Getting Comfortable — Start with the big picture

• To get us started, briefly describe the program you’re accountable for: scope, number of projects, and the funding source.
• What is the program's authorized budget range? Options: Under $10M, $10M–$50M, $50M–$150M, $150M–$500M, Over $500M, Undecided/Not yet set
• Which funding types apply to this program? Options: Voter-approved bond, District/board capital reserve, State or federal grant, Operating budget allocation, Private/philanthropic funds, Mixed sources, Other
• Who is the executive sponsor or accountable officer for delivery (title and name if possible)?
• What has surprised stakeholders most about the program to date?

Who's Really Holding the Keys?

• Decisions often end up somewhere unexpected—who, today, ends up making the call more often than your org chart suggests? Options: Board Chair, Full Board, CFO/Finance Director, Program Director, Facilities Director, Procurement Officer, Legal Counsel, Community leader/advocate, Other
• Please list the formal decision roles and the specific authorities each holds (for example: contract approvals, scope changes, final acceptance).
• Which stakeholders have explicit veto or re-approval power over scope, budget, or schedule? Options: Board, Funding agency/state, CFO/Finance, Legal/City Attorney, Bond oversight committee, Program Director, Regulatory agency, Other
• How are disagreements between decision-makers typically resolved—formal escalation, mediation, legal review, or informal negotiation? Options: Formal escalation to executive, Board mediation, Legal review, Third-party facilitator, Informal negotiation, Other
• Give a concrete example when unclear decision rights caused delay or cost—what happened and how was it resolved?

When Does a Small Question Become a Board Conversation?

• What kinds of changes or events automatically trigger board attention or formal re-approval in your governance?
• Which of these thresholds require board review in your structure? Options: Any budget increase, Increases over 5% of project budget, Increases over 10% of project/program budget, Change orders over $X (specify in comments), Schedule slips over 4 weeks, Contract novations or re-bids, Other
• When you present a change to the board, which documents are expected as a minimum? Options: Revised budget/impact analysis, Updated master schedule, Risk register update, Change-order log, Communications/press plan, Community impact assessment, Other
• How much lead time does your board require for agenda items and packet distribution? Options: 24–48 hours, 3–5 business days, 1–2 weeks, 2+ weeks, Varies by item
• Describe a recent example where something escalated to the board—what was the trigger and how did the board respond?

What Keeps Your Board Awake at Night?

• If you sat in a private room with the board chair, what single worry would they admit about this program?
• Which program health metrics does the board use most when judging success? Options: Budget variance, Schedule variance, Earned value metrics, Number/size of change orders, Safety incidents, Community complaints/media coverage, Regulatory compliance, Other
• How tolerant is the board of cost or schedule overruns? Options: Very tolerant (minor deviations acceptable), Tolerant up to 5%, Tolerant up to 10%, Low tolerance (<5%), Zero tolerance for major deviations, Undetermined/not consistent
• Who drafts and approves public communications about program setbacks—communications team, program director, legal, or the board? Options: Communications/PR, Program Director, Legal Counsel, Board Chair, External PR firm, Other
• Has public scrutiny or political pressure ever resulted in program pauses or rework? What were the downstream impacts?

Where Do Deadlines Tend to Bend?

• Which dates are truly immovable for you, and which are typically negotiable under pressure?
• Select any hard milestones that cannot move for this program. Options: Bond expiration/closeout date, School semester/start date, Grant funding disbursement milestone, Occupancy/turnover date, Permitting/inspection window, Major community event/seasonal constraint, Utility outage window, Other
• What external constraints most compress your schedule (permitting timelines, funding windows, labor/contractor availability, environmental seasons, etc.)?
• When timelines slip, which cost drivers increase first for your program (for example: extended site overhead, contractor mobilization/remobilization, escalation)? Options: Extended general conditions/overhead, Inflation/escalation in materials, Remobilization costs, Extended staff/consultant fees, Contractor claims, Other
• Tell us about a missed critical deadline—what ripple effects were felt across the portfolio?

How Do Decisions Actually Happen Day-to-Day?

• Your governance docs may look clean—so where do approvals actually stall in the daily workflow?
• Which recurring governance touchpoints are in place today? Options: Daily PMO huddle, Weekly project manager meeting, Biweekly program steering committee, Monthly executive/leadership review, Quarterly board deep-dive, Ad-hoc change review board, Other
• Who prepares the board packet and who has final sign-off before publication? Options: Program Director/PMO, Finance/CFO, Communications, Legal Counsel, Board Chair, External consultant, Other
• What systems or repositories do you currently use for approvals and version control (select all that apply)? Options: SharePoint, Box, Google Drive, Procore/PMIS, Email only, Custom in-house system, Other
• Describe manual handoffs or recurring steps in your approval workflow that frequently cause rework or delay.

If We Were Designing Your Ideal Governance, What Would Change?

• Imagine the board wakes up tomorrow and asks for one governance fix—what single change would most relieve pressure?
• Which of these improvements would most quickly increase stakeholder confidence? Options: Clear RACI and delegated authorities, Standardized board packet templates, Automated real-time dashboards, Faster approval SLAs and ownership, Single source of truth for documents, Regular risk workshops with executives
• What reporting cadence and format would make you feel consistently prepared for board scrutiny? Options: Weekly dashboard + monthly packet, Biweekly dashboard + monthly packet, Monthly packet only, Quarterly deep-dive + monthly snapshots, Real-time dashboard access for executives, Other
• What non-negotiable governance behaviors would we need to enforce to earn your board's trust?
• How would you measure success in the first 90 days after fixing stakeholder alignment? Options: Fewer emergency board items, Timely approval turnaround, Accurate forecast vs. budget, Clear escalation paths used correctly, Improved stakeholder sentiment, Other

Agreement & Next Steps — Who Needs to Be in the Room?

• If you could lock in a single immediate action to reduce board-level risk, what would it be and who must commit to it?
• Who should attend a 90-minute stakeholder alignment workshop to make it effective? Options: Board Chair, Board member(s), CFO/Finance Director, Program Director, Facilities Director, Legal Counsel, Communications Director, Procurement Officer, Project Manager(s), Community Representative, External auditor/oversight rep, Other
• What materials should we prepare in advance for that session? Options: Current master schedule, Baseline budget and latest forecast, Risk register with top items, Most recent board packets, Key contracts/status, Permitting and compliance status, Communications plan, Other
• Which scheduling window works best to hold the alignment session? Options: Next week, Within 2 weeks, Within 1 month, 1–2 months, Quarterly planning window, Unsure—need coordination
• Who will be our primary point of contact for logistics and follow-up? Please provide name, title, email, and phone.

Start with the Big Picture — Tell Us Your Program in One Breath

• Briefly describe the program: primary objectives, how many projects, and which phase you’re in (planning, design, procurement, construction, closeout).
• What is the current approved program budget and the primary funding sources? Options: Voter-approved bonds, State grants, Federal grants, Operating funds, Private donations, Municipal financing, Other
• What hard completion dates or external deadlines are driving this program (e.g., bond covenant, grant milestone, occupancy mandate)?
• Who are the named program sponsors and the executive stakeholders we will need to engage regularly?
• How confident are you today that the program scope is well-defined and will not materially change? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Low confidence, Unsure

What Keeps the CFO Awake at Night?

• If your primary funding source were paused tomorrow, which single risk would most likely trigger program failure?
• Which financial approval thresholds require board or external authority sign-off? Options: Any award > $50k, >$250k, >$1M, All contract changes, Only annual budget, Other
• How frequently do you need to present spending forecasts or variance reports to your governing body? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, As requested
• Describe your contingency policy: where contingency sits (project vs. program), who authorizes draws, and typical use-cases we've seen.
• Have you experienced mid-program funding reductions or reauthorizations? What tangible impacts did those cause?

Where Projects Trip Over Each Other

• Which single inter-project dependency, if it slipped, would cascade delays across the portfolio?
• Select the shared constraints that multiple projects rely on today. Options: Site access/parking, Utilities availability, Phased occupancy windows, Procurement lead times, Specialty contractor availability, Shared staffing or supervisors, Laydown/staging space, Environmental permits, Other
• How is the master schedule held and updated today, and who is accountable for its integrity?
• Describe the most recent cross-project conflict (what collided and how you resolved it).
• Do your contracts or governance documents include prioritization rules when resource conflicts arise? Options: Yes — explicit priority rules, Partially — informal practice, No — decisions are ad hoc, Unsure

When Things Go Wrong — What Breaks First?

• Thinking of your last major cost or schedule overrun: what failed first — the estimate, the approvals, site discovery, contractor performance, or something else?
• Which of these failure modes have you seen repeatedly? Options: Incomplete design information, Scope creep/late additions, Unforeseen site conditions, Permitting or regulatory delays, Contractor performance issues, Inaccurate cost estimating, Delayed funding/releases, Other
• How often are cost forecasts refreshed and independently validated? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, At milestones only, Ad-hoc when issues arise
• Describe one near-miss that should have been escalated earlier — what was missed and why?
• What leading indicators do you currently track that predict overruns (and which ones are missing)?

What Controls Are Working — and Which Are Theatre?

• Which program control gives leadership the most comfort but, in your gut, offers the least real protection?
• Which of the following controls are actively used and producing reliable evidence? Options: Change control board, Monthly program-level cost forecast, Risk register with mitigations, Earned value reporting, Formal master schedule with float management, Invoice validation & reconciliation, Contractor performance scoring, Other
• How often is the risk register updated and who ensures mitigation actions are completed? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Milestone-based, Not regularly updated
• When a control failed to prevent an incident, what was the root cause — lack of authority, poor data, missing process, or cultural acceptance? Options: Lack of authority to act, Poor or late data, Missing or unclear process, Cultural tolerance of issues, Other
• Which reports or dashboards do executives actually use to make decisions (name them) and what’s missing from those views?

If We Had to Lock the Budget Down Today

• If you had to guarantee zero cost growth from this point forward, what single constraint would be hardest to impose on the program?
• Which change approval bands and signatories exist today (by dollar amount)? Options: <$50k, $50k–$250k, $250k–$1M, >$1M, Board-level approval required
• How are contingency draws approved and what documentation is required to support a draw?
• What percent of total program budget is held as contingency at the program level right now? Options: <2%, 2–5%, 6–10%, >10%, Unsure
• Historically, are change orders processed in time to avoid schedule impacts or do they typically drive delays? Options: Usually processed timely, Sometimes late, Frequently late and cause delays, Never processed timely

People, Tools, and Data — Are They Aligned?

• Which missing skill, system, or data feed — fixed this week — would give the biggest immediate improvement in program control?
• Which project control systems and tools are being used across the portfolio today? Options: Primavera P6, MS Project, Procore, Oracle Unifier, Aconex, Excel trackers, Custom ERP, Other
• Do you have dedicated on-site program management staff today (program director, schedulers, cost engineers)? Options: Yes — full on-site team, Partial/on-call support, No — remote or none, Planning to hire
• How timely and complete are the data feeds needed for program-level forecasting (contracts, invoices, schedule updates)? Options: Real-time or near real-time, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Irregular/manual, Not available
• Who owns updates to the master schedule and who verifies the critical-path assumptions?

When Pressure Hits — Who Decides?

• When the program is under pressure, who actually makes trade-off decisions and are they empowered to enforce them?
• Map the primary decision roles (name/title) and backup decision-makers for cost, schedule, and scope.
• Are formal escalation paths documented and followed when issues threaten budget or schedule? Options: Yes — documented and followed, Documented but inconsistently used, Not documented, Unsure
• How often does your governance group actively change budgets or schedules versus passively receiving updates? Options: Regularly intervenes, Occasionally intervenes, Rarely intervenes, Never intervenes
• Who leads public or board communications when there are program changes, and do they have timely access to the facts?

A Short Inventory of the Unknowns

• What critical question about this program do you still not have an answer to, and why is it unresolved?
• Which technical or site unknowns remain across projects? Options: Subsurface/soil conditions, Unknown existing utilities, Asbestos/HAZMAT, Structural unknowns, Environmental permit issues, Unknown right-of-way or easements, Other
• Which procurement windows or long-lead procurements are currently at risk or not locked?
• What external approvals (permits, funding releases, occupancy sign-offs) are still uncertain and could delay delivery?
• Are there single-point supplier or equipment dependencies that would stop multiple projects if interrupted? If so, list them.

In one sentence: your program and the pressure you're under

• Briefly describe the program you're preparing to put an on-site PMO on — scope, scale, and the single deadline or funding trigger everyone watches.
• How many concurrent projects will the on-site PMO be expected to manage or coordinate? Options: 1–5, 6–10, 11–25, 26–50, 50+
• Which funding sources apply to this program? (select all that apply) Options: Voter-approved bond, State/federal grant, Capital budget allocation, Private/enterprise funds, Mixed funding, Other
• Who is the executive sponsor or governing body the PMO will report to (name and title if possible)?
• Right now, how confident are you that launch-day milestones will be met without escalation? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Concerned, At high risk

What usually trips programs up in the first 90 days

• When programs like yours stumble after handoff, what's the one underestimated cause leaders wish they'd fixed before launch?
• Which of the following have caused deployment delays in past programs here? (select all that apply) Options: Missing/late data feeds, Insufficient access or site permissions, Untrained or absent staff, Tool or integration failures, Unclear acceptance criteria, Contractor staffing gaps, Procurement delays, Other
• Tell us about a specific deployment hiccup you've lived through here—what happened, who was impacted, and what took the longest to fix?
• Typically, how long does it take this organization to reach effective program oversight after an on-site team arrives? Options: Under 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 3+ months
• When early reporting cycles miss data or targets, how does leadership usually react—and how does that affect momentum?

Is your data fluent — or just sitting in folders?

• If your schedule and cost data had to give an honest status today, would they be reliable enough to make executive decisions? Options: Yes — trustworthy, Partially — needs validation, No — not reliable, We don't know
• Which source feeds are currently automated into your master schedule or program dashboard? (select all that apply) Options: Contractor daily progress logs, Cost-to-date from ERP, Change order registers, Procurement lead times, Permit/approval statuses, Field inspection records, None automated, Other
• Which primary tools hold your 'source of truth' today? (pick all that apply) Options: Primavera P6, MS Project, Procore (or similar), SharePoint / Excel, ERP (SAP/Oracle/PeopleSoft), Custom dashboards / BI, No central tool, Other
• Where do you see the biggest gaps between the data you need for program control and what’s actually available right now?
• How would you rate the reliability of your cost-to-complete forecasting process today? Options: High — validated regularly, Moderate — periodic checks, Low — rough estimates, None — we don't forecast program-level
• If we request a new automated feed (e.g., contractor progress, ERP cost transactions), what format and access can you realistically provide, and who manages that feed?

Can your tech stack actually play nice?

• What happens if your scheduling tool and your cost system stop exchanging information for two weeks—who feels the impact first and how severe is it?
• Which integrations are currently live in your environment? (select all that apply) Options: Schedule ↔ Cost, Schedule ↔ Field reporting, Cost ↔ ERP, Document control ↔ Reporting, Permits ↔ Schedule, None of the above
• Do internal IT/security policies (SSO, VPN, data classification) typically slow or block integrations? If yes, describe past friction and who enforces the rules.
• What integration method do you prefer or require for third-party PMO tools? Options: Direct API sync, File transfer (CSV/XML), Manual uploads via portal, Hybrid approach, Undecided / IT will advise
• Who is the systems or IT owner we should engage for integrations (name, role, and best contact cadence)?

Who’s walking through the door with the PMO?

• Which individuals, teams, or stakeholders will make or break the PMO's first 90 days if they're not prepared?
• Which of these roles will be expected to work directly with the on-site PMO? (select all that apply) Options: Program Director (owner), Project Managers (owner), Construction Managers / Inspectors, Procurement / Contracting, IT / Systems, Finance / Accounting, Facilities Operations, Contractor leads, Other
• For the critical roles you've selected, how many FTEs are allocated today and where do you see staffing gaps?
• Have you previously embedded external PMO staff? If so, what worked and what created friction? Options: Yes — multiple times, mostly successful, Yes — one time, Tried but created friction, No, first time
• What orientation, training, or cultural onboarding do external staff need to be effective and accepted here?
• How would you describe internal sentiment toward an embedded external PMO right now? Options: Enthusiastic & supportive, Cautious but open, Resistant, Neutral / undecided

Access granted — or a locked door waiting to happen?

• If our on-site team cannot access systems or sites for two weeks, what tasks will stall and what will be the immediate program consequences?
• Which of these access items are already provisioned for external personnel? (select all that apply) Options: Network accounts / SSO, VPN access, Site badges / keys, Tool licenses (Procore / Primavera), ERP finance read access, Field device provisioning (tablets), None of the above
• What clearance, background checks, or union/site rules must external staff satisfy before on-site work begins?
• Typically, how long does it take your organization to provision a new external user account or site badge? Options: Under 24 hours, 1–3 days, 1–2 weeks, 2+ weeks, Variable / depends
• Are there high-risk locations, legal restrictions, or political constraints that could limit full PMO presence on certain projects? Please explain.

Baseline the baseline — what counts as acceptance?

• When you hear 'baseline master schedule and forecast,' what specific artifacts and quality standards must be in place for you to accept it?
• Which of the following artifacts do you require to consider the program baselined? (select all that apply) Options: Master schedule with logic & resource loading, Baseline cost forecast and spend curve, Risk register with mitigations, Governance & reporting templates, Staffing plan & org chart, Acceptance milestones & criteria, Other
• Who must sign off on baselines (roles/titles), and what evidence will satisfy each approver?
• How often do you expect baselines to be revalidated after deployment under normal operations? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Event-driven
• List up to three non-negotiable conditions that must be true for you to accept the PMO's handover of controls.

Plan B — red lines, escalations, and contingencies

• If early deployment shows the PMO cannot deliver promised control or visibility, what is the fastest escalation path you want in place?
• Which formal escalation mechanisms currently exist? (select all that apply) Options: Weekly executive steering, Escalation to CEO/Director, Formal change request with hold points, Contractual remedies, Rapid-response task force, No formal mechanism, Other
• Which measurable KPIs would you want to trigger an automatic escalation? (e.g., schedule slippage days, forecast variance percent). List up to five.
• How comfortable are you using short-term stop-gaps (temporary staff, priority reallocation, accelerated procurements) to keep the program on track? Options: Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Reluctant, Not comfortable
• What contingency budget or reserves exist today to address early deployment gaps, and who controls release?

Ready to launch — commitments, owners, and next steps

• If you had to pick one single decision today that would guarantee a successful first 30 days for the PMO, what would it be?
• Which of these items should be prioritized in the next 30 days to enable launch? (select all that apply) Options: Finalize data feeds & integrations, Provision access & accounts, Onboard PMO staff and shadowing, Baseline master schedule and forecast, Stand up reporting dashboards, Sign mutual governance charter
• Who (role and name if possible) will own each of the priority items above and be our point of contact?
• How soon can you commit to providing initial deliverables (data access, tool licenses, staffing) to begin a 30-day launch cadence? Options: Immediately (within 48 hours), This week, Within 2 weeks, Within 1 month, Longer / needs planning
• Are there outstanding political, contractual, or logistical blockers we should surface now to avoid surprises during onboarding?
• Would you like us to draft a one-page readiness checklist and owner timeline for your review after this conversation? Options: Yes — please draft, Maybe — want to discuss first, No — we will handle it internally

Getting Oriented: A Quick Snapshot

• What's the formal name of this capital program and the fiscal authorization backing it?
• Which best describes your program’s primary type? Options: K–12 bond program, Higher education campus, Transit/rail extension, Hospital/health system, Corporate facilities consolidation, Other
• What is the approximate authorized budget and the number of projects in the portfolio? Options: <$50M, 1–5 projects, $50M–$250M, 6–15 projects, $250M–$1B, 16–40 projects, >$1B, 41+ projects, Prefer not to disclose
• What funding type and constraints apply (tax-backed bond, grant, rate-funded, mixed)? Options: Voter-approved bond, Board-authorized capital, Grant-funded, Revenue/rate-funded, Mixed sources, Other
• Who is the executive sponsor and which governing bodies require reporting?
• What’s the single most important outcome your leadership will use to judge success (on-budget, on-time, community impact, other)? Options: On-budget, On-schedule, Safety/compliance, Operational readiness, Political/public perception, Other

What Keeps Your Board Awake at Night?

• If you had to pick one fear the board wakes up worrying about at 2am, what is it? Options: Cost escalation, Missed critical milestones, Negative public/media scrutiny, Legal/contractual exposure, Service disruption to operations, Other
• How frequently does leadership ask for updates, and what level of detail do they expect? Options: Weekly high-level, Biweekly detailed, Monthly dashboard + reports, Quarterly executive summaries, On-demand through milestones
• Can you share a recent instance when reporting failed to calm the board—what was missing or misleading?
• What variance thresholds trigger an executive alert or board briefing for you? Options: >1% cost change, >3% cost change, >5% cost change, Any schedule slip >2 weeks, Other
• When those alerts happen, what typically follows—rapid remediation, finger-pointing, re-budgeting, or governance changes? Options: Immediate remediation plan, Executive-level review only, Re-budget/re-baseline, Contractor penalties/escalations, Political negotiation
• How do these board pressures feel to you and your program team day-to-day?

Where the Program Historically Breaks (and Why We Pretend It Doesn’t)

• What recurring failure mode in past programs would you say is most likely to derail this one? Options: Design scope creep, Uncoordinated phasing & site access, Under-resourced PM teams, Inaccurate cost forecasting, Permitting/regulatory delays, Contractor performance
• Which of these failure modes have actually happened to you before? Select all that apply. Options: Design scope creep, Phasing conflicts, Staffing gaps, Forecast misses, Unanticipated site conditions, Procurement delays, Other
• When one of those failures occurs, what immediate consequences do you see (budget increase, public backlash, operational disruption)? Options: Increased contingency spend, Schedule re-baseline, Board inquiry/press, Operational downtime, Loss of stakeholder trust, Other
• What root causes have you traced back to—process, people, data, contractor selection, or political decisions? Options: Process gaps, Insufficient staffing/experience, Poor or missing data, Procurement/contract structure, External political/agency decisions, Other
• How long has this pattern been happening, and what attempts to fix it have you tried?
• If you could stop one of these failure modes from ever happening again, which one would you choose and why?

If This Program Had a Pulse, What Would It Tell You?

• How confident are you today in your program-level cost and schedule forecasts? Options: Very confident (±1–3%), Moderately confident (±4–8%), Low confidence (±9–15%), Unreliable/unusable
• What systems and data sources feed your forecasts today (ERP, AEC cost tools, contractor reports, manual spreadsheets)? Options: ERP/finance, Cost estimating software, Contractor reports, Manual spreadsheets, Schedule/PERT tools, Other
• How often are forecasts refreshed and who signs off on a re-baseline? Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad hoc on trigger
• Tell us about a forecast that surprised you—what was missed and what would have prevented it?
• What acceptance criteria would make you say a baseline forecast is ‘ready’ for executive reporting? Options: All projects within contingency thresholds, Validated vendor pricing, Aligned master schedule with float analysis, Governance sign-offs obtained, Other
• When a forecast changes materially, what communication path do you want to see to restore confidence? Options: Executive summary + deep-dive, Dashboard alert + recovery plan, Board memo + budget amendment, On-site review session, Other

Imagine Zero Surprises: What Would That Look and Feel Like?

• If cost overruns and schedule shocks disappeared, what would be different for your executive team and stakeholders?
• Which measurable success signals would convince you that the program is healthy (select all that apply)? Options: Forecast accuracy within X%, On-time completion of key milestones, Contingency burn rate under control, No escalations to the board, Stakeholder satisfaction scores, Other
• What non-negotiable conditions must be met for you to consider delegating day-to-day oversight to an on-site PMO? Options: Dedicated full-time staff on-site, Weekly executive reports, Direct access to financial systems, Clear escalation matrix, Performance SLAs for cost/schedule
• How would you describe the ideal tone and frequency of governance meetings between your team and an external PMO? Options: Weekly tactical standups + monthly execs, Biweekly integrated reviews, Monthly steering committee only, On-demand by exception
• What would make you emotionally comfortable handing oversight to an external team?

What Would It Take to Hand Over Control Without Holding Your Breath?

• What is the single biggest trust barrier you would need addressed before accepting an external PMO running program controls? Options: Transparency of data and models, Control over approvals, Staffing quality/experience, Political accountability, Legal/contract clarity, Other
• Which program-management modules and disciplines must be included from day one (select all that apply)? Options: Cost forecasting & estimator, Master scheduling & sequencing, Risk & contingency management, Procurement & contracts support, Design & construction standards, Reporting/dashboarding, Other
• What minimum staffing mix do you expect in the on-site PMO (roles and FTEs)?
• What governance cadence and artifacts will satisfy your internal audit or oversight teams? Options: Weekly dashboards + exception lists, Monthly financial reconciliations, Quarterly board-ready packets, Ad hoc audit evidence on request, Other
• Which acceptance milestones would you require before transferring sign-off authority to an external program manager? Options: Baseline forecasts validated, Master schedule baselined, Data integrations live, Staffing onboarded, Governance passed tabletop exercises
• What reservations would you still have after those conditions were met?

Practical Readiness: Can We Actually Operate the Way You Need?

• What data feeds, systems access, and templates are non-negotiable for an on-site PMO to be effective? Options: Financial ERP access, Contractor invoicing feeds, Schedule files (Primavera/MSP), Asset/operations data, Document management, Other
• Which tool integrations are already in place versus missing? Options: ERP integrated, Scheduling integrated, Dashboards live, No integrations — manual today, Other
• What onboarding or procurement hurdles would slow a PMO from operating at full speed (background checks, vendor vetting, board approvals)? Options: Staffing clearance/background, Vendor contracting delays, Procurement rules/competitive bids, Data-sharing agreements, Other
• How soon would you need the PMO to be producing reliable program-level reports after mobilization? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 3+ months
• What internal teams or external partners must be engaged immediately for a successful handover?
• What are the top three operational blockers you expect during the first 90 days?

Decision Points, Money, and the Moment We Go All-In

• If you had to identify a single commercial concern that would stop this engagement at procurement, what would it be? Options: Cost of services, Contract length/termination terms, Staffing guarantees, Liability/insurance, Political optics
• What approval triggers must occur before funding is released for an on-site PMO (board vote, executive sign-off, procurement award)? Options: Board vote required, Executive authorization, Procurement award complete, Budget amendment passed, Other
• How flexible is the program budget for management services—do you have a set line item, contingency allocation, or need to reallocate? Options: Dedicated PMO line item, Fund from contingency, Reallocate project budgets, No current budget — would require approval
• What commercial terms would meaningfully reduce your risk perception (SLA penalties, fixed-fee elements, performance milestones)? Options: SLA with penalties, Fixed fee for mobilization, Milestone-based payments, Shared savings model, Other
• When you think about signing a mutual commit, what would make you say 'yes' in one sentence?
• Realistically, what is your procurement timeline from RFP to award? Options: <1 month, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, >6 months