Is everyone in your organization on the same page when it comes to Project and Portfolio Management (PPM)? Do you have a handle on this essential governance process so critical to enterprise success?

I would love to hear the answer is "yes." I would love to receive comments to this post describing how well PPM is working and how mature the process is, in anyone's enterprise. I know PPM success stories are out there and I occasionally have the joy of hearing about them. I also read about them when I peruse surveys reporting the increased pervasiveness and continued maturation of PPM. I seldom get to see it.

I have visited more than 100 companies and government organizations around the world and each one was struggling with PPM. In every case, there wasn't even a common understanding of the term, let alone a defined, unified, and cohesive approach to meeting its end. So I am thrilled that company after company continues to request my PPM presentation as a means to providing the foundation and catalyst for their PPM-fostered journey to success.

So I am continually befuddled when I see those PPM-related surveys I mentioned earlier. Though none of them paint a rosy picture of PPM, they all show that most organizations are doing "some PPM" and PPM continues to mature. I always wonder to what these organizations were referring when they checked the "yes" box to the "Are you doing PPM?" question. I wonder because I contend the definition is far from cut-and-dry.

To make this point, I include each of these definitions in my PPM presentation:

• PPM is a continuous loop of communication that enables an IT organization and the business to collaboratively plan and manage IT investments.
• PPM is a term used by project managers and project management organizations to describe methods for analyzing and collectively managing a group of current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics.
• PPM is the process to determine the optimal mix and sequencing of proposed programs and projects to best achieve the organization's overall goals.
• PPM is the process to ensure that an organization's overall portfolio of investments is aligned with and contributing optimal value to the organization's strategic objectives.
• PPM is the centralized management of one or more portfolios, which includes identifying, prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work, to achieve specific strategic business objectives.

I purposely did not cite the source of these definitions because my point is not to pick on any one of them. (I will go on record that the last definition is my favorite because it mentions the key activities required to do PPM right.) My point is that if an organization has any chance of making any headway with this essential business process they had better be using a consistent definition.

In addition to proving there are many perspectives out there, I provide audiences multiple definitions because I believe the definition is the key in taking those first (or next) PPM steps. Each of the definitions has its merits. PPM can meet any number of business objectives and it should be tailored to meet those applicable to the organization in question. The definition chosen should be based on the:

• specific business problems or business opportunities PPM is expected to address
• The specific PPM process objectives required to solve those business problems or exploit those business opportunities
• organization's governance strengths and weaknesses
• organization's process strengths and weaknesses
• organization's culture
• organizations capacity for change

The definition will drive the creation of process, assignment of roles and establishment of mechanisms to fulfill the specific business objectives of PPM for each individual organization in question. The organization will continually revisit and revise the definition of PPM as their capability matures and their business objectives change.

I am not a one-PPM-size-fits-all kind of guy. I don't believe in prescriptive approaches. So the myriad of PPM definitions is actually a good thing, as long as the organization gets everyone to agree to and apply the same definition.

As a test, write those three letters on a piece of note paper and hand it to each of your Project Managers and your PMO staff. Ask them to write down what those three letters mean to them. Try the same with your executive leadership team. If your PPM is not performing well, this simple exercise may give you a good idea why.

The first step to successful PPM is to get everyone on the same page.

Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist