Situation

• $12+ B high-tech service provider was experiencing commoditization of its core product line.  A new product line was becoming the growth engine
• Firm had historically been a “fast follower” with high success rates; success rates had decreased as the firm started to lead the market
• Competition between Marketing departments for IT and Operations resources.  No Master Project List
• Client desired a process to manage its portfolio, along with an implementation strategy that reflected its cultural challenges

Actions Taken

• Led a Process Design Team and an Executive Team through a structured sequence of workshops to define the portfolio process
• Developed the first comprehensive Master Project List for Marketing: 150+ projects when Marketing estimated it had 50-75 projects
• Framed the first portfolio review for the Executive Team and walked them through an approach to prioritize projects for the first time as a group
• Piloted the Portfolio Management process
• Developed all supporting methods, tools, training materials, change management strategy, and implementation plan

Results

• Operations and IT now focus on projects that are high priority for the Marketing Executive Team
• Client has canceled the bottom 20% of projects for which there are insufficient resources
• CMO is using the process and the portfolio architecture to drive the strategy and direction of the business