Latest Publications
Leveraging Project Portfolio Management to Implement an Effective IT Governance Strategy
The discipline of IT Governance, a key aspect of overall corporate governance, has received increased attention over the last 10 years. This attention has been fueled by Y2K initiatives, the awareness that technology is core to every business, and the impact of the Enron collapse in 2000 with the resulting Sarbanes-Oxley legislation that mandated compliance requirements. Learn more about how companies are dealing with these challenges by reading this white paper.
Focus Under Pressure: Why Project Portfolio Management (PPM) becomes mission-critical in a down economy
When economic times get tough, PPM in one form or another becomes a necessity. While some organizations may not use the term PPM, economic forces drive them to look at the project list as an aggregate collection of expense buckets. With or without an integrated PPM solution, leaders get leaner while still maintaining their ability to produce value. Learn more about how experts deal with these challenges by reading this white paper.
Overcoming the Barriers to Productive PPM, Driving Adoption of Your PPM Solution
For years, organizations have been working to gain control over their projects. Yet despite the effort and resources invested in improving project management (PM), they are no closer to controlling the resulting projects. This white paper outlines the roadblocks organizations face in ensuring their PPM solutions are actually adopted. It’s written to help the PPM “champion,” or the person charged with driving the adoption of not just the PPM solution but the bigger-picture initiative behind it.
The SaaS Footprint: How SaaS Applications Change the Economics of Software
Software as a Service offers an efficient alternative to traditional installed software that runs on premise. Several developments best demonstrate the new SaaS economics: cost and speed of production; cost and speed of deployment; terms of payment; deployment of resources. This paper will examine these fundamental factors and discuss how they affect customers and vendors and improve the customer/vendor relationship.
PPM Megatrends
As we look forward to what’s next for Project Portfolio Management (PPM), there are several trends that will play out over the next few years. The fundamental tenets of PPM such as visibility and centralization of data will continue to drive value, but new trends are emerging now. This white paper summarizes several of the critical trends that are unfolding as PPM transitions from powerful concept to real-world practice.
Implementing Project Portfolio Management in Digestible Bites
It's tempting to undertake a complete PPM implementation all at once. But so often this can take many months, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. This white paper describes how you can implement an on-demand PPM solution in three steps, one at a time, in days instead of months, at a fraction of the cost of installed solutions.
The IT Project Dilemma: How a Fresh Approach to Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Can Help Save IT.
Only 34 percent of IT projects are considered to be truly successful, according to the Standish Group. PPM, which came on the scene in the late 1990s to help IT projects become more successful , has not measured up to its promise to solve the problem. The good news is that there is an alternative. There is a fresh new class of PPM solutions that will solve the IT project dilemma by helping IT organizations better manage their projects and processes to success. Read this informative white paper to find out how.
Future States: How Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Changes the Way We Create the Future
Organizations constantly change themselves in many ways, and those changes are brought about through projects and project portfolios. This white paper discusses how project management is transforming into Project Portfolio Management (PPM), and how PPM fundamentally alters how organizations create their desired future states.
Projects Are Investments: PPM is not just about Projects.
When IT projects are completed and systems are delivered, they don't just disappear. These completed projects can be termed in various ways: investments, assets, operational applications, etc. For the purpose of this white paper, we call them investments.
PPM is about more than just projects - it's about the effective deployment of available resources across the board. For a total picture of portfolio performance leaders must account for all activities, not just projects.
Read this informative white paper and learn how to maximize your valuable resources by balancing all the activities performed in your organization.
The PMO Conflict: So Much Promise, So Little Alignment
This paper describes why Project Management Offices (PMOs) fail and the three key ingredients for success.
Lean IT Governance: The Most Realistic and Attainable Approach to IT Governance.
The most realistic and attainable approach to IT Governance is a “lean” approach via Project Portfolio Management (PPM). The lean approach requires a light-footprint lifecycle, rapid implementation of proven practices, and centralized data. The lean approach is based on simplicity and achieveability, building on what works while establishing headroom for continuous improvement.
Training Change: Managing Change Through Project Portfolio Management Training.
Because Project Portfolio Management often represents a new way of doing business, a PPM training strategy must incorporate change management.
Yes or No: The Two Models for Implementing Project Portfolio Management.
There are two models for implementing a PPM system: the engagement profitability model and the budget alignment model. In the former, “projects” and “programs” are vehicles for managing revenue-generating engagements with customers. The budget alignment model corresponds with an operational environment where the value of projects varies and project costs are expense overhead. This paper shows how PPM improves performance with both models.
The Greater Sum: How Project Portfolio Management Complements a Finance System to Improve Financial Performance.
While finance systems provide a comprehensive, retrospective “record of truth” for financial performance, project portfolio management systems provide visibility, levers and controls to optimize key performance drivers of day-to-day operations. To improve financial performance of project-based organizations, both are required.
Apples to Apples: How Project Portfolio Management Increases Profitability.
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) increases profitability first by increasing the profitability of projects and resources. Over time, organizations using PPM gain insight into which products and customers are most profitable, and how lines of business can increase profitability.
