Project, Programme and Portfolio

Management Tools

Independent Project & Programme Management Specialist

MPhil in project management Honorary Fellow, Association for Project Management Honorary President ProgM, the Programme Management SIG Subject Matter Expert, PMI Program Management Standard Author of:

Project Management Demystified Programme Management Demystified

Co-Author of: One Project Too Many Gower Handbook of Programme Management

Project Planning, Scheduling, Tracking and Monitoring

Portfolio Management Tools Document Management Reporting and Communications

3

Monitoring

Consolidation ofMultiple Workstreams

Programme Planning

Project Planning & Monitoring

Team Planning & Monitoring

Timesheets

High Initial Costs

High Maintenance Costs

Powerful

Complex

Budgetary Control

Resource Capacity Planning

Risk & Issue Registers

Earned Value Analysis

Benefit Management

Change Control

Reporting

Project planning Scheduling Resource allocation Project Progress Tracking Time Sheets

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• Lengthy• Laborious• Slow• Excessive human intervention• Potentially inaccurate• Data is usually out of date• Many versions of the truth• Data sometimes serves different needs

Programme Management Information Systems (PMIS) are used designed to automate these processes

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•Multi-project view• schedules• budgets• traffic lights• slice and dice for reports• cross – project links• total resource requirements

Microsoft ProjectMicrosoft Enterprise Program Manager EPM (Portfolio Server)

Oracle/Primavera

Hydra4CMercuryHP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM)

These are big, complex, multi-user systems, not desk top applications

Store Documents Centrally Consistent Reduced errors Reduced emails Provides

Version control Access control Links to tasks, products, risks, issues etc. Search tools Applying standards via templates etc.

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Document storage Version & Access control Chat rooms Forums & Discussion Threads Contact List Equipment Tracking

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http://www.web-based-software.com/project-management/

ProjectPlaceDropBox

Informing, getting decisions Instructing Explaining Dashboards Alerting WorkFlow

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Understand the needs of the reader, just enough and no more

SharePoint based Program Management Information Systems PMIS

Updates on Current Workload Model combinations of existing and new

work Build scenarios

Schedule Investment Benefits Resource requirements Risks

Make informed decisions

Approval Approval to Proceedto Proceed

PPM Selection and Approval

Process

PPM Selection and Approval

Process

DiscoveryDiscoveryprojectsprojects

SuggestionsSuggestions

Live ProjectsLive Projects

ProgressProgressUpdatesUpdates

Strategy

When choosing from many options, helps you evaluate and compare them

If you are assessing unexpected external influence, allows you to assess the impact using “what if” scenarios

You can start with simple tools based on spreadsheet, progressing later to more sophisticated dedicated modelling software

16They are an AID – they won’t make the decisions for you!

Projects underway to achieve Aims

Urb

an

Reg

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atio

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Hea

lthie

r C

itize

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Impr

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ac

cess

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serv

ices

Cle

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reen

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Saf

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Tow

ards

5%

ef

ficie

ncy Comments

Belfast Estate - new house project H H M M ?

Consider prioritising projects - which order would they be in?

Upgrading zoo facilities M M L L D

Should this be delayed or put on hold if resources are limited?

Building a new leisure centre L M M D/L ?

Are there any disbenefits (D) e.g. to cleaner greener safer depending on where it is located? Are there links to Healthier citizens?

New 1 stop shop M L L L ?

This should have a low priority as it has no "high"linkages - what staff are being used here? Should they be reallocated to higher priority ones?

Review of Customer Access services L L H M M

Should this have a clear dependency to the project above?

IT project to improve shared services L L H M H

What has been done in this project against the 5% efficiency targets that could be replicated on others?

Sample Corporate Aims

Risk and Issues Request for Information Personal Expenses Change Control Financial Control Benefits Capacity Planning

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Just enough and no more to be in control Consistent processes, standards and

terminology – don’t keep re-explaining how Simple tools and templates to start with Keep written material short and to the point Supplement with lots of quality face to face

communication

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Ensure there is enough time allowed for staff to learn

Project, Programme and

Portfolio Management

Tools Can help – visibility, professional, governanceBut a fool with a tool is still a fool