How can you manage multiple business services projects within a portfolio or program?

To manage your business services projects within a portfolio or program, you need to define your strategy and align it with your organizational or customer needs. This means identifying the scope, priorities, dependencies, risks, and resources of your portfolio or program, and establishing clear governance and decision-making processes. You also need to communicate your strategy and expectations to your project teams and stakeholders, and ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities.

The approach is similar, but not exact due to the difference between portfolio and program management. Managing multiple projects in a portfolio requires each project to have a reliable plan with trackable milestones forming the critical path, planned with a reasonable duration between milestones. This allows the Project Manager to track progress with early warning of the project going off schedule. If the milestones are too far apart, early warning is difficult. When managing multiple projects within a program, everything above applies. However, given the projects of a program are all heading towards the same end, properly sequencing the projects, and regularly reviewing the dependencies between the projects need to be added.

As Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until punched in the face. The most important attribute in managing complex programs is agility. This is particularly important if you are in a market where there are rapid and unexpected shifts due to ongoing technology advances, shifts in customers needs or government interventions. Your ability to change course and make unexpected choices without losing the focus on the big goal will define your success.

Crafting a portfolio strategy mirrors architectural precision. Each project is a brick, vital to the overarching structure. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” I start by aligning strategies to overarching organizational goals. The process involves delineating scope, prioritizing tasks, and deciphering dependencies. Resources are the essential scaffolding and governance, our blueprint. I employ the "Alignment Litmus Test" to ensure each project synchronizes with our objectives. With transparent communication, we ensure that every stakeholder’s role is clear. In this nexus of strategy and execution, each element is paramount. Together, we lay the foundation for enduring success.

Alongside a strong preparation of key milestones, good time management can lift or bury any project. And it’s not only about defining and adapting your major milestones, but also being capable of always having in mind for your decisions the timeline and deciding how you adapt accordingly.

As Bruce Lee once articulated, "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” In my journey, infusing Agility into our methodology has been transformative. Leveraging techniques like Scrum and Kanban, I've found a rhythm that allows structure and adaptability. While the bedrock remains consistent, agility lets us dance with the unexpected, pivot on a dime, and seize opportunities. In a landscape that's always in flux, it's not just about consistency; it's about consistently staying ahead. For me, that’s the Agile way.

In my experience, leveraging top portfolio and program management tools and techniques has brought immense benefits. Microsoft Project's comprehensive features ensure efficient planning and resource allocation. JIRA by Atlassian empowers Agile teams with effective sprint planning and progress tracking. PERT's visual network diagrams streamline task dependencies for quicker project timelines. Portfolio Scoring helps prioritize projects aligning with strategic goals, maximizing ROI. Balanced Scorecard's holistic approach ensures projects deliver financially and enhance customer satisfaction and organizational growth. These tools and techniques, tailored to specific needs, improve efficiency, decision-making, and overall project success.

A key to managing inter-dependencies and integration is communication. If one project is reliant upon another project’s outcome(s) for success, it is important for the reliant project to convey their need and gain agreement on both the need and the timing for satisfying the need. Facilitated workshops where all parties impacted (both providers and receivers) participate by negotiating the details of each dependent link to their project provides a consistent understanding and awareness across all affected players. It is vital the supplying project(s) understand the receiving project’s expectations. No surprises.

Watch for integration issues that reveal the need for foundational projects (projects that are required by more than one of the projects in the portfolio). These key projects usually don’t have a single owner. As such they either are difficult to get off the ground (everyone thinks it’s somebody else’s problem OR there are to many people who think the project belongs to them). These projects are risky and will need special attention, likely special governance.

Project interdependencies and integrations are complex frameworks and are paramount because it's at the core of project success. It's where projects converge, and their interactions can make or break outcomes. Efficiently managing these interconnections minimizes bottlenecks, enhances resource allocation, and ensures project alignment. Neglecting it risks a chaotic project landscape. I employ robust project management tools, clear communication, and meticulous planning to address this. It's the linchpin to delivering projects seamlessly and achieving organizational goals. Coz nothing is ever as linear as it might seem.

In my portfolio management journey, I've found these techniques to be invaluable: KPIs - They act as my compass, steering projects toward predefined goals and ensuring tangible outcomes. Earned Value Management (EVM) - Like a financial check-up, it's my pulse on project health, enabling swift course correction. Post-Implementation Reviews (PIRs) - These are my retrospectives, providing lessons learned for future endeavors and enhancing efficiency. Balanced Scorecard - It's my strategic map, ensuring my portfolio aligns with organizational goals and delivers on diverse metrics. Benchmarking - Like a competitive analysis, it sharpens my competitive edge, pinpointing areas to excel and areas needing improvement.

To manage multiple services, foster a brand-driven culture. Inject every action with the brand's core values and vision. Establish clear guidelines for consistent customer experiences. Empower teams with brand-aligned decision-making. Encourage cross-departmental collaboration, integrating the brand into all facets. Regularly refine the strategy to stay relevant. This unified approach ensures consistency and removes silos, cementing the brand's presence in every interaction. Brand as a holistic business transformation vector, not colour or shapes.