Anna knew something was wrong.
As the head of the PMO at a mid-sized tech company, she had championed the implementation of a new Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) tool 18 months ago. It was supposed to be a game-changer.
The tool promised:
✅ Real-time visibility into project progress
✅ Centralized reporting for better decision-making
✅ Streamlined resource allocation
It sounded perfect. The demos were slick. The vendor promised quick adoption.
But 18 months later?
👉 Project managers were still using spreadsheets.
👉 Status reports were inconsistent.
👉 Resource allocation was still happening manually.
Worst of all— 👉 Senior leadership wasn’t getting the strategic insights they needed.
Anna’s team wasn’t just underperforming—they were actively avoiding the tool.
She started hearing the usual complaints:
➡️ “It’s too complicated.”
➡️ “It takes longer to use than Excel.”
➡️ “I don’t know where to find anything.”
Anna had a sinking realization: The problem wasn’t the tool—it was the adoption.
And now, she was facing an even bigger problem:
👉 The CIO wanted to know why the PMO wasn’t delivering value.
👉 Her team was frustrated.
👉 Leadership was starting to question whether the PMO was even necessary.
Something had to change. Fast.
Why Most PPM Tools Fail (And Why Yours Might Be Next)
Anna isn’t alone.
Many PMO leaders face similar challenges when rolling out new PPM tools. The tool itself isn’t necessarily the problem—it’s how it’s implemented and adopted.
Here’s why most PPM tools fail:
🚩 1. Lack of Executive Buy-In If leadership isn’t using the tool or reinforcing its importance, why would the team? Executive sponsorship matters—if leaders aren’t driving adoption, it won’t stick.
🚩 2. Poor User Experience PPM tools are often designed for reporting—not for ease of use. If it takes longer to create a report in the tool than it does in Excel, people will avoid it.
🚩 3. Lack of Training and Support A one-time training session isn’t enough. Without ongoing support and accessible resources, adoption will stall.
🚩 4. Misalignment with Processes If the tool doesn’t reflect how the PMO actually works, people will bypass it. The tool needs to fit the workflow—not the other way around.
🚩 5. No Accountability for Usage If adoption isn’t tracked—and rewarded—there’s no motivation to use the tool consistently. If no one is being held accountable for adoption, why would they bother?
How Anna Turned It Around
Anna realized she had two choices:
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Keep forcing the tool on her team and hope for better adoption.
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Acknowledge that the tool wasn’t working—and fix the root problem.
She chose the second path. And here’s how she made it work:
✅ Step 1: Audit the Current State (Without Bias)
Anna started with brutal honesty.
She gathered her project managers and asked three key questions:
➡️ “What’s working with the current tool?”
➡️ “What’s not working?”
➡️ “What would make this tool easier to use?”
The feedback was painful—but necessary:
→ Reporting was confusing.
→ It took too long to update project statuses.
→ Dashboards didn’t reflect the way the PMO managed projects.
Lesson:
👉 The tool wasn’t the problem—the configuration was.
👉 The PMO’s workflows didn’t match the tool’s setup.
✅ Step 2: Decide Whether to Fix or Replace
After analyzing the feedback, Anna had to decide:
→ Can the current tool be fixed?
→ Or is it time to switch to a new solution?
Here’s how she made the call:
✔️ If the tool’s core functionality matched the PMO’s needs = Fix it.
❌ If the tool’s limitations couldn’t be resolved with configuration = Replace it.
Anna realized that fixing the current tool would require custom coding, which would increase costs—and still wouldn’t solve the usability issues.
It was time to move on.
✅ Step 3: Find the Right Solution (Without Falling Into the Same Trap)
This time, Anna knew exactly what to look for:
→ A tool that was easy to use (not just easy to demo).
→ A tool that supported real-time collaboration.
→ A tool that integrated with existing platforms.
That’s when she discovered Smartsheet.
It stood out immediately:
✔️ Clean, intuitive user interface.
✔️ Real-time updates—without needing to generate separate reports.
✔️ Easy integration with Slack, Teams, and other existing platforms.
✔️ Built-in automation to reduce manual work.
The biggest difference?
👉 Smartsheet wasn’t just a reporting tool—it was a collaboration tool.
Her project managers could update status, risks, issues, dependencies, change requests, financials, manage resources, and adjust timelines—all in one place.
✅ Step 4: Build an Adoption Strategy (Not Just a Rollout)
Anna didn’t just switch to Smartsheet— She built a step-by-step adoption plan:
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Pilot Rollout – Started with a small team of experienced PMs.
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Peer Training – Trained “power users” to help others adopt the tool.
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Executive Buy-In – Leadership began using Smartsheet for strategic updates.
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Visible Wins – Shared success stories company-wide.
Anna also made it clear:
👉 If you want project visibility, it happens in Smartsheet.
✅ Step 5: Make It Easy to Stick
Smartsheet wasn’t just easier to use—it automated many of the PMO’s manual processes:
→ Real-time dashboards—no more spreadsheets.
→ Resource allocation insights—direct from the tool.
→ Project templates—cutting planning time in half.
Her team quickly saw the difference. Less friction = more adoption.
The Results?
✔️ 90% of projects were being tracked in Smartsheet within 4 months.
✔️ Reporting time dropped by 50%.
✔️ Resource utilization increased by 35%.
✔️ Stakeholder satisfaction shot up.
And most importantly— 👉 The PMO was finally seen as a strategic partner—not an administrative function.
What Anna Learned
Anna’s biggest takeaway?
It’s not about the tool—it’s about the fit.
The wrong tool will kill productivity. The right tool, with the right strategy, will elevate your PMO.
Facing the Same Challenge? Let’s Fix It Together.
If your PMO’s PPM tool isn’t delivering value, you have two choices:
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Keep pushing a broken solution.
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Fix the problem at the source.
