Managing Multiple Projects
(Portfolio Management)
Course Description: Portfolio Management is the current approach to decision making and project execution in organizations that pursue concurrent development of multiple projects. It features a phase and gate approach to development projects that optimizes the total throughput of the portfolio rather than of individual projects. In a resource constrained environment, portfolio management provides a powerful tool for decision making.
Upon completing this course students should be able to:
- Identify and employ strategies for project selection and backlog management
- Learn to manage and satisfy stakeholder expectations
- Learn to optimize resource utilization
- Learn to maximize total project output
- Learn to balance organizational risk
- Learn to grow and maintain project team enthusiasm and energy
Course Agenda
1) Day one opening activities
a) Objectives, agenda, ground rules
b) Participant introductions
2) What is portfolio project management
3) Project selection
a) Strategic intent
b) The BCG model
c) Risk analysis
i) Opportunity
ii) Threat
d) Cash flow analysis
e) Competency vs. constraint analysis
i) Project selection exercise
4) The multiple project pipeline
a) Initiation
b) Planning
c) Critical factor execution
d) Termination
e) Fulfillment execution
f) closeout
i) Project planning exercise
5) Day one closing activities
a) Review lessons learned
b) Feedback
6) Day two opening activities
a) Review of objectives
7) Risk management
a) Identifying unknowns and uncertainties
b) Balancing threats and opportunities
c) Defining SMART objectives
d) Establishing gate criteria
e) Managing change
i) Decision tree exercise
8) Time management
a) Critical resources
b) Integrating project schedules
c) Sharing project resources
d) Virtual project teams
e) Partnering
9) Gate reviews
a) Roles and responsibilities
b) Six keys
c) Backlog integration
i) Gate review exercise
10) Day two closing activities
a) Review of objectives
b) Review lessons learned
Feedback