Frequently Asked Questions

PPM relates to the centralized management of processes, methodologies, and tools used to collectively manage a group of existing or proposed projects. It’s a way of ensuring alignment with the goals of an organization, and should optimize resource usage.

Traditional project management tends to focus on individual projects, from their planning to execution and delivery. PPM, on the other hand, takes a more high level approach, managing a portfolio of projects, hopefully all which align with a set of strategic priorities.

PPM offers a way for organizations to prioritize their projects, allocate their resources, and monitor performance effectively. With PPM, they can align their projects with strategic goals, and ultimately drive better business outcomes.

PPM opens the door to improved, data-led decision making, as well optimized resource allocation and better risk management. Properly implemented PPM should also enhance visibility of projects and aid in alignment of those projects with overall business goals.

Implementing PPM practices will always involve aligning projects with strategic goals, that means ensuring your entire portfolio of projects will line up with company goals.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) help companies measure the project performance as well as the portfolio health. Some common KPIs might include budget variance, resource utilization, or even schedule adherence.

Resource management is crucial in any business, and as such it’s crucial in PPM. It ensures that teams, budgets and other assets can be allocated effectively, and aren’t over extended across multiple projects.

A PMO is a project management office. It’s a centralized team that is there to establish and maintain project management capabilities across an organization. It should support project execution, improve efficiency, and ensure alignment with an organization’s strategic objectives.

For the most part, PMOs are there to handle project governance, resource management, and process standardization. As part of their project management duties, they will also focus on risk management and performance reporting, acting as a central hub of project coordination in all its facets.

By standardizing processes, ensuring best practices, and maintaining oversight, a PMO should ensure projects are completed on time, and within budget.

As with introducing any new aspect to a business, typical challenges would include resistance to change, a lack of executive support and potential unclear objectives. There may also be some difficulty in standardizing process if they are already spread across diverse teams and/or departments

By utilizing PPM software, organizations can streamline decision making, track project performance, and properly allocate resources. Key components of quality PPM software would be to gain real-time visibility into project status, improved alignment with business goals, and better risk and resource management.

You need to consider factors from ease of use and accessibility, to integration with your existing eco-system. Scalability, reporting capability, and support for resource management would also be high on the list. At the end of the day, every business is different though, and your priorities will be different to many others.

Strategic alignment is really the key differentiator between just project management and project portfolio management. It’s about aligning your portfolio of projects with an organization’s broader goals. PPM frameworks utilise scoring models and governance processes so they can evaluate proposed projects with an eye on how they will contribute to key objectives.

The main way PPM improves ROI is by allowing organizations to invest in their most valuable, strategically aligned projects. Wasted resources are minimized by shifting focus from low-impact initiatives, enabling better forecasting, and ensuring that project outcomes are delivering measurable business value.

As with a lot of areas of business, lack of executive support, siloed data, and poor resource visibility tend to be the most common challenges for PPM.

In this context, operational work is usually viewed as ongoing tasks that keep a business running, where project work is more likely temporary and focused on achieving specific outcomes. By using PPM, organizations can better balance these, ensuring that project work supports long-term strategic initiatives, without disrupting the day-to-day.

PPM can be key to an organization’s digital transformation, by allowing them to prioritize tech-focused initiatives, while ensuring their resources are aligned across all strategic goals and the continued smooth running of the business.

As with most project management fields, on-time delivery, budget adherence, and resource utilization tend to be the key success metrics for project portfolios. On top of these, value realization and alignment are also massively important. Organizations can and should measure their portfolio’s effectiveness using these metrics.

Yes, hybrid PPM frameworks allow both agile and traditional (waterfall) projects to coexist. Portfolio managers can assess performance and value across different methodologies by using consistent KPIs, dashboards, and governance practices tailored to each delivery style.

Data visibility ensures that stakeholders have access to real-time project and portfolio information, which supports faster, more informed decisions. Transparent data across teams improves collaboration, helps manage risks, and ensures alignment with organizational priorities.