What Is the PMI Global Awards?

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world’s leading authority on project management. Since 1969, it has helped organisations and individuals deliver more effectively through professional certifications (like PMP and PMI-ACP), global frameworks (including the PMBOK Guide), and community networks such as PMINZ here in Aotearoa.

Its Global Awards recognise PMOs that drive significant business value, strategic alignment, innovation, and community impact.

Cel’s judging role involves rigorous assessment of entries from organisations across the globe. Each PMO is evaluated on a wide range of criteria: its establishment and evolution, the value it delivers internally, its contribution to external communities, and its capacity to innovate and adapt.

The Power of a Great PMO

Over the course of her judging, Cel has reviewed dozens of submissions – each one offering a unique perspective on how project offices operate across different industries and cultural contexts. But the most successful ones all share a common thread: they are change enablers.

“Strong PMOs are game changers,” Cel explains. “They drive efficiency, strategic focus, and smarter decisions across all levels of an organisation.”

Her experience highlights that the impact of a PMO often goes beyond just operational performance. The best PMOs become a driving force for social and environmental responsibility, delivering value that benefits not just the organisation, but communities and the planet as well.

Elevating Project Delivery Worldwide

Cel has personally led teams of over 100 people, delivered 7,000+ projects, and embedded best-practice frameworks into large-scale consulting environments. Under her leadership, those projects were completed 100% within budget – a rare feat in the project world.

These accomplishments aren’t just numbers; they reflect a consistent commitment to strong governance, people leadership, and continuous improvement. As a PMI Judge, she brings this lens to the judging process – valuing not just flashy metrics, but long-term impact, adaptability, and cultural alignment.

Sustainability and Community Impact

One of the most meaningful aspects of the Global Awards for Cel is the emphasis on community impact and environmental sustainability. These are not just ‘nice to have’- they’re part of the core criteria for winning.

Cel has reviewed submissions from PMOs that have contributed to reducing pollution, lowering carbon footprints, and investing in local community wellbeing. In her eyes, this demonstrates the growing role PMOs play in creating a better world – not just a better business.

Looking Ahead: A Bigger Platform for Change

As Cel looks to the future, her focus is on growing awareness of the PMI Global Awards – both internationally and within New Zealand. She’s passionate about helping businesses and industries understand just how transformative good project management can be.

Cel remains committed to promoting the value of PMOs as enablers of lasting progress. Whether it’s through governance, community initiatives, or sustainable delivery models, she believes PMOs have a vital role to play in shaping a better tomorrow.

The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong 

When system implementations go wrong, the impact is never limited to IT. It spreads across departments, processes, and people:

• Lost time spent evaluating, implementing, and ultimately reworking the solution
• Budget blowouts from change requests, additional staffing, and delays
• Internal disruption, with teams stuck using systems that don’t suit their needs
• Strategic setbacks , as business transformation goals fall flat

Worse still, some organisations go live with systems they know aren’t working – because it’s too late to turn back.

But here’s the thing: many of these costly outcomes are entirely preventable with the right support – before you go to market.

Why Executives Need Strategic System Advice – Before They Go to Market

When system implementations go wrong, the impact is never limited to IT. It spreads across departments, processes, and people:

Choosing a new payroll, HCM, or workforce management system is a high-stakes decision. These platforms underpin your compliance, employee experience, reporting, and operational efficiency.

Executive teams often underestimate just how complex these decisions can be. Without clear visibility into system limitations, market options, or how different platforms align with their business strategy, it’s easy to head down the wrong path. That’s where strategic system advice comes in.

Independent, vendor-agnostic guidance at the outset helps you:

• Clarify your real requirements and success criteria
• Understand your existing system landscape and technical debt
• Align internal stakeholders before engaging vendors
• Avoid getting swept up in the sales pitch for a system that won’t deliver long-term value

Common Mistakes That Derail System Projects

Without strategic planning upfront, businesses often fall into the same traps:

1. Rushing into an RFP process

Teams are under pressure to move fast – but launching an RFP without defined requirements or a robust business case is a recipe for misalignment.

2. Prioritising the shiny over the strategic

It’s easy to be sold on a sleek interface or a long feature list. But good design means nothing if the system doesn’t handle local compliance requirements or complex leave calculations.

3. Chasing the “all-in-one” dream

There’s a common assumption that one platform can do everything better. In reality, “all-in-one” often means trade-offs across critical areas. For some organisations, a best-of-breed approach may be a better fit – if it’s mapped correctly.

4. Forgetting the bigger picture

HCM systems never operate in isolation. They must integrate with rostering, finance, reporting, recruitment, learning management, and more. Without ecosystem thinking, organisations find themselves trapped in silos or reliant on fragile manual workarounds.

What Strategic Advice from Alxemy Covers

Strategic system advice isn’t about picking a product – it’s about designing a smarter path forward.

• System Landscape Reviews
  We help you understand your current systems, what’s working, what’s not, and where technical debt may be creating risk.
• Fit-for-Purpose Assessments
  We go beyond feature lists to evaluate whether a system will actually solve your organisation’s pain points.
• Ecosystem Thinking
  We look at the whole picture: how any new system will interact with your other tools, departments, and workflows.
• Strategic Roadmapping
  We help you define what needs to be done now, what can wait, and what to avoid – saving you time, budget, and headaches down the line.

–The Value of Vendor-Agnostic Advice

When it comes to system selection, neutrality matters. At Alxemy, we don’t sell on commission or push a preferred platform. Our role is to help you make the best decision for your organisation – based purely on your needs, not someone else’s sales target.

We bring independent, strategic thinking to the table. That means:

• Clear guidance based on your goals and system landscape
• Honest assessments of vendor claims and limitations
• Confidence to walk away from poor-fit options – even the shiny ones

In a space crowded with noise and pressure, neutral advice cuts through. It helps you see past the marketing, weigh up the trade-offs, and choose a solution that genuinely works for your people, processes, and future plans.

Because choosing the right system isn’t about brand names – it’s about business fit.

How This Advice Changes the Game

When it comes to system selection, neutrality matters. At Alxemy, we don’t sell on commission or push a preferred platform. Our role is to help you make the best decision for your organisation, based purely on your needs, not someone else’s sales target.

Engaging strategic advice before you go to market shifts the entire trajectory of your system implementation.

Rather than reacting to vendor proposals or forcing your business to fit a product, you lead with clarity: knowing exactly what you need, where you’re heading, and what success looks like long term. That alignment creates ripple effects:

• Faster decisions, with everyone on the same page from day one
• Less friction across teams, with HR, finance, IT, and operations aligned
• Stronger vendor management, driven by a clear brief and firm priorities
• Smoother implementation, with realistic expectations and fewer surprises
• Minimal rework, because your system is designed for you; not someone else

When the groundwork is solid, implementation stops being firefighting, and starts being transformation.

That’s the power of getting it right early.

Thinking about a new system? Already planning an RFP?

Wherever you are in the process, Alxemy’s Strategic System Advice gives you the clarity, confidence, and structure to get it right from the start.

What you get:

✔️ Fixed pricing – no surprises
✔️ Independent advice – based on your needs, not sales targets
✔️ Real-world experience – across leading payroll, HCM, and workforce systems

Visit the Strategic System Advice page or get in touch for a no-pressure chat about your plans.