TL;DR
Winning executive buy-in requires more than reporting delivery metrics. High-impact PMOs reframe their value in business terms, use KPIs that resonate with leadership, secure strong sponsorship, and act as problem-solvers aligned with strategic goals. By shifting from tactical delivery to strategic influence, PMOs can gain lasting C-suite trust and visibility.
The Executive Buy-In Challenge
Just 58% of organizations understand the true value of project management. Of those that undervalue this important practice and office, 50% say their projects fail.
If your PMO is struggling to gain C-suite attention or sponsorship, you’re not alone. Many PMOs find that they are solely perceived as tactical, administrative, and delivery-oriented rather than as strategic. Yet securing executive buy-in is critical for PMOs and projects themselves to succeed and bring value to the holistic organization.
The value-driven and strategic can make real change, but only if executives are fully on board. How do you gain executive buy-in for PMOs? Learn why buy-in fails—and how top PMOs earn C-suite trust by proving real business value.
Why PMOs Struggle to Gain Executive Attention
Why is it difficult to prove PMO value? What mistakes do PMOs make that undermine executive trust and buy-in? There are many reasons why PMOs struggle to gain executive attention.
For example, they may have the perception that the office is solely an “administrative function.” Executive leadership could be disengaged or dismissive of PMO reporting. If they have had poor experiences with PMOs in the past, they will be distrustful of the current office.
Or, the PMO could be speaking a different language from the executives—that is, failing to appeal to their specific needs and priorities. It simply has different goals than those of the overall organization. In that case, executives will naturally gravitate away from the projects that don’t directly fuel their purpose. Priorities might conflict.
It could be something the PMO is doing intentionally. For instance, there can also be an over-focus on delivery metrics instead of business outcomes. Whatever the reason, if you’re taking—or failing to take—these actions, you won’t gain the executive buy-in you need to undertake the projects that will make the organization thrive.
The Cost of Limited Executive Buy-In
Why is executive buy-in for PMOs so critical? The cost of limited investment is huge. Let’s analyze the most damaging ones.
Unclear PMO and Project Direction
Priorities constantly shift without a clear direction. This goes hand in hand with a lack of alignment between stakeholders and the PMO. It’s a bit chaotic.
Remember: The overall goal is to ensure projects drive organizational success.
Poor Resource Management
Executives don’t understand what the office needs. The PMO doesn’t get the essential resources (the tools and team members) to deliver value. Bottlenecks arise.
It’s a vicious cycle: With limited resources, you may struggle to complete projects successfully, thereby weakening the case for PMO value.
Projects Driven by Individual Motivations
These projects don’t align with the organization’s needs; they are simply executives’ “pet projects” or interests. That results in a lack of cohesion and prevents the organization from having a clearly defined direction.
Lack of PMO Credibility
The PMO loses credibility when executives aren’t bought in. Often, it’s perceived as having a bureaucratic function and not fully serving the organization. You need to show that you offer value and aren’t something your organization can do without.
What High-Impact PMOs Do Differently
Your goal is to be a high-impact PMO. What does that mean? Let’s take a look at what these offices do differently.
The high-impact PMO speaks the language of strategy
Attaining executive buy-in for PMOs starts with framing your value in business terms. You must speak the language of strategy, not just projects. Use language that corresponds to the overarching company mission. You want to leverage language that resonates with executives and speaks to what you can do for them, using clear and precise terminology that aligns with business objectives, as opposed to vague thoughts that could be misinterpreted.
It uses KPIs and dashboards that resonate with executives
Along similar lines, the high-impact PMO repositions itself as strategic, not just administrative. It connects initiatives to outcomes. Using KPIs and metrics shows demonstrable value. You’re translating your work into measurable results, thereby proving the value of your work.
Tip: You can download our white paper “From Reports to Results: Turning PMO Metrics Into Action.” It offers a practical guide to embedding PMO KPIs into your organizational culture, evolving beyond tactical reporting to strategic foresight
It secures strong leadership
Gaining executive attention starts with ensuring strong PMO leadership. That means having talented professionals at the helm who understand both sides of the equation. They have both project management and people management experience, so they can collaborate effectively.
It has executive sponsorship
Executive buy-in also involves securing executive sponsorship. Sponsors act as a liaison between the project team and the executives, championing your projects to the people who must be invested in them to succeed. That helps you get the resources necessary to bring these projects to completion. It also allows you to gain visibility for the PMO and its instrumental role in the organization.
It solves problems
The high-impact PMO creates solutions, rather than making more work for the organization. Its projects respond to specific goals, ones that are meaningful to the needs of the business. For example, for Intek Plastics, this means creating ways to more efficiently manage the complex and cross-functional projects that follow a merger or acquisition. With a repeatable process and the help of Prism PPM, Intek has solved for efficient resource management, comprehensive visibility into project timelines and status, and faster time to value for their investment.
It uses defined project management approaches to standardize project practices
A Pulse report shows that mature project, program, and portfolio management practices improve project performance. Even in newer PMOs and organizations, you can carefully hone your practices to ensure greater benefits realization. It’s helpful to use a tried-and-tested approach such as an agile methodology or the waterfall approach.
Practical Steps to Reframe Your PMO’s Value
How can you strengthen executive alignment and visibility? What practical steps can you take to reposition itself as a strategic partner? These steps are crucial as part of a robust PMO strategy.
Speak their language
Overcommunicate. That’s worth repeating: Communicate, communicate, communicate!
A huge part of communication involves listening to your leadership and understanding their needs as much as you want them to listen to and understand your needs. Taking the time to understand leadership will also position you as a trusted ally. Plus, you will have greater awareness of what truly matters to the organization.
Listen closely to understand their passions and the work that excites them. That way, you can prioritize according to executive wants.
Prioritize effectively
Which brings us to our next point: Prioritization is key!
PMO leadership should choose the projects that correspond to the organization’s mission and goals. Hone your process for prioritization and ensure everyone is aware of the steps involved. This will help you avoid confusion about why you are tackling given projects at specific times.
Use project portfolio management tools
Leverage comprehensive platforms like Prism PPM to support you in attaining executive buy-in. These tools should be equipped with dashboards and reporting tools to allow you to analyze results in real-time. This will also enable you to demonstrate your results to executives, showing them how your office is turning action into value.
Be specific about your projects
Be specific about the details of your projects, and be clear about what resources and personnel you need to complete your tasks. This will also save time and prevent them from repeatedly needing to gain clarity. Always use transparent and concise language to communicate to ensure understanding.
Keep leadership in the loop
Update executives regularly. Explain current and future priorities, articulating how these projects respond to organizational needs. Relay KPIs and metrics, too. This helps you demonstrate your value on a consistent basis.
Conclusion: From Tactical Delivery to Strategic Influence
Gaining executive buy-in for PMOs is essential for any organization to complete projects successfully and further their mission. To ensure leadership is on board and fully aligned with the project management office, you need the right resources on your side. Enter Prism PPM.
Prism PPM is your partner in positioning your PMO to support your overall organization effectively. Strengthen alignment, centralize project requests and ideas, rank initiatives based on your criteria with our Business Value Assessment tool, initiate and deliver projects faster, and manage resources more efficiently.
With Prism PPM, you can see the real value and impact of your projects across the organization, manage inter- and intra-project dependencies, forecast risks, and balance workloads. Book a 30-minute consult or a 60-minute demo today.