Air traffic control manages planes. PMOs manage projects. Both operate from above the chaos, coordinating complexity so everything moves safely and smoothly.
Just as controllers guide hundreds of flights without flying a single plane, PMOs guide dozens of projects without running each one directly. The pilots (project managers) handle the execution, but the PMO ensures the skies are clear.
Picture yourself at an airport. Planes are taking off, landing, and circling above, each with its own crew, passengers, and destination.
Who makes sure they don’t collide? Who decides which flights land first, which must wait, and which need to be rerouted?
That’s the job of air traffic control.
And in project management, the equivalent role is the Project Management Office (PMO).
Every project inside an organization is like a flight:
- It has a crew (the project team).
- It has a destination (the deliverable).
- It has passengers (stakeholders waiting for value).
But when dozens of projects run at the same time, chaos is inevitable without coordination. The PMO doesn’t “fly” the projects — it manages the airspace.
- Pilots = Project Managers – Focused on getting one project safely from start to finish.
- Air Traffic Control = PMO – Coordinates the bigger picture, prevents collisions, and ensures safe priorities.
- Airlines = The Organization – Concerned with efficiency, cost, and delivering value to customers.
The PMO ensures all projects succeed together without crashing into one another.
Like air traffic controllers, PMOs don’t sit in the cockpit — but they set the rules of the airspace.
Governance – Establishing processes, standards, and reporting.
Alignment – Ensuring projects tie back to organizational strategy.
Support – Providing tools, templates, and best practices.
Resource Management – Coordinating people, budgets, and timelines across projects.
Without this higher-level view, projects risk duplication, delays, and wasted effort.
I once worked with a company running more than 30 projects at once. Each team was delivering good work — but constantly clashing:
Competing for the same people.
Overlapping schedules.
Different definitions of success.
It was like having 30 planes all trying to land on the same runway.
When they built a PMO, priorities became clear. Resource conflicts disappeared. Leadership finally had visibility into which projects delivered the most value. Projects stopped colliding — and started landing safely.
Think like air traffic control:
Visibility First – Map the “airspace” of projects and resources.
Clear Standards – Ensure consistent processes and reporting.
Prioritization – Decide which projects land first, and which must wait.
Enable, Don’t Police – Provide guidance and support, not bureaucracy.
Align with Strategy – Keep every project moving toward organizational goals.
- Projects = Planes. Each has its own crew, mission, and destination.
- Project Managers = Pilots. They execute, navigating turbulence to deliver results.
- PMOs = Air Traffic Control. They manage the bigger picture and ensure safe, strategic alignment.
- Without a PMO, projects collide. With one, organizations thrive.
Air traffic controllers save lives by managing the skies. PMOs save organizations by managing complexity.
Both roles are invisible when done right — but absolutely vital.
So next time you see planes taking off and landing, ask yourself: Does your organization have the right air traffic control in place for its projects?
