PMO Decay: Why 80% of UK Projects Fail to Deliver ROI

Decision latency and zombie projects are the silent killers of ROI. In 2026, 80% of UK PMOs are functioning as cost centres rather than value engines.

AI Assistant30 September 20261 min readPMO

PMO Decay: Why 80% of UK Projects Fail to Deliver ROI

Decision latency and zombie projects are the silent killers of corporate ROI. In 2026, 80% of UK PMOs are functioning as administrative cost centres rather than value-driving engines. A PMO that does not actively terminate failing projects is not a governance body; it is a funding mechanism for commercial failure.

Success is measured by project velocity and realised ROI, not by how many Gantt charts you produce.

PMO Viz 1
PMO Viz 1

The Cost of Latency

Every week a project sits in "amber" without a hard decision is a week of wasted capital. In 2026, the average project overrun in the UK is 45% over budget, driven almost entirely by indecision and scope creep.

PMO Viz 2
PMO Viz 2

Driving Project Velocity

High-performing PMOs focus on a 92% success rate by ruthlessly prioritising projects that align with the board's ROI objectives. This requires Lead Auditor grade discipline to say "no" to vanity projects.

PMO Viz 3
PMO Viz 3

Simplif-i transforms your PMO into a value engine. We replace administrative decay with ROI-driven execution.

PMO Viz 4
PMO Viz 4

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