Training Programs For Project Managers

Optimal Portfolio Management for Healthcare Interventions Healthcare leaders often manage programs one at a time, but the real gains come when we manage them as a portfolio. The same principles that guide optimal portfolio allocation in finance can guide smarter decisions in population health. 1. Expected Return Effect size is our version of return. Interventions with strong, consistent outcomes should form the foundation. Examples include hypertension control, vaccination, and structured diabetes care. 2. Risk Uncertainty acts like volatility. Programs with robust evidence and predictable outcomes deserve proportionally larger investment. Emerging technologies or small pilot studies carry higher uncertainty and should be balanced accordingly. 3. Correlation Programs often fail together when they rely on the same workforce, same behaviour change, or same patient segment. Diversification matters. Combine chronic disease management with mental health, screening, workplace wellness, and digital tools to reduce systemic vulnerability. 4. Optimal Allocation By combining effect sizes, uncertainties, and correlations, health systems can identify the portfolio mix that produces the highest population health impact for every dollar invested. This shifts planning from intuition toward structured, evidence-informed strategy. Why this matters Portfolio thinking protects health systems from uncertainty, strengthens resilience, and ensures that innovation complements rather than competes with proven interventions. The result is a smarter, more balanced, and more impactful approach to improving health outcomes. If you are interested in examples for chronic disease pathways, AI screening tools, or national-level planning, I am happy to share more.

𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺. For clarity, instead of bringing in 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, leaders 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Especially in meetings where everyone is giving updates, but not enough real thinking is happening. Let me explain - many leaders feel they need to fill the silence, drive the conversation, and - as i said - have the answers. But often, the best leaders do something far more useful. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱. If you change just one thing about how you run meetings, I recommend starting here. Here are 3 facilitation questions I believe every leader should use more often in meetings: 1️⃣ “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲?” So many meetings lose energy because the real purpose is not clear. This question helps the team focus on what matters: 💥 What are we deciding? 💥 What is in scope? 💥 Who needs to weigh in? If the team cannot answer this simply, chances are the meeting is not clear enough yet. A useful follow-up might be: “𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 ‘𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵’ 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?” That question alone can save a lot of time and help people stop circling. 2️⃣ “𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄?” I like this question because it changes the tone in the room. It moves the conversation away from functions defending their territory and towards a broader, more thoughtful view. Now the room is considering customers, frontline teams, operations, and longer-term impact. Another question that helps here: “𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲?” That is often when the real thinking begins. 3️⃣ “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?” This is such a useful leadership question. It stops the leader from taking over too quickly and instead creates clarity, support, and ownership. Sometimes your team does not need you to solve it. They need you to remove obstacles, clarify boundaries, or back a decision. You could follow up with: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆?” or “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 "𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲" 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀?” You do not need a complicated facilitation model to run better meetings. When used often enough, these questions can become part of the team process and culture. #TeamCulture #BetterQuestions

Assessing Project Alignment in IT Portfolio Management: Assessing project alignment is not just a task but a crucial responsibility in IT portfolio management. It ensures that each project contributes meaningfully to the organization's strategic goals. This process involves a thorough evaluation of how proposed or ongoing projects align with the organization's long-term vision and objectives. By doing so, organizations can prioritize initiatives that drive growth, innovation, and competitive advantage. 1) Understanding Strategic Goals:  Before delving into project alignment, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the organization's strategic goals. These goals could range from market expansion and product development to cost reduction and customer satisfaction enhancement. For instance, a company aiming to expand its market share might prioritize projects that enhance its digital presence or develop new product lines. 2) Evaluating Project Scope and Deliverables: The second step in assessing project alignment is evaluating each project's scope and deliverables. This involves understanding the project's objectives, the required resources, and the expected outcomes. For example, a project to develop a new software application should be assessed based on its potential to improve operational efficiency or enhance customer experience. 3) Impact on Business Objectives: Next, it is crucial to assess each project's potential impact on the organization's business objectives. This involves analyzing how the project will contribute to achieving strategic goals. For instance, a project focused on implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system should be evaluated based on its ability to improve customer satisfaction and retention rates. 4) Prioritizing Projects Based on Alignment: Once projects are assessed for alignment, they can be prioritized based on their strategic importance. This involves ranking projects according to their potential impact on strategic goals, resource requirements, and risk factors. Projects that demonstrate strong alignment and high potential impact are given priority, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and the organization's strategic success is propelled. IT project managers role in assessing project alignment is vital to IT portfolio management. It enables organizations to focus on initiatives that drive strategic success. By systematically evaluating project scope, deliverables, impact on business objectives, and feasibility, you ensure that your project portfolio is aligned with your organization's long-term vision and goals. This strategic focus not only enhances project outcomes but also contributes to the organization's overall growth and competitiveness.

🎯 Yesterday’s YPO Germany–Switzerland–Austria Day Chair training turned big ideas into how we actually do it. Amazing insights that make it look so easy but are super hard to execute like a pro. Plus these are frameworks you can (and should) use for any meeting, company event or client workshop. What landed for me: 🪑 The Three-Legged Stool (make every event stand): 📚 Learning — design for actionable takeaways (not keynotes-for-show) 🤝 Networking — engineer peer exchange (tables, rotations, F2F moments) 🎯 Experiencing — offsites/socials that anchor memory & momentum 🧭 E-CODE in practice (not on a slide): 👥 Engage Peers: create a safe haven; use member expertise & peer-to-peer formats 💥 Compel Content: clear outcomes, diverse voices, thought-provoking activities 🧠 Open Minds: multi-sensory, whole-person learning; challenge assumptions 🏁 Deliver Value: know the audience; exceed expectations in planning & follow-through 🌟 Extraordinary Resources: the right facilitators, venues, and tools to lift the bar 🛠️ Sell the event like a pro (the 60-sec Elevator Pitch): ❌ Don’t speak too fast / cram 15 minutes into 1 ❌ Ditch jargon & acronyms—make it understandable ✅ Practice until conversational (human > robotic) ✅ Actually use the pitch to do targeted follow-ups 🔁 Close the loop (so learning compounds): ✚/Δ Plus/Delta at the end → what worked / what to improve 🧪 Separate content feedback from logistics → cleaner signal for next time Events aren’t “nice to have” — they’re our engagement engine for peer-to-peer exchange and new ideas. Proud of this learning group and grateful for an excellent facilitation. 👥 I’ll tag our facilitator and the team on the photo. 👉 Question: What’s one detail you’ve used to turn a good event into a transformational one? #YPO #GSA #Learning #EventDesign #ECODE #Community #BetterLeadersThroughLifelongLearning

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

It’s off-site season… and here’s the uncomfortable truth: A slick agenda won’t make it a success ... if only five people do all the talking. Your ExCo won’t rave about it. Your team won’t remember it. And your bonus won’t thank you. My top tip. If you want people to speak up ans contribute, you have to design for it. Harvard Business Review (HBR) has said this for years. Meetings shape culture, trust, retention… and yes, your leadership reputation. If you don’t make meetings inclusive, they won’t be. We all know the 'usual suspects' who grab the mic first. But what about everyone else? The introverts. The new joiners. The shy-but-brilliant thinkers. The colleagues from minority or underrepresented backgrounds. The people whose first language isn’t English. They’re sitting on insights that could make your strategy sharper and your team stronger. Now here’s the kicker: HBR found that only 35% of employees feel able to contribute “all the time” in meetings. That's two-thirds of your team... sitting in silence. Imagine what that’s costing your business £$£? Imagine what it’s costing you. So here’s the fix. - Don’t go to the loudest voice. - Deliberately give the first question to someone who wouldn’t normally speak. - Agree it with them beforehand so it feels supportive, not like a live ambush. And yes ... the research backs this approach. Leaders who intentionally make space for quieter contributors get better ideas, stronger trust, and higher leadership ratings (Bain et al., HBR). You can also use tools like Mentimeter where people submit questions anonymously (in real time) and the room upvotes what they want answered. HBR’s been saying for years that anonymity boosts participation.... especially for introverts, multilingual colleagues and people dialling in remotely. The moment you do this, the power dynamic shifts. You signal that every voice matters. And slowly but surely, those who usually stay quiet start stepping in. Good facilitation isn’t about blasting through slides. It’s about creating a room where people feel welcome, valued, and confident to contribute. HBR calls it “inclusive meeting design”. I call it a smart career move. Because leaders who run inclusive off-sites? They get better ideas, better decisions, better feedback… and usually a better bonus. So when you run your next off-site or townhall… pass the mic with intention. Bring in younger colleagues, older colleagues, multilingual colleagues ... everyone with the different ideas your strategy needs. Talk soon, Annette P.S. was this a useful post? Worth sharing with someone planning their off-site right now?

I’ve looked at over 160 project and portfolio management tools. And after a while, you start to see patterns...Not just in the software, but in how teams use (and misuse) them. Most tools fall into four main buckets: 1. Collaborative Work Management – tools like monday.com and Asana (make teamwork visible, but often struggle with complexity). 2. Project Management Platforms – like Smartsheet or Wrike, where visibility meets structure (great for scaling, but only when processes are disciplined). 3. Scheduling Tools – the classics like Microsoft Project or Primavera P6 (powerful, but only if your org already has strong PM maturity). 4. Enterprise PPM Systems – like Cora Systems, Planisware, or Planview (purpose-built for portfolio governance and executive-level oversight). I’ve found that the problem isn’t which tool you pick; it’s whether your process is ready for it. A weak process makes even the best platform useless, and a strong process makes even a basic one perform like an enterprise solution. That’s what our team focuses on at MustardSeed: helping clients choose, configure, and scale tools that actually serve their maturity level (not overwhelm it). Because software doesn’t fix chaos, structure does.

Most organizations approach SPM backwards. They buy enterprise tools first, then figure out how to use them. By then, they've spent months and money with little to show. At Tempo Software, we inverted that model. We built Collections, a modular approach that transforms your organization step by step while delivering immediate value. Each collection is a proven blueprint based on thousands of successful implementations. No guesswork on what to deploy when. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: For project managers dealing with inaccurate time tracking, finance teams facing revenue leakage, or delivery managers struggling with overloaded teams. You get: • Timesheets for precise time capture directly in Jira • Financial Manager to convert hours into accurate invoices and forecasts • Capacity Planner to see over-allocation before burnout happens Together, they answer the fundamental question: Where is our time going, and is it driving value? Organizations typically see ROI within weeks, sometimes days. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: For PMOs and program managers managing multi-project chaos across thousands of issues. You get: • Structure to organize large volumes of work into clear hierarchies • Gantt charts for timelines and dependency tracking • Cross-program capacity planning • Custom Charts for the dashboard views stakeholders need A global consulting firm uses this to run hundreds of active projects across tens of thousands of users. 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: For analysts, portfolio managers, and executives who need strategic answers. You get: • BI Connectors to bring Jira data into enterprise analytics tools • Custom Charts (Jira + Confluence) for real-time executive dashboards Weekly reporting cycles disappear and decisions that used to take two weeks now take hours. Here's the compound value: Each builds on the last. Timesheet data feeds capacity planning. Capacity enables program governance. Program data drives portfolio insights. Portfolio intelligence informs strategy. By the time you reach adaptive SPM, your data is clean, connected, and ready for predictive insights. You’re not buying tools, but a proven path to transformation with immediate savings and long-term intelligence. _____ Adaptive SPM is here. Link to the full keynote in the comments below!

Higher ROI doesn’t come from more work. It comes from better choices. ✨ Many companies focus on delivering more projects, assuming that activity will naturally turn into results. But real progress happens only when every initiative, every change and every effort connects to the strategy, not just to the calendar. Portfolio management is not about running more initiatives. It’s about choosing the ones that actually support the strategy, bring measurable value and increase return on investment. It connects goals with actions and turns busy into impactful. 🚀 In practice, a portfolio brings everything together: 📌 projects that drive change 📌 programs that coordinate efforts 📌 operational work that keeps the business moving The value appears when all three align with the strategic priorities of the company. The key questions stay the same in every industry: What truly matters right now? Where should we invest our limited resources? And which initiatives will move the strategy forward, not sideways? 🎯 This is the difference between activity and progress. Between delivering tasks and delivering outcomes. Between managing work and managing value. #PortfolioManagement #ProjectManagement #ProgramManagement #StrategyExecution #TransformationLeadership #PMO #PrivateEquity #transformwithjen

"I literally have it up on one screen and do everything else on the other two." That's a VP of Facilities & Capital managing 2,500 projects and a $150M budget talking about his new Smartsheet portfolio dashboard. We rolled it out this week. Within 24 hours, it became his mission control. Before this, he relied on his team to manually filter spreadsheets and send him weekly updates. That meant six days of operating blind between reports. Missing deadlines. Firefighting problems that could have been caught early. Now he has real-time visibility into every project. He can spot bottlenecks before they blow up timelines. He knows exactly who's making progress and who needs help. His take: "Now I can see where our problems are sitting. It's critical to have this." And his team? They're no longer spending hours compiling reports. They're focused on work that actually drives the business forward. When you're managing a portfolio this size, real-time visibility isn't optional. It's the difference between running your projects and scrambling to catch up. The right dashboard turns firefighting into forecasting. #ProjectManagement #CapitalProjects #DataCenterOperations #FacilitiesManagement #ProjectPortfolio