When Novak Djokovic notched his 100th match win at the Australian Open a couple of days ago, it wasn’t just a milestone of longevity. It was a masterclass in evolution.
Djokovic didn’t reach this level by playing the same game year after year. He reinvented his fitness model, adapted his playing style, leveraged data and analytics, evolved his mental conditioning, and continuously refined how he trains, recovers, and competes. The fundamentals stayed even when the approach transformed.
This is where the analogy fits perfectly with traditional PMO models.
Most organizations still operate PMOs within familiar constructs:
1. Reporting / Administrative PMO
2. Controlling / Governance PMO
3. Delivery / Directive PMO
4. Strategic / Enterprise PMO (EPMO)
These models were built for a project-centric world, where scope was stable, dependencies were predictable, and change could wait until after delivery.
That world no longer exists.
Digital and AI initiatives don’t move in straight lines. They cut across:
1. Technology and data
2. Operating models and skills
3. Vendors, platforms, and culture
ERP transformations are no longer “IT programs.” AI platforms are not discrete deployments. They represent sustained enterprise change, not a sequence of projects with a finish line. And this is where many PMOs struggle because they are still playing the game using the playbook from yesteryears!
Just as Djokovic could not win his 100th match by relying only on raw talent or past rules and training, today’s PMOs cannot succeed by focusing only on:
1. Status reporting
2. Stage-gate governance
3. Delivery tracking
The role in current AI times, is being pulled toward something far more demanding:
The Transformation and Change PMO
Traditional PMO was focused on tracking projects. However, the new PMO that will lead sustained enterprise change in current times of AI is an evolved one, that:
1. Orchestrates continuous change, not just milestones
2. Connects strategy to execution in real time
3. Manages inter-dependencies across business, technology, and people
4. Enables speed without losing control
The fundamentals of execution still matter. But the rules of the game have changed significantly.
And those who evolve, like Djokovic, don’t just survive the change, but define the next era.