Project Portfolio Management: A View From The Management Trenches

9.5. THE TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION

Building off of the previous foundations, the technology foundation seeks to enable process efficiency and to enhance the effectiveness of people in the pursuit of providing business value. The alignment of the objectives of the PPM initiative with the appropriate level of technology is an important initial step within the Technology Foundation. One of the very first decisions that should be made with regard to technology is how much is needed. It's not easy to answer this question, but some implications to be considered again relate back to people and process.

Foundational Principle Alignment of PPM objectives and level of technology is critical.

With regard to process, the answer depends on how much is being proposed, how complicated it is, and how much effort is needed to integrate it within the organization. A high degree of process complexity and the need for integration between multiple processes (project, application, and resource) point to a need for a robust technology solution. A low degree of process complexity with a straightforward process approach may point to a simple technology solution, leveraging office automation software packages already installed on most computers. Determining the right amount of technology with the appropriate sophistication of tools is a choice that should be made as an investment with proper analysis and rigor.

With regard to people, the answer depends on the size of the organization and the scope of the ...