The Management of Portfolios (MoP™) Foundation

The Management of Portfolios (MoP™) guidance provides advice and examples of how to apply principles, practices and techniques which help to optimise an organisation's investment in change alongside its business as usual (BAU) work.
The purpose of the Foundation qualification is to confirm that a candidate has sufficient knowledge and understanding to work as an informed member of a portfolio office or in a range of portfolio management roles. MoP™ helps organisations to answer a fundamental question: 'Are we sure this investment is right for us and how will it contribute to our strategic objectives?' Investment is the key word because portfolio management is about investing in the right change initiatives and implementing them correctly.

MoP™ achieves this by ensuring that:

• The programmes and projects undertaken are prioritised in terms of their contribution to the organisation's strategic objectives and overall level of risk
• Programmes and projects are managed consistently to ensure efficient and effective delivery
• Benefits realisation is maximised to provide the greatest return (in terms of strategic contribution and efficiency savings) from the investment made

MoP™ Foundation e-learning covers all of the foundation qualification syllabus topics of the MoP™ guidance. The course takes approximately 12 hours to complete which is equivalent to a three day workshop.

Management of Portfolios e-learning will lead to improved understanding of:

• The portfolio management cycles, practices and techniques and the organisational context within which they operate;
• Effective approaches to understanding, categorising, prioritising, balancing and planning; and
• How project and programme success can be enhanced by adopting a portfolio perspective to delivery
• The opportunity to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding to work as an informed member of a portfolio office or in a range of portfolio management roles

The organisation will benefit from having staff trained in the key MoP™ elements enabling:

• Improved strategic contribution – more of the 'right' projects to be undertaken
• Removal of redundant, duplicate and low value adding projects and programmes
• More effective implementation of projects and programmes via management of constraints, risks and dependencies
• More efficient utilisation of scarce resources including skilled project/programme managers
• Greater benefits realisation
• Improved accountability and corporate governance

This training and qualification is aimed at those involved in a range of formal and informal portfolio management roles encompassing investment decision-making, project and programme delivery, and benefits realisation. It is relevant to all those involved in the selection and delivery of business change initiatives.