When you have an idea that you want to turn into a reality, you will need project management to ensure it comes in on time and under budget.
When you have a number of projects, whether they be in IT, construction, healthcare, mining or any other field, you have a portfolio of projects that need management.
Welcome to the world of project portfolio management
This is where strategic decision makers and execution teams must work in unison to ensure opportunities fit business objectives, where requests for projects are compared with projects already in the pipeline to get the right mix, and where the pipeline is analysed to ensure enough people and money are assigned every step of the way.
When you think of portfolio project management, it helps to think of portfolios in terms of either an artist’s portfolio or an investor’s portfolio.
In both cases, there is a coherence of the parts that reflect an overall vision or strategy.
The challenge in project portfolio management is that the parts are always moving. There are overlapping life-cycles with new projects constantly being submitted for evaluation and possible commitment of resources.
It would be so much easier if, like an artist’s portfolio, there was simply a collection of artworks or songs, or like an investor’s portfolio where the mix is determined and then the assets are bought and held. The constant flux in project portfolio management means you need a methodology for evaluating what to do and to do it right.
How else will you manage multiple task lists, various approvals, status reports, financial reports, project reports, and templates? How else will you identify and manage risks, issues and changes?
Our flagship software, Mariner Project & Portfolio Management, provides a consistent, comprehensive approach for initiating project requests, creating project plans, collecting project costs, and tracking time, status and deliverables across multiple projects at all stages of their life-cycle.