Portfolio Alignment – IT Center of Excellence

Drive Down Uncertainty of WHY and Learn Fast

Optimizing alignment of the organization to the strategic imperatives of the enterprise ensures that effort and expense is directed at the most important goals.

Purpose

Intake process for Initiatives to be considered
Product Category Team alignment to the business strategies ensures effort and expense is directed at the most important business objectives and the most valuable work.
Define what is needed
Maximize Performance of Capabilities

Inputs

Capability Model Creation
Impact Mapping
Customer Journey Mapping
Stakeholder Analysis Diagram Creation
Empathy Mapping
Persona Creation
Evaluative Research
Contextual Inquiry

Activities

Epic Brief initiated
Epic Brief Writing (Problem Clarity)
Epic Alignment
Epic Prioritization
Intake & Demand Planning Meeting

Definition of Done

Outcomes

Validation that the epic is aligned to strategic business intent/outcomes
Agreement on what business problems are being addressed by the epic
A shared understanding of the business value and the Cost of Delay
Agreement on the initial SWAG or hypothesis of the level of effort to deliver the business value

Epic Brief (or equivalent in ALM tool) needs to be started (following sections completed)

Epic Problem Statement
- What problem is being solved by this epic?
- Defines value
Desired Outcomes & Success Criteria
- Why is this epic being built?
User Personas & Context of Usage
- Who is consuming this epic? How are they using it?
Business Risks
- What uncertainties exist that jeopardize the success of the epic?
Assumptions (about the market)
- What assumptions are being made about the market that jeopardize the success of the epic?
Mapped Capabilities
- What company capabilities are being impacted by this epic?

RACI

R – Product Category Team, Product Line Team
A – Product Category Team
C – Product Manager, SMEs
I – Delivery Team