“As a portfolio manager I’ve had to spend significantly more time than ever
before analyzing data and understanding the impact of changes to the portfo-
lio,” she says. “At the same time, there has been a higher expectation from the
C-suite that adjustments to the portfolio take into account all the interdepen-
dencies of the portfolio, as well as upstream and downstream operations.”
Tactical information gathering helps Ms. Szmyt cut through the static and
make decisions that will deliver positive results in an increasingly competitive
business environment. For instance, analyzing support tickets by software or
platform version could help uncover a systemic issue in user adoption, ease of
use or user training that needs to be addressed. This tactical approach helps
time-crunched executives prioritize the right projects—rather than getting
mired in complex metrics reports, says Ms. Szmyt.
Combating complexity often
means making large-scale shifts
that affect teams across the
organization. If project leaders try
to change too much too quickly,
the internal pushback could make
matters worse. But if they don’t do
enough to challenge the status quo,
systems and processes will stay the
same. Finding that middle ground
takes finesse, says Ken Kramme,
PMP, PfMP, SAP services director
and delivery executive, Augmentis
Group, Brisbane, Australia.
“Often the organizations with
which we deal have low or de-
veloping maturity,” he says. “The
challenge is to properly pace while
promoting the strategic growth of
the organization in their adoption
of portfolio management processes
and practices. That respects the
maturity while also challenging it.”
Breaking down programs and
projects into more manageable
chunks can help these organiza-
tions cut through complexity. But
any significant changes in process-
es or protocols require that staple
of effective project leadership:
good communication. To ensure
the right information gets to the
right people, Mr. Kramme conducts
communications requirements
analyses and creates business
process flowcharts that outline
the decision-making and approval
processes.
“When people have a common
understanding of the end state,
they can remain on the journey
of change,” he says. “It’s better to
over-communicate than under-communicate.”
The Human Element
