Most organizations who agree that they need a PMO are far less likely to agree on how to build one.

This week’s throwback episode of the PM Debate Podcast tackles a question that still divides executives, consultants, and PMO leaders today:

Should companies outsource PMO setup to expert consultants or trust internal staff to build it?

On one side of the debate:

* External consultants bring experience, objectivity, industry knowledge, and credibility.

* They’ve done this before, know the pitfalls, and can accelerate structure and delivery.

On the other side:

* Internal staff know the culture, the politics, the personalities, and the reality behind the org chart.

* They’re embedded, invested, and far better positioned to tailor a PMO to actual needs.

It’s a debate that reveals something deeper about organizational maturity, leadership expectations, and what it really takes to build a PMO that lasts.

In this episode, Mary Elizabeth and I explore:

* What skills truly matter in a PMO setup

* Whether PMOs can be built “out of the box”

* The risks of outsourcing vs. the risks of going internal

* What executives consistently misunderstand about PMO budgets

* Why capability handover is the make-or-break factor

* And how organizational size and industry complexity change the equation

If your organization is considering a new PMO, or rethinking the one it has, this debate will give you the clarity (and honesty) that most conversations avoid.

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