“Can I ask a silly, basic question?” a prospective client asked one of my colleagues Dale, as he was about to begin his pitch about Project Management as a Service.
“There’s no such thing as a silly question – fire away!” Dale replied.
“What even is PMaaS?”
Dale returned — signed contract in hand — his answer had been a winner: the big advantages of PMaaS are compelling. Flexibility. Reduced risk. Instant expertise. Compelling stuff.
It got us thinking:
Stoneseed were pioneers of IT Project Management as a Service (PMaaS), since then it’s one of those terms that’s become ubiquitous – had “PMaaS” become one of those things that people politely nod along to in meetings without always fully understanding — The EBITDA of the IT resourcing world!
(EBITDA – a standard of measurement banks use to judge a business’ performance. It stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation.)
ASK ME ANYTHING!
Actually, it isn’t a silly question! We should all be braver and ask questions to increase our understanding! After all, it’s how we start every PMaaS engagement—learning about you, how you do business and how we can help—can’t do that without asking questions!
So, if you’ve ever wanted to ask, “What actually is PMaaS?” or “Who is Stoneseed? “, my DMs are open, as they say. There is a page of FAQs on our website too, and 8 volumes of Stoneseed’s eBook “Straight Talk on Project Management”!
Stoneseed’s Head of Marketing had an idea. On social media, a celebrity (relaxing with a glass of wine or two) invited his audience: “Ask me anything!” The resulting thread was brilliant! So, long story short, we did this too … just without the wine!
In this post, we answer the questions you might be too embarrassed to ask — clearly, simply, and without the jargon! Whether you’re new to the concept of PMaaS or just looking for clarity … Ask me anything!
A – Some Foundational Questions
1 – What is PMaaS?
PMaaS stands for Project Management as a Service. It’s a flexible, on-demand model where project management expertise, tools, and resources are provided “as a service”. This means that instead of hiring permanent staff or relying solely on contractors, PMaaS gives you access to experienced professionals, frameworks, and governance when you need them, for as long as you need them.
2 – Who is Stoneseed?
Stoneseed is a Nottinghamshire based provider of PMaaS across the UK. We deliver flexible, high-quality project and programme management services across a range of sectors. Our team is employed by us, they share our company values and culture and can be embedded into client environments, supporting everything from single-project delivery to full PMO support.
3 – How experienced are your people?
Our consultants are career project professionals, not generalists or gig workers. With years of cross-sector experience, our teams bring deep expertise and are supported by Stoneseed’s robust methodologies, toolkits, and governance standards.
B – Common Misconceptions
4 – Is PMaaS just outsourcing under a fancy name?
No. While it involves external support, PMaaS is not traditional outsourcing. It provides a managed, strategic service that integrates with your business. Think of it as an extension of your team, not a hand-over to a separate one.
5 – Why is PMaaS better than hiring contractors?
Great contractors are worth their weight in gold, some of our best friends are contractors and they can offer temporary capacity, but PMaaS offers so much more: scalability, service-level agreements, integrated tools, performance monitoring, and governance. Plus, Stoneseed’s model ensures continuity and avoids the momentum churn that can come with contract-based resourcing.
6 – What happens to our PMO if we use PMaaS?
PMaaS doesn’t replace your PMO (unless you need that!), in many cases a Stoneseed PMaaS engagement leaves your PMO stronger and more effective. Whether you have a fully established PMO or none at all, PMaaS fills capability gaps, boosts delivery, and supports your internal team, rather than compete with it.
7 – Who actually manages my project — a freelancer or someone from your team?
All project professionals are employed by Stoneseed. That means they’re vetted, trained, and supported by a centralised team and structure, offering consistency, accountability, and quality control.
C – Commercial & Practical Questions
8 – Isn’t PMaaS just temporary cover cost-centre?
Not at all. While flexible, PMaaS provides structured value. You get access to expert talent, tools, governance, and reporting, without the overheads of recruitment, training, or long-term commitment.
9 – What does “flexible” actually mean?
It means that PMaaS can be scaled up or down in line with your needs.
One of PMaaS’ biggest strengths is scalability. Ramp up resources for complex delivery phases, then scale back during quieter periods, without compromising continuity or quality or wasting money on benched talent – with Stoneseed’s PMaaS you only pay for the resources you’ve used.
10 – Do I need to commit long-term?
No (although many repeat-clients do organically). PMaaS is designed to be flexible. You may choose month-to-month support or to ramp up/down depending on project demand. Remember – you only pay for what you need, when you need it.
D – Trust, Security & Delivery
11 – Is my project data safe with a PMaaS provider?
Yes. Naturally, Stoneseed follows strict data protection, compliance, and confidentiality protocols. Our consultants work within your environment, following your governance, backed up with ours.
12 – How quickly can you start?
This question is music to our ears! We can often mobilise within days, because our team is already in place and pre-vetted, we reduce the time (and friction) typically required for onboarding.
13 – Will PMaaS follow our preferred methodology?
Yes. Whether you use Agile, Waterfall, or a hybrid model, our consultants adapt to your working style and toolsets. That said, our people have years of experience across varying industries and sectors and often offer best practice guidance to enhance delivery.
14 – Why wouldn’t I just upskill or train my own staff instead?
As project delivery evangelists, we applaud this. Do upskill and train your talent. Of course, that takes time and investment (and there’s still no guarantee of delivery success). PMaaS gives you instant access to seasoned experts and proven delivery methods, without the risk, overhead, or delay.
Also, all Stoneseed team members love to teach, coach and mentor. I always urge clients to encourage their own people to be “knowledge sponges” during a PMaaS engagement – use the time to improve your skills and best practice.
ASK MORE QUESTIONS!!!!
There’s no shame in asking questions, even if you think they’re “silly” or “basic”. In fact, especially then!!! I think we should ask more questions.
On reflection, PMaaS might have begun to sound like jargon, this is a useful reminder about clarity and not assuming that we’re like some hive mind with a shared consciousness.
PMaaS benefits are pretty clear! PMaaS is about delivering successful projects with less risk, more control, greater flexibility and a fair and transparent commercial model.
If you’re curious about whether PMaaS is right for your organisation, or YOU have a question … call Stoneseed on 01623 723910 or get in touch online.
More about Project Management as a Service from Stoneseed
Sources
https://www.stoneseed.co.uk/faqs/
https://www.stoneseed.co.uk/project-management-as-a-service/