In the dynamic landscape of continuous strategic and organizational transformation, execution has become increasingly intricate, requiring everything from real-time monitoring to crisis management and decision support. Unfortunately, the most common solution for delivering on key initiatives—a program management office (PMO)—remains static and staid, focused on reporting over dialogue and on process over collaboration.

Worse yet, necessary PMO capabilities such as project management, resource management, and monitoring and reporting are typically distributed throughout the organization, siloed within teams, or embedded too far down in the organization to have any real impact.

In short, the current PMO model cannot handle the strategic complexity and speed of today’s transformations. As a result, too many organizations are attempting transformations without a clear, unified mission, and they’re doing so using outdated navigation tools.

At the heart of today’s successful transformation journey lies the next frontier of the PMO—the transformation office with a “mission control” function. As a nerve center, it drives execution, ensures complete alignment and coordination across initiative workstreams, and forestalls risks to delivering results.

Simply put, the objective of the transformation office is to maximize the impact of strategic projects and initiatives through an integrated approach to project management. To accomplish this, it plays the following five mission-critical roles:

Project Management Steward: The first and foremost role of the transformation office command centre is that of a project management steward. In an organization supporting diverse projects and initiatives, consistency is vital. This stewardship ensures that project management practices are not only standardized but also optimized for better outcomes. By promoting consistency, the transformation office enhances the likelihood of successful project delivery.

Initiative Effectiveness Situation Room: Much like a military “situation room,” the transformation office ensures that initiatives are aligned around a sound implementation strategy. This involves analyzing plans to manage quality and performance, akin to monitoring a dynamic battlefield. The “situation room” is equipped with tools and processes to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and swiftly respond to changes. By fostering a proactive approach, the transformation office ensures that initiatives stay on course and deliver the desired impact.

Program and Portfolio Decision Support: Program and portfolio decision support involves day-to-day activities to monitor initiatives’ health and adjust the trajectory if necessary. The transformation office consolidates executive-level information across all initiatives, providing decision-makers with a comprehensive view. The transformation office becomes a vehicle for synthesizing data, generating insights, and supporting informed decision-making at the program and portfolio levels. By breaking down silos and fostering collaboration, the transformation office enhances the organization’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and make strategic decisions that align with overarching objectives. Mission control acts as a guardian, ensuring that program and portfolio information is not just a collection of data but also a meaningful tool for decision-making.

Transformation-Level Change Management and Communications Hub: Effective change management and communication are integral components of successful transformation. The transformation office assumes the role of a change management and communications hub that goes beyond project-driven efforts. It crafts a transformation-level narrative and ensures that change initiatives are not isolated but part of a larger, coherent story. Mission control facilitates consistent messaging, aligns various change efforts, and ensures that communication resonates with the transformation’s vision. By fostering a shared understanding of a unified narrative, the transformation office becomes a linchpin in creating a positive and adaptive culture amid change.

Executive Steering Navigator: Executive steering involves highlighting critical decisions and focal points for executive leadership. In the complex landscape of transformation, where numerous decisions vie for attention, the transformation office acts as a guide, directing leadership towards the most impactful choices. Moreover, it develops mitigation options for strategic risk areas, ensuring the organization navigates challenges with resilience. This capability ensures that the executive leadership is equipped with the insights needed to steer the organization successfully through the transformation journey.

As organizations continue to evolve, the significance of a well-equipped and agile transformation becomes ever more pronounced in shaping the future of successful strategic execution. With a mission control function, the transformation office emerges as the centralized command centre responsible for overseeing and managing the operations of a complex transformation. Its five mission-critical roles—project management steward, initiative effectiveness situation room, program and portfolio decision support, transformation-level change management and communications hub, and executive steering navigator—collectively provide the capabilities required to ensure that the organization not only adapts to change but thrives in the midst of it.

By Holly Feldman and Maggie Miller

Originally published in Ivey Business Journal, August 2024