Seattle PMO Group - May 2026

​May Topic: "Too Many Projects, Not Enough of Everything Else: Portfolio Prioritization and Saying No"

​More projects than people. More demand than capacity. More stakeholders saying yes than leaders willing to say no. In this session we'll get candid about how prioritization decisions actually get made, what role the PMO should play in challenging the portfolio, and how to navigate the politics of deprioritizing work that a powerful stakeholder is sponsoring.

​We'll explore:

​* Whether your organization has a real prioritization framework - or just the loudest voice in the room

​* The PMO's role: facilitator, recommender, decision-maker, or scorekeeper?

​* Building honest capacity visibility across the portfolio

​* What it actually takes to pause or kill a project with executive sponsorship

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​​​Meetings will follow a round-robin “breakout” format.

​​​Each session will be limited to 20 participants, who’ll split into groups of ~5 to discuss a focused topic for 45 minutes, then reconvene to share key insights and takeaways.

​​​Whether you’re a seasoned PMO leader or just building your toolkit, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas and practical takeaways.

​​​​Most importantly, our group is about connections. These sessions are a chance to network with fellow Seattle-area PMO leaders, swap stories, and recharge with a community that “gets it.”

​​​Please note: This group is designed specifically for current and former PMO Leaders — those with direct people-management experience.

​​​Our round-table format works best when everyone brings real-world insights to the discussion. We’ll be diving into leadership-focused topics like:

• ​​​Hiring, training, and developing project managers

• ​​​Navigating executive dynamics

• ​​​Re-engineering PMO processes

​​​Because the conversation depends on hands-on experience, please join only if you’ve led teams and managed these types of challenges directly.