When Commercial Intuition (a Bramble Hub partner) began working with a major government department, its Portfolio Management Office (PMO) sat at the centre of a vast global estate, managing construction projects across thousands of properties. On paper, the PMO should have been a strategic asset, but in practice it was underperforming, with leaders sensing untapped potential but lacking clarity on what to change first.
The core questions were familiar: What is the PMO really for here? Is it a functional support team, or a strategic enabler? And how can it unlock greater value in a context where efficiency, governance and collaboration are all under pressure?
A function stuck between identities
The PMO had evolved through several iterations as demands grew. New reporting, new programmes and new expectations had accreted over time, but without a shared understanding of the PMO’s role. Different stakeholders wanted different things: some expected hands‑on delivery support, others wanted challenge and portfolio‑level insight.
This ambiguity played out in blurred responsibilities, inconsistent tooling and reporting that was produced but not always used as intended. Without a coherent direction, the PMO struggled to provide the consistency, visibility and value that senior decision‑makers needed to navigate a complex global portfolio.
The department knew the PMO could and should be doing more – but not where to start.
A focused independent review
Commercial Intuition began with an independent review, explicitly framed around three questions:
- Is the current PMO strategy fit for purpose?
- How well does the operating model align with organisational goals?
- What would it take to reposition the PMO as a strategic asset?
The team combined a deep dive into strategy, structure and operating model with benchmarking against recognised good practice. Stakeholder interviews were central: senior leaders, project directors and PMO staff all contributed perspectives on what worked, what didn’t and where value was being lost. This mix of structured analysis and qualitative insight helped move beyond symptoms to root causes.
Insight that led to action
The review found that the PMO’s strategy was broadly sound, but overly‑complex and poorly articulated. There was no simple, shared statement of purpose. As a result, leadership and delivery teams were often pulling in subtly different directions, with mismatched expectations and duplicated effort.
Data and reporting were another constraint. Information was fragmented across teams and tools, leaving no single source of truth. Reports existed but did not consistently translate into actionable insight or influence key decisions. Siloed working reinforced the issue: instead of acting as a collaborative bridge, the PMO was often seen as another layer of bureaucracy.
Underpinning all this was unresolved uncertainty about the PMO’s identity: functional support versus enterprise‑level portfolio oversight.
Relaunching as a strategic partner
Crucially, the output was not a theoretical critique but a concrete roadmap to relaunch the PMO. Key elements included:
- Sharpening and simplifying the PMO’s purpose and strategy.
- Clarifying roles, services and expectations for stakeholders.
- Prioritising early wins in reporting, data and analysis to build credibility.
- Treating communications and stakeholder engagement as core deliverables.
- Aligning recommendations tightly to leadership priorities to support investment.
Implementation delivered visible benefits: strengthened PMO capability, better data, and more reliable insight into performance, risk and benefits. The PMO gained a clearer position in governance, becoming part of the organisation’s decision‑making engine rather than an administrative overhead. Silos began to break down as the PMO played a more proactive, connective role across teams.
How Bramble Hub customers can benefit
For many public sector organisations, this story will feel familiar: PMOs that have grown organically, accumulated process and lost clarity of purpose. The lesson is straightforward – when a PMO is positioned and supported as a strategic partner, it enables better choices, stronger governance and more effective delivery across the portfolio.
Commercial Intuition specialises in exactly this kind of PMO and P3M transformation and their services are available to public sector clients through Bramble Hub’s thin-prime business model. Contact them via their partner page or contact Bramble Hub to discuss your project.
