Task: Monitor Portfolio and Conduct Reviews
Monitor the portfolio aggregate and the components level to validate their performance, contribution, and overall impact on the portfolio.
Disciplines: Portfolio Management Tasks
Purpose
  • To consolidate measurements, performance, and trends collected during a set of periodic reviews that involve all executive, management, and operational teams
  • To escalate issues, risks, and changes of scope that require management action and approval
Main Description

Consolidate, analyze, and report current and predicted performance relative to all dimensions of the portfolio, consistent with prescribed formats and standards, measured against predefined targets, plans, and budgets, in support of the portfolio decision framework.

The end-to-end portfolio monitor and control process is composed of a series of supporting data review cycles, including daily team status and assignments, weekly project updates, monthly product reviews, and quarterly executive reviews.

The collection and aggregation of data in support of those distinct but connected cycles are ongoing processes that produce specific deliverables and reports used at particular points in time of the overall portfolio review cycle. This series of cascading reviews is carried out based on validated input about progress, performance, risks, issues, capacities, and constraints, as well as the realization of expected benefits and changes to conditions under which all work within the portfolios is being executed.

During the various reviews, each component of the portfolio is assessed, measured, and reported in relation to its expected contribution, as well as its relationships and dependencies with other components and the portfolio as a whole. These review cycles are typically included within the overall portfolio monitoring activities:

  • Yearly or biannual business planning cycles
  • Quarterly executive and portfolio reviews
  • Monthly product and project reviews
  • Weekly project reviews and status meetings (phase or gate lifecycles)
  • Daily project team updates and assignments

The main dimensions represented within the decision framework must be consistent with those used to optimize the portfolios, such as these criteria:

  • Strategic objectives (for example: time to market and cost leadership)
  • Market conditions and situations (personas and user profiles)
  • Competitive situations
  • Financial targets and metrics (for example: return on investment (ROI), internal rate of return (IRR), return on assets, and payback)
  • Capacity (headcounts and facilities)
  • Technical and architectural constraints and objectives 
  • Risk tolerance thresholds

Although these reviews occur at defined frequencies (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly), the horizon of planning of the portfolio management framework will span a period varying between 18 to 36 months and up to 3 to 5 years, depending on the nature and culture of the organization.

The main outcome of this task is the production of validated and reliable data and information for making portfolio decisions and selections.