore ways you can help someone in the organization accelerate their IMPACT so that you can build credibility and gain critical support for long-term PMO success. Who is my primary sponsor? You may have a different sponsor for building out eh PMO (a project) vs. running the operational activities of a PMO already in place. Make sure you know who is supporting you and helping you remove barriers to critical forward momentum. Then ENGAGE THEM! Who’s with me? It’s never too early to engage stakeholders and bring them with you through the change process. If you want to completely avoid change resistance, then you must build the PMO with them. If you build the PMO, they will not come. Read the TranscriptThis episode is sponsored by:Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS    

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working (Technical) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today I am super excited to share an extremely important topic for all of us as PMO leaders and those leveraging the power of project management to make an IMPACT. We are going to be talking about the importance of mentoring, and both being a mentor and finding one. And how that can be transformational for your career, being on both sides of the fence as a mentor and a mentee. And the perfect person to talk to us about all of this is my friend, Elizabeth Harrin. Elizabeth is a healthcare project manager with over 15 years of experience in the field. She's the author of several books about project management and I highly recommend you check them out. So we'll make sure that we have them in the show notes for you. And she writes the award-winning blog, A Girl's Guide to Project Management. Welcome Elizabeth. Thank you for being here today. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  The LIVE dates are over, but you can still access this content with the Unlimited Access Pass!UNLIMITED ACCESSLaura:  Elizabeth, we have been chatting as a part of your role in providing a lot of value for the PMO IMPACT Summit. As we were talking a lot about the role of women in organizations, and finding confidence, and building confidence, one of the things that we talked about, one of the pieces of really important guidance that you shared was about mentorship, and both being a mentor and finding a mentor. I thought it'd be really important to share with everyone that listens to the PMO Strategies podcast about that role of mentorship. Because it's not just about women, it's not just about men, it's not just about certain environments. Everyone should have a mentor and find an opportunity to become a mentor. Can you talk to me about your experience with that and what guidance you have for people that are looking for mentorship? Elizabeth: For me, mentorship is the relationship where you have with someone where you can talk to and be confident in the advice that you're getting. I think you're right, people don't always understand what it is and how it differs from coaching. And for me, I understand it in a very simple way. Coaches will help you to uncover the solution yourself, by asking you very probing questions, or "How do you think you might be able to tackle that problem?" And things like that. Whereas a mentor would be someone you'd sit down with a cup of coffee with and say, "I've got this difficult challenge at work. Tell me how you'd do it." And they would share their stories. There is a part of mentoring where you're helping people develop their skills, and it's fine to ask them probing questions, but I think I feel better at mentoring and coaching because I am very opinionated. And I like to share my history and tell people how to do things. So I think for me it's a much more practical perhaps partnership than a coaching partnership, where you are building your skills through deeper analysis perhaps. Although both can be valuable. Mentoring is more common in a workplace setting, I think, because coaching seems to be something that the leaders get to do. Whereas everybody can have a mentor at any level in the organization. You can be a mentor and have a mentor at the same time, and both are fantastic opportunities for personal development. Laura: Yeah. You know, it's interesting that you're saying it that way because I think that's been my experience as well. I've had both mentors and coaches. And to me the coaches were always asking questions and probing, but never really shared their own experiences. And what I love about a mentoring relationship is that it's so much more about a conversation, and sharing stories and experiences, on both sides, so that there's a different way to learn. It's not just let's do some deep dive analysis on your strengths and weaknesses.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today, we are talking with one of my dear friends and esteemed colleagues, Barbara Trautlein. We are going to talk about how to stop getting in the way and coach stakeholders to help, not hurt your projects. Before we dive in, let me tell you a little bit about Barbara. In addition to being my organizational change management superhero, she's also a PhD and author of the bestselling book Change Intelligence: Use the Power of CQ to Lead Change That Sticks. She's also the principal founder of Change Catalysts and originator of the CQ System for developing change intelligent leaders and organizations. For over 30 years, Barbara has coached executives, trained leaders at all levels, certified change agents, and facilitated mission-critical change management initiatives, achieving bottom line business and powerful leadership results for clients, and this is so super cool to me and not a surprise at all. In 2015, she had the honor of being awarded Change Management Consultant of the Year by the Association of Change Management Professionals Midwest Chapter. She is truly gifted at sharing strategies and tactics that are accessible, actionable, and immediately applicable, and that is why I had to share Barbara with you all here, all of my impact drivers, because I know like me, you want to have the practical takeaways and the list of things that we can go do right away to affect the changes that we're trying to create, and it's not just about the theory, and it's not just about the stories. Those certainly help give us the context of what we're trying to do, but we also just want to know how do I put this in practice right away. Barbara is the person to talk to when it comes to change intelligence and bringing people with you through the change process. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  The LIVE dates are over, but you can still access this content with the Unlimited Access Pass!UNLIMITED ACCESSLaura Barnard: Today, we are going to talk about an incredibly important topic to everyone listening today. Whether it's sponsors blessing and advocating, or end-users resisting, or project team members not following through with their accountabilities, that never happens, right?  As a PMO leader, you grapple with challenging stakeholder behaviors every single day, so in this session, we are going to talk about highly interactive learning experience and how you can learn about potential root causes of the seemingly difficult behaviors that we deal with sometimes in the workplace and what you as a PMO leader can do to coach others to become collaborative contributors, to have a positive impact, build relationships, and get results for your projects.  Barbara, you've created this really cool concept called Change Intelligence or CQ, which is your foundational approach. I've heard you describe it as vital competency for any PMO leader right up there with EQ or emotional intelligence. Can you talk about this CQ concept and what it means? Barbara Trautlein: Sure, absolutely. How I define CQ or change intelligence is that change intelligence is the awareness of our style of leading change, and every project is a change, so every PMO leader is a change leader. That's my terminology.  It's our awareness of our style of leading change and our ability to adapt our style to be optimally effective across people in situations. First of all, the awareness of our style, and then the ability to adapt our style. To get the most out of our brief podcast today, just let me explain what those styles of leading change are so the listeners can self-diagnose because it's a simple, but powerful model. What I say is that people lead change, lead projects, lead PMOs from one of three ways, that some people lead from the heart that's focusing on the people. They're very engaging, and collaborative,

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are talking to Colin D. Ellis. Colin is an international award-winning project management speaker and author and helps organizations around the world to build delivery cultures that everyone actually wants to be a part of. Prior to building this phenomenal delivery cultures, Colin spent 30 years, as a permanent employee of other people's delivery cultures in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, and most of them were well not so great. Sound familiar? He's written three best-selling project management books, including his latest one, The Project Book and speaks with energy, passion, humor and thank goodness, honesty. Remember what that was all about? About the challenges that organizations face in creating project leaders and the cultures required to deliver successfully every time. Born in Liverpool, UK, Colin now lives with his family in Melbourne, Australia, and what we're going to talk about today I think is incredibly important. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeLaura Barnard:  Colin and I are going to talk today about EQ, emotional intelligence, and everything that goes with that. But from the perspective of you as a PMO leader and what you need to be thinking about, what EQ even means anyway and how it specifically applies to all of you that are in the role in driving change, helping to deliver organizational strategy and lead people with the PMO. Before we dive in, is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience today about you and all of your great experience? Colin D. Ellis: Yeah, I think the only thing that I would add, Laura, is that I've been working for myself for four years, but for the 20 years before that, I really started from absolute zero like most project managers. I did not have a clue. I was walked out of a tele-sales environment in a newspaper in Liverpool where I lived in England, and really crafted a career based on being a good human being, creating great teams, but then staying on top of the technical knowledge that I needed as well. I associate with, project managers, program managers, PMO managers. I was a senior executive in governments. I understand all government challenges, and it's just been a never ending moving kind of feast in the project management world at least for 20 years and no doubt that won't end any time soon. Laura: I like that. I like how you're talking about it as just you just tried to be a good human being. And I think that, I remember back when I built my first PMO back in 1999 and I had no idea what I was doing. I was plopped down in the middle of the .com craziness, the Y2K craziness and trying to just figure out how in the world to help this organization I was working in deliver all of these client projects, and everything was new. You couldn't just go to Google “how do I build a PMO?” and get 8 million results to about how to build a PMO. Google technically existed, but nobody really knew about it back in the late nineties and I didn't have access to books, I didn't have access to training. I didn't have access to all the brilliant thought leaders that I do today. It was really hard to figure it out and learn from mistakes and try and figure out the right way to do it. I am really glad to hear that you have that experience because I think that when you have to figure it out on your own, there's so much to be said for the way you actually internalize the lessons along the way. Colin: That's so true. I was the same, 56K modem in my bedroom using the net browser and kind of trying to come up with something when you just couldn't get... I was going to the library but the resources really weren't there. Really what we learned to do in those early days, Laura, and I'm not pining for the good old days,

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today, I am just incredibly honored and grateful to be able to share this episode with you. I have Neen James, one of my personal heroes, I met Neen through my graduate program in public speaking called Heroic Public Speaking. It is just a game-changer and a life-changer for me, and I was privileged to be able to learn a lot about Neen and read her books, Folding Time and Attention Pays. I knew immediately that there was a lot that we as PMO leaders could really learn from how we make sure that we're paying attention and are getting attention for our PMO. In addition to being just a fabulous rockstar in my life, and just a game changer for me, she's been changing the lives of people for a very long time, has a really long background in project management specifically, which I think is super cool. But she's also been named one of the top 30 leadership speakers by Global Guru several years in a row because of her work with companies like Viacom, Comcast, and Abbott Pharmaceuticals, among so many others. You will definitely hear Neen's boundless energy and quick-witted personality as she offers powerful strategies for paying attention to what matters so you can get more done and create more significant moments at work and at home, which is so incredibly important. Laura Barnard: I asked if Neen would be willing to share with us some secrets, some best practices, to help us as PMO leaders really get the attention that we need in our PMOs and for our PMOs and for the work we're doing. And as you all know, I am a huge believer that we should not be selling the PMO. The goal is not to sell the PMO, because if you're doing it right, they are coming to you and begging for your help in achieving their goals. So, we really need to figure out, how do we do that? How do we get the attention we need for our PMO, from our sponsors, from our stakeholders, and instead of having people run the other direction when they see the PMO coming, they're chasing us down, begging for our support. Neen, as we dive in today, is there anything else you'd like to share with the audience about you and your background and experience? Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeNeen James: I grew up in corporate business in Australia. I worked in retail, banking, telecommunications, and the oil industry. And let me tell you, there's not a lot of chicks in oil. And when I was really doing the most project management was when I was in oil and I had an all-male team. I love working with men, and when I was in banking, I had an all-male branch.  I think attention, these days, Laura, gets a bad rap. We go, "Oh, she just wants attention." Social media has changed that. But the truth remains that attention, is about connection. As PMOs, we need to be able to connect with the people we serve in order for us to advance the projects that we are leading, the team that we're developing, the stakeholders that we're serving. I want people to look at attention differently. You see, I believe it is the intention that makes attention valuable. And what I learned especially early in my career is that I had to have the right intention behind my desire for attention. One particular strategy that I developed early in my career that I encourage every PMO to consider is you need to be your own publicist. Here's what I mean by that. Now, we know what a publicist does. Often we hear about them in the press, when someone does something wrong. A celebrity does something really bad and then in steps their publicist. But you can use publicity in a really powerful way. I believed early in my career that I had to be my own publicist. The way that that turned up was every Friday I would send my boss five bullet points. I would send my boss five things the team and I achieved that we...

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are talking with a fellow thought leader in the PMO and project management space, Peter Taylor. He is a PMO expert who has built and led five global PMOs across several industries and has been a strategic advisor to many other organizations on Change Management and project strategy. He's also the author of the number one bestselling project management book, The Lazy Project Manager along with many other books on project leadership, PMO development, project marketing. Peter has been described as perhaps the most entertaining and inspiring speaker in the project management world today. His mission is to teach as many people as possible and spread the word that it is achievable to work smarter and not harder and still gained success. Laura Barnard: Welcome Peter, before we dive into our topic today, which is going to be a lot more about business agility and the role of the PMO and kind of just start them thinking about a different way to help make an impact with the PMO. I want to talk about this lazy project manager concept and what that really means because it's super cool sounding, but it really is important to think about when you're thinking about where you're spending your time and energy.  Peter Taylor: A gentleman I worked for in a number of companies, one day we were on a flight back from Italy, and called me lazy. I took it personally. I thought he liked me, he keeps employing me, why would he call me lazy?  Turns out, It was a compliment from his point of view about the way I work. The effective way I work. At the same time, I was running a PMO with just over a hundred project managers. Half the group, broadly speaking, we're being reasonably successful. None of us were perfect. We could definitely improve, but reasonably successful. And on average they were working a typical working week. Then we know projects go up and down in demand at the time, but on average they're working a typical week. The other half were working in my mind, crazy hours. You know, they were telling me they are working 50, 60, 70 hour weeks more, um, and yet they were no more successful.  So I did some research, if you like, into the way that they were each managing their time, what they can got involved in during the meetings, the decision-making process, et cetera. I kind of uncovered this idea that some project managers just get dragged into so much detail and I recognize that what I was when I first started out as a project manager. From that evolved a lazy project manager concepts. It's been a great brand. People say “I'm delighted to be known as the Lazy Project Manager.” Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeLaura: I'm always talking to my students in my programs about finding ways to streamline and optimize and get rid of all the stuff, all the extra, all the things that are not necessary that ended up taking up a lot of our time and focus so that we can focus on the most important thing.  I love the topic and the concept, and when I first heard of you a few years ago, I was just eager to dive in and listen to your podcast and learn more about you because I thought it was just so cool that you had hit the nail on the head with, it's about finding the fastest and easiest way to get something done. And so if that means being lazy, call me lazy too. If I think about that in my personal life, the people that I know that are lazy or make minimal effort, if they're still getting stuff done, then they're probably the secret geniuses of all of us. Peter: The caveat I talk about is productive ease...That's the key. It's being productively lazy not just normal lazy. Laura: We still have to be able to get stuff done. Right. So for all of you listening today,

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today, we are talking with one of my dearest friends, Mike Hannan. Mike and I have known each other for a very, very long time. He truly was a friend first, and then we found out how much we had in common with respect to helping organizations make a huge impact with PMO, project management, portfolio management. And both of us have a really strong passion in this space and have worked together on a lot of different projects, initiatives, workshops. Mike is one of the founding creators of Project Management for Change and the Project Management Day of Service. He is also one of the advisors for my company, PMO Strategies. I've known him much longer than I've even had the company. So he's been an integral part in shaping the direction of my company, and what I'm all about, and how I'm delivering an impact for my community of IMPACT drivers. Mike is a leading edge-thinker and renegade, which I can totally vouch for, who believes that we all must do more to unleash our boundless potential and solve increasingly complex global issues. He envisions a community-centric, expert-guided, power-to-the-edge solution to most of these issues, which is super cool. For leaders and managers, this means open-platform approaches to innovating and sharing the most effective management practices. For consultants and other experts, this means that we are, too often, part of the problem, and need to be and do a much better job channeling our expertise in a way that delivers much greater impact. Laura Barnard: Can you tell us about what you are presenting in the PMO IMPACT Summit? Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeMike: My first presentation at the Summit is called Finding the North Star, A Universal Approach to Resolving the Methodology Wars. And the idea here is, the methodology... It's kind of like if you remember that old movie from the '80s, where there's a global thermonuclear war being launched by computers I think it's Matthew Broderick playing the lead role. And in the end, the computer played tic-tac-toe to a draw, a million times in a row, before learning that the only way to win is not to play. My point is don't play the methodology wars.  There's a better objective-driven approach that I'll be sharing at the Impact Summit, and I'll give everyone a little bit of a taste here. If you agree with my objectives, and you can lead yourself there, maybe you can come up with your own methodology following that objective-driven framework. Laura: Yes. Yes, that's great. Regardless of whatever the methodology is, getting out of this “us and them” mindset, and “you're wrong because that's the only way I can be right,” kind of thinking, and moving past that to the more important conversation that we should be having, and what that conversation looks like. Can you talk a little bit about your perspective on what that conversation should look like and what we should be doing anyway? Mike: I think the best way to introduce it is, if you're familiar at all with one of the major methodology wars that have been fought over the last 10 or 15 years, and that's the whole Agile versus Waterfall debate.If you think about that for a moment, it's all about, "Oh, my solution is better." And it's like, "Well, solution to what?" And so, too often, again, we've become so enamored of our own solutions, we forget to really talk about the problem. And while the problem may well be manifest in a patterned way, over and over, in lots of different organizations, and I do see that as a consultant, right? The reality is, every organization does have it a bit different. And if you just go forward with, "Hey, here's how it works, go take the training and apply it verbatim," you just asked those people to put on a straitjacket.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today, we are talking to one of my favorite people in the entire world, Lee Lambert. Lee and I go way back to my early career as a board member of PMI chapters, around 2004. Lee is one of the founders of the PMP, and a PMI fellow, with over 50 years of experience. That's right, five zero years of experience. He has held executive level positions and provided management consulting support to companies such as IBM, Motorola, General Electric, Sprint, Roche, and a plethora of government agencies. As an instructor, he has addressed over 50 thousand students in 23 countries, and was named PMI's professional development provider of the year. Lee is back again this year, to be a part of the 2019 PMO IMPACT Summit. Lee's session is all about project portfolio management. He's going to thoroughly examine the methods of realizing the potential value of project portfolio management, and explain why that is the thread that holds management and projects together. He's going to dive deep into that in his session as a part of the Summit. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeLaura Barnard: Today Lee is going to talk a little bit about the whys and the big picture, and how people think about how they should be leveraging project portfolio management, what's available to them, and what opportunities we might be missing. Lee Lambert: That's correct. I really want to talk a little bit about the power of the process and then maybe what's available in the process. I'll use an example of a small company some of you are probably familiar with, IBM. Lee: When I had an opportunity to go work with IBM in 1993, this is when they were in ... They were struggling. They were projecting an eight billion dollar loss that year. That's when they brought in Lou Gerstner. Lou Gerstner had an interesting background, credit cards and tobacco, so how he was qualified for IBM, I learned later was because he thinks holistically. He came in and immediately put out a, well we'll call it an edict, that project management was going to be implemented and it's going to become the thread that held the entire organization together. What he found was that there were far too many projects being planned and scheduled and approved, far more than they had people to execute them, far more than they had the time to get through them. He eliminated hundreds, literally hundreds of projects, and to focus on those that were going to deliver the most value for the organization. It took about three years for people to realize he wasn't kidding, and really begin to focus. They established a center that we now refer to as a PMO, but they called it the Project Management Center of Excellence. They controlled the information development and training. At the end of three years, they had a very tightly integrated system. If they wanted to look at manpower loadings across time, if they wanted to look at where their costs were divided, where they were spending their money, all of that was available upon request. The value of the enterprise application is that if somebody decides that they need a certain kind of information to support their decisions, they can get it; it's there. It's in the system and it's available to get there. The standardized reports are dangerous, because you can end up with way more information than you need, information that doesn't really support the system that you're going to be using. IBM was the leader in this area. If you watched any of the stuff that Laura does, I met her when she was just a child. She was seven or eight years old. If you look at what she's doing with her organization, she's really highlighting what it is we've been trying to convince people of for years, is that the information to support the decisions is there.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are talking with Emma-Ruth Arnaz-Pemberton, a fellow of the Association for Project Management. She is an expert in PMO project, program, and portfolio management, with extensive experience in the change management industry, which, as you guys know by now, is near and dear to my heart. She has a particular focus and emphasis on collaboration and PMO conception and strategy, as well as method and capability development. My favorite things about Emma are that she organizes two flagship events for Wellingtone, the organization that she works for, which are the future PMO Conference, which is a fantastic conference done over in the UK. And she brought the Project Management Day of Service, my little baby, all the way over to the UK. They have had some fantastic and successful PMDoS events over there. But today, we're talking about a little bit, a little teaser of what Emma-Ruth is covering in the PMO IMPACT Summit. Emma is a part of our PMO Impact Summit and she's going to be speaking about the PMO hierarchy of needs and effective learning. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT. Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeLaura: I would love to start with, where we are today from a learning styles perspective, especially as it relates to our space, PMOs and project management? Where are we today and why are we talking about this now? What's shifting that's prompted this to be a really hot topic for you? Emma-Ruth: From a PMO perspective, I'm very people-focused, so I'm all about collaboration and development of people and capability. That's me on a professional level, but also on a very personal level. What I have found is that the world is changing and a lot of our systems, particularly learning systems don't really seem to be changing. There's a very well known concept around the different learning styles that everybody has. Some people are very visual. They prefer using pictures and images to learn. If any of you have kids, if you've seen them revise, you'll be able to see how they learn because some people draw, some people write, some people listen, and some people read. Some people are very oral, so it's all about the auditory stuff. So they prefer using sound and music. Some people learn are more verbal, use more linguistic skills both in speech and in writing. They're really looking for somebody to have a conversation. That's how they remember stuff. Other people are very physical. They're very much about using their body, their hands, their sense of touch. These are the people that if you're teaching them a system, they want to just get on and do it. They don't want to listen to you. They just want to be left to press the buttons. Even still, other people are more logical, more mathematical in nature. They tend to be quite analytical. They need to work through the logic, the reasoning. They need to understand the systems and the processes, whereas others are more social. They prefer to learn in groups as opposed to solitary people who prefer to learn on their own. That's been around for a really long time and lots of training and trainers, they adapt the way that they teach in order to hit as many of those as they can in a session. That's how I was taught to train. Make sure you do something for each one of those kinds of learning styles. It still works to a point. But nowadays we live in this chaotic world where everything's volatile. It's uncertain. It's complex and it's ambiguous. There's so much out there now that what we find is so much and so many people and particularly in our industry is kind of gone from quite niched to now everybody's a project manager. Project management is a life skill for all. The way that we learn typically is you go, you sit in a room, you get some presentation, you'll do some exercises,

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are talking about how we can best incorporate the best of project portfolio management into what the PMO does. Especially from a services and capability perspective.  I am honored to have a guest with me that I consider a friend and a colleague and one of my favorite thought leaders in this space, Andy Jordan. Andy is the president  of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Honduras based management consulting firm with fabulous views of the water every single day. I'm so jealous and he has that. Andy’s organization has a strong emphasis on organizational transformation, portfolio management, and PMO specifically.  Andy was a part of the PMO IMPACT Summit last year and he was one of our highest rated speakers, so we brought him back to the Summit again this year. You can get all of the information on his upcoming presentation and more information about Andy at PMOIMPACTSummit.com. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeProject Portfolio Management and the Role of the PMOLaura: Andy, I would love to get your perspective on project portfolio management and the role of the PMO, and why it's important for us to be thinking differently about that role? Andy: I think there is a lot of good stuff that has been done with portfolio management and PMOs have been at the heart of that. But there is still a long way to go. Fundamentally a lot of organizations don't quite have the right grasp of what portfolio management should be, and I think PMOs can help solve some of those problems. Laura: Why don't we give some perspective here and talk a little bit about what do we mean when we're talking project portfolio management.? Let's go a hundred thousand foot view and then maybe we can talk a little bit about what's working, what's not working and the role of the PMO and all of that.  Andy: Sometimes the easiest way to think of what project portfolio management is to think about what it isn't.  It's not a roll up of projects and programs that you just so happen to be doing right now. The portfolio has to come first. The portfolio is the vehicle by which an organization executes on strategy. So if the executives say, “all right, this year we're going to increase our revenue by 5% we're going to reduce our costs by 10% we're going to increase customer satisfaction by three points,” whatever it might be. Those are the goals and objectives. The portfolio is the vehicle we use to actually deliver on that.  We'll have projects that sit within that portfolio, but those projects can come and go. It's the portfolio that's key and we have to make sure that the portfolio delivers results. Delivers results is the key piece here. We're not interested in delivering projects. We do, but we're interested in delivering business outcomes as a result of those projects. We're interested in improving revenue, decreasing costs, increasing customer satisfaction. That's the measure of success for the portfolio. Laura: Yes. I'm so glad you said that because I feel like I am constantly talking about we've got to stop emphasizing so much the outputs we're creating and shift our focus to the outcomes we're driving. As PMO leaders, it is super important that we help facilitate that mindset shift in our organization. Often times, PMO leaders will get so caught up in the “how manys”  and the “how much” versus the IMPACT they're making. When if we think more about the outcomes we're creating for the organization and driving towards those outcomes, we will be so much more aligned with where the organization is trying to go and where they're thinking. Andy: Absolutely. You know, if you're an investor in an organization, if you own shares in a company, do you care that they did 10 projects this year or a hundred or a thousand?

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we have a special guest interview with Mark Price Perry, we are talking about nudging organizational change. For all the details (and you don't want to miss them) listen to the full epsiode on your favorite podcast player. Mark is the Catalyst and the Evangelist of the Business Driven PMO. What I love about Mark's perspective, is that he helps PMOs from a consumer or stakeholder of the PMO perspective as opposed to the PMO leader perspective. itself and that's why he can provide so much great insight and different perspective that I think we as PMO leaders need. You can see Mark’s full bio on the PMOIMPACTSummit.com site. Learn the best-kept secrets to creating a PMO that drives IMPACT.  Join us for the PMO IMPACT Summit.Register for FreeNudging Organizational ChangeLaura: What I think really sticks with me from your podcast, your online videos, and sharing multiple stages with you is your mind-blowing topic around business agility, is there anything you'd like to share with our PMO audience about you and your experience? Mark: I’d like to talk about stakeholders and stakeholders in the context of a stakeholder perspective, for me, that's really a watershed moment that I had in that for 20 years, mostly with IBM, I had been involved in program offices and project management offices. Typically I was involved as a stakeholder or as one of the leadership team members served by the office and in the environment, I was in, they were typically frontline environments that were seeking to achieve specific business objectives. Those program offices and project management offices were set up and were instrumental in helping us achieve those specific business objectives. But the way we set those up, in my first 20 years of experience, they were always set up with a specific purpose in mind and a value of achieving that purpose with specific measurements from which the office would be held to account. It was a two-step process, step 1: the leadership team was asked to consider starting a project management office. In that, the leadership team asked why? What are we seeking to achieve? How do we codify that? Then based upon how much it's gonna cost to get this going as an investment,step 2: what's an assessment of the return and that becomes a business case for the project management office. People take a means to the ends view of project management and the PMO specifically. Regrettably, I think that's probably one of the key reasons why so many PMOs struggle in the initial set up. It's not that you don't need people, processes, and tools, but in the rush to get those things going, often times lost or not crafted in the first place was the leadership team's purpose in having the PMO, what they would commit to by way of investment, and the expected return, and then using that information to determine what you actually DO. It's just mind-blowing to me that business people, whether you call them project managers and whether they have a certification or not, would take the position to just advance the means of the ends and the ends to be achieved will find themselves. That started my reputation as maybe being a maverick. The reality is that I'm not a maverick, I'm just driven by business needs, I'm business-driven. That business-driven aspect spawned into the approach that I took and talking about the PMO, are you business-driven or are you driven by some other intention? I have seen some improvement in the last 20 years in that I do believe that on average PMOs are more business-driven today than I saw 20 years ago. Having said that, we're talking about instead of 75% being not business-driven is maybe 60%. There's still a ton of work to be done. Laura: People spend so much time on that setup and the people, process, templates, tools kind of thing without actually creating ...

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today you will find out how to be more clear and direct in your communication style, last week was step 6, the final step in the IMPACT PMO Mindset. This week, we are covering the "now what?" The, "what do I do once I get it? Once I have transformed my mindset, once I am thinking differently about my PMO and my role and the role of project management and the best ways to drive IMPACT in my organization. Now what do I do?" What does the plan after shifting your mindset and transforming the mindset of others look like? How do we go from knowing we need to make some shifts in how our PMO is operating and making the shifts in how it's functioning today? Where might we want to consider improving our IMPACT to the organization overall? On the other hand,  if you're just getting started, how do you make sure that you're starting off right? That's what we're covering today. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, 002 Instill Focus, 003 Measure Outcomes, 004 Perform Relentlessly, 005 Adapt to Thrive, 006 Communicate with Purpose, 0r 007  Transform Mindset - then I highly recommended you go back and listen or read those from the first step through the series of six steps. My IMPACT PMO Leader mindset shifts are critical for PMO leaders. Working through the steps means that you have your oxygen mask securely fastened BEFORE helping others. If you went through the mindset series via podcast or blog, you’re probably brimming with many great ideas that you are excited to implement. Especially if you downloaded all of those worksheets that went with each of those episodes, you've already started taking notes and you've got your ideas.  For this episode, we will look at a few different areas that you might want to consider when you're thinking about putting some of your new ideas into place. I put together a little cheat sheet for you of all of the steps that I'm going to go through today so that you've got something to write down, your thoughts, your ideas, and your action plan to make sure you actually take action on the new ideas that you have on the areas of opportunity that you're seeing. You can download cheat sheet of action steps below. Moving from Knowing to Doing Ideas are a fantastic starting point, but now the job is to put those ideas into a plan and take action. There’s a fantastic professional speaker that I have been honored and privileged to get to know as a part of the work I've been doing on my own professional speaking development career. I have worked in a program called Heroic Public Speaking,  which is a fantastic program to grow your professional speaking skills. I refer to a lot of my lessons that I've learned through those programs in future episodes and this episode is no exception. One of the professional speakers and educators that we spent time with was a gentleman by the name of Ron Tite, he has a new book coming out called, Think Do Say. I've had the privilege of learning some of his teachings in this Think Do Say model in training that he's offered us through the Heroic Public Speaking programs. I'm going to borrow from Ron’s Think Do Say model as I help you with what you can do when you're putting your action plan in place for the PMO. Remember, this is how you can get your PMO to be more IMPACTt-focused and IMPACT-driven. Think If you take the Think Do Say framework, in the context of what we need to do as PMO leaders, first we need to think differently, as you did in the IMPACT PMO Leader Mindset Series. This is critical before we can take any actions or take the right actions or start bringing others with us through the change process, we have to shift our mindsets ourselves. Episodes 001-007, the IMPACT PMO Leader Mindset Series was all about Think, thinking differently.

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today you will find out how to be more clear and direct in your communication style, this is step 5 in the IMPACT PMO Mindset. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, 002 Instill Focus, 003 Measure Outcomes, 004 Perform Relentlessly, 005 Adapt to Thrive, or 006 Communicate with Purpose - definitely go back and listen to or read those first. Reviewing all the steps mean that you have your oxygen mask securely fastened BEFORE helping others transform their mindset. It Starts with YOU The last and maybe one of the most important pieces of an IMPACT PMO leader’s success is how we think about our role as leaders. The demands and expectations on PMO leaders continue to grow, but the shifts we need to make are not insurmountable. In fact, these new expectations are exactly what we have been waiting for. Haven’t we been asking for a “seat at the table” with the other executives driving organizational strategy delivery? Here’s our chance to not only earn that seat at the table, but be invited in because of our perspective, knowledge, information, and resources that the leadership of the organization need. The keys to mindset shifts start with us, the PMO Leaders. We must look at our role differently and understand the ways we can further the organization from a strategic perspective. Now is our chance and it starts within. We cannot start shifting the mindsets of those around us to this new way of thinking about PMOs and their value until we understand and transition our own thinking about our role. The final step in the IMPACT PMO Leader Mindset includes taking on new roles that prepare you to complete the transition. You will embrace the entrepreneurial approach to solving business problems. As an IMPACT PMO Leader, you become the Strategy Navigator by positioning your PMO as the nexus of information and IMPACT. You will proudly accept your fiduciary responsibility to the organization to achieve the highest possible return on investment. Your advice and guidance will position you as a Trusted Advisor to leadership. You will take the time to build a strong partnership with your PMO sponsor and cultivate strong capabilities in the sponsors on your projects. You will appreciate that it’s crucial to start the PMO correctly by laying a strong foundation of permanence and equality to other business units. You will work hard to bring people with you through the change process instead of spending countless hours fighting change resistance. And finally, you will appreciate being empowered to accelerate your own growth in your career and understand that your options are limitless once you shed the stigma of being powerless take charge of your future. 1. Embrace Entrepreneurial Thinking To achieve this IMPACT nirvana, you must shift the way you think about solving business problems and the way you operate within your teams into more of an entrepreneurial approach. You must look for opportunities to challenge, ask questions, try new ways to do things, and accelerate progress. The typical entrepreneurial leader is constantly asking, “How can we do better, faster, cheaper and get to those results more quickly?” without limiting beliefs about the way things should be done. PMO leaders need to understand that the PMO is not synonymous with a waterfall implementation methodology. The way you choose to implement projects, if your PMO does implement projects, should not be a defining factor in the PMO value proposition or brand. We need to stop limiting our thinking to project delivery and a specific implementation methodology. It’s killing the reputation of the PMO and is incredibly short-sighted when we look at all the possible ways a PMO can deliver IMPACT. The entrepreneurial PMO leader looks for ways to solve business problems differentl...

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today you will find out how to be more clear and direct in your communication style, this is step 5 in the IMPACT PMO Mindset. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, 002 Instill Focus, 003 Measure Outcomes, 004 Perform Relentlessly, or 005 Adapt to Thrive, whew - definitely go back and listen to or read those first. Doing so will set the framework for how we landed here, on mindset as the primary step and everything that you need before you can communicate effectively. Language is Key The key to communicating with purpose is ensuring that your communication is clear, direct, and drives actions and decisions. For any communication to be effective, we must start by ensuring we are speaking the same language. When you talk to people about the PMO and the IMPACT you’re trying to make with your PMO, make sure you are speaking the language of your stakeholders and using terms that they understand to avoid barriers to communication. Talk about outcomes, IMPACT, return on investment, and the deliverables they're looking for with their projects. We must want to speak the language of our audience. We cannot throw a lot of PM speak at stakeholders which will only cause their eyes to glaze over.  Instead, speak in terms of the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for the person we are talking to. They need to hear you talk about the “whys” of your PMO, not the “what’s” that won’t make much sense to them anyway. 1. Speak their language Communicating with purpose means you’ve got to stop talking project management at business leaders and stakeholders. When we start throwing around a lot of PM speak at our stakeholders their eyes glaze over and they feel that you don’t get them, and they don’t get you. Have you ever seen two people that speak different languages try to communicate or solve a problem? It’s extremely challenging and leaves both parties unsure if they are on the same page. When you start talking about the triple constraint, project management process, templates, etc. to the typical non-PM stakeholder, you run the risk that the two of you will not understand each other. You might be losing a critical opportunity to have an effective conversation about your PMO and how it's driving IMPACT because you're getting stuck in by a language barrier and they can't follow along. We need to use language that resonates with them and use terminology that they are familiar with. This means we should stay away from speaking about the mechanics of the processes we are using and instead talk to them about outcomes, IMPACT, and return on investment. The “why” you are doing the PMO in the first place and the “why” they care. Talk about their pain points and get specific on the way they will be able to function and feel when you’ve solved those business problems. We talk to them in their language so that we eliminate communication barriers and stay in sync with our stakeholders. 2. Tie PMO Deliverables to IMPACT Get stakeholders’ attention by connecting everything you are doing with the PMO to the outcomes they are looking to achieve. That means that you want to be able to tie all the services you're providing directly to an IMPACT that each service is having on the organization. We must build the brand and credibility of the PMO by ensuring that people understand the PMO in terms of how it’s delivering the organizational strategy and solving business problems quickly. Instead of saying that you are building metrics and dashboards, talk about the outcome you are creating, better transparency to drive educated and informed decision-making. Instead of saying that you are creating standards and process, talk about how you are creating greater predictability and reliability so that leaders can more effectively plan for IMPACT and business transformation.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! We are in the 4th step to revolutionizing your PMO leader mindset. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, or 001, The PMO Reset, or 002 talking all about instilling focus,  003 redefining what success looks like, or the previous 004 on how to perform relentlessly - then take a few minutes go back and review those first. Starting at the beginning show you the evolution that landed us here, and help you understand how adapting plays into securing your PMO's future. Survival of the fittest? What’s all this talk about PMO “survival skills” for PMO leaders? It’s time to shed this belief that the best you can hope for as a PMO leader is to simply survive. PMO leaders that are in constant survival mode can’t possibly have the mental space or peace of mind to drive high-IMPACT. If you are continually worrying about whether you will have a job in six months, how can you possibly perform at your best? I think this survival mindset that is being perpetuated in writings and teachings is setting PMO leaders up for failure from the start. We need to be looking for techniques that will help us thrive, grow, develop, and mature our PMOs. This means we need to stop getting ourselves into this position in the first place. IMPACT PMO Leaders avoid survival mode by being flexible, adaptive, and providing services and support that are exactly what their business leaders need when and how they need it. 1. Adapt Your Management Style To thrive, you will need to be able to adjust your management style, based not only on the needs of the individual but the significance of the change you are creating. Yes, we must manage everybody independently, because different people have different needs in terms of personality, reward, and accountability. We also need to manage them according to how familiar they are with the change we are trying to create and the IMPACT that change will have on the organization. For example, if you’re building a PMO for the first time in an organization, it’s never been done before, then people’s understanding of what to expect and how to engage is going to be low. This means that we will need to deeply consider the organizational change management components of doing something that’s never been done before. Meaning, how will we bring people with us through the change process so that they embrace this change fully and engage in driving toward the IMPACT we are all trying to create? You will have a different set of challenges if the PMO has been tried before many times and failed, but those challenges still require a strong focus on bringing people with you through the change process, doing change with them instead of to them. You’re likely to hit a lot of change resistance and a slow ability to absorb the changes that are being created by your PMO. Being able to flex your management style to meet your stakeholders where they are instead of where you want them to be is a key trait of an IMPACT PMO Leader. 2. Build Business Knowledge and Acumen To drive IMPACT, leaders with an IMPACT mindset learn the business knowledge necessary to speak intelligently about the organization they are supporting and build business knowledge in their teams. It’s critical that you and your teams can talk about why this change is important, in terms of business value and have a general sense of the work of the business so that they can see the value of the projects they are creating or services they are providing to that business unit. I do not believe you need to be an expert in the business. Your expertise is PMOs, but I do think it is important to have some business understanding for the organizations that you support. Isn’t it so much easier to have a conversation with someone that “gets” what you do? Be that person for the business if you want to thrive.

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! We are on to the 3rd step in changing your mindset as a PMO leader. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, or 002 talking all about instilling focus, or even 003 redefining what success looks like - then definitely go back and listen to or read those first. Starting at the beginning will be the stepping stones to how we got here, and help you understand why we must work on mindset first. Today in episode 004, we are diving into step 3, performing relentlessly. This step in the process is crucial for building credibility with your PMO and leadership confidence in you as a PMO leader. IMPACT PMO Leaders understand that it’s not enough to stay busy, it’s not enough to show progress, we’ve got to Get. It. Done. consistently and reliably and have a relentless perseverance of IMPACT. Your goal is to drive a delivery focused mindset with your team, show that you understand that the work you are doing is for a greater purpose, ensure that you are keeping your commitments, minimize friction and barriers to IMPACT outcomes, and right-size your governance framework to drive the ideal state of IMPACT delivery. Let’s dig into the steps you can take to Perform Relentlessly. 1. Drive a Delivery-Focused Mindset When we create process or tools or get busy managing projects, we must make sure that we keep our eye on the prize. Your job as an IMPACT PMO Leader is to ensure that everyone on the team sees the forest, not just the trees. We don’t allow our teams to get caught up in checking boxes or mindlessly following steps in a process. We don’t allow our teams to simply go through the motions of delivering capabilities or services for the organization. We ensure that everyone on the team is tirelessly driving toward creation of IMPACT. This means that we need to allow our teams some flexibility and space to find creative ways to solve problems, use only the tools in the toolbox that are enabling project delivery and throughput, and ensure that we think about delivering IMPACT through every service we create or interaction we have with stakeholders. 2. Talk IMPACT to Everyone Performing relentlessly means that you are talking about the IMPACT you are making with everyone. When we are talking to people about the work we are doing, think about the language you use. Make sure you connect people to the outcomes you are creating instead of the steps you are taking to get there. Sometimes we will speak one language to our business stakeholders and then get right back to talking tools, process, and methodology when we go back to our team. Instead, make sure that are you are connecting the work that you are doing as a team directly to the IMPACT that work has on the overall organizational strategy. You will see performance increase if people are able to tie the work they are doing to the big picture of the organization. People want to see how they are part of the puzzle and how what they are doing matters. Show them just how much it matters. 3. Keep Commitments If you want to build credibility, then you must do what you say you are going to do. Every time. That means being thoughtful and purposeful about the commitments you make and create a relentless pursuit of IMPACT on those most important priorities. People are counting on you. They are judging you. They are trying to figure out if they can rely on you to deliver. Show them that they can. You want to set expectations and then deliver on exactly what you said you were going to deliver. To do this, you must spend time defining and planning out the capabilities you will deliver with your PMO and ensuring that you are planning for the inevitable changes and roadblocks that will hamper your progress. Be good at planning before you do. Remember when we talked about saying “yes” to everyone and then not being able to...

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are going to dive right into changing your mindset as a PMO leader. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, or even 002, Instill Focus, definitely go back and listen to or read those first. Doing so will set the framework for how we landed here, on mindset first and the important first step to shifting mindset. The second step in this super important mindset work is to Measure Outcomes. We are going to redefine what success looks like in your PMO. Thinking Differently About Value It’s time to redefine success for our PMO and projects. IMPACT PMO Leaders understand that measuring progress is not sufficient. We’ve got to know that we have achieved the intended outcomes in a way that is driving high-IMPACT. Today, so many PMO leaders define their success by the success of their projects, but that’s only part of the success story for a PMO and we may not even be telling that part quite right. There’s a difference between the success of your projects and the IMPACT the PMO is making overall, depending on the capabilities and services the PMO delivers. There’s also a huge disparity in how many PMO leaders are defining success even with our projects. Often, success is being defined by how much work is happening, how much money is being spent, or how much overall progress is being made. We confuse progress with outcomes and assume that just because we are busy, just because we are making progress, we are successful. That’s not the case. Progress does not equal IMPACT. We need to look at redefining success in terms of the IMPACT we are making with our PMO and the IMPACT we achieve with our projects. We also need to develop metrics unique to the PMO that track PMO progress and IMPACT, separate from project delivery. 1. Understand that EVM is not enough Ironically, Earned Value Management (EVM) doesn't measure value. EVM measures schedule performance and cost performance, but it doesn't really tell you anything about value and it certainly doesn't tell you anything about IMPACT. It doesn't measure actual outcomes and whether those were achieved. Therein lies the challenge. EVM alone cannot tell your business leaders if they are going to achieve high-IMPACT business outcomes for the work that was done, only if that work will be done according to what you expect/planned from a cost and schedule perspective. Here’s a simple example. Let’s say your project was to implement a new system. The reason (your project “Why”) the system is being implemented is to create a new revenue source for the organization. Your project team diligently delivers all the defined scope, according to the originally determined timeline, and even does all the work under budget. Once the system is live, everyone expects this big bang on that new revenue, but it doesn’t come. No one uses the system. It turns out that along the way, some key questions were missed that could have shifted that direction. Was the right due diligence done up front to determine if the market really needed this system? Did the project include the proper marketing and communications planning to introduce that new system to the market? When scope decisions were made, did the team go back to the business case to determine if these changes would affect the intended outcomes? The questions are countless, but the outcome is the same. The project did not realize the intended IMPACT. In the eyes of the business stakeholders, this project is a failure, even if your project team did “everything right” according to EVM. We have to close this gap between your perception of success and theirs. EVM is a great resource for measuring project performance and one that I encourage you to study and apply when and how it makes sense to do so, but that’s not all we need to be measuring.

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are going to dive right into changing your mindset as a PMO leader. If you haven't listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode or 001, The PMO Reset, definitely go back and listen to or read those first. Doing so will set the framework for how we landed here, on mindset first. The first step in shifting our mindset is to find focus. In this episode/post we are going to learn specific techniques to help you distill what is important and get laser focused to create the IMPACT you desire for your organization. Finding Focus If you are like me, you like to have about 50 things going on at once. After all, there’s always a little downtime on this project or that one, and that’s just enough time to squeeze in some work on this one over here…and that one over there…yeah, that’s the story of my life. BUT, here’s what I’ve always found to be true…when I slow down and focus on just one thing at a time, I can get more done in the long run. If you are being completely honest with yourself, you probably know this is true for you, as well.  As much as we want to think we are multitaskers, what we are really doing is a lot of task switching and creating a lot of rework and lost productivity time in the process. So, here’s the techniques I learned to employ when I was a PMO leader inside organizations and this is secret #1 I share with my students and clients today. 1. Solve Business Problems When starting a PMO, most of what you read or learn in courses suggests that you start by building a charter and creating your vision and mission. Or, even worse, they tell you to figure out your PMO model or type. Then, it’s off to building and creating process, methodology, and templates. Sadly, this is missing the most important step and assumes that you already know what’s best for the organization. But in much of the literature and courses, there’s no defined process to ask that most important, yet very simple question. Successful PMO leaders understand that they don’t have all the answers. We have no business creating anything until we’ve determined what business problem we are solving. The most important step when starting or refreshing your PMO is ensuring you have answered the question, “Why is the PMO here and what business problem must be solved?” First things first. We must assess the organization for IMPACT opportunities to understand your PMO purpose. Before you create the list of services you will provide or start building templates and process, you need a mission, a greater purpose that you are fulfilling through the PMO construct. Your mission is not to manage projects. Your mission is not to create templates and tools. Your mission is to get to outcomes that positively IMPACT the organization you serve by driving overall greater throughput and higher return on investment (ROI). To do that, you need to be very clear on the business pain points, challenges, or new opportunities that your PMO will help solve. Get crystal clear on that before you do anything else. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, you are probably wrong. Don’t guess. You must not assume you know what’s best for the organization. Whether you’ve been there 1 month or 20 years, you still aren’t inside the heads of the business leaders that are creating the opportunity for the PMO. Ask them. Talk to them a lot! They will eventually tell you what you need to know, but you must be listening for it because sometimes it’s not obvious or on the surface. Sometimes, the real reasons the PMO has been started isn’t even for the reasons they’ve been telling everyone. So, we have got to be listening intently for the truth. That means you must stop telling, talking, selling, and convincing and just listen, observe, and pay attention to the subtleties. The REAL WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for them ...

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Today we are going to explore the real reason that we create PMOs and how you might want to think a little bit differently about your PMO and your role as a PMO leader in helping to drive organizational strategy delivery. If you have not listened to episode 000, the Introductory episode, I highly recommend you go back and listen to that episode or read that post first. It sets the stage a little bit for what we're going to talk about in this here and going forward. It gives you a little bit of a perspective on my background and why I'm so passionate about helping you as a PMO leader achieve the highest possible return on investment for all of your efforts when it comes to building, running, accelerating, or even rescuing your PMO. #_form_41_ { font-size:14px; line-height:1.6; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin:0; } #_form_41_ * { outline:0; } ._form_hide { display:none; visibility:hidden; } ._form_show { display:block; visibility:visible; } #_form_41_._form-top { top:0; } #_form_41_._form-bottom { bottom:0; } #_form_41_._form-left { left:0; } #_form_41_._form-right { right:0; } #_form_41_ input[type="text"],#_form_41_ input[type="date"],#_form_41_ textarea { padding:6px; height:auto; border:#979797 1px solid; border-radius:4px; color:#000 !important; font-size:13px; -webkit-box-sizing:border-box; -moz-box-sizing:border-box; box-sizing:border-box; } #_form_41_ textarea { resize:none; } #_form_41_ ._submit { -webkit-appearance:none; cursor:pointer; font-family:arial, sans-serif; font-size:14px; text-align:center; background:#fff !important; border:0 !important; -moz-border-radius:4px !important; -webkit-border-radius:4px !important; border-radius:4px !important; color:#461a5b !important; padding:11px !important; } #_form_41_ ._close-icon { cursor:pointer; background-image:url('https://d226aj4ao1t61q.cloudfront.net/esfkyjh1u_forms-close-dark.png'); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-size:14.2px 14.2px; position:absolute; display:block; top:11px; right:9px; overflow:hidden; width:16.2px; height:16.2px; } #_form_41_ ._close-icon:before { position:relative; } #_form_41_ ._form-body { margin-bottom:30px; } #_form_41_ ._form-image-left { width:150px; float:left; } #_form_41_ ._form-content-right { margin-left:164px; } #_form_41_ ._form-branding { color:#fff; font-size:10px; clear:both; text-align:left; margin-top:30px; font-weight:100; } #_form_41_ ._form-branding ._logo { display:block; width:130px; height:14px; margin-top:6px; background-image:url('https://d226aj4ao1t61q.cloudfront.net/hh9ujqgv5_aclogo_li.png'); background-size:130px auto; background-repeat:no-repeat; } #_form_41_ ._form-label,#_form_41_ ._form_element ._form-label { font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:5px; display:block; } #_form_41_._dark ._form-branding { color:#333; } #_form_41_._dark ._form-branding ._logo { background-image:url('https://d226aj4ao1t61q.cloudfront.net/jftq2c8s_aclogo_dk.png'); } #_form_41_ ._form_element { position:relative; margin-bottom:10px; font-size:0; max-width:100%; } #_form_41_ ._form_element * { font-size:14px; } #_form_41_ ._form_element._clear { clear:both; width:100%; float:none; } #_form_41_ ._form_element._clear:after { clear:left; } #_form_41_ ._form_element input[type="text"],#_form_41_ ._form_element input[type="date"],#_form_41_ ._form_element select,#_form_41_ ._form_element textarea:not(.g-recaptcha-response) { display:block; width:100%; -webkit-box-sizing:border-box; -moz-box-sizing:border-box; box-sizing:border-box; } #_form_41_ ._field-wrapper { position:relative; } #_form_41_ ._inline-style { float:left; } #_form_41_ ._inline-style input[type="text"] { width:150px; } #_form_41_ ._inline-style:not(._clear) + ._inline-style:not(._clear) { margin-left:20px; } #_form_41_ ._form_element img.

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! Well, hey there! Welcome to the PMO strategies Podcast. I am your host, Laura Barnard, and I am honored and grateful that you are allowing me to spend a little bit of your day with you. My mission is to help PMO leaders, and those wanting to leverage the power of project management, make a big IMPACT in this introductory episode, I'm going to give you a little background about me and my philosophy on PMOs. I'm going to talk to you about why this podcast is so important to me, and how I'm going to help you unleash your professional potential so that you can make a huge IMPACT with your PMO. Now, for those of you that are not PMO leaders, but work in a PMO, manage projects or programs, or just interested in learning, if a PMO can help you deliver on your organization strategy. Don't worry. I've got plenty for you too. You see many of the techniques that I will share with you over the coming episodes will apply to you too because it's all about figuring out the best way to leverage what we know and what we need to know to get it done. So, who am I? Very early in my career, I fell in love with big transformational change. I happened to be a part of developing the very first program to require graduate students to do their thesis and dissertations electronically published on the internet, back in the beginnings of the internet. There, I saw just how incredible big changes like that could be to helping people share their message and literally change the world. Fast forward to 1999 where I had my first chance to build a PMO. I was asked to help the organization oversee and manage the portfolio of e-commerce projects that we're all moving forward at a frenetic pace with new technologies, new mindsets and new ways of delivering value, it was at the height of the dotcom craziness, and it was a wild ride, but I loved every second of it! That was at the beginning of what we now call the internet. It was not as easy to find what you needed if you were building your first PMO Google was not yet mainstream. And even if it had been there wasn't much online you can find that would help you figure out how to build a run a PMO. You couldn't simply type, how to build a PMO into Google and get almost 8 million results like you can today. You couldn't simply go to Amazon and order a bunch of books on building and running a PMO. Back then, you could maybe find a course or a book at the library or even in the bookstores. But you were mostly on your own. I had to figure out the best way to build the right capabilities and services to help our organization deliver on our customer’s initiatives. You see, all of these companies were getting their first ever chance to get their products and services out to the world. How exciting was that?? I made some mistakes. I learned a lot of lessons and I started seeing some magic happen when we figured it out. Now fast forward to today, where there are so many options and so much information out there telling you all the things you should or shouldn't do with your PMO, and it can be quite overwhelming. Just as overwhelming as it can be when you don't have enough information, having been in your shoes in the role of PMI leader inside organizations, and now having spent about two and a half decades, helping people make a big IMPACT driving transformational change. I get what you're dealing with the challenges you face and want nothing more than to help you be successful. By sharing what I've learned what I know works and what will help you reduce the stress, the headaches, the frustration, the confusion, and overwhelm that can come when you are trying to set up,  run, or even rescue a PMO. Over the coming episodes, you will see my belief system unfold. You will also learn a lot of real, practical, immediately applicable techniques that will help you make a big IMP...