IT Portfolio Management Step-by-Step: Unlocking the Business Value of Technology

2.10. TASK PLANNING

While IT portfolio management is a process that should be adopted as a normal business practice, it should be managed as a project. Therefore, a task plan must be created and managed for each iteration of the IT portfolio management process. Previously, objectives were articulated. The tasks to populate the work plan will become apparent as you progress through this book. In general, however, objectives for doing IT portfolio management should drive the tasks performed and the deliverables created. If doing or creating something supports the objectives of IT portfolio management, then do it; if not, don't!

Time is a scarce commodity for you and for those being asked to participate in the IT portfolio management process. Being judicious about what is produced, who is involved in the process, and what is expected of them is a key to success. Objectives drive the deliverables and tasks of the IT portfolio management process. If doing or creating something does not satisfy an objective as outlined previously, simply do not do it. Conversely, a task plan must be reconciled against the objectives to determine if the task(s) and deliverables being created do, in fact, satisfy objectives.

Chapter 5 walks the reader through the stages and associated tasks and deliverables of the IT portfolio management process. Suffice it to say, a simple understanding of these stages will enable a skeleton of the plan to be created. As you read this book, the skeleton should evolve ...