Two weeks ago, one of my LinkedIn connections shared a striking observation: in Tunisia, the number of Certified Project Manager holders has skyrocketed, making it a ubiquitous credential on project management résumés.
Yet, despite their strategic value, Certified Portfolio Managers remain largely in the shadows. A thoughtful comment on that post resonated with me: “Many candidates pursue these advanced credentials without the deep operational experience needed to leverage them in real-world roles.”
That conversation crystallised a concern I’ve long held from my consulting and training work with public institutions and NGOs: we too often focus on executing individual projects, without a structured, portfolio-level mindset to align those efforts with broader goals. It reminded me of a consulting assignment where, despite capable teams and executive support, a multiproject initiative faltered—not for lack of effort, but for lack of strategic cohesion.
This article was born from that LinkedIn exchange and my own “aha” moment. I’ll share how Portfolio Management provides the governance and oversight needed to bridge the gap between ambitious strategy and effective execution in mission-driven organisations.
Public organisations face pressures that few private companies do: rapidly shifting mandates, tight budgets, diverse stakeholder groups, and an ever-growing demand for transparency. It’s not uncommon to see well-conceived strategic plans gather dust once execution begins. Why?
Departments launch individual projects in isolation, each with its own timeline and metrics. Without a unifying framework, these efforts compete for resources and attention, and nobody can see the full picture.
When a new senior leader arrives, budgets are reallocated, and strategic directives shift. Projects that once advanced the organisation’s goals lose support, while new initiatives emerge reactively—often without a clear connection to long-term objectives.
Teams measure success by deliverables—reports published, systems deployed, training sessions delivered. But those outputs don’t always translate into outcomes that matter: citizen satisfaction, service efficiency, or socioeconomic impact.
In my work with NGOs and public training programmes, I’ve repeatedly witnessed these pain points. We can have energised teams and sophisticated tools—and still miss the mark—unless we operate with a portfolio mindset that keeps strategy at the centre of every decision.
Portfolio Management is the practice of selecting, prioritising, and governing a collection of projects, programmes and portfolios to achieve strategic objectives. It equips leaders to answer essential questions:
The shift is profound: we move from managing individual outputs to optimising collective outcomes. In practice, portfolio thinking brings together three core activities:
By embedding these practices, organisations become more agile, focused, and outcome-oriented.
Imagine a mid-sized government agency juggling dozens of initiatives: launching smart mobility pilots, rolling out digital literacy workshops, upgrading rural infrastructure, and coordinating international partnerships. Each team passionately pursues its own mandate, but the overall effort feels disjointed.
Leaders begin by articulating their three strategic pillars—digital inclusion, infrastructure resilience, and international collaboration. They map each initiative against these pillars, revealing gaps and duplications.
With a simple scoring model, initiatives earn points for strategic fit, feasibility, and stakeholder value. Projects scoring below the threshold are paused or sunsetted; high scorers receive prioritised funding.
A cross-functional Portfolio Review Board—comprising senior leaders, subject matter experts, and a citizen representative—meets quarterly. They review dashboards showing progress, budget consumption, and emerging risks, then make decisions to accelerate, adjust, or stop initiatives.
Based on Monte Carlo simulations, the agency could expect:
This simplified scenario demonstrates how portfolio management transforms fragmented efforts into a coherent, strategic programme.
From my consulting and training engagements, five guiding principles have proven indispensable:
As citizens demand greater accountability and real-world impact, public entities cannot rely on project-by-project firefighting. Portfolio management offers:
In my workshops, I’ve seen how introducing simple portfolio tools—like initiative maps and prioritisation matrices—can spark dramatic improvements in focus, morale, and impact.
My journey with portfolio management began as an academic interest for my Portfolio Management certification. It evolved into a strategic lens that shapes my consulting, training, and advisory work with public institutions, NGOs, and academic bodies.
The principles of portfolio thinking are not reserved for corporate boardrooms. They are vital for:
If you’re a public servant, NGO leader, or consultant, I encourage you to embrace portfolio management.
Start small: inventory your initiatives, define clear criteria, and convene your first governance review. With strategic clarity and disciplined prioritisation, you can bridge the gap between your organisation’s vision and its everyday execution, turning ambition into sustained impact.
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