Improving results of project portfolio management in the public sector using a balanced strategic scoring model

Abstract

This thesis suggests improvements, from a strategic perspective, to the practice of scoring projects in public sector organisations. It is argues that current approaches, notably project portfolio managing (PPM), are inadequate for many such organisations, and in fact prone to problems and failure. In particular, present scoring/prioritization approaches in such contexts, largely tend to focus on financial risk/return logic. It is argued that the end result of such a ranking approach is often a non-strategic portfolio project. To address these problems, the candidate proposed the refinement of the scoring approach for project portfolios via the incorporation of Kaplan & Norton's ideas in their Balanced Scorecard (BSC). BSC introduces, apart from purely financial considerations, other 'softer' perspectives (customer, internal business processes, learning and growth) which in combination place a more inclusive emphasis on the vision and strategy of the organisation. In this thesis, it is proposed that the combined PPM and BSC scoring approach amounts to more strategic project selection. Several case studies are conducted to illustrate the merits of the combined PPM/BSC logic. These include case studies in both private and public sector organisations.

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