Area

Project

Program

Portfolio

Scope

Scope Set limited scope with clearly defined deliverables.

Broad scope with flexible boundaries to meet medium-term expected business benefits.

Organizational scope adapted to corporate goals.

Change

Change should be avoided; baseline is key.

Change is first seen as an opportunity.

Monitor environmental changes that affect the corporate strategy.

Success

Measured through respect of cost, time, quality preset parameters.

Measured in financial terms, value creation and benefits realization.

Measured in terms of overall portfolio performance: maximum results, minimal resources.

Leadership

Transactional leadership, authority-based directive style, management of subalterns, conflict resolution.
Rational decision-making.

Facilitating style, management of powerful stakeholders, conflict resolution.
Intuitive decision-making.

Administrative style focused on adding value, power results from allocating resources.
Rational decision-making.

Role

Task and parameters management; product (project output) delivery.

Pacing and interfacing of projects; benefits delivery.

Resource management across portfolio; deliver value to corporate stakeholders.

Responsibility

Project output delivery to parameters; reporting performance-based focus.

Strategic decision implementation, develop opportunistic emergent strategies.

Align portfolio with corporate strategy, adjust portfolio with regard to changes in organizational environment.

Main Tasks

Negotiate scope, define WBS, minimize adverse risks, and manage delivery of the product of the project. Maintain project team stamina and motivation, monitor and control external team.

Coordinate component project resources and key deliverables; market program and build business case on a regular basis; develop and maintain project managers' team spirit and contribution to program.

Allocate resources to portfolio components, reassess portfolio on an ongoing basis; collect and use program and project data to make decisions.

Control

Monitor and control tasks and project parameters retrospectively against baseline;
Report to project sponsor.

Appraise component project deliverables and resource usages prospectively against expected benefits;
Report to business stakeholders.

Measure aggregate value of portfolio retrospectively against preset corporate performance indicators;
Report to corporate stakeholders.

© Michel Thiry