How to Achieve Effectiveness in Project Portfolio Management

To promote a better understanding of the effectiveness in project portfolio management (PPM), this article investigates how PPM effectiveness can be achieved. Conducting case study research with four market-leading organizations in USA, the results reveal different practices, summarized into five contributors of PPM effectiveness. These contributors are 1) a high degree of interaction with strategic management activities through PPM process and structure, 2) a strong relationship with functions responsible for managing multiple projects, 3) a consulting responsibility of project management office, 4) the organization's cultural traits regarding involvement, consistency, and sense of mission, and 5) an integrative complexity, a cognitive attribute of the PPM committee members. These findings provide a basis for both researchers and practitioners for reassessing, improving, and developing PPM approaches and working conditions that enhance PPM effectiveness.