In this presentation you will learn how to ensure the project portfolio is aligned to the corporate strategy, how to make decisions about which projects to execute, and how to manage changes to the portfolio when the inevitable changes happen. Objectives: • How to manage change to the project portfolio • Process for aligning project portfolio to strategy • Making decisions on which projects to execute Learning Objectives • How to manage change to the project portfolio • Process for aligning project portfolio to strategy • Making decisions on which projects to execute

1. Aligning the Project Portfolio to Corporate Strategy
Columbus Brown, MBA
cbus@cb1492.com
@cb1492 #makeiteasynow #pmbawtor18
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2. About Me

3. WHAT ARE WAZA?
©2015-2018, WAZA Consulting, LLC www.makeiteasynow.com

4. WAZA | Noun | [wah.zah]
1. Good form, technique
2. Consider, think, imagine
WHAT ARE WAZA?
Thinking techniques which solve issues keeping business leaders up at night
©2015-2018, WAZA Consulting, LLC www.makeiteasynow.com

5. WAZA For Today!
 Finding the Strategy
 Assessing the Portfolio
 Managing Portfolio Change

6. Technical Systems ModelingThe business can’T waiT for
the perfect plan
Waiting
for the
perfect
plan

7. What is Strategy?
"...broad formula for how a business is going to compete, what
its goals should be, and what policies will be needed to carry
out those goals" and the "...combination of the ends (goals) for
which the firm is striving and the means (policies) by which it is
seeking to get there.“ - Michael Porter
“Desirable ends with available means” – Max McKeown

8. What is Strategy?
The overall scope and direction of a corporation and the way in which its
various business operations work together to achieve particular goals.
www.businessdictionary.com

9. Where is your Companies Strategy?
 On the back of your badge?
 Clearly communicated from leadership?
 In your annual performance goals?

10. Where is your Companies Strategy?
“Most companies have a more detailed process for ordering post-it
notes than for formulating and communicating corporate strategy” –
Jeff Scott, Business Innovation Partners

11. Finding the Strategy
 Ask your leadership
 Annual Reports (Publicly Held)
 Investor Call Transcripts – Analyst Questions
 Understand your Industry Model
 Value proposition, Market, Operations, Costs, Revenues

12. Develop Strategy
(Why)
Determine Bus.
Architecture
(What)
Operationalize
Strategy
(Where & When)
Realize Strategy
& Optimize
Operations
(How)
Drive Initiatives
& Measure
Progress
Create/Review Bus.
Model & Customer
Value Proposition
Customer, Industry,
Performance &
Market Insights
Objective ID.,
Tradeoff &
Dependencies
Strategic Objective
Formulation &
Prioritization
Finalize Objectives,
Articulation Plan &
Success Measures
Strategy Mapping
(Value, Capability,
Culture, People, Process,
Tech)
Current/Target
Initiative ID &
Alignment
Finalize Initiatives &
Target State
Bus. Arch.
Initiative
Measurements
Assess Business
Drivers &
Performance
Assess Current
Initiatives & Realign
to Target Strategy
Develop Target
State Initiative
Roadmap
Maintain Target
State Roadmaps
& Bus. Arch.
Develop Projects,
Manage
Innovation & R&D
Assess Bus.
Process Factors
Assess Technology
Factors
Benefits
Realization
Mgmt.
Assess Portfolio
Demands &
Performance
Operationalize
Success Measures
STRATEGY OPERATIONS & ANALYSIS
BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE – (The &) PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Strategy to Execution Value Stream - Corporate

13. Analysis Paralysis

14. Assessing the Portfolio
 Where is the portfolio?
 What are we doing today? What are the groupings?
 What are last years priorities? Do they still make sense?
 Where are we spending the most effort/dollars?

15. Assessing the Portfolio
 What must be done to keep the lights on?
 Infrastructure / Safety / Regulatory
 What is being driven by new priorities?
 What are the resource constraints?
 How much can we successfully execute at once? (Size, # of
projects)

16. Assessing the Portfolio
NOW
SOON LATER

17. Assessing the Portfolio
Low Value High Value
HighEffortLowEffort

18. Assessing the Portfolio
IRIS Business Architect
www.biz-architect.com

19. Strategic Collaboration - QuEST
 Question
 Problem Scope
 Current State
 Envision
 Option Development
 Criteria Tracking
 Select
 Reduce the options
 Take
 Who does what
 Interdependencies
 Reviews
Nilofer Merchant

21. Rules of Engagement – Portfolio Change
 Do not run from change
 Do not jump into the pool of change without a flotation
device and swimming lessons
 Do not antagonize those who don’t desire to swim in change,
they will drown you as you try to save them
 Always look for the high ground, safe haven, cover, or an
escape route out of the pool
 Keep in mind that estimates on the timing for any change you
plan needs to have its duration extended by a factor of 10.

22. Making the tough decisions
1. Identify the key stakeholders and decision makers
2. Present the current state – Is the Portfolio aligned and why does
this matter to the business?
3. What are we executing that mattered yesterday, that no longer
matters today?
4. Present the options, with the tradeoffs
5. Be prepared for the risks and the consequences of shining lights in
dark place

23. What did we learn?
 Strategy is easily formulated, but hardly executed
 Determining which projects to execute will always be easier then
stopping the ones already started.
 Managing change to the portfolio means engagement and making
tough decisions

24. MAKE
IT
EASY
NOW
Moving from Parenting
to Partnership in
Business Relationships
Columbus Brown, MBA
Part I – Trading Places for Understanding
Part II - 5 Ways IT Acts Like Bad Parents
Part III – 5 Paths for Partnership
www.makeiteasynow.com
©2015-2018, WAZA Consulting, LLC www.makeiteasynow.com

25. Let’s talk about your next event ->Columbus Brown, MBA
cbus@cb1492.com
@cb1492 #makeiteasynow #pmbawtor18
Join the Movement & Get This Presentation
www.makeiteasynow.com
Invest In YOUR Future with Performance Coaching
www.wazacoach.com
THANK YOU!
Aligning the Project Portfolio to Corporate Strategy

26. Additional Resources – Strategy
Books
 The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative
Strategy by Nilofer Merchant
 The Strategy Book :by Max Mckeown

27. Additional Resources – Business Models
Books
 Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game
Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
 The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs use continuous
innovation to create radically successful business by Eric Ries
 Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services
Customers Want (Strategyzer)