A thriving PMO promotes a culture where innovation is encouraged, and learning is continuous. Rather than acting as a compliance cop, the modern PMO serves as a coach and facilitator, helping teams to improve and the organisation to evolve its project delivery capabilities over time.
There are several key actions a PMO can take to foster this kind of culture:
Beyond governance, the PMO can serve as a hub for sharing best practices, training project managers, and incubating new ideas. This might include hosting communities of practice, “lunch and learn” sessions, and retrospectives across projects to identify what is working and what is not.
By helping project professionals to grow their technical expertise and “power skills,” the PMO lifts the overall maturity of project management across the organisation.
The PMO should actively encourage teams to experiment with new approaches such as alternative agile frameworks or new project management software. These experiments can be trialled on a small scale, giving teams a safe space to innovate without fear of failure.
When a team discovers a more effective way to deliver outcomes, the PMO should champion scaling that innovation across the organisation. For example, many PMOs are now experimenting with AI and data analytics to predict project risks — this kind of progressive thinking is only possible when a culture of innovation is in place.
A cultural shift from blame to problem-solving is critical. Instead of punishing projects for variances, the PMO should set a tone of support and transparency. The key question should not be, “Who caused this delay?” but rather, “How can we help get this project back on track?”
Celebrating projects that proactively identified and managed risks, even when plans had to change, builds trust. Teams are far more likely to raise issues early if they know the PMO will support them rather than penalise them.
When projects succeed under the PMO’s umbrella, especially those that deliver significant business benefits, their achievements should be made visible.
Sharing internal case studies, showcasing project value, and giving credit to teams and sponsors reinforces positive behaviours. It also reshapes the PMO’s image from being seen as overhead to being recognised as an enabler of success.
To drive continuous improvement, the PMO itself must model effective change management. Introducing new processes or tools should follow structured organisational change management (OCM) practices:
Identify and engage stakeholders.
Communicate changes clearly.
Provide training and support.
Gather feedback.
Measure adoption.
By doing so, the PMO helps the organisation become more adaptable and change-agile, a vital capability in today’s fast-moving environment.
By cultivating a supportive and innovative culture, the PMO strengthens its value proposition. It becomes recognised as a trusted partner that helps teams and business units achieve their goals, not as a bureaucratic hurdle.
This cultural transformation was key in the 7-Eleven case, where PMO staff came to be seen as business innovators and change agents. In any organisation, when the PMO enables others to succeed, it thrives as well.