We often have clients who want to implement Portfolios right away. They’ve been given a demo; they love the Waterline View, and so they're excited to use its capability. But there are some key considerations to think about first.
We've already discussed how you can use portfolios. Today we'll talk about five important things you need to know before jumping into Portfolios in Clarity PPM (CA PPM).
1 | Demand Management
You really want to have a solid foundation in Demand Management before you start using Portfolios in Clarity PPM. In order to be successful with Portfolios, you have to understand what work is coming up and how you’re managing upcoming Demand—like Ideas—inside Clarity PPM.
2 | Project and Investment Management
Also critical, you want to really have your head wrapped around Project Management and Investment Management. It's easy for you to point to what’s getting worked on now, and you’re tracking that work within Clarity PPM.
3 | Resource Management
The same goes for Resource Management. Do you know the kind of Resources you have and where they’re put on Projects? All of that information will flow into your Portfolios.
4 | Financial Management
Financial Management is a big one. We always try to make sure clients can manage their financials by understanding where the financials come from in Clarity PPM, and how they get pushed into Portfolio.
So these four areas are important to understand. You want to know how they’re expressed in Clarity PPM and how they work. And then the last item that we have, and we really try to infuse this, is consistency.
5 | Consistent Management
Above all else, Portfolio Management needs consistency. Nothing is worse than having a senior level person looking at an unintelligible report coming out of the Portfolio Space. Nobody can say what it means because everyone is using the data a little differently. So we drive consistency as one of the key criteria for success in Portfolio Management.
It wasn’t long ago that we went on a client site, and they were only using Clarity PPM for Time Entry. As you might guess, they wanted to jump into Portfolio, but after we worked with them a little bit, their eyes opened up, and they essentially said, “Wow. Okay. Maybe we’re too early for this step.”
When we talk about Portfolios, the big thing you want to understand is that you need consistency using Demand Management, Project and Investment Management, Resource Management, and Financial Management in Clarity PPM, so that you can accomplish your portfolio goals.
Do you have a question about how to start Portfolio work? Ask us in the comments.
And if you liked this post, stay tuned. Up next, we’ll be talking about Portfolio Capabilities in Clarity PPM, including strengths and limitations.
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