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Portfolio governance + decision cadence to reduce execution churn
PMO / product ops / delivery leads • Cross-industry • 3 weeks
Stabilized priorities with a weekly decision cadence and simple portfolio artifacts.
Snapshot
Services
- Operating Model
Deliverables
- Portfolio board structure + reporting template
- Weekly decision cadence agenda + decision log
- Escalation rules and timeboxes
- Monthly planning review template
- Operating agreements for priority changes
Context
- Engagement: 3-week governance cadence implementation
- Timeline: 3 weeks
- Client: PMO / product ops / delivery leads
- Industry: Cross-industry
- Multiple teams competed for capacity with limited shared visibility
- Decisions looped due to unclear inputs, owners, and timeboxes
- Needed a lightweight cadence that improved focus without slowing delivery
Constraints
- Portfolio view had to be simple enough to keep current weekly
- Decision forums needed clear inputs/outputs to avoid meeting sprawl
- Priority changes required rules to protect in-flight commitments
Challenge
Teams were busy but progress was unclear: decisions looped, priorities changed mid-sprint, and leadership lacked a shared view of tradeoffs.
How we worked
- Created a single portfolio view to make tradeoffs visible and comparable
- Implemented a weekly decision cadence with explicit inputs/outputs
- Defined escalation rules and timeboxes to prevent decision drift
- Added a monthly review to align planning with outcomes
What we did
- Defined a single portfolio view (work in progress, blockers, tradeoffs)
- Implemented weekly decision meeting with clear inputs/outputs
- Created escalation rules and timeboxes for decisions
- Introduced a monthly planning review tied to outcomes
Outcomes
- Mid-cycle priority changes: ↓ ~30% in first 6 weeks
- Decision turnaround: ↓ from ~10 days to ~3 days
- Progress visibility: Established (single portfolio view)
Proof
- Portfolio reporting template (single view of WIP, blockers, tradeoffs)
- Weekly decision cadence agenda + decision log (redaction-safe)
- Priority change rules and timeboxes (operating agreement)
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