Introduction

In today’s fast-paced, innovation-driven world, organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver strategic outcomes while managing limited resources, evolving risks, and competing priorities. Senior leaders play a critical role in steering their institutions through complexity and change by overseeing portfolios of projects and programs that directly influence long-term success. Effective portfolio management is no longer optional—it is a strategic imperative.

This 10-day intensive training program, “Strategic Portfolio Management for Senior Leaders: Maximizing Value, Minimizing Risk,” is designed by Global Horizon Training Center to empower senior managers with the knowledge, frameworks, and tools required to govern and optimize organizational portfolios. The course goes beyond traditional project oversight, focusing on aligning portfolios with strategic goals, ensuring value realization, managing enterprise-level risks, and driving performance through data-informed decisions.

Through a combination of expert-led sessions, real-world case studies, and interactive workshops, participants will gain deep insights into how to prioritize investments, govern portfolios effectively, and adapt to dynamic business environments—ultimately achieving greater alignment between strategy execution and organizational performance.

Target Audience

Senior Managers, Directors, and Executives involved in strategy, investment decision-making, and oversight of project portfolios across departments or business units.

Program Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Align portfolios with organizational strategy and objectives.

• Evaluate and prioritize projects based on value, risk, and strategic fit.

• Establish governance structures and performance metrics for effective portfolio oversight.

• Manage resource capacity and financial constraints across portfolios.

• Drive enterprise agility through dynamic portfolio adaptation.

Training Program Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Portfolio Management

• Concepts of portfolio, program, and project management

• Role of portfolio management in strategic execution

• Key differences: Portfolio vs Program vs Project

• Components of a portfolio management framework

Day 2: Strategic Alignment and Value Realization

• Defining organizational objectives and linking them to portfolios

• Creating portfolio strategic themes

• Value realization frameworks

• Measuring portfolio contribution to strategic goals

Day 3: Portfolio Governance and Leadership

• Governance structures for portfolio oversight

• Roles and responsibilities of senior leaders

• Decision-making authority and escalation paths

• Portfolio Steering Committees

Day 4: Portfolio Selection and Prioritization

• Scoring models and selection criteria

• Balancing risk, return, and strategic alignment

• Portfolio optimization techniques

• Scenario-based prioritization exercises

Day 5: Risk Management in Portfolios

• Identifying and categorizing risks at the portfolio level

• Risk-adjusted value assessment

• Portfolio risk mitigation strategies

• Early warning systems and risk dashboards

Day 6: Financial Management and Resource Allocation

• Budgeting across portfolios

• Funding models (CapEx, OpEx, Innovation budgets)

• Resource capacity planning and constraints

• Financial tracking and performance measurement

Day 7: Performance Management and KPIs

• Defining and tracking portfolio-level KPIs

• Portfolio performance dashboards

• Reporting to executives and stakeholders

• Adjusting portfolios based on performance metrics

Day 8: Portfolio Optimization and Trade-Offs

• Balancing short-term vs long-term initiatives

• Managing competing priorities

• Tools for rebalancing and optimization

• Handling sunk cost fallacy and portfolio rationalization

Day 9: Change Management and Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicating portfolio decisions across the organization

• Engaging executives and functional managers

• Managing resistance and organizational change

• Stakeholder mapping and influence strategies

Day 10: Digital Tools and Future Trends in Portfolio Management

• Overview of portfolio management tools (e.g., Planview, Clarity, MS PPM)

• Integrating AI and analytics in portfolio decision-making

• Agile portfolio management and Lean Portfolio practices

• Capstone exercise: Designing a portfolio management roadmap for your organization