Executive Summary
As much as Project Management is about doing projects right, Portfolio Management is about doing the right projects. If you pick the right projects – based on defined processes and objective data, the result is an enviable portfolio of high value projects: a portfolio that is properly balanced and most importantly, supports your business strategy.
This whitepaper is written from an end user’s perspective to discuss Microsoft Project Server 2010’s extensive Project Portfolio Management, also known as PPM, capability. It is not enough to complete individual projects, or even related programs on time, within scope, and on budget. Today’s business environment requires that the work executed by an organization supports the organization’s strategic business objectives and goals. This paper will explore the topic of PPM from the top down in identifying the importance of pertinent business drivers and how those form vision, goals, objectives, and the eventual roadmap to project selection. And from bottom up in illustrating the powerful features now within Project Server 2010 to be an indispensible tool in matching these drivers to the appropriate projects and programs.
Microsoft Project 2010 was built with the business user in mind. Leveraging advanced technology that allows end users and project stakeholders the ability to:
- Identify and map key business drivers that encourage the concise definition of strategic goals and objectives for an organization
- Ensure project and program selection is an objective, data driven process
- Select, execute and manage the appropriate initiatives
- Illustrate the value of PPM no matter what type or size of organization
This paper serves all individuals across an enterprise from top level decision-maker executives, to mid-level managers responsible for moving endeavors forward, to in-the-trenches teams doing the actual task to task work on these endeavors. Every player has its important place in PPM. It is an enterprise-wide process that succeeds or fails as a result of its adoption and support. Great rewards happen from success, but let it fail at your organization’s own peril!
Webcasts
Title
Date/Time
Description
Presenter
Overview of Project Portfolio Management Using Project Server 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 9:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
In this webcast, we focus on using Microsoft Project Server 2010 to prioritize and select a project portfolio that aligns with your organization's strategic priorities. The seamless unification of portfolio strategy and Project Server makes end-to-end project and portfolio management easier than ever. Join us to learn how to use best practice techniques to prioritize driving business factors, optimize and select the best project portfolio, and identify ways to improve efficiency. Other topics we cover in detail include the importance of project portfolio management, business drivers, industry-specific business drivers, creating business drivers, departmental association of business drivers, and prioritizing business drivers.
Tim Runcie, President, MVP, Advisicon, Inc.
Deep Dive into Project Portfolio Management Using Project Server 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010 8:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Managing projects in a corporate portfolio is not a simple task. How do you track multiple resources? How do you set priorities? How do you analyze project budget? Portfolio management makes it possible for you to evaluate and prioritize projects to ensure that you invest your resources and budget where they are needed most. Join this webcast to learn about developing and rolling out a strategic planning and portfolio management process using Microsoft Project Server 2010. Discover the tools and techniques you need to succeed, find out how to ensure that your projects are properly prioritized and aligned with your business strategy, see a demonstration of successful portfolio management, and understand the benefits of implementing Project Portfolio Management using Project Server 2010.
Tim Runcie, President, MVP, Advisicon, Inc.
You need to register for the free of charge webcast by clicking the links below; then you get emailed a link to sign on and participate in the web cast on its date and time (please note only the first two webcast are available for registration at this stage). Each TechNet webcast is recorded for later viewing which should be through the same registration URL: http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/epm.aspx?tab=webcasts
As a reminder a similar white paper and webcasts focused on Demand Management were published and delivered in May, 2010:
- Project Server 2010 Demand Management white paper
- Project Server 2010 Demand Management (Part 1 of 4): Overview
- Project Server 2010 Demand Management (Part 2 of 4): Create and Select Phases
- Project Server 2010 Demand Management (Part 3 of 4): Plan, Manage, and Close Phases
