"Ideas are easy. Execution is everything."
John Doerr
Service Offerings
Execute with Excellence: We target four capabilities that have the greatest influence on an organization’s ability to execute their strategy: Strategic Planning Process/Portfolio Management, Program/Project Management (PMO), Organizational Change Management, and Operational Excellence.
Strategic Planning Process
Your multi-year strategy should be clearly understood and aligned with proper near-term objectives, expected key results and an optimal project portfolio built for maximum return on investment.
-
Check for 360 degree organizational goal alignment
-
Test how well employee understand the vision, mission and strategy
-
Analyze the project selection process to ensure the right projects are chosen based on objective criteria and revalidated over time
Operational Excellence
High-performing companies who achieve their ambitions are data-driven, and have a culture of continuous improvement with a set of rational management routines to ensure the right conversations with the right accountable parties are happening at the right time with clarity of purpose and bias for action.
-
Study current KPIs and measurement system for their root cause analysis effectiveness
-
Enable systematic problem solving and performance improvement through proven methods like Lean/Six Sigma/Kaizen
-
Review all recurring meetings to ensure they are right-sized, purposeful and effectively facilitated
Program/Project Management (PMO)
You should have multiple, fit-for-purpose project management methods that de-risk projects of all sizes, from Business Transformations to Agile-Developed software enhancements ensuring committed business value is realized, on-time and on-budget.
-
Turnaround struggling programs, updating your project management practices as we go
-
Modernize PMO methods, roles, tools and processes
Organizational Change Management
Since change is constant, managing change should be a core competency. By establishing a human-centric approach to accelerating and sustaining change across the organization, you can realize the full benefits of your investments.
-
Evaluate change management methods practices, such as Leadership Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Employee Engagement, Resistance Management and Training
-
Analyze the quality of 1-2 recent changes deployed
Case Studies
Human-Centric Change Management
Problem: Following its acquisition of Legacy Bank, Enterprise Bank needed to quickly transition 40 branches and 1,000 Personal Bankers to Enterprise’s proven sales process and tools. While the new system had delivered impressive results the previous year, significant resistance was anticipated. Many Legacy Bank employees didn’t view themselves as “salespeople,” necessitating a mindset shift—from selling products to offering solutions. Solution: A structured, human-centric deployment strategy was implemented. It included tailored training, mentorship from respected Legacy Bank leaders, and a competitive certification process post-launch. A Resistance Matrix (heatmap) was used to gauge adoption levels and guide interventions. Key tactics included pairing influential early adopters with resistant peers, amplifying success stories from trusted colleagues, and frequently—and publicly—recognizing those embracing the new approach. Result: Despite early resistance, the new sales process drove measurable success: a 13% increase in units per full-time employee per day, surpassing the target improvement by 10%. One Personal Banker captured the shift best: “Once I spoke with my colleague, I saw how others overcame their fears. Now, I’m helping my customers and selling more products than ever before.”
Project Rescue: Speed-to-Value
Problem: My Commercial and Supply Chain colleagues were facing significant revenue loss—approximately $300M—and growing customer dissatisfaction due to the inability to ship on-time and in-full. Although a project had been launched to address the issue, it had stalled with no measurable progress. I was asked to diagnose the problem and deliver a solution—fast. Solution: Through my Project Health Assessment, I uncovered three core issues driving 80% of the problem: unclear roles, ineffective collaboration, and a lack of urgency. I streamlined the project structure, retaining only essential roles and eliminating unnecessary participants. Meetings lacked direction and accountability, so I implemented a structured cadence and trained a facilitator to ensure forward momentum. Additionally, the existing plan focused solely on long-term fixes that would take up to a year to implement. I rebalanced the workstreams to include both strategic automation and quick, low-tech wins to deliver immediate value. Result: The project achieved 9 out of 11 success criteria, improving performance from 72% to 90% and capturing an estimated $50M in incremental revenue. With short-term improvements fully implemented, the project was declared a success, and long-term systemic changes were handed off to a dedicated initiative.
PMO Reimagined for Value
Problem: After a major reorganization, Global Tech adopted a product-based model with agile delivery, putting the PMO’s role—and its 50+ Project and Program Managers—into question. With responsibilities shifting to Product Managers, Scrum Masters, and Agile Coaches, the CIO reinforced one expectation: the PMO must still lead large, complex programs. Historically, the team had played a limited role—mainly status meetings and regional deployments. Solution: We reimagined the PMO to align with the new operating model. Team members were assessed for strengths in program delivery and agile roles. Complex initiatives were shifted to our most capable talent, while attrition enabled us to hire senior leaders—offset by reduced reliance on expensive consultants. In partnership with Tech and Product, we created a Program Management Playbook to solidify our role as a strategic, value-driving function. Result: In one year, we scaled from supporting 25% of strategic programs to 100%, while saving $6M in consulting spend. The PMO delivered better project outcomes and improved stakeholder satisfaction—capturing feedback like, “Your team is now invaluable to our success.”
Renee A. Giacalone, Founder & CEO
A 30+ year career built on relentless curiosity, systematic problem solving, obsessive customer-centricity, and a unwavering commitment to coaching and developing people.
Specialties: Strategic Planning | Project Portfolio Management | Business Transformation | Program Management | EPMO | Organizational Change Management | Operational Excellence | Continuous Improvement | Team Leadership & Development
Key Roles
McDonald’s Corporation
VP, Global Technology, Strategy & Planning
Kellogg Company
Senior Director, North America PMO Executive; Director, IT PMO, Center of Excellence Lead
Centric Consulting
Partner/Director, Account Manager, PMO Practice Lead
Bank of America
Senior Vice President, Six Sigma Black Belt, Sales Process Owner, Market Manager, Mortgage PMO
Standard Register
Director, Account Manager, Region Manager, Operations Manager, Six Sigma Black Belt
WISE Women's Club
Join a safe space where professional women can come together to learn what isn’t taught in school or on the job. Through shared experiences and real-world lessons from those who’ve been there, we empower each other to navigate corporate America with confidence.
Want to learn more?
Fill out the form to contact me.