Portfolio Governance Controls
Presence of portfolio targets and metrics to represent all dimensions of governance (such as financial, technical, regulatory compliance, and strategy).
Main Description

Overview

This metric establishes the link between the operational and strategic layers of the organization by using the Portfolio Management model. An important dimension of the portfolio management value proposition is to provide a framework to manage and trace management accountability across the product portfolio decision process.

The linkage between the operational and strategic layers of the organization can take several shapes, depending on several internal and external factors. There are some drivers that can influence the specific portfolio governance metrics that need to be part of the portfolio management process:

  • Management organizational structures and responsibilities
  • Capabilities of the supporting systems
  • Level of management oversight imposed by industry regulations and compliance requirements

Measurement method

Total number of portfolio governance controls that apply to each type of (proposed or ongoing) work.

Measurement analysis

This metric is typically represented across the entire lifecycle of the portfolio management model, both as part of the initial review and assessment of new work being considered for inclusion in the portfolio as well as during the ongoing monitoring and controlling activities.

Examples

Some metrics, such as "funding approval," focus on tracking that specific steps or tasks are diligently conducted as part of the reviews and approvals of work. This typically serves to demonstrate that no exceptions to the approval process are allowed.

Other metrics, such a "proportion of projects released without a budget baseline," are designed to reflect the general quality of the information used for management decisions. In such cases, the metric is used to capture the current state of business, which helps executives set targets for improvement and measure the progression toward those targets.