PROJ6018 Project, Portfolio and Program Management Case Study Sample

PROJ6018 Project, Portfolio and Program Management

Assessment Task

Prepare a 2,500-word recommendation report to present your analysis of a Project Portfolio Management Maturity in an organisation of your choice. The report should clearly recommend options and strategies to improve the level of Project Portfolio Management of the organisation and to ensure the delivery of value and benefits that align with the organisational strategy and goals of the project.

Please refer to the Instructions for details on how to complete this task.

Instructions

1. Read and review the contents of Modules 1—6.1, including all the Learning Activities and any additional resources that you find relevant.

2. Select an organisation from the supplied list of case studies. With the approval of your learning facilitator, you can select the organisation that you used in Assessment 1.

3. Investigate and critically analyse your selected organisation, identifying business and project portfolio management needs and considering the tools and techniques relevant to the project, program and portfolio management in improving business practices, value delivery and performance.

4. Carry out a maturity assessment using your selected organisation. The Project/Portfolio
Management Maturity assessment is the foundation for the development of recommendations that align the organisation’s maturity with its ability to deliver outcomes relevant to its strategic objectives.

5. Your assessment and investigation should also include a project inventory and an analysis of current project selection processes that may lead to recommendations for improvements.

6. You then need to provide recommendations that will improve the level of organisational PM maturity. Base your recommendations on your selected PM framework and include a roadmap for the portfolio management implementation into this organisation. At a minimum, your recommendations should address the following questions related to improvements, but you may add others:

• What is the level of Project/Program /Portfolio Management maturity in the organisation? What recommendations are you making to improve the organisation’s maturity level? How long do you think the organisation will need to reach the next and desired level? Are the next and desired levels the same level?

• What is the current PM approach? How does the organisation manage its projects? Is the organisation investing in the right project and optimising its capacity? Are the promised project benefits being realised and how does this relate to the current level of maturity? What are your recommendations for ensuring that the right projects are being selected for organisational investment and inclusion in the program or portfolio? How will this be measured?

• What are the key best practices and models currently in use? What are your recommendations to improve the maturity level? Which model are you recommending and why?

• What is the current method used to evaluate the project portfolio? How successful is this method? What recommendations would you make to improve the current state?

• Has a benefits management lifecycle been implemented in the organisation? How would you describe the processes of the lifecycle? Has the lifecycle been applied at the project, program or portfolio level? What are your recommendations to improve the management and realisation of the ongoing and sustained benefits? How does this relate to the current and desired maturity level? How does the benefits management align with the deliverable goals of the organisation’s projects?

• How would you assess the corporate culture and more specifically, the potential likelihood of differences in terms of key internal stakeholders’ influence and input? Who are the key stakeholders in this organisation? Do they each hold the same perspective in relation to the implementation of portfolio management and/or improvements in the project/portfolio management maturity of the organisation? What effects do these different perspectives have on your recommendations? How will you approach these differences and find an agreed approach to the acceptance of your recommendations? What strategies are you recommending? Will a PMO improve this scenario? How and where will the PMO need to be situated in the organisational structure to achieve synergy in the acceptance of your recommendations?

• How would you define and recommend a change management approach and model for the organisation given the organisational readiness for and acceptance of the changes you are recommending? Which challenges can you identify that you believe may be encountered regarding the changes and stakeholders’ acceptance of the changes and what solutions would you recommend to manage these challenges?

• How is a PMO valuable in the context of the current level of maturity and how can it improve the maturity level? What sort of PMO and at which organisational level should the PMO be implemented in the organisation? What type of Portfolio Management or Program Management model do you recommend? Include a roadmap for the implementation of the PMO, including an approach for change management, resource allocation and capacity and capability planning. What are the responsibilities for your planned PMO and what type of PMO are you recommending? What recommendations would you make regarding the change management approach, training, tools and techniques used and recommended in the management of the project portfolio?

• What is the likely success of introducing the Portfolio Management or Program Management and an associated PMO? How will you define the success of this implementation? What challenges are likely to be faced by your selected organisation?

What recommendations will you propose to increase the success of this initiative and overcome the challenges that you have identified?

NOTE: Ensure that you have considered and included an overall plan and roadmap for the improvement of the maturity level of the organisation and consider whether you are implementing portfolio or program management.

Solution

Introduction 

This particular study would shed light on the project portfolio management maturity of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd in detail focusing on necessary PPM needs for the organization in detail. Furthermore, the focus will be given to highlighting necessary tools used in the PPM software, relevant techniques utilized for implementing PPM with assessing the maturity level of the organization for impeding the software. As per the MBA Assignment Experts,  In addition to that, emphasis will be given to enlisting the benefits that PPM will provide to the organization with a manager of change that might be caused due to PPM implementation and a list of challenges that the organization might face while impeding PPM. Furthermore necessary recommendations would be provided for making PPM more successful in the ES organization to function project management activity in the future smoothly. 

PPM Needs 

In general terms, Project Portfolio Management indicates a specific process utilized by project managers as well as project management organizations popularly known as PMOs for analyzing the potential return to undertaking a particular project (Patrício et al. 2021). In this regard, it would be necessary for the Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd organization, especially the project managers, to utilize the necessary needs of PPM software for the successful completion of project management activities for the organization. Below are listed the necessary PPM needs in detail:

Risk Management 

It is considered to be a vital component of PPM software for the ES organization in the sense that all involved project managers will need to make out the ways through which the project activity would make a considerable impact on the portfolio (Jamshidnejad, 2021).

Financial management 

Project activities appear to be notorious for project managers due to a couple of aspects such as taking too much time than planned, and making an analysis of the overall budget activity. In this respect, the project managers of ES organizations can use Dashboards for keeping an eye on the financial status for smooth pollution of project activity (Kostalova & McGRATH, 2021). 

Pipeline Management 

In this case, it would be imperative for the project managements of the organization to maintain an effective balance in the form of generating a strategic number of proposals associated with the project to manage the pipeline or flow of project activity to running smoothly. It ensures that all the necessary aspects will make an eventful contribution to the smooth completion of the project activity (Ojiako et al. 2021). 
 

Figure 1: PPM Needs 
(Source: Created by the learner)

Resource Management 

A sufficient number of people are required for ES to carry on with help project management activities. For this reason, the project management authority of ES would have to manage its resources in an efficacious manner so that they can be able to conduct the necessary tasks and activities of project management in an effective manner. 

Change Management 

It is the last fundamental aspect for project managers of ES organizations that will help in maintaining a smooth flow of organizational communication related to any change activity (Vanhanen, 2021).  Since PPM software renders a central repository, therefore, the members of the organization will be able to manage requests rather than endeavoring to keep track of them. 

Tools Used in PPM 

Effective usage of relevant tools aid project managers to accomplish project activities accordingly. More importantly, it provides a steadfast approach for executing the necessary activities. There are several well-known tools which can be used in PPM such as:

Clarity PPM

It is a cloud-based solution which is easily accessible through SaaS applications. It assists users in transitioning to relevant digital project management for effectively managing enterprise resources, countering market disruptions and understanding customer demands effectively (Wang et al. 2022). 

Planisware

Known to be a SaaS-based suite, Planisware conducts management of project portfolios and necessary programs. It does integration of necessary resources, budgets, schedules and many others. 

Planview

It is a well-known resource management solution that aids businesses in optimizing project portfolios, managing capacity, related to market demands and combining plans as well as resources for achieving proper execution of project activities (Villamil & Hallstedt, 2021). 
 

Figure 2: PPM Tools
(Source: Created by the learner)

Asana

It is a cloud-based tool which is utilized for handling multiple projects at one time. This tool renders an effective scope for generating task management solutions based on which the project managers can provide a high-level overview related to their progress activities. 

Clarizen

This tool helps in workflow automation for generating an enhanced collaborative approach for the smooth completion of project activities. It earners automation in recurring tasks resulting in reducing the lament of risks associated with the project. 

Techniques used to implement PPM 

The project management authority of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd will have to follow five distinguished steps in the form of techniques for prolific implantation of 

PPM:

Defining approach of project portfolio management 

Effective determination of the goals of the business organization, the establishment of a suitable framework, with analysis of the willingness of organizational members will be important for the ES organization to define a specific approach for project portfolio management (Bai et al. 2022). 

Securing executive support for the portfolio plan

It has been observed that at present the operating structure of ES involves specific departments which look after necessary functions of the organization. It is the project managers on whom the entire responsibility is provided in running their project according to their skills and expertise (Kock & Gemünden, 2021).  

Securing support from the team members for the project portfolio plan

Relevant support from team members also is vital for the ES organization to generate clear strategic goals and objectives associated with the project management activity. It helps in meeting new standards for the successful implementation of PPM within the organization. 

Gathering portfolio data 

The act of creating a list of present and potential projects of Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd is also necessary for generating relevant data on project timelines, project milestones, and necessary potential risks so that there should not be any problem in carrying out the activity through PPM software (Fabbro & Tonchia, 2021). 

Prioritizing project portfolio

Prioritization of the project is required from the PM experts of the ES organization. In that case, they can select projects having increased ROI (or Return on Investment) or they can go to specific risk-averse methods (Ershadi et al. 2021). 

Maturity Level of the organization in its ability to implement PPM

It is necessary for the ES organization to conduct a maturity assessment which makes an evaluation of the organization’s process in determining the ability of the process for continuously contributing to the achievement of organizational objectives. In this regard, the CS organization can follow the following steps to conduct a maturity assessment such as:

Understanding the business

In this aspect, the project managers of ES organization will need to understand the relevance of maturity assessment in its project m agent activities based on which they will be able to conduct regulatory requirements on a regular basis (Von Solms & Langerman, 2022). 

Selecting the assessment methodology

In this regard, the organization can choose CMMI, COBIT etc models for identifying the relevant approach to proper implementation of PPM software within the organization. 

Setting the scope

It is necessary for the project managers not to hurry too much rather they should wait for having enough time for getting a prominent picture of an end-to-end process with funding out relevant opportunities for mang any development (Aagaard et al. 2021). 
 

Figure 3: Maturity Assessment of ES organization 
(Source: Created by the learner)
 

Conducting stakeholder mapping

Stakeholders of the ES organization will include managers, customers, and senior management authorities who would play a vital role in the prolific implementation of PPM software within the organization. At the same time based on the necessary guidance and advice coming from the stakeholders, Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd can formulate relevant decisions in its project management activities. 

Using the chunk approach

It is the last step of maturity assessments of the ES organization where the focus needs to be given to breaking the work into small doable chunks so that they can be performed quite easily by the members of the organization. 

Benefits to the organisation of implementing PPM

Considering the current PM approach, Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd (ES) commenced its business in the year 2006. This company is committed to delivering a wastewater management system that is environmentally friendly. This treats the sewage effluent to secondary advanced levels which are certified by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation). Globally, installers, governing bodies as well as customers have realised the benefits that Ecological Solutions can provide with its services(NSF, 2022). It can provide excellent solutions to industry-wide challenges that can aid in global expansion. This is the reason why Ecological solutions want to grab the opportunity to expand its business instead of opting for a small-minded approach. Moreover, from the case study, it could be found that ES has several opportunities as it can grab the opportunity from the extensive market via FDI (foreign direct investment)(Stretton, 2022). In such a situation, ES is likely to get the following benefits if it opts to implement PPM:

1. Better use of the resources

As could be seen from the case study, each of the projects governed by ES needs adequate resources such as raw materials, engineering works, and so on. Resource dependency is one such factor that can lead to project failure. Demand management and resource planning therefore can be a daunting task(Sarbazhosseini, 2020). However, with PPM, the work becomes more manageable. The portfolio view allows for a more rounded approach. With PPM, ES can consider resource availability from the beginning while it will choose any project and thereby go on reviewing it periodically. This way it can provide better clarity to optimally use its resources across its projects.

2. Focus better on business goals and objectives

From the case study, it could be seen that ES has set its overall objectives to be focusing on organisational structure, enhance supply chain and sustainability and make the legalities stronger. From a legal perspective, there are ample factors that need to be emphasised for compliance with the legal system of the targeted nations. For instance, each country has different FDI, operations, and importing(Müller et al., 2019). 

3. Enhance communication and alignment among the business leaders and different department With PPM, ES can enhance internal communication while looking at the portfolio of the projects and thereby strike a balance while selecting, prioritising as well as sustaining the projects. By talking about the projects and portfolios, ES can improve overall communication within its corporate management by breaking the existing barriers among the sub-portfolios(Volk & Zerfass, 2018).

Managing the change that PPM creates

With PPM, many changes could be brought in the way each project is being handled and implemented. However, ES needs to manage those changes that PPM would create. The way it could do so are as follows:

1. Establish governance: ES can establish a governance model that can help it to maintain its PPM solution, such as any changes. The governance strategy will not only help in maintaining the PPM solution; however, it also will show the user that it is not always necessary to emphasise all aspects of implementation(Lock, 2018). It will guide ES to accept more changes. 

2. Opt for a change management approach: PPM tools that could be used in the projects of ES include Clarity PPM, Asana, Planview, Clarizen, and so on and there are certain approaches that could be adopted to implement the tool(Volk & Zerfass, 2018). 

ES could make sure that there is a senior and active sponsor who can master implementing the tool as a part of the change management tool. 

• ES require to create a need to change for all the stakeholders of PPM. 

• ES must explain the process of the business and projects to all the stakeholders and make them understand the benefits of using the new tools(Martinsuo&Hoverfält, 2018).

Challenges faced in implementing PPM

Among the common widespread business problems that ES may face while implementing project portfolio management, there can be productivity gaps, because ES has engineers, however, lacks managers and a workforce which can lead to insufficient automation of tasks(Saeed et al., 2021). As per the case study of ES, the following are the main challenges that ES might face while implementing PPM: 

1. Internal culture and politics: ES is likely to face the barrier of internal culture and politics. PPM has a nature that demands change within any business and change will bring resistance. 

2. Project management maturity: At ES, the project management maturity of the business is likely to play a key role. ES thereby needs to have a mature organisation's project management capability so that it can adapt to PPMreadily. 

3. Management commitment: At ES, the top management committee may act as a hindrance to the value and purpose of the PMO.
Recommendations on how to make PPM more successful Based on the above discussion, recommendations can be made to make PPM more successful for ES.

1. To ensure that ES is selecting the right projects for organisational investments, it is recommended to make use of benefit measurement methods. This would be an effective project selection technique for ES which is primarily based upon the estimated cash inflow and outflow as well as present value. 

2. It is recommended to adopt GSCM (green supply chain management) to improve the maturity level of ES. Here, ES is recommended to adopt CMM (capability maturity model) because it can help in continuous process improvement. CMM moreover will provide frameworks that can help to organise maturity levels that can grab evolutionary steps and lay successive foundations for ES to maintain continuous process improvement. 

3. ES uses a project portfolio management process to evaluate the project portfolio which aids in better decision making. To improve the current state, it is recommended to use portfolio management that can monetise the current as well as digital assets of Ecological Solutions.

4. To improve management and realisation of the ongoing and sustained benefits,it is recommended to roll out the PPM in order to improve management and grab more sustained benefits. ES can create a roll-out program by working with the manatees. It is recommended to focus on one department at a time and expand to other departments later (Chofreh et al., 2021).

5. ES is recommendedto consider certain basic factors while PPM and planning such as cost, duration of implementation,measuring the functions, and opt for solutions that are backed by SaaS. For ES, it is recommended that the PMO must be placed with alignment with the CFO, specifically since the IT will report to the CFO.

6. Based on the scope and scale of the project, ES needs to consider opting for a change management plan orapproach that can guide it to overcome the above-discussed resistance or obstacles. Moreover, it is recommended to set expectations that are realistic with the end users and emphasise communication regularly so that ES can address unexpected problems as fast as possible and address stakeholder acceptance regarding the changes.

7. PMO can improve the current maturity level by helping in developing a roadmap. Regarding the change management approach, ES is recommended to opt for active portfolio management for its waste management business.
 

Figure 4: Roadmap for implementing the PMO
(Source: Developed by the author)

8. To increase the success of this portfolio or program management,it is recommended to emphasise continuous lifecycle, for example, focusing on operational efficiency. Moreover, it is important to stay connected with stakeholders at all levels that can help ES to avoid disconnection between operations and strategy during the change within the organisation and overcome the challenges that have been identified in this study such as internal politics, management commitment and so on.

Conclusion

The report has discussed the PPM needs for Ecological Solutions that deliver wastewater management systems including treating sewage which plays an important role in today's world where sustainability is given importance. The report has thereby discussed the tools and techniques that ES can use to implement PPM. Thereafter, the maturity level of Ecological Solutions has been assessed along with defining its ability in implementing PPM. As it could be known from the study, PPM has several benefits to ES and the study has thereby discussed how ES can manage the changes brought about by PPM. Thereafter, the challenges that may come forth while implementing PPM were discussed. Based on the study, recommendations have been made which can help to make PPM more successful.

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