What we do
Total IT Investment Portfolio
The first issue often is to understand the size and shape of the total portfolio. This may be quite easy in a single company but it can be extremely difficult in a globally diverse business. However, to ensure that the right resources are directed to the right investments it is always advisable to obtain a proper, holistic view of the portfolio (figure 1). For completeness, the inventory of projects should include not only the currently approved projects but also, where possible, those that are intended by the business that are not yet through the approval process. This will provide a more comprehensive view of the likely need for resources and for management’s ability to provide proper monitoring and governance.
 
From a governance and value perspective, the prime attention is on the discretionary projects although it is important to remember that the real achievement of value is heavily dependent upon satisfactory delivery of all projects. Non-discretionary projects consume resources and often have to be given priority to meet regulatory or other imposed deadlines, so it is helpful to understand the impact of these projects on the delivery of the discretionary projects.