The Strategic Portfolio Management Manifesto

The Strategic Portfolio Management Manifesto or SPM Manifesto is a six-point call to action that outlines the objectives, principles and steps organisations, whether they are public or private, large or small, global or regional, need to embrace in order to outperform by aligning much better than before strategy with operations. In a nutshell:

1. Objectives: optimise stakeholders’ value while helping others to outperform
2. Drivers: be cost-aware, opened, social, scalable and layered
3. Sequence: If, and only if stabilised, platform and framework enable stakeholder-oriented SPM
4. Infrastructure: a fool with a tool is still a fool; however, a thoroughbred without horseshoes is a rogue
5. Governance: tailor and simplify standards while keeping their essence, have regional and/or functional support offices report centrally and embed rules into processes
6. Services: empower people and nurture sense of community

A growing focus on cost visibility following various financial crises, the repetition of corporate scandals, massive programme failures, and the importance given organisation-wide to accountability and governance are some of the factors impacting the rise of Strategic Portfolio Management as a business discipline. However, there…