A portfolio has a set of logs to manage its risks, issues, decisions, and change, frequently aggregating escalated items from the project or programme logs. These logs provide an assessment to determine which portfolio components are on track, which need intervention, and which should be cancelled.

Guidelines

  • Highlight any significant changes, risks, issues, or decisions currently under evaluation that are likely to significantly impact an individual portfolio component or the portfolio as a whole;
  • Ensure the escalation procedures, including roles and responsibilities, are well understood and internalised, so progress and performance issues are visible and communicated openly;
  • Regular communication is critical in maintaining transparency and trust;
  • The Portfolio Handbook defines all the logs to be used in the various components of the portfolio. PM² provides templates for the portfolio logs;
  • Guarantee the content has the right level of granularity (level of detail), aimed at the portfolio level;
  • Ensure each programme/project/activity in the portfolio regularly revisits all individual logs.

Content

  • Portfolio Change Log
    • Identification
    • Change assessment
    • Decision
    • Implementation
  • Portfolio Risk Log
    • Identification
    • Risk assessment
    • Risk response
  • Portfolio Issue Log
    • Identification
    • Assessment
    • Actions
  • Portfolio Decision Log
    • Identification
    • Decision
    • Implementation follow-up

Source: European Commission, Council of the European Union, Directorate-General for Informatics, General Secretariat of the Council, PM² portfolio management guide : v1.5, Publications Office, 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2799/311760