The Past, Present and Future of PMO / 2025 PMO Conference Opening Keynote

Looking Back, Thinking Forward: What’s Next for the PMO?

As we kicked off the 10th anniversary of the PMO Conference, there was a palpable sense of energy in the room, the kind that only comes when you bring together people who really care about what they do.

That energy reached a peak during the opening keynote, “Reflections and Aspirations – The Past, Present, and Future of PMO”, where three leading voices in our field – Eileen Roden, Laura Barnard, and Americo Pinto – took to the stage to offer something more than a timeline of PMO evolution.

They gave us permission to reflect. And a challenge to dream.

Recorded Session

Presentation Deck

What We Took Away from the Session

The Past: Where We Started Matters

For anyone who’s been in PMO for a while, the story they told felt familiar. We’ve all seen the PMO of the past – focused on compliance, reporting, governance. Useful, yes, but often misunderstood. Sometimes even undervalued.

Laura talked about how PMOs were once viewed as little more than administrative functions, with value defined by how “on time” or “on budget” things were. Executive sponsors, if we even had them, didn’t always speak our language – or see our relevance.

That’s changed. Not everywhere, not all at once. But enough to matter.

The Present: Where We Are Now

Today’s PMO isn’t static. It’s solving real pain points.
It’s experimenting – cautiously in some places, boldly in others.

Eileen reminded us that what we call ourselves has changed too: PMO, P3O, EPMO, VMO, even xMO. The naming isn’t just semantics. It reflects a broadening of purpose – a growing maturity in how we see ourselves and how others see us.

Americo described a PMO community that has shifted from isolated silos to something far more collaborative. Where once we consumed knowledge from the top down, now we co-create it. We share more. We listen better. We don’t all agree – and maybe that’s okay.

The Future: No Longer Optional

If there was one recurring theme in the session, it was this:
The PMO of tomorrow has a seat at the table. Or it doesn’t exist.

That might sound a little blunt, but it’s rooted in truth.

PMOs are increasingly being asked to support strategy, not just delivery.
To manage capability, not just process.
To speak the language of value, not just effort.

Laura challenged us to think about how we measure success – not in tasks completed, but in meaningful impact. “We’re not redefining value,” she said. “We’re finally delivering it.”

And Americo’s vision? A future where PMOs serve as strategy navigators – not side players, but integral voices in shaping what comes next.

Three Things to Take With You

You might not remember every slide or soundbite from the keynote — and that’s okay. What matters is what you do next.
Here are three calls to action inspired by the conversation:

Start where you are, but don’t stay there.
Whether your PMO is just starting out or already well-established, the path forward begins with an honest reflection. Are you solving real problems? Are you aligned with strategy? What needs to shift?

Talk about value. Relentlessly.
Not just delivery timelines or risk logs. Start talking about outcomes, business benefits, impact. And don’t wait for someone to ask – show them why it matters.

Be part of the community.
This field is evolving fast. You don’t need to figure it out alone. Connect with other PMO professionals. Share what’s working. Ask the hard questions. Even if you don’t have all the answers — especially if you don’t.

This keynote wasn’t just a retrospective. It was a prompt. A chance to pause, take stock, and ask: what kind of PMO do we want to be part of?

Because whether we like it or not, the world around us is changing. New technologies. New expectations. New ways of working.

The good news? We’re not starting from scratch.

We’ve got a decade of progress behind us – and the tools, insights, and community to take us even further.

So let’s move forward – deliberately, confidently – and build the PMO future we’ve been talking about.