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Portfolio management
Choosing, funding, reviewing, and stopping initiatives as one investment set instead of approving projects one at a time.
Reviewed July 2026 · 5 min read · Portfolio & Innovation
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Definition #
Portfolio management is the practice of choosing, funding, reviewing, and stopping initiatives as one investment set. It evaluates the combined contribution, risk, capacity, and dependency picture rather than approving each project in isolation.
Why it matters #
A collection of individually reasonable projects can still exceed the organization’s capacity, duplicate effort, or pull in conflicting directions. Portfolio decisions make the trade-offs visible before delivery absorbs the cost.
Useful review questions #
- Which objective does this initiative materially advance?
- What must stop or wait if this work begins?
- Which capability or dependency could prevent the outcome?
- What evidence will trigger continuation, revision, or closure?