São Paulo’s Project Management
Market at Mid-2026
REPORT
By João Henrique Pettená do Carmo, PMP®
São Paulo, Brazil
Introduction
This report revisits the three recurring angles established in this author’s February 2026 baseline for the São Paulo region: governance maturity, delivery capacity, and market professionalization (do Carmo, 2026a). It updates each angle using developments observed through the first half of 2026 and, where relevant, the opening weeks of the third quarter. The report closes two items flagged earlier in the year: the VMO Summit 2026, treated as an observable signal of the PMO-to-VMO discussion, and the July 2026 PMP® examination transition, identified in the April report as a development to watch (do Carmo, 2026b). It also reviews selected project management events whose agendas illuminate the broader Brazilian conversation. Because public event programs and training offerings are market signals rather than audited maturity data, the conclusions below are framed as evidence of direction, not as a statistical measurement of adoption.
Keywords: project management, São Paulo, Brazil, PMO, VMO, PMP exam, governance, artificial intelligence, regional report
- Returning to the Baseline
In February 2026, this column introduced three recurring angles for observing the São Paulo project management market: governance maturity, delivery capacity, and market professionalization (do Carmo, 2026a). Six months later, governance has moved most visibly. The PMBOK® Guide, Eighth Edition explicitly includes governance among its seven project management performance domains (PMI, 2025a), while artificial intelligence has become more prominent in standards, credentialing, training, and event agendas.
Delivery capacity and market professionalization have also changed, although the evidence at mid-year is more concrete for credentialing and capability-building than for labor-market outcomes. The sections below therefore distinguish official data and program information from this author’s interpretation of what those signals may mean for the São Paulo market.
- Angle (a): Governance Maturity and the VMO Question
São Paulo’s portfolio and risk management practices continued a pattern already visible in February: larger organizations increasingly frame project governance in terms of value delivery rather than schedule and cost compliance alone. This orientation was the explicit premise of VMO Summit 2026, held in São Paulo on May 12-13. In its fourth edition, the event was presented by UGlocal as a national gathering focused on value-creation strategies, bringing together leaders from projects, processes, technology, innovation, strategy, transformation, and operations (UGLOCAL, 2026). Its continuity and breadth are useful indicators that the PMO-to-VMO discussion has become more institutionalized in Brazil’s management community…
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How to cite this report: do Carmo, J. H. P. (2026). Governance Takes Center Stage: São Paulo’s Project Management Market at Mid-2026, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue VIII, August. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pmwj167-Aug2026-do-Carmo-governance-takes-center-stage.pdf
About the Author
João Henrique Pettená do Carmo
São Paulo, Brazil
João Henrique Pettená do Carmo is a Project Manager (PMP®) based in São Paulo State, Brazil, with 19 years of experience across the energy, infrastructure, engineering, and industrial sectors. He holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP), an LL.B. from UNISAL/SP, and has completed Six Sigma training through Kennesaw State University, with additional specializations in project management from the University of Colorado System and the University of Leeds.
João Pettená has contributed to projects for organizations including AGCO, Boticário, CPFL, General Electric, GLP Properties, Jacuzzi, JBS Seara, Nissin Foods, and Zongshen Machinery. He serves as an International Correspondent for PM World Journal in Brazil, covering São Paulo and the broader Brazilian market. He has authored professional and academic publications on project, program, and portfolio management, including peer-reviewed contributions to international journals. He is also a Project Manager for the Learning and Development program at the PMI São Paulo Chapter, Campinas Branch.
João Pettená can be contacted at pettena.joao@pm.me
Author profile: https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/joao-henrique-pettena-do-carmo/
