Value Innovation Portfolio Management: Achieving Double-digit Growth Through Customer Value Review

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(More customer reviews)The co-authors of this book are colleagues at Product Development Consulting, Inc. where they and their PDC associates devised and have since refined the Market-Driven Product Definition (MDPD®) methodology in response to their clients' need for a customer value dimension in their product portfolio management."We watched many of our clients make MDPD an integral part of their product development processes, then go on to use the resulting database of customer value information as input to their portfolio processes. Thus was born our idea of providing a new methodology, philosophy, and criteria for evaluating changes to the portfolio [begin italics] before [end italics] making portfolio decisions and committing company resources."

What Sheila Mello (lead author) and her collaborators have learned about value innovation portfolio (VIP) management is provided in this book. Whether or not the organizations of those who read it achieve "double-digit growth through customer value" will depend on how effectively the MDPD methodology is executed.

Here are several of the questions to which Mayo and her collaborators respond:

1. How to define or re-define a product portfolio along the value dimension?
2. What are the leading causes of product failure and how to avoid or correct them?
3. What is innovation's proper role within the MDPD methodology?
4. In what respect(s) is the "optimized" portfolio "the sweet spot"?
5. In terms of MDPD alignment, why is the "why?" so important?
6. What is an "actionable" portfolio? A "fortified" portfolio?
7. How to use MDPD to "hear the voice of the customer"?

I especially appreciate the provision of the three appendices whose material will assist, indeed expedite the formulation and implementation of a successful value innovation portfolio (VIP). Decision-makers in smaller or at least less complex organizations may prefer to devise a mini-program, try it out, and then expand or modify it. This book will be invaluable to either approach.

That said, I presume to share two caveats. First, when creating and then developing a VIP, focus on what is most important...and most appropriate. Nail the fundamentals. For example, make certain that all decisions are based on accurate, current, and sufficient information. Keep in mind what Peter Drucker once observed: Also, beware of over-complicating the VIP design and implementation process. Recall what Albert Einstein once observed: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

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Product Description:
Value Innovation Portfolio Management offers a new, proven approach to product portfolio management and innovation that uses customer value as the key predictor of success. It illustrates how shifting the portfolio management metric from financials to customer value helps companies identify innovations that delight end users and drive double-digit growth. KEY FEATURES

* Introduces a new, proven approach to creating a valuable product portfolio based on high customer value, tight business strategy alignment, and optimal investment intensity
* Reveals how to exploit unfulfilled market niches by shifting to customer value as a top portfolio criterion
* Tackles tough questions about what products to launch, where to invest/divest, and how to avoid costly product failures
* Includes real case studies showing the merits of transforming the business drivers of your product portfolio to a customer value approach
* Provides strategic vision and a blueprint for measuring customer value and using it to reinvent your portfolio management process
* Offers free downloadable articles on collecting the voice of the customer and creating a framework for measuring innovation -- available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center

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Project Valuation Using Real Options: A Practitioner's Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the book for those serious about improving project selection results.This is the only book of its kind for today's project management professional.Finally, I feel I understand how to use this unique approach to evaluate all the options available in selecting projects that will significantly contribute to an organization's bottom line.

Lee R. Lambert, A Founder of PMP

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Product Description:
"To invest or not to invest?" Business leaders frequently are faced with this question on new and ongoing projects. The challenge lies in deciding what projects to choose, expand, contract, defer, or abandon. The project valuation tools used in this process are vital to making the right decisions. Traditional tools such as discounted cash flow/net present value assume a "fixed" path ahead. But real world projects face uncertainties, forcing you to change the path often. This book introduces a more practical approach to project valuation known as real options analysis. Derived from options theory in modern finance, this approach is based on the Nobel Prize-winning work of three MIT economists.

Project Valuation Using Real Options provides a systematic approach to project valuation that will enable you to minimize investment risks, exercise flexibility in decision making, and maximize returns.

Key Features

- Discusses why traditional valuation methods such as discounted cash flow, net present value and decision tree analysis are not sufficient in today's uncertain world
- Explains the real options approach in a step-by-step manner which is easily understood and does not require an extensive financial background on the part of the reader
- Shows you how to make the correct investment decisions, achieve strategic alignment of projects, increase projectflexibility, and sustain competitive advantage
- Presents multiple scenarios and real world examples from technology, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and otherindustries to illustrate success stories, challenges, and the true value of real options analysis
- WAV offers free downloadable assessment tools and solutions to problems presented in the book - available from the Web Added Value™ Download Resource Center

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Program Management for Improved Business Results Review

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(More customer reviews)As president of the Program Management Forum and a practicing consultant for almost 20 years in business process development, I have seen and used a lot of material related to program and project management.
I believe that this book is the best collection of valid, practical, usable information on program management that I have seen. Its basic approach is the view that program management, properly done, is a powerful, unifying mechanism for simultaneously coordinating the projects and functions with the strategic alignment, up and down the organization, of strategies, projects, and tasks.
This book clearly distinguishes the tools and functions of program management from those of project management. It clarifies the unique qualities required of a good program management system and team, outlines its unique tools and methods, and even presents a thorough discussion of program metrics, with advice how to customize them to a company's unique situation.
It includes a good presentation of unique program management tools including program portfolio maps, program road maps, program complexity assessments and many others, all of which are distinct from the standard project management tools in their role. The use of these tools is always presented in the larger context of achieving business results and implementing business strategy, not just specific project objectives- which therefore elevates program management to the role of a strategic framework.
In addition to the topic of program management itself, the book spends considerable time on the selection and development of program managers, how they differ from project managers, and how to build their supporting organizations who must implement this discipline.
Finally, the book clearly outlines ways for a company to transition to a Program Management Way of doing business and how the newly introduced role of program management must fit and collaborate with the other functions of a company to operate well.
This book is clearly the synergy of the broad corporate experience of the two of its co-authors with immense business background together with the thoroughness and ability to explain concepts of its academic, but also business-experienced co-author.
The book is absolutely worth its price, as it contains no fluff, is well organized, and is packed with relevant, practical information.
I thoroughly endorse this landmark book and recommend it to anyone wishing to implement or improve a program management organization and develop its program managers. It is easy to read, extremely comprehensive and packed with proven, practical information.

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Product Description:
The need for information on program management is more critical now than ever before. PMIs development of a new standard on program management is driving even greater interest. At the same time, there are few books covering the subject, which provide practical answers, benchmarks, and case studies, however, this book fills the gap. The authors focus on both the macro level of integrating projects and portfolios into the business strategy and the micro level of managing a single program. It contains 6 issue-oriented cases weaved throughout the text, and an additional 5 comprehensive cases in the appendix. The result is a blueprint for the successful implementation of program management.

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Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO: Multiplying ROI at Warp Speed Review

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(More customer reviews)There is enough good content in this book to fill several books. However, the authors make some foundational assumptions that one must keep in mind when interpreting or applying the practices the author's propose in this book:
Assertion #1: The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is applicable to project management. This is a questionable and unsupported assertion. Projects may have several constraints at different times and across different projects. The TOC model is from manufacturing, implies a single bottleneck, and may not apply to dynamic projects.
Assertion #2: Critical Chain Project Management theory is applicable and valuable in project management. CCPM is unproven, is based on questionable assumptions, is supported by only a few PM tools, and is not known by PMI-trained PM's. For more on this, see "A Critical Look at Critical Chain Project Management", authors Raz, Barnes and Dvir: Project Management Journal, December 2003.
Still, this is a useful book for a person marketing, proposing or implementing a project management office. The book is good at pointing out that the PMO must deliver value to executives by aligning projects with enterprise strategy and by increasing the number of completed projects in a given time period.
The book is stronger in application of the practices (and especially metrics) to business than not-for-profit enterprises, but is still useful to people in not-for-profit organizations.
Recommendation: Employ the author's suggestions to select and prioritize projects based on strategic impact, but, in the main, use proven project management practices (not CCPM or TOC) to ensure project completion.

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This comprehensive book covers the strategy, tactics, and processes needed for successfulproject portfolio management. It outlines a road map to unprecedented project managementimprovement and includes a detailed implementation plan for both strategic planning and aPMO that gives you measurable results in weeks. The authors delineate four processes that get a PMO off the ground much faster, driving bottom-line value almost immediately. It includes real PMO case studies, provides a way to evaluate your PMO, illustrates how Six Sigma and the PMO can support each other and be used to drive bottom-line value and presents the new Theory of Constraints 4x4 method of strategic planning and the CriticalChain Multi-Project Management approach. . This book shows you how to turn a PMO into a value machine.

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Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects (Pragmatic Programmers) Review

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(More customer reviews)Part of my work involves coaching organisations in implementing and improving their portfolio management processes. I religiously buy and read most of what is published on the subject in English or French. More than often, I had to conclude that this book or article I just read, I could have written myself... and done then only a half-job doing so. Most of the literature on the subject, I have seen up to now, talked a lot about mathematical scoring models, tools and techniques, addressing mostly the mechanics of the process. It never addressed the soul of the process, the Humans, and how to deal with the main challenge of portfolio management in this area, namely: "How do we get a whole organisation to live a common vision and be truly aligned and willing to make it happen through project work". Most of the books, that have been published, focus on best practices and techniques and do not discuss behavioural aspects as a key issue.....up to now!

"Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects" is Johanna Rothman's third book. Her first two, "Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management" and "Manage It: Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management" are real gems and won prices for their quality and usefulness. I do not hesitate to say that "Manage It" is one of the best books around for giving practical advice to project managers. Her last book, as her two others, is full of real life examples and little case studies that supports the principles, concepts and techniques offered. "Manage Your Project Portfolio" is really a very complete "How-to" book on how to set up and manage your project portfolio. This book addresses human aspects very well, including a very nice chapter dedicated to collaboration work in a portfolio management context (chapter 6). The chapter on metrics and measurement is also straight to the point (Chapter 10). Ms Rothman's top-notch practical advices and examples are found all over the place up to the last page, with a great last chapter titled "Start Somewhere...But Start", one of the best things to do when it is time to go forward with taking charge of your portfolio of projects.

I do believe this book gives a more complete view of what is at stake when dealing with project portfolio management and will really help organisations to move forward faster with implementing and improving this key business issue of the 21st century, the Project Age. A very inspiring book!

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Product Description:

All of your projects and programs make up your portfolio.But how much time you actually spend on your projects, and how much time do you spend responding to emergencies?

This book will introduce you to different ways of ordering all of the projects you are working on now, and help you figure out how to staff those projects--even when you've run out of project teams to do the work.

Once you learn to manage your portfolio better, you'll avoid emergency "firedrills." The trick is adopting lean and agile approaches to projects, whether they are software projects, projects that include hardware, or projects that depend on chunks of functionality from other suppliers.

You may be accustomed to spending time in meetings where you still don't have the data you need to evaluate your projects. Here, with a few measures, you'll be able to quickly evaluate each project and come to a decision quickly.

You'll learn how to define your team's, group's, or department's mission with none of the buzzwords that normally accompany a mission statement. Armed with the work and the mission, you can make those decisions that define the true leaders in the organization.

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