Case Study: PMO Consulting
Building a PMO for Growth
An IT solutions and managed services provider with about 70 employees needed consistent delivery across professional services, managed services, and internal projects.
- PMO Assessment
- Embedded Senior PM
- Portfolio Visibility
The short version
BridgeView ran a PMO maturity assessment, designed a future-state model, and embedded a senior project manager to implement it with the client's team. In BridgeView's follow-up assessment, five of six capability areas were rated Standardized. Resource management remained open. Reclassifying work cut the PMO's open projects from 80 to 30. Learn more about our program and project management consulting.
Results at a Glance
- 5 of 6areas rated Standardized by BridgeView
- 24findings documented in the gap analysis
- 80 → 30open PMO projects after work was reclassified
- ~6 monthsassessment and implementation
End-of-engagement ratings were BridgeView's assessment, shared with client leadership without formal sign-off.
PMO Maturity Scorecard
BridgeView scored six capability areas before and after implementation. Each of the 24 findings was mapped to its risks, a best practice, and a recommendation.
| Capability area | Findings | Initial | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Kick-Off | 2 | Evidence exists | Standardized |
| Governance and Decision Authority | 2 | Evidence exists | Standardized |
| Delivery Methodology | 7 | Evidence exists | Standardized |
| Tools and Delivery Systems | 2 | Evidence exists | Standardized |
| Performance Measurement and Outcomes | 4 | Evidence exists | Standardized |
| Resource Management and Capacity Planning | 7 | Evidence exists | Evidence exists |
Scale: Evidence exists, then the four stages used by PMI's Organizational Project Management Maturity Model: Standardized, Measured, Controlled, and Continuously Improved. Standardized is the first of those stages.
From Assessment to Handoff
- 01Assess maturity, gaps, and risks
- 02Design the future state and roadmap
- 03Build shared processes and templates
- 04Embed a senior PM and coach the team
- 05Hand off client-owned next steps
The Situation
Growth toward 100 to 150 employees was exposing inconsistent PM practices, tool sprawl, and resource planning gaps.
What Happened
- Kickoffs and delivery practices varied by PM
- Smartsheet, ConnectWise, and Moovila overlapped
- Resource planning stayed manual
What Was at Risk
- PMs carried 20 to 30 projects at a time
- Operational work used an estimated 25% to 50% of PM time
- Engineers sometimes took on PMO tasks
What the PMO Needed
- Ownership from kickoff through close
- Rigor matched to project complexity
- Consistent portfolio reporting
How BridgeView Supported the PMO
BridgeView led the work, and the client's PMO team helped build every process. Alongside mentoring and coaching the PMs, the embedded senior PM delivered:
- PM requirements tiered by project size and complexity
- PM Approach document with a RACI
- Process flow for PS, MS, and internal projects, with checklists and job aids
- Templates for all PM artifacts
- Internal project approval process
- Portfolio review meetings and an initial portfolio dashboard
- Standard status reporting and escalation for stalled projects
- PMO charter with KPIs
- ConnectWise and Moovila as the source of truth, removing duplicate Smartsheet work
Timeline: 2026
- Mar 30 to May 30
Phase 1: maturity assessment, gap and risk analysis, future-state operating model, and implementation roadmap.
- Jun 1 to late Sep
Phase 2: embedded senior PM implementation, process development, and coaching.
- Sep 29
Follow-up assessment shared with leadership and full ownership handed to the client's PMO team.
Outcome and Impact
What Changed
- Five areas rated Standardized in BridgeView's follow-up assessment
- Open PMO projects cut from 80 to 30 after work was reclassified, putting PMO workload in a much better place
- Shared delivery processes and clearer PM ownership
- More consistent portfolio data and fewer stalled projects through escalation
Handed Off to the Client
- PMO charter and KPIs: complete
- Resource planning: client-owned tool selection
- Portfolio dashboard and database: owned by the client team
- Lessons learned: process defined, pilot project identified
Resource management remained at Evidence exists. Time and cost savings were not measured.
BridgeView's values aligned with our company's values and how we approach business. They were engaged from the top down and truly invested in our success.
Quick Answers
What did the PMO engagement cover?
BridgeView assessed six PMO capability areas, built an operating model and roadmap, then embedded a senior project manager to help the client implement processes, templates, reporting, and coaching.
What changed in the follow-up assessment?
BridgeView rated five of six areas Standardized at the end of the engagement, up from Evidence exists. Resource management remained at Evidence exists. Leadership received the ratings without formal sign-off.
What does Standardized mean in this PMO maturity assessment?
BridgeView scored each area on a five-level scale: Evidence exists, then the four stages used by PMI's Organizational Project Management Maturity Model: Standardized, Measured, Controlled, and Continuously Improved. Standardized is the first of those stages, where processes are documented and applied the same way across projects.
What remained with the client at handoff?
The PMO charter and KPIs were complete, and the client's PMO team took full ownership of resource-management tooling, the portfolio dashboard and database, and lessons-learned storage. The engagement closed with no loose ends.
Were time or cost savings measured?
BridgeView did not measure delivery time or financial savings. The clearest measured change was workload: after work was reclassified, the PMO's open project count dropped from 80 to 30. BridgeView also observed more consistent portfolio data and fewer stalled projects through escalation processes.
Key Takeaway
A PMO framework the team could put to work
BridgeView paired an assessment with embedded support and coaching. The client left with shared practices, a completed charter, and a PMO workload cut from 80 open projects to 30.
Talk to a PMO Expert
Get a clear read on where your PMO stands today and what it will take to deliver consistently as you grow.
- Maturity assessment of your PMO capability areas and the gaps slowing delivery.
- A future-state model with rigor matched to project size and complexity.
- Portfolio visibility through consistent reporting and clear sources of truth.
- Next-step recommendation on assessment, embedded PM support, or both.
- PMO maturity assessment
- Embedded senior PM
- Hands-on coaching
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Who Led the Engagement
BridgeView paired executive oversight and PMO framework expertise with a senior project manager embedded in the client's PMO day to day.
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Julie Rysenga
Maturity Assessment
Initial assessment and gap analysis
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Karen Busack
Senior Project Manager
Implementation and follow-up assessment