Project Portfolio | Delivery
Problem Statement
To start and successfully complete prioritised projects on time and within resource and budget limits.
Goals
Ensure that:
- prioritised projects are started and finished on time within resource and budget limits,
- risks and changes are identified,
- the project portfolio is regularly updated.
Approach
Responsibility for project execution lies with the project manager. When approval is given, it is conditional on delivering the project within schedule, personnel and cost limits. The project manager regularly monitors progress and summarises the status in reports. The Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) could then:
- consolidate the status information from project management at project portfolio level,
- monitor performance by comparing actual progress against plan,
- highlight deviations for appropriate actioning,
- perform selected reviews to assess project and project portfolio health.
Benefits
Monitoring the progress of individual projects at the portfolio level not only drives project progress, but also gives early warning of deviations that would negatively impact the project portfolio. Up-to-date information is crucial for prioritisation.
Process Implementation
Teamwork is essential. The teamwork between project portfolio management (PPM), PPMO and project management (PM) is summarised as follows:
Use Case
Martin, the Project Portfolio Manager updated the project portfolio on an ongoing basis with progress information. It became evident that projects from one part of the organisation would progress on track then struggle to cross the finishing line.
We reviewed the project portfolio, assessed progress and highlighted deviations. We then analysed the deviations and discovered that in most cases schedule had been impacted due to personnel not being available.
The “disruption” of personnel availability was caused by the following factors:
- core business activities priority being prioritised,
- delays in other projects,
- the existence of “submarine” projects, unseen, and therefore not considered during prioritisation.
Projects impacted by core business activities or delays in other projects were re-scheduled, and the “submarine” projects were surfaced by bringing them into the project portfolio. Martin then re-prioritised the portfolio with the leadership team to establish a baseline for moving forward.
More PPMO Services
Consolidation of projects in a portfolio, planning of personnel and cost requirements, alignment of the strategic goals of the business, prioritisation within approved limits.