The utilisation of project portfolio information as a part of decision-making process in portfolio planning
Sjöberg, Mikko (2016)
Sjöberg, Mikko
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu
2016
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016110915928
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016110915928
Tiivistelmä
In this thesis, a large public sector organisation’s project portfolio management process was studied in a context, how the portfolio data could be utilised in a comprehensive way to enhance the decision making in a portfolio planning process. A knowledge management theory approach was followed in the research alongside with contemporary portfolio management theory.
The studied organisation is executing a relatively large number of projects annually. The challenges in project portfolio composing, project prioritising and monitoring the projects under execution has been recognised earlier and they have been under a major development since the deployment of a project portfolio management system. The organisation’s project work is very resource intensive and therefore a specific focus on a portfolio’s resource management and its data integrity and validity will be accomplished together with other types of portfolio data.
An action research methodology was applied in a series of operations, where the researcher was acting as a co-worker or observer in the researched organisation’s portfolio planning process. Guided interviews were held among process participants and key stakeholders to form a clear picture of portfolio management’s current state. The collected data was then analysed by using qualitative methods to prepare a proposal for a portfolio planning toolkit. A conceptual framework was formed as a theory fundament derived from contemporary portfolio and knowledge management theories.
The formed toolkit was then tested in an actual portfolio management environment and partly as a proof-of-concept -solution due to schedule and resource restrictions. The results corroborated the opinion, that consequences of poor data quality and validity may be crucial, when factual data is needed in a project portfolio planning and composing process and its decision making. Another remarkable finding was the importance of a well-defined portfolio planning process and its decision-making gateways, and also the need for strategy derived project portfolios. The necessity of improving project portfolio data integrity was found evident and a specific toolkit or systematic process is a valid method to develop it.
The studied organisation is executing a relatively large number of projects annually. The challenges in project portfolio composing, project prioritising and monitoring the projects under execution has been recognised earlier and they have been under a major development since the deployment of a project portfolio management system. The organisation’s project work is very resource intensive and therefore a specific focus on a portfolio’s resource management and its data integrity and validity will be accomplished together with other types of portfolio data.
An action research methodology was applied in a series of operations, where the researcher was acting as a co-worker or observer in the researched organisation’s portfolio planning process. Guided interviews were held among process participants and key stakeholders to form a clear picture of portfolio management’s current state. The collected data was then analysed by using qualitative methods to prepare a proposal for a portfolio planning toolkit. A conceptual framework was formed as a theory fundament derived from contemporary portfolio and knowledge management theories.
The formed toolkit was then tested in an actual portfolio management environment and partly as a proof-of-concept -solution due to schedule and resource restrictions. The results corroborated the opinion, that consequences of poor data quality and validity may be crucial, when factual data is needed in a project portfolio planning and composing process and its decision making. Another remarkable finding was the importance of a well-defined portfolio planning process and its decision-making gateways, and also the need for strategy derived project portfolios. The necessity of improving project portfolio data integrity was found evident and a specific toolkit or systematic process is a valid method to develop it.