Skip to main content

Organize a portfolio

This guide is for portfolio owners and teams overseeing delivery. It shows how to define the scope of a portfolio, assign an owner, and group initiatives that serve a common priority.

Define the scope​

A portfolio groups programs and projects so the organization can decide where to concentrate its resources. For each proposed initiative, identify the priority it supports, the expected benefit, and the resources it needs. Use this information to make trade-offs when initiatives compete for the same resources. PMI portfolio management standard · APM portfolio management guide

Take the fictional distribution company from Structure a strategy. It creates the “Delivery reliability” portfolio to group the “Distribution improvement” program and the direct project “Delay alerts.” The team tracks their contribution to “Service quality” through the on-time delivery rate.

Create the portfolio​

Select the organization that runs the initiatives. It needs a current strategy and an allocation mode that gives access to the Portfolio Workspace. Creating a portfolio and linking items require portfolio write access. Depending on your permissions, the list may show only the portfolios you own.

  1. Open Portfolios → Portfolio Workspace, then select Create Portfolio.
  2. In Portfolio Name, enter “Delivery reliability.” Use Description to explain the scope and its link to the service priority. Choose an Owner to prepare reviews.
  3. Select Create Portfolio. Find it in the list and check its name and owner.
  1. On the portfolio row, use View Linked Programs in the Programs column. Search for “Distribution improvement,” select it, then choose Add selected programs.
  2. Use View Linked Projects in the Projects column. Search for “Delay alerts,” select it, then choose Add selected projects.
  3. Check that both items appear in the linked lists. If the scope changes, use Detach to remove the relevant link.

If an initiative is missing from the selector, check the current strategy and the initiative’s portfolio. If it already belongs to another portfolio, resolve that assignment first. If the workspace or its edit actions are missing, ask your administrator to check the allocation mode and your permissions.

Once the scope is defined, see Prepare a portfolio review.