PPS Model

Effective portfolio management is largely about setting the right priorities between different projects, programmes and other initiatives. This is done to ensure maximum resource utilisation and optimal business benefits.

Resources are often limited and not all initiatives can be implemented at the same time. Managing and controlling a portfolio creates a balance between the strategic objectives of the operations and the capabilities of the organisation to deliver them, or the delivery capacity of projects and business changes. PPS puts the operation's vision and strategic goals at the centre while the model supports everything from strategic management, business benefit management to effective project management.

A portfolio in the project context is the ongoing projects and programmes within an organisation, or part of an organisation. In a portfolio, portfolio management needs to continuously prioritise between the initiatives in the portfolio to ensure that the maximum contribution to the objectives of the operations is achieved. Portfolio management is responsible for identifying the strategic objectives of the operations and the shorter-term business objectives to be achieved. Ongoing projects and new initiatives are continuously evaluated against the existing objectives.

Establish portfolio management
Portfolios can be established in different parts of the organisation and thus for different types of projects and programmes. Projects and programmes that compete for the same resources should be included in the same portfolio. The purpose of the portfolio needs to be clear. The benefits to be realised from portfolio management should be clear before it is established.

It is the responsibility of senior management to define and set strategic objectives within an organisation. Portfolio management sets and monitors expected benefits and is responsible for ensuring that the expected benefits of projects and programmes are in line with the strategic objectives.

The portfolio is prioritised based on an assessment and weighting of the project's contribution to the strategic objectives, as well as a weighting and assessment of the efforts required to implement the project. The portfolio management can then prioritise based on these weightings, the dependencies of the projects on other initiatives and the status of the project.

The PPS model supports the establishment and management of a portfolio regardless of the size and complexity of the operations. PPS Portfolio Management provides the basis for deciding which projects and programmes to launch, and a process for setting priorities and monitoring against expected benefits and strategic objectives.

An expected benefit describes the future state to be achieved in the operation. In PPS, the benefit owner is ultimately responsible for business benefit management and developing a business case.

PPS helps your operations to achieve a common way of working by offering complete support for business benefit management. The PPS model also provides support for both strategic management, business change management and project management. Having PPS as a model means that all roles in the operation share the same view and can work with the same concepts and terms. The support comes in the form of processes, templates, checklists and what we call skills. The skills describe how to do things.

Business case
Evaluating and describing an expected benefit at a certain cost, at a certain point in time and with the result described in the form of benefit objects is often a comprehensive work. This is summarised in a business case and supplemented with an anchored benefit realisation plan. The business case summarises and compares the estimated costs and benefits. In addition to the costs of the projects, the costs must also include an assessment of the need for business change. In addition, it also includes developing a plan for how the expected benefit will be achieved.

Business changes are needed to achieve expected benefits
In parallel with projects, the benefit owner is also responsible for preparing and communicating the business change in operations. To make operations ready to receive the results of projects and activities, business change management is needed. Business change management is a prerequisite for the results produced to create benefits in operations. Business change only takes place when people change their behaviour. The PPS model supports business change management with a focus on the human perspective.

Creating the conditions for new behaviours and abilities makes operations ready to receive the results of projects and other initiatives and ensure that benefits are created. This requires dedicated business change management that is committed to planning and implementing the business changes.

Benefit realisation, part of the business case
Benefit realisation, where both business changes and benefits are monitored and measured over time, is a tool for steering towards the expected benefits. It is followed up to show whether everything is working as intended or whether more or different efforts are needed to achieve the benefits.

The basics for business benefit management and achieving the expected benefit are that the project is formed and managed on the basis of a business case, that the reference group work functions well and provides acceptance, and that the business change is well organised and actively managed.

A business case is the plan for realising and monitoring the expected benefits. It is a dynamic document that is also used during and after a project by the benefit owner to assess new opportunities and to decide on changes.

Programme is responsible for expected benefits
Sometimes the benefit owner delegates the responsibility for realising an expected benefit to a programme. In this case, it is the programme management that describes and details the expected benefit. The management of a programme, consisting of programme managers and business change managers, is responsible for coordinating the work and ensuring that the business change in operations is achieved and the expected benefit is realised.   The programme objective is the expected benefit.

A business change only takes place when people change. The PPS model supports leading change from the human perspective. Creating the conditions for new behaviours and abilities makes operations ready to receive the results of projects and other initiatives and ensure that the benefits materialise. This requires dedicated change management. Change management is part of the business benefit management of operations.

PPS support for change management is divided into the three areas of assess, prepare and implement. The change manager plans, organises and coordinates the change activities in consultation with the operations representatives.

Assessing business change
The change initiative starts with an assessment of the scope and complexity of the business change. This assessment is made based on the stakeholders involved, the organisation's prerequisites and capacities, and an analysis of risks that may affect the change effort. PPS has a tool that we call ‘Classification of business change’. This helps you clarify what work will be required and create consensus on what the business change means.

Preparing for business change
Once the decision to implement the business change has been made, you need to prepare for the effective implementation of the change. The leaders of the operations need to have understood and accepted their commitment to the business change. Preparing means formulating and disseminating information about why the business change is to take place, and organising, planning and defining the change activities.

Implementing business change
Implementing the business change means being compliant and carrying out planned change activities in operations. Business change management should also highlight and celebrate progress when new behaviours emerge and address old unwanted behaviours. This can create the desire to be part of the continued journey of change and provide motivation to continue the business change. Once new behaviours and skills have emerged, the business change needs to be sustained.

Leadership
Leading people through a business change requires good leadership and clear communication. To get people on board, it is important to listen, create participation and understand reactions and objections, and to manage resistance. The PPS model provides a lot of support for leadership and communication.

The PPS Project Model provides support for all types of projects. The model is scalable, based on practical experience and in line with standards in the field.

The project model with a focus on creating benefits
The PPS project model shows what should be done, how it should be done and who is responsible for what. Practical support for project management can be found in the various skills sections and templates etc. included in the project model.

Projects are different, the conditions and the need for governance vary. Not everything described in the project model can - or needs to - be used in all projects. Making conscious choices and customising the use of the model is a necessary part of everyday project management. The project model provides support for how to do this in the form of skills, tools, templates, checklists, workflows and role descriptions. The project management is responsible for delivering the agreed project objective.

The PPS project model for project management describes the three phases; prepare, execute and conclude. The phases are complemented by Decision Points, where the Steering Group makes decisions, and the Steps that the project needs to go through. The steps contain support that describes how to do in the form of skills, tools, templates, checklists, workflows and role descriptions.

The preparation phase in projects
Prepare refers to the work between BP1 and BP3. The aim is to define the project objective and limitations and how the work will be practically executed. A project plan that includes a project objective should be agreed with the steering group at BP3 and forms the basis for execution.

In the preparation phase, the most appropriate production strategy for execution is chosen. The PPS model can be used in a flexible way and it is easy to combine, for example, agile and waterfall in the same project.

The production strategies can also be combined to suit the needs and organisation.

The execution phase of projects
Execute is where the results that lead to the fulfilment of the project objective is produced. The way in which the results are produced and the strategy with which the work is carried out can vary, but the management model can always be used. An increasingly common approach is agile. Active feedback on needs, commitments and results is complemented by orderly change control. Benefits are continuously checked during the project to ensure a useful result and a successful project.

Conclusion phase of the project
Conclude involves returning the resources used by the project and summarising the project's progress and lessons learnt compiled in a final report to be reused by future projects. The project closes in BP8.

The PPS model is much more than just a project model
The PPS model provides complete support for the whole operation, from strategic management, business benefit management, business change management to project management. The model provides support for all roles and clarifies what responsibilities and authority these roles should have. The fact that the roles interact is central to the model and there is a lot of support for leadership and collaboration. The project model also contains guides and templates. 

To gain a deeper understanding of the project model's structure and content, we offer a range of project management training courses.

PPS is also involved in the development of standards for projects at SIS - the Swedish Institute for Standards.

PPS and Agile have the same approach!
The need to prioritise initiatives and projects is increasing and quickly gaining business value is becoming more and more important. Many businesses see Agile as a way of increasing their ability and to deliver results more quickly. At the same time, they want to maintain the relatively simple control they have, provided using more traditional business and project methodology and decision models.

Sometimes the secret of succeeding with a project is based on the method you choose. The PPS model is simple, clear, user-friendly and adaptable, based on the needs. This means that you can work the Agile way you can easily use the PPS skills and tools. The basic thoughts of the PPS and Agile methodologies and their approach regarding what is important in order to succeed with a project are very alike

You can use PPS in a linearly-planned project, but the ridged process and document-driven part, which is normally called the ”Waterfall method” does not match PPS. If you look at the central terms and expressions in PPS and Agile, you will see that they share the same basis/foundation for how affective tasks and activities and results are created:

• people and individuals
• results and benefits
• secure participation and motivation
• common view and cooperation

Changes in project
Plan-driven methods tend to plan larger areas of the process in detail over a long period of time. This works until things change, and this is something that makes us want to avoid making changes. Agile, however, welcomes change and sees it as an advantage. PPS’s approach to changes in projects is that they should create benefit and value. From that perspective, PPS is more like the Agile way of working, than the waterfall method. Changes should, according to Agile and PPS, be a natural part of the project.

Agile and waterfall-based methods
It is often said that Agile methods were created as a counterreaction to the plan-driven and ridged methods, that are normally called waterfall methods. Plan-driven methods are often seen as being process-oriented, while the Agile methods as seen as being more person-oriented. People become the resources in waterfall methods. They can be replaced, added or removed, depending on the needs. Agile claim that there is no process that can replace the person, or a team’s skills and experiences. The aim of the Agile process is, because of this, to support the individuals and the team in their work. 

Both PPS and Agile focus on delivering value to the customer, using a result-oriented approach. This is in contrast to the plan-driven methods, which are normally referred to as being document-oriented and where the documentation created will be proof of the delivered value.  

PPS-modellen är förpackad i webbapplikationen PPS OnLine. Här finner du allt stöd du behöver från PPS-modellen. Utifrån roll eller storlek på projekt väljer du ingång i PPS OnLine och får då enkelt rätt stöd när det behövs.

PPS OnLine är indelat i olika områden. Du väljer vilket område som passar din roll och hittar där enkelt det stöd som just du behöver. 

Lättillgänglig - I PPS OnLine kommer du enkelt åt hela PPS projektmodell med steg för steg-beskrivningar, mallar, färdigheter och checklistor.

PPS OnLine är:

• Rollbaserad - Din projektroll bestämmer ingången i PPS OnLine, och ger dig rätt stöd som behövs för just din roll.
• Skräddarsydd - PPS OnLine kan skräddarsys till din verksamhets behov och standarder, där exempelvis mallar och information anpassas utifrån önskemål.
• Kontinuerliga utgåvor - Kunddriven utveckling med kontinuerliga utgåvor, där användaren alltid har tillgång till den senaste versionen.
• Flera språk - PPS OnLine finns på svenska och engelska.

• PPS is a recognised model established in large parts of the business community and in public sectors. There is a possibilty that your customers and subcontractors already use the PPS model.
• A common approach for all roles, at all levels, from portfolio management to project members. The PPS model includes support for:
  - Portfolio management
  - Programme management
  - Business benefit management
  - Business Change management
  - Project management
• Adaptable and independent of type of operations, industry and size of your organisation. You can use the model for both simple and complex projects, programmes and portfolios.
  PPS OnLine is a useful web application for your everyday life. PPS OnLine always gives you access to practical support in your work through step-by-step guides, tools, templates and checklists.
  Low maintenance and development costs. You share the cost of development and maintenance with over 150 partners.
• Exchange of experiences. PPS organises different occasions for our partners to meet and exchange experiences or be inspired by others work etc. There is an annual PPS partner day, dedicated meetings where PPS partners can network with other PPS partners, discussing topics like PMO, establishing portfolios or how to make business benefit managing more efficient in an operation. You also have the opportunity to influence the development of the PPS model by participating in various development activities.
• International standards. PPS product management monitors international project standards and frameworks such as IPMA, PMI and ISO. PPS gives you a good basis for certification. 
• Aligning with other ways of working. The approach and content of PPS provide good conditions for collaboration with other working methods such as Agile, Lean and Scrum.
• PPS Trainings gives you and your operation the right conditions and understanding of how to use and work with the model. We provide both in-house and in so-called open training courses.
• PPS Consultancy Services gives your operation the support you need. Our experienced consultants help you with the challenges you face.

Watch PPS introduction video