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Innovation - Portfolio Management - Part 2
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- Rikus Grobler
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Background
We are on the topic of Project and Portfolio Management (PPM). I discussed the value of PPM and established that the aim of PPM is to determine the best grouping and sequencing of projects to achieve the organisations’ business goals. In this article I want to go into more detail on the methodology of PPM and also make the case for an integrated PPM system.
Portfolio Management Methodology
In essence a PPM methodology is about having accurate information in the right view in order to facilitate the process of making the best choices, taking the applicable constraints into consideration. Portfolio metrics are an important part of PPM, i.e. defined, standard measurements to evaluate different project and program combinations. It does not have to be overly complex and elaborate; it can be as straightforward as a Net Present Value (NPV) calculation, as long as it makes sense for the organisation’s circumstances and environment.
This Week In The Khuta - The Cross and the Bunny
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- Daniel Kavishe
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Easter is here. A period which is characterized by Easter eggs, the lovable Easter Bunny and for Christians it also includes the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To most though, it is simply a period when one can stay clear of the usual commitments and a have an opportunity to sit back and smell the roses. But I have a very pertinent question: “what is the true meaning of this holiday?”
This period portrays the best representation of love. It doesn’t matter what creed you follow but there is something truly magical in acknowledging that in this universe, we are not alone. That maybe we all did not evolve from a boiling soup of organisms but rather we were created. In our fallible human nature though, we betrayed God’s trust and broke the bridge of communication. So He choose to come down in the form of the Christ and restore that which appeared irreparable. Simply put, He died, that we may have an abundant life.
I know it sounds ridiculous and reading it in continuous prose doesn’t really help. Its just too surreal and quite frankly I can understand why many do not believe. It is easier to believe that there is a bunny who hops around hoping to bring Easter cheer with his chocolate coated Easter eggs and all other forms of candy assortments. This fable tells me that all of us have a longing for something that we cant explain. Something that distracts us from our mundane existence. Something that gives us hope for a future that isn’t so bleak.
This Week In The Khuta - “Struggle kids”: The children that no one wants
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- Nyasha Francis Nyaungwa
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As Namibia celebrates 23-years of self determination this week, it is rather unfortunate that the so-called struggle kids still blame Government for the unfortunate circumstances that they find themselves in. Debate has been going on in recent weeks on whether Government should treat these “kids” as a special group of people. For some strange reason, some amongst us have sympathy for these struggle kids while others are indifferent to their plight.
It goes without saying that these so-called struggle kids sealed their fate when they recently pissed off some very powerful people in Government by trying to march to the Prime Minister’s office. From what I have read and seen in the past few days, it seems there is now little, if any, Government sympathy left for these “kids”. The writing is clearly on the wall for them. For all our sake, what the “struggle kids” need to do is simply take a hint.
But believing that these “kids” will take a hint is having too much faith in their collective conscience for these are the people who, year after year, keep re-appearing on the spotlight from literally nowhere with seemingly no strategy save to making a nuisance of themselves. What I fail to understand is what gives them the right to believe that they, unlike other children, deserve special treatment? Someone should convince the nation why this group of people should be treated differently from the rest of us mere mortals.
Read more: This Week In The Khuta - “Struggle kids”: The children that no one wants
The New Interface - You are measured by print content
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- Pierre Mare
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One of the things that irked me incredibly was the idea of ‘breakers’, which emerged (and presumably sank) in the very late Nineties. The idea was trumpeted by a large agency as an idea for creativity in placing media. The triumph that they breathlessly announced was placement of an ad for cheese in a reputable financial magazine.
The idea behind this ad was that it should stand at odds to the content, and break the attention, hopefully gaining some marginal sales. I wasn’t impressed with the idea then. Neither I believe was the client marketing manager, as the ad was tiny. No doubt the size recognised the weight that the client gave to the ability of a financial magazine to sell cheddar.
You are measured by the content with which you are associated in three ways.
The first way you are measured is by the way you reach your target. Cheese in a financial publication is a good place to begin. A scan through the current media will show that this is still very common, albeit without the ingenuity of a plan, as was the case with the cheese. Advertising has a way of being placed haphazardly in many instances, so it becomes necessary to pay a loaded rate in many cases to get close to the page, where the content is likely to be better.
Read more: The New Interface - You are measured by print content
Innovation - Portfolio Management
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- Rikus Grobler
- Hits: 163
Background
Previously I discussed the importance of creating the appropriate culture for an innovative organisation and gave some practical pointers on how to start this change process. Having an innovative culture in place is great, and hopefully the ideas will start pouring in and the pipeline for new products, services and business processes will be filled with exciting projects. However, a reality every organisation face, is the fact that it does not have the resource (time, money, people, equipment) capacity to implement each and every exciting idea that is generated in the innovation pipeline. This is where portfolio planning and management comes into play, the process of deciding which projects to focus your scarce resources on. This is a concept that is not too straightforward, so in this article I want to define the term and look at the value it can add, and in the following article I will dwell more into the details of how to use this approach.
Definition and value of Portfolio Management
Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) is a strategic prioritisation methodology employed to analyse and manage current or proposed projects within an organisation. The term “PPM” has recently evolved to Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management (EPPM), but for the purpose of this article, I will treat PPM and EPPM as the same thing. The aim of PPM is to determine the best grouping and sequencing of projects to achieve the organisations’ business goals, in order to see them through from concept to completion. Take note that the objective of PPM is about answering the questions on what projects to do (grouping) and when to do them (sequencing). Projects are typically analysed based on the nature of the project, expected benefits and costs, resource consumption and their relationship to other priorities within an organisation’s wider portfolio of projects.
