Portfolio and Program Management

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Seeing the Bigger Picture

Managing individual projects well is essential, but portfolio and program management shift the lens to overall strategy. By aligning projects with organizational goals, firms ensure that resources are used where they have the most impact.

Balancing Resources Across Priorities

Programs and portfolios often involve competing needs—people, budgets, and time. Effective leaders weigh tradeoffs, coordinate dependencies, and reallocate resources dynamically to keep the whole system moving forward rather than allowing isolated projects to succeed at the expense of others.

Delivering Value at Scale

Beyond completing tasks, portfolio and program management are about delivering sustained value. By monitoring benefits realization and adapting as priorities evolve, organizations maximize returns on investment and maintain focus on long-term success.

suggested KPIs for this topic

These KPIs help you connect portfolio decisions to real business outcomes — better alignment with strategy, healthier risk and fee profiles, and a more intentional mix of work. Choose a few to make portfolio reviews more concrete.

portfolio mix & balance

  • Maintain a minimum target percentage of work in your highest-value sectors (e.g., 40–60%).
  • Track the share of strategic “stretch” projects vs. routine projects each quarter.
  • Monitor concentration risk so no single client represents more than a set % of portfolio revenue.
  • Review the split of short-term vs. long-term projects at least quarterly.
  • Ensure a healthy balance of high-margin vs. “anchor” projects that support client relationships.

strategic alignment & fit

  • Score each major pursuit against strategic criteria before bid/no-bid decisions.
  • Ensure at least X% of active projects support named strategic priorities or focus sectors.
  • Track projects that drift out of strategic fit and trigger a review on renewal or scope change.
  • Measure how many new pursuits come from “ideal client” profiles vs. one-off opportunities.
  • Review lessons learned from misaligned projects and feed them into future bid/no-bid criteria.

capacity, risk & deliverability

  • Assess delivery capacity before approving each major new pursuit or add-on.
  • Track the number of projects operating at “high risk” status and aim to reduce this over time.
  • Monitor staff over-allocation at the portfolio level, not just project-by-project.
  • Flag projects whose risk profile has changed significantly since award and review quarterly.
  • Ensure high-risk or complex projects have named owners for quality, safety, and client experience.

portfolio performance & learning

  • Review win–loss results by sector and client type at least quarterly.
  • Track average margin, write-offs, and client satisfaction at the portfolio level, not just per project.
  • Conduct structured “portfolio review” conversations at a regular cadence (e.g., monthly or quarterly).
  • Capture 3–5 portfolio-level lessons learned each quarter and share them with project managers.
  • Monitor how often insights from proposals and projects influence future portfolio choices.

Choose a KPI from each category to keep your portfolio intentional — not just a random collection of projects — and to steer effort toward the work that really moves your firm forward.

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