Overview
What an enterprise PMO does, and where Great Minds fits
An enterprise project management office (ePMO) governs the organisation's whole portfolio of change, across every division rather than the projects of one team. It runs one front door for new initiatives, prioritises them against strategy and the capacity actually available, sets governance in proportion to risk, gives the executive team one view of status, spend and risk, and checks after go-live whether each initiative delivered the benefits in its business case. A PMO asks whether projects are being delivered well. An ePMO asks whether you're doing the right work, and whether it's paying off.
Great Minds is a Sydney-based systems integrator. We design ePMO frameworks sized to the organisation, from a lean advisory model for a mid-sized business to a federated model for a multi-division enterprise. Because we're an integrator first, we also connect the systems underneath, such as Jira, Jira Align, Microsoft Planner and Project, Confluence, the CRM and finance, so the portfolio view is built from live data rather than slides compiled by hand each month.
The case for an ePMO usually becomes clear when nobody can list every initiative in flight, AI pilots are running in several divisions on overlapping platforms, or an APRA-regulated entity needs to track change risk across programs under CPS 230. For a plain-English introduction, read our guide: What is an enterprise PMO (ePMO)?
Capabilities
What an ePMO engagement covers
We can design an ePMO from scratch, reset one that has become a reporting team, or connect the tools under an ePMO that already works. Most engagements include these four pieces of work.
01EPMO strategy and designAn operating model that fits your size and culture, whether centralised, federated or lean, with its remit, reporting line, decision forums and the minimum standards project teams follow.
02Portfolio governance and prioritisationOne intake format, scoring against agreed objectives, capacity checks and governance tiers by risk and value, so a small change isn't held to the gates of a core system replacement.
03Delivery assurance and oversightHealth checks and stage reviews for major programs, dependency and risk tracking across the portfolio, and early warning when an initiative starts to drift.
04Reporting and performance insightsPortfolio reporting built from the data teams already keep in Jira, Planner and finance systems, linked to benefits so leaders see value as well as progress.Partnerships
Portfolio platforms we implement and connect
As an Atlassian Silver Solution Partner, we implement Jira, Jira Align and Confluence for portfolio and delivery work, and connect them with Microsoft tools, Salesforce and finance systems.
AtlassianJira for delivery work, Confluence for decisions and documentation, and Plans and Jira Align for cross-team and portfolio planning. Great Minds is an Atlassian Silver Solution Partner.Jira AlignConnects strategy, funding and portfolio priorities to the work teams plan in Jira, with dependencies visible across programs.
MicrosoftPlanner, Project and Dynamics 365 Project Operations, connected to portfolio reporting for organisations whose delivery runs on Microsoft tools.How we deliver
A first working ePMO in about 90 days
An inventory of every initiative in flight, with its owner, cost, stage and the strategic objective it supports. This usually turns up duplicated work and projects that carry on without a sponsor, which is useful evidence for the next step.
Prioritisation criteria set with the executive team, two or three governance tiers, an intake form and a decision forum with the authority to fund, pause or stop work. We keep the first version lean, because it's easier to add governance than to remove it.
Delivery tools such as Jira or Planner connected to one portfolio view, with spend from finance and decisions recorded in Confluence or SharePoint. AI agents do much of the repetitive data consolidation and mapping; our consultants own the design and sign off every change.
The first prioritisation round, with benefit measures set for everything that continues, then a quarterly rhythm. The first round is the hardest, because it's the one where projects get stopped, so we facilitate it and coach your team to run the next ones.
Australian considerations
What Australian organisations need to plan for
APRA's CPS 230 Operational Risk Management has applied since 1 July 2025, and an updated version commenced on 1 July 2026. Banks, insurers and superannuation trustees must identify critical operations, set tolerance levels for disruption, keep a register of material service providers and manage the operational risk of change. Programs that change critical operations or service providers need that risk tracked across the portfolio, not project by project, and an ePMO is the natural place to do it.
AI pilots add a compliance angle. From 10 December 2026, privacy policies must disclose decisions that computer programs make, or substantially help make, about people, so a portfolio view of AI and automation initiatives helps your privacy team see what needs disclosing. Our guide to automated decisions and the Privacy Act covers the test.
Many PMOs ran their portfolio reporting on Microsoft Project Online, which Microsoft retired on 30 September 2026. If you're still choosing its replacement, treat it as a chance to rethink how portfolio data is gathered. Great Minds also supplies Atlassian licences invoiced in Australian dollars.
FAQ
Enterprise PMO questions
What's the difference between a PMO and an ePMO?
A PMO focuses on delivering projects well, usually within one function such as IT. An ePMO governs the whole organisation's portfolio of change: which initiatives get funded, how they're prioritised against capacity, and whether they deliver their benefits.
Is an ePMO only for large enterprises?
No. Organisations with a few hundred staff and several major programs running at once often benefit most, because one failed program has an outsized impact. They usually need a lean model with a small team, not a large central function.
What tools does an ePMO need?
Fewer than you might think. Delivery work should stay where teams already plan it, such as Jira or Planner. The ePMO needs a portfolio layer, such as Jira Align, Plans in Jira or Microsoft's portfolio tools, plus connections to finance and the CRM so spend and benefits can be checked against live data.
What replaces Microsoft Project Online?
Microsoft points customers to the new Planner with Project Plan 3 or 5 for portfolio features, Project Server Subscription Edition, or Dynamics 365 Project Operations. Atlassian's Strategy Collection, which pairs Focus with Jira Align, is the alternative for organisations whose delivery work already runs in Jira.
How do we stop the ePMO becoming bureaucracy?
Tier governance by risk and value, keep templates to what decisions actually need, and show teams what they get back, such as faster approvals and fewer ad hoc status requests. An ePMO that produces reports but never changes a funding decision is overhead.
Does an ePMO work with agile teams?
Yes, if it governs outcomes, funding and risk rather than dictating method. Portfolio tools such as Jira Align are designed to connect agile team work to strategy and funding, and the same governance can cover agile, waterfall and vendor-led work.
People
Portfolio, program and governance specialists
Our consultants work with your executive team on portfolio rules and decision forums, and with delivery teams on the tools and data underneath. They stay accountable for an ePMO that changes decisions, with AI agents doing repetitive data work under their review.
Case studies
Recent work from across the firm.
One asset library for APAC, EMEA and North AmericaModernising creative storage and operations for a global retailerEnabling global brand consistency through enterprise Digital Asset Management
4x faster campaign execution, 1M+ contacts migratedSalesforce Marketing Cloud to Klaviyo migration with 1M+ email marketing recipientsUnlocking personalised growth at scale through Klaviyo implementation and data migration
Servers virtualised for a resilient, scalable office networkCritical ICT infrastructure upgrades for Tzannes ArchitectsICT transformation allowing Tzannes to enjoy a flexible, resilient, and highly scalable IT infrastructure.Insights
Guides to portfolio management
What is an enterprise PMO (ePMO)? A guide for Australian leadersWhat an ePMO does that a PMO doesn't, why CPS 230 and AI portfolios raise the stakes, the systems it has to join up, and a 90-day plan.
Tool sprawl: how to consolidate and connect your software stackWhat SaaS and AI tool sprawl really costs, how to audit your stack, and when to consolidate, connect or retire.
Why change stalls: three barriers and the CEO's roleThe barriers that stall platform, AI and operating-model change, the roles that make change work, and what only the CEO can do.