This getting started article will help users to understand the functionality and related configurations of Portfolio Planning using the TDAdmin and TDNext. The user must have the Portfolio Planning application and access to TDNext and TDAdmin.
Overview
Portfolio Planning is where potential project requests are recorded, reviewed, and approved. The final step of Portfolio Planning is staffing a project. Once staffed, a project request becomes an active project and is then managed by a project manager.
In Portfolio Planning, clients can create requests via the service catalog. If the Resources section is available for project requests, users can add other users to see their draft project requests. When ready, they can submit project requests. Submitted project requests are managed in the Portfolio Planning application. They are then attached to a workflow, and that workflow then models the appropriate steps for that project request to be approved. When the workflow is complete, the approved project request stays in the Portfolio Planning application until it is staffed.
Transcript
The portfolio planning module sets up the process for tracking, prioritizing, selecting and staffing requested projects. Clients submit requests from the TDClient interface for them to be evaluated by users in the TDNext environment. Settings for project types, project request intake forms and workflows are configured in the TDAdmin interface.
Features
- Project requests – the potential project that originates from TDClient as submitted by a client.
- Project request forms – the customized form that clients complete when creating a project request via TDClient.
- Automation & workflows – when a project request is submitted, automation rules are applied to notify individuals or groups or apply a workflow, which contains the steps to approve the request.
- Project request scorecards – used to evaluate a project request to aid in decision making
- Portfolio Planning reports – are helpful to provide visibility on submitted requests and aid in decision making
Where to Find This
These features appear in the TDNext interface and configured in the TDAdmin interface, while requests are submitted via the TDClient interface.
Navigate to Portfolio Planning features following these paths:
- TDAdmin – administrators use this interface to configure permissions and settings for portfolio planning in these areas:
- Portfolio Planning
- Applications > [Client Portal Application] > Service Catalog > Services
- Users & Roles > Security roles
- TDNext - portfolio management users use this interface to work with requests including reporting, approving and editing
- TDClient – clients may create and submit project requests
- Services
- Services > Project Requests
Where to Start
To get started with Portfolio Planning, these are the main areas of functionality that may be configured in TDAdmin and in the recommended order:
- Project types are set up to determine what type to associate a project request to
- Project request forms and project attributes to create the form
- Project/Request Sections are configured to determine what project request functionality and data will be used
- Relevant Sections to be used
- Scorecard Criteria and Scorecards
- Goals
- Organizational Risks
- Others (Processes, Related Systems, ROI, Benefits, etc.)
- Workflow Template / Workflows to configure how requests are approved
- Automation Rules to automatically assign workflows to requests or notify people
- Services in the Client Portal application for requesting a project
Once the configurations are complete, users may begin submitting requests via the TDClient interface:
- Submitting Project Requests is performed via the client portal app
When project requests have been submitted via the client portal, the remainder of the work is performed in TDNext via Portfolio Planning.
- Managing Project Requests for work with project requests and approve them
- Portfolio Planning Reports provide out-of-the-box views for managing requests and driving decisions
- Priority Matrix Report – for comparing requests to each other considering various factors such as payback period, risk, composite score, return on investment, etc.
- Top Scored Requests – Top requests based on factors such as the requests score, net present value (NPV) or internal rate of return (IRR)
- Budget and Capacity Planner – a helpful what-if scenario tool for reviewing the current project portfolio alongside project requests
Gotchas & Pitfalls
These issues may affect how quickly you can implement this module:
- The more data you want to collect for project requests, the more needs to be configured in the tool, adding to the length of the implementation.
- Meeting with IT governance groups or others involved in portfolio planning can add to the length of the implementation.
These issues may affect the user experience or adoption of project requests
- The more data and sections required, the more time and effort it will take for users to complete requests
- If the users and/or organizational culture have challenges with working with project requests and need a simpler experience, consider using tickets for intake and then converting those to projects or project requests.
Examples
You may create several different project requests, each with its own form collecting relevant data. These requests then go through different portfolio planning workflows to be reviewed, reported on, and approved. Eventually these requests are staffed, which means they are converted into active projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What should I do if I don't want users to create project requests, but I do want them to help fill out project requests?
A. Turn on the "resources" section. Save a new project request, and then add the end user to the project request. If they have access to the "Project requests" application, they will then be able to see that request, edit it, and potentially submit it.
Q. How can I convert between tickets and project requests?
A. Project requests cannot be converted into tickets. However, tickets can be converted into project requests by going to Actions > Convert to Project Request, if the user has the "Project Requests" application.