Key Determinants of Effectiveness in
Project Portfolio Management
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D R . P E E R AS I T PATA NA KU L
A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R
Peerasit .Patanakul@stevens.edu
With Dr. Audrey Curtis and Brian Koppel
Research grants from HSATM (2008) and PMI (2010-2012)
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
Research History
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 Organizational Project Management
 Project management standardization
 Effectiveness in project portfolio management
 Management of Multiple Projects
 Effectiveness in management of multiple projects
 Project manager assignments
 Competencies of multiple project managers
 Project management
 Project strategy and project value
 Project team structure and project success
 Project management tools and techniques
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
Effectiveness in PPM
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PPM has been practiced for decades but:
 What is PPM effectiveness?
 What are the measures of PPM effectiveness?
 What are the key factors contributing to PPM
effectiveness?
 Is PPM effectiveness context specific?
Providing information to practitioners for adjusting PPM
to achieved a desired level of performance
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
What make this research different?
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 Studying the executive level activities, especially
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executive strategic-decision making process
Investigating PPM effectiveness from multiple levels
Investigating other organizational factors, e.g. culture,
structure and placement of PPM, and learning
Investigating PPM effectiveness with regards to
business contexts
Developing measures for PPM effectiveness
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
Research approach
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Key determinants of
PPM effectiveness
Context specific
PPM effectiveness
PPM
Performance
Business contexts
 Case study research
 Interviews with executives, portfolio managers, PMO
personnel, etc.
 Within-case and cross-case analyses
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
What literature suggests
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 Effectiveness of the corporation can be measured by
the degree to which it accomplished its purpose (Barnard,
1938), doing the right things (Drucker, 1963), achievement of
goals (Brundney and England, 1982; Elmes and Wilemon, 1988)
 Nature of effectiveness is multidimensional and should
be defined by a complex of stakeholders
 Culture, team leaders, and processes impact
organizational effectiveness
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
Preliminary study
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Strategic Planning and
Strategic decision-making:
Formal and information-based
Executive governance:
Objective-oriented and
measureable strategic outcome
Organizational culture:
Give & take, trust & honesty,
extensive communication
Project selection and
resource allocation:
Unbiased and strategy-based
Organizational structure:
Project management supported
Project management process:
Documentation and oversight
support timely decision making
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul
PPM Effectiveness
Next steps
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 Finalizing research grant from Project Management
Institute (2010-2012)
 Recruit additional research participants
 Conduct research, conduct research, conduct research
 Disseminate knowledge
Dr. Peerasit Patanakul