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GCN Home > 11/08/04 issue

Manage your project portfolio your way

By Carlos A. Soto, GCN Staff

Say you’re an agency competing for millions of dollars in project funding. How do you start building a proposal? How are your projects going to affect your agency and the federal government as a whole?

Answering such questions can be daunting, but with the right portfolio management software it’s not impossible.

Portfolio management software is similar to database software in that it only works if you have an objective. Unfortunately, portfolio software is also like database software in that it’s difficult to use, and understanding how to maximize results takes time.

To determine how to get the most from portfolio management software, we tested two packages that reflect different approaches—Computas Metis and Expert Choice—and used them in the GCN Lab. Not surprisingly, we found one size does not fit all. Agencies should weigh the nature of their projects against the strengths of a software system.

Metis: Intuitive interface

One goal we had in the GCN Lab was to improve the logistics of our review process. The lab takes in up to 360 products a year for review. Needless to say, the cycle can create problems.

As soon as we started using Computas’ Metis 3.4, we noticed gaps in our product submission format, and we were better able to understand past mistakes. Because Metis integrates enterprise architecture features with its portfolio management capabilities, it was able to recognize that the problems were a result of our inability to cope with last-minute changes.

The Computas philosophy on portfolio management is to unify operations and goals in a common software interface. It uses templates to create both the EA models and their subfolders, which are the portfolios and projects an agency is working on.

Using the product’s generic enterprise model template, we mapped the GCN Lab infrastructure, which included personnel, network and testing resources.

With all the information in place, we noticed there was no way to disseminate information changes to the entire lab staff after a product’s arrival. So we implemented a form that centralizes data for every product from its submission to when it goes back to the vendor. So far it has reduced errors by 98 percent.

More news on related topics: Business Process Management, New Products / Technology, Product Reviews



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