What's the Plan? Portfolio, Project & Resource Management

In this episode of What’s the Plan?, Samantha sits down with PMO leader Rebecca Woods to discuss why modern project management is really about problem solving, strategic thinking, and navigating complexity — not just managing timelines and tasks. Drawing from her experience leading IT and PMO initiatives, Rebecca shares practical insights on how project managers can uncover root causes, ask better...

Resource management doesn’t fail because organizations lack effort. It fails because there’s no consistent process, governance, or structure behind it. In this episode, Beth Hunter shares practical approaches to operationalizing resource management. From establishing governance and decision-making frameworks to creating repeatable processes teams can actually follow. We discuss: Why inconsistent r...

What does it take for a PMO to stop being the "project police" and start driving real organizational value? In this episode, host Samantha Varner sits down with Jerry Manas, internationally bestselling author of the Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook, to explore why terminology confusion stalls progress, how PMOs can shift from methodology enforcers to strategic change drivers, and...

Resource planning often gets treated like a numbers game: capacity, utilization, and forecasts. Our plans fail because we forget the people behind the work. In this episode, Jill Savage, a resource management pioneer, shares how great resource management goes beyond a list of names and allocations. From understanding personalities and career goals to recognizing when someone is overloaded or misal...

How do you plan when everything keeps changing? Hosted by Samantha Varner of ProSymmetry, this panel features Melissa Fry from Choice Hotels and Sarah Vincent from Honda sharing how they manage mid-cycle pivots, balance demand vs. capacity, and communicate trade-offs to leadership. Packed with real-world strategies, this session highlights how PMOs are staying flexible and effective in a fast-movi...

Most PMOs stall on resource planning because the data isn't perfect. Bob Blackburn, a PMO leader with 20+ years of experience, says stop waiting and explains exactly how to start. In this episode, Bob and host Samantha Varner break down: → Staffing vs. forecasting - and why most teams confuse the two → How to build capacity models for projects that don't exist yet → Why directionally accurate beat...

A podcast for PMO leaders, portfolio managers, and resource management professionals focused on strategic portfolio management, capacity planning, and connecting strategy to execution. In this trailer, host Samantha Varner shares what to expect from candid conversations about prioritization, demand vs. capacity, and the human side of planning. Follow to hear real-world insights on aligning strateg...