Project Portfolio Management: A View from the Management Trenches

Written by ten successful project portfolio managers from companies including AAA, Boeing, Franklin Templeton, Johnson & Johnson, Safeway, and the UK Government, this easy-to-follow guide takes you through the project portfolio management process. It's based on what actually works, giving you a clear road map and the tools needed to determine the optimal mix and sequencing of projects in order to meet your organization's goals. The book begins by explaining basic PPM principles and why PPM is more critical than ever for business success. This introduction is followed by a story, tracking the experiences of a manager new to PPM as he discovers the issues that all of us face in trying to get traction with our PPM initiatives. In answering the questions our story raises, the book then details each step of the PPM process, using cases and examples drawn from the authors' first hand experience to help you address such key questions as:

• Which projects should our organization invest in?

• How can we optimize our organization's capacity?

• How well are we executing the PPM process?

• Can our organization absorb all the changes that our PPM plan requires?

• Are we achieving all the expected benefits?

The authors are all members of the Enterprise Portfolio Management Council, a group of senior portfolio management executives dedicated to helping organizations develop their own portfolio management capabilities. Now you can benefit from their collective wisdom and experience, and duplicate their successful results within your own organization.

James Pennypacker has directed benchmarking projects on management topics, including strategy and projects, portfolio management, PMOs, and process maturity. He is the author/editor of several books, including Seven Steps to Strategy Execution, Project Portfolio Management Maturity Model, and Managing Multiple Projects.

San Retna has spent over twenty years deploying and operating project, program, and portfolio management capabilities. He is the Vice President of IT Effectiveness at Safeway, Inc. As a thought leader, he has been profiled in numerous publications including CFO magazine, CIO magazine, Computerworld, and PM Network. Case studies of successes have also been published by Gartner, Corporate Executive Board, and the Project Management Institute.