Navigating PM Transitions: Challenges for PMOs in Adapting to Changes in Organizations’ Project Management Approaches

This paper examines the challenges PMOs encounter when adapting to strategic shifts in organizational project management approaches. Drawing on data from 19 interviews in a post-secondary institution in Ontario, we analyze and extend the established conditions for PMO efficiency identified in the literature. By applying a Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) framework, we uncover the underlying dynamics shaping these conditions. Additionally, our results confirm an additional condition of "reflexivity alignment” to play a key role in enabling PMOs to effectively navigate shifts in their PM practices.