Portfolio Management
The University invests in programmes, projects and change initiatives to improve the experience of students and staff, strengthen teaching and research, improve our services, and deliver our long-term strategic ambitions.
Portfolio Management helps us make the most of that investment.
It gives the University a clear, organisation-wide view of planned and ongoing change. This helps us make informed choices about what to prioritise, where to focus our people and resources, and how different initiatives fit together, ensuring investment in change delivers the greatest value and contributes to the University’s financial sustainability goals.
For staff, this means greater clarity about what matters most, better coordination between projects, and a more realistic approach to the amount and pace of change across the University. It can also help identify where teams are affected by several initiatives at the same time, reducing duplication and helping change to be planned and delivered more effectively.
For the University as a whole, Portfolio Management helps ensure that our time, funding and expertise are focused on the changes that will make the greatest difference. By looking across programmes and projects collectively, we can identify connections and dependencies earlier, manage risks more effectively, and make better-informed decisions about investment and priorities.
What does this help us achieve?
Portfolio Management helps the University to:
- Focus on what matters most by aligning programmes and projects with our strategic priorities.
- Make the best use of resources by directing investment, capacity and expertise to where they can deliver the greatest value.
- Support financial sustainability by ensuring investment in change is prioritised effectively, delivers value and contributes to the University’s financial sustainability goals.
- Manage change more effectively by understanding the collective impact of change on staff, teams and services.
- Join up activity across the University by identifying dependencies, overlaps and opportunities to collaborate.
- Spot challenges earlier through a clearer view of progress, risks and pressures across the portfolio.
- Support better decisions by giving leaders consistent information about priorities, progress and investment.
- Deliver lasting benefits by keeping the intended outcomes of our investments in focus, not just the delivery of individual projects.
Enterprise Project Management Office: Helping Change Succeed
At the heart of the University's portfolio management approach is the Transformation Delivery Committee, supported by the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO).
The Transformation Delivery Committee oversees the delivery of the Strategic and Transformation project portfolio. It is supported by the EPMO, a University-wide centre of expertise for project, programme and portfolio management. It works with senior leaders, project sponsors and delivery teams to help turn ideas into well-planned, achievable initiatives and to support them through delivery to the realisation of their intended benefits.
The EPMO is here to make it easier to deliver change well. It provides practical support, guidance and insight, helping colleagues navigate University processes, make informed decisions and identify potential challenges early.
It also connects and works closely with project and programme management teams across the University, including Planning & Strategy, DTS and Estates. By bringing together information and expertise from across these areas, the EPMO helps create a clearer University-wide picture of change and encourages greater consistency, collaboration and sharing of good practice.