Manage the IT Portfolio

1. Manage the IT Portfolio World Class Operations - Impact Workshop

2. Beyond Practical Research – Workshops Get You To Results Workshops: Leverage Best-Practices Research & Get to Action • Unlike other Research firms we believe it’s important to help our members implement improvements. • An onsite 40-hour workshop, which allows you to make systematic improvements to your core processes. • Workshops are designed to help focus attention, create alignment, and ensure best practices are put to work at your organization. • Our workshops help you get to immediate impact and results, and are tailored to your situation and needs. Workshops: Focused on You Implementing Improvements • The goal of each Capability Optimization Workshop is to create tangible benefits and clear improvement as a direct result of the workshop. • Specific deliverables, goals, metrics, and outcomes are established for each workshop. • Successful workshops will leverage our years of analyst experience and written research to provide an engaging experience which focuses on implementing and getting to measurable results. • Each workshop begins by diagnosing the current state and then focuses on designing high impact improvements based on best-practices research. • Three and six month follow-ups will occur to ensure benefit realization. Info-Tech Workshops provide the best-practices and implementation support necessary to help an IT leader build a World Class IT Operation. Diagnose Current State Capability Optimization Workshop Right-sizing Process Measuring Benefits Process Design Implementation Support

3. What is IT Portfolio Management? Immature or non-existent portfolio management causes: Destabilized business requirements. Inadequate or conflicted staffing assignments. Underestimation of future project/resource requirements. Non-standardized expectations around IT resources. Improper allocation of IT funding in the annual cycle. A formalized IT Portfolio Management process results in: Standardized business cases that are aligned with corporate strategy and one another. Streamlined process for requesting and allocating IT resources for project work. Greater confidence in the validity of skill requirements and resource estimates. Accurate allocation of staff and resources across various programs. Transparency into how scope changes can impact project timelines. Transparent project approval and prioritization procedures. A process that establishes discipline and visibility around IT’s investments and contribution to business goals.

4. Workshop Schedule & Core Deliverables

5. Day 1: Improve the Transparency of the IT Portfolio 1.1 Review Portfolio Strategy and Methodology 1.2 Visualize IT’s Current Portfolio Define corporate goals and categories of IT investment. Map IT’s current portfolio to corporate goals and investment categories. Discuss current roles, responsibilities, and portfolio management processes. Bring transparency to the categories of investment that dominate the budget . Discuss issues, opportunities, and goals for improvement during the workshop.

6. Day 2: Improve IT Portfolio Impact & Alignment 2.3 Manage Stakeholders and Strategy 2.2 Highlight the Gaps 2.1 Visualize the Target Portfolio Against Current Present opportunities to optimize the portfolio to stakeholders. Determine target allocations for investment categories. Identify the top three disparities having a negative impact on IT’s portfolio. Bring transparency and accountability into the IT portfolio management methodology. Compare current and target investment mix. Brainstorm alternative IT investment opportunities which align to gaps. Discuss implications of gaps between the current and target mix. Specify recommendations to initiate, change, or retire projects/programs. Define the process for effectively communicating information to stakeholders.

7. Day 3: Optimize the Portfolio Management Process 3.1 Right-Size the Business Case Process 3.2 Define Business Case Assessment Process 3.3 Manage Rejected Business Cases 3.4 Define Cost and Benefit Milestones Define criteria for improving, holding or discarding rejected business cases. Analyze and optimize the process for preparing business cases. Define criteria for assessing business cases. Prepare to follow-up on expected benefits after projects are complete. Classify business cases by investment categories. Avoid losing good ideas within rejected business cases. Right-size the business case template. Standardize milestone schedules. Assess business cases on cost, benefit and risk. Standardize communication and expectations around rejected business cases. Communicate cost and benefit data to appropriate stakeholders. Document business case standards and procedures. Document approval and rejection process.

8. Day 4: Monitor Portfolio Performance & Stakeholder Satisfaction 4.1 Optimize Performance with Portfolio Metrics 4.2 Establish Recurring Reviews 4.3 Adjust Projects and the Portfolio 4.4 Report to Stakeholders and Executives Define and analyze relationships between projects for optimal portfolio performance. Define the process for reviewing project and portfolio data. Manage communication, interpretation, and clarification of portfolio performance. Evaluate current and potential metrics. Strategize measurement and tracking methodologies to optimize on portfolio performance. Collect and measure data to assess performance. Recommend adjustments to specific projects to capitalize on benefits. Report on progress to corporate goals. Create and communicate a review schedule with stakeholders. Communicate recommendations to further drive performance. Finalize processes to track and apply metrics. Manage change requests.

9. Day 5: Manage Benefits Realization & Accountability 5.1 Define Benefit Tracking Practices 5.2 Optimize Internal Procedures and Templates Establish responsibility and accountability for benefits achievement. Validate that templates communicate specific, accurate, and relevant information. Develop and document the strategy for tracking and measuring benefits. Validate that procedures are specific and action-oriented. Validate that tracked benefits meet corporate standards. Validate that processes are realistic and create value.

10. Client Testimonials We’ve tried to work on it on our own, but the really valuable part is having the focused time working with the experts and getting the deliverables at the end of the exercise. It is something that we can action and really take forward. -University Helped us organize how we do portfolio management, better than we had, and how we can do it in a way that IT is seen as supporting the business goals. -Manufacturing Company

11. Portfolio Workshop Primary Deliverable:Best Practice Approach to Portfolio Management Customized to Your Process • Comprehensive, step-by-step walk through of your Portfolio Management Target State. • Assessment of overall balance between Strategic and Operational Initiatives. • Detailed analysis of how well your portfolio supports individual Strategic Goals. • Recommendations for optimizing your investments to better meet the needs of key Stakeholders. Establish a Benefits Achievement Tracking Process Visualize Your Portfolio Assess and Right-Size Your Business Case

12. Portfolio Workshop Core Deliverables • Seven Key Deliverables will be completed during the Workshop: Portfolio Alignment & Visualization Tool • Visualize the alignment between your portfolio management practices and enterprise goals. • Discuss existing gaps and how to close them. Portfolio Gap Analysis • Prepare an analysis of existing gaps between portfolio management practices and enterprise goals. • Understand the impact of those gaps on corporate objectives. • Facilitate a discussion about aligning portfolio management practices and enterprise goals between executives. 1 3 • Business Case Right-sizing • Assess the current methods of analyzing business cases to approve or reject projects. • Adjust elements of the methodology based on goals and objectives. • Right-size an existing business case template or co-design a template with an Info-Tech analyst. • Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the project approval process and benefit realization plan. • Portfolio Evaluation Process • Complete a full walk-through of the portfolio evaluation process and create a draft process manual detailing best-practice activities. 2 4

13. Portfolio Workshop Core Deliverables • Seven Key Deliverables will be completed during the Workshop: Portfolio Management Process • Create a standardized process for managing projects currently active in the portfolio. • Use cost and benefit information to efficiently make decisions to close or maintain projects over time. Portfolio Communication Strategy • Communicate specific elements of the portfolio management process and portfolio performance. • Prepare a set of standardized reports and a distribution schedule. • Release the appropriate information at the appropriate time. 7 5 • Benefits Achievement Tracking Process • Establish a right-sized process for tracking the achievement of benefits as outlined in business cases over time. • Document and implement the first phase of this process to ground it in reality. 6

14. Manage the IT Portfolio Workshop:Built on World Class Research, Experience, and Standards • 115 page Research Report • 15 in-depth activities and exercises • Ability to map 100 of your top projects • Ability to visualize the portfolio against five major and 60 minor sub-groupings Research Process Tools & Templates • Team with over 30 years experience. • Over 2,800 hours of research. • Based on primary and in-field research. • Standard Operating Procedures • Investment Mix Visualization • Business Case Assessment • Business Case Prioritization • Milestone Report • Portfolio Metrics Evaluation • Benefits Summary & Analysis COBIT Driven • Grounded in open international standards. • APO05 Manage Portfolio.