· 1 min read
Let Core Values Drive Your PMO Methods
Process without values feels like bureaucracy. Align controls to what the company says it stands for.
Teams spot hypocrisy fast. If your PMO preaches agility but punishes experiments, trust erodes. Aligning methods to values makes governance stick.
Problem: values on the wall, not in the workflow
- Controls feel arbitrary, so teams circumvent them.
- Sponsorship talks innovation while approvals take months.
- Risk tolerance is unknown, so everyone plays defensive.
Solution: convert values to rules of engagement
- Translate value to behavior: If “customer obsession” is real, then backlog grooming must include customer impact scoring and fast rollback paths.
- Decide on risk appetite: Codify what “bold” means in dollars and days. Write the thresholds into change control and incident response.
- Design ceremonies that fit: If “respect time” is a value, run shorter governance with pre-reads and clear decisions queued.
Smart conclusions
- Values-aligned PMO makes compliance voluntary because it feels fair.
- When methods contradict values, you breed shadow processes.
- Audit your ceremonies against your values quarterly; scrap the ones that do not match.
