Resource Contention: How to Resolve Competing Demands
What resource contention is, why it happens, how to detect it before it bites, and the escalation order for resolving competing claims on the same person across a portfolio.
The handbook
Project Portfolio Management Articles
Field notes on running project portfolios. Written for PMO leads, portfolio managers, and the program teams who turn a list of projects into delivered outcomes.
Earned Value Management: EVM Formulas, CPI, SPI, Examples
Earned value management (EVM) measures project performance by comparing planned value, earned value, and actual cost. This guide gives you the full formula set (CV, SV, CPI, SPI, EAC, ETC, VAC, TCPI), a worked example with real arithmetic, how to read a CPI and an SPI, how a PMO rolls earned value up to portfolio level, and the honest limits of the technique.
RAG Status: Meaning and Criteria in Project Management
RAG status rates a project red, amber, or green to show its health at a glance. This guide covers what RAG stands for, what each color actually means, how to write objective criteria so the rating is not a negotiation, worked examples, who owns the rating, and how to stop green projects from failing overnight.
PfMP Certification: Requirements, Exam, Cost, PfMP vs PMP
The PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional) is PMI's credential for people who manage portfolios rather than projects. This guide covers the eligibility requirements, the panel review that gates the application, the 170-question exam, the fees, how PfMP compares to PMP and PgMP, and who should realistically pursue it.
Project Pipeline Management: Stages, Process, Best Practices
Project pipeline management is the practice of tracking every candidate and active project through defined stages so the portfolio stays balanced, resourced, and aligned to strategy. This guide covers the pipeline stages, how pipeline management differs from intake and from the portfolio itself, the process to run it, the metrics of a healthy pipeline, and the practices that keep it working.
PMO Framework: Components, Models, and How to Build One
A PMO framework is the operating structure of a project management office: its mandate, functions, governance, delivery methodology, operating model, and metrics. This guide explains each component, the common PMO framework models, how a framework differs from a methodology, and how to build one that fits your organization.
Project Intake Form: Template, Fields, and Examples
A project intake form is a standard request form that captures the same core information from every new project idea so requests can be compared and prioritized fairly. This guide gives the exact fields to include, a filled sample form, how to build one in Excel, Word, or Google Forms, and how the form feeds your prioritization process.
PMO Methodology: How a PMO Standardizes Project Delivery
A PMO methodology is the standardized, tailored approach to running projects that a PMO defines, publishes, and governs so every team delivers the same way. This guide explains what a PMO methodology includes, how it differs from a framework, how a PMO selects and tailors one, and how it gets adopted across the organization.
Project Portfolio Management Examples: 5 Portfolio Types
A project portfolio is a coordinated group of projects funded to deliver a shared strategic outcome. This guide gives five concrete examples, an IT portfolio, a new product portfolio, a transformation portfolio, a capital portfolio, and a marketing portfolio, each with its objective, its sample projects, and the way it gets prioritized and measured.
Resource Management Plan: Contents and How to Build One
A resource management plan is the document that defines how projects and portfolios estimate, acquire, assign, develop, and release their resources. This guide covers what a resource management plan includes, the roles and responsibilities it records, how to build one step by step, and how it differs from a capacity plan.
RICE Scoring Model: Formula, Example, and Framework
The RICE scoring model ranks projects and features by reach, impact, confidence, and effort. Here is the formula, how to score each factor, a worked example, what counts as a good score, and how RICE compares to other prioritization frameworks.
WSJF: Weighted Shortest Job First Formula and Example
WSJF (weighted shortest job first) sequences work by dividing cost of delay by job size, so short, urgent, high-value jobs go first. Here is the formula, how to score each input, a worked example, and how WSJF compares to RICE.