Course Overview
Portfolio management is defined as a coordinated collection of strategic processes and decisions that together enable the most effective balance of organisational change and business as usual.
Management of Portfolios (MoP) approaches the management of change projects and programmes from a strategic viewpoint. It provides an overview of all change activities, including what is in the portfolio, what it is costing, what organisational and implementation risks are faced, what progress is being made, and most importantly what the impact on business as usual and organisational strategic objectives is.
MoP builds on and coordinates existing processes such as strategic planning, investment appraisal and programme and project management to be effective and add value.
Portfolio management addresses the fundamental questions:
- Are we doing the right things?
- Are we doing these things right?
- Most significantly, are we realising all the benefits in terms of more effective services and efficiency savings from the changes we are implementing?
Who's It For?
- Portfolio Managers
- Programme Managers
- Project Managers
- Senior Executives
- Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Support Office Staff
What You'll Learn
Understand
Portfolio Definition must start with the Understand practice – it is essential to get a clear and transparent view of what is in the current portfolio and the project development pipeline as well as performance to date and, looking forward, the forecast costs, benefits and risks to delivery and benefits realisation. MoP sets out the keys to success and explains how to go about each one.
Categorise
Once the Understand practice is complete the change initiatives (project and programmes) can be categorised so that senior decision-makers can make decisions in areas like priority of resources and strategic alignment. MoP gives several examples drawn from real-life experiences in different industries.
Prioritise
This orders the projects and programmes – often along financial lines – and MoP gives examples of metrics that can be used such as NPV, IRR and Payback. “Money isn’t everything” however so MoP also describes multi-criteria analysis used by some organisations using factors such as “return on attractiveness” and the “risk or achievability” of each change initiative.
Balance
Prioritisation results in a ranked list of changes but the purpose of the balance practice is to make sure that the resulting portfolio is balanced in terms of time, coverage of strategic objectives, impact across the business, risk: return and available resources. MoP provides an example of how Aston Martin, the luxury car manufacturer, balanced its IT portfolio.
Plan
The final practice of the Definition cycle collates information to create a portfolio strategy and delivery plan which will be approved by the portfolio direction group’s investment committee. Planning serves to provide the “clear line of sight” about what initiatives are included, their schedule and timing, resource requirements, risks and benefits to be realised. The moP has a full appendix devoted to an outline of the contents of the portfolio strategy and delivery plan.
Recognition
Study Method
- In-classIn class delivery - predominately face to face course content conducted at a specific location
- VirtualVirtual Delivery - Live and interactive classroom-style learning conducted completely online
- BlendedBlended delivery - both online course content and partial face to face requirements
- OnlineOnline delivery - online course content with the exception of assessments and work placement
Duration and Study Load
- 3 days
Entry Requirements
This course has no prerequisites, however the following would be an advantage:
- Previous or current experience of working within project, programme and portfolio environment
- Previous training and development in programme or project management
- Currently practising as a programme or project manager
- Previous experience working in senior management, leadership or executive role
Course Features
Train anywhere
From our state-of-the-art classrooms to telepresence to your offices, your instructor-led training caters to your needs.
Track record
30 years driving innovative, award-winning learning solutions.
More courses, more often
When you train with DDLS, you get more courses, more often, in more locations and from more vendors.
Quality instructors and content
Expert instructors with real-world experience and the latest vendor-approved in-depth course content.
Partner-preferred supplier
Chosen and awarded by the world’s leading vendors as a preferred training partner.
Ahead of the technology curve
No matter your chosen technologies or platforms, we can help you stay one step ahead.
Professional Recognition
PeopleCert at DDLS
PeopleCert is one of the leading players in the global certification industry, partnering with multi-national organisations and government bodies for the development and management of globally recognised certification schemes. PeopleCert has delivered millions of exams in over 150 countries.
Assessment
Exam
This course pricing includes a voucher for the Management of Portfolios Foundation Exam, which is an online proctored exam through PeopleCert. Practice exam papers are provided in the course, and reviewed to assist in preparation.
The exam is:
- 40 minutes duration
- 50 multiple-choice questions
- Pass mark is 25 out of 50 (i.e. 50%)
- Closed book
After passing the exam, each student’s certificate will be made available to them via PeopleCert.
It is highly recommended that you spend some time each evening of this course reviewing and consolidating what you’ve learned, to be well prepared for the exam.
Subjects
About DDLS
DDLS is Australia’s largest provider of corporate IT and process training, with the largest portfolio of strategic partners and courses in Australia. We partner with world-class companies to help organisations and individuals in the IT industry remain up-to-date with new processes, technology and platforms to reduce risk and enable efficient business practices. We have convenient locations in almost every capital in Australia as well as the Philippines, flexible delivery modalities, industry-accredited trainers, and state-of-the-art course material and labs to produce the highest quality learning outcomes for our clients.
DDLS promotes a balanced approach to training with a focus on the key areas of Technology, Process and People. We provide extensive training options tailored to your organisation’s needs – from vendor-certified courses to customised training, including bespoke in-house developed courses.
