When governance becomes the bottleneck
Most delivery teams have experienced governance as overhead: long templates, crowded boards and decisions deferred to the next meeting. The cause is usually unclear purpose. If a forum does not know which decisions it exists to make, it defaults to receiving updates.
Design forums around decisions
Every governance forum should have a written remit listing the decisions it owns, the tolerances it delegates and the information it needs to decide. Anything outside that remit should be handled elsewhere.
- Define decision rights for each forum and the escalation route above it.
- Set tolerances on time, cost, scope and risk so routine variation does not escalate.
- Ask for decision-ready papers: options, recommendation, impact and ask.
- Review whether each forum is still needed at every major stage.
Portfolio choices are trade-offs
A portfolio is a set of competing claims on finite money and people. Prioritisation must be explicit, based on strategic contribution, value, risk and capacity, and revisited when conditions change. Starting fewer initiatives and finishing them is usually more valuable than starting many.
What a good PMO actually does
An effective PMO is a decision-support function. It provides consistent, honest data on delivery, maintains standards proportionate to risk, develops delivery capability and gives leaders early warning. A PMO that only collects status reports is a cost centre; one that improves decisions is an asset.