Tools & Techniques

Which technique helps a P3O prioritise requirements or services using the categories Must have, Should have, Could have and Won't have?

• A Critical path analysis
• B MoSCoW prioritisation ✓
• C SWOT analysis
• D PESTLE analysis

Answer: MoSCoW prioritisation categorises requirements as Must have, Should have, Could have and Won't have this time, helping focus effort on what matters most.

What is a P3RM (Portfolio, Programme and Project Resource Management) tool used for?

• A Supporting planning, resourcing, monitoring and reporting across portfolios, programmes and projects ✓
• B Designing the organisation's website
• C Negotiating supplier contracts only
• D Managing payroll for the whole company

Answer: P3RM (or P3M) tools provide integrated software support for planning, resource management, financial tracking and reporting across the portfolio, programmes and projects.

What is the primary purpose of a maturity model such as P3M3 in a P3O context?

• A To assess the organisation's capability and identify improvement areas in managing portfolios, programmes and projects ✓
• B To calculate staff salaries
• C To replace the project management methodology
• D To set the order in which projects are funded

Answer: A maturity model such as P3M3 assesses how capable an organisation is at managing change and highlights areas for improvement, helping the P3O target development effort.

In P3O reporting, what does a 'dashboard' typically provide?

• A A detailed line-by-line accounting ledger only
• B A long narrative report with no visual elements
• C A list of all emails sent within a programme
• D A concise, visual summary of key performance and status information for decision makers ✓

Answer: A dashboard presents key status, performance and risk information visually and concisely, enabling decision makers to quickly understand the health of the portfolio or programme.

Which of the following is a tool or technique commonly used by a P3O to support portfolio prioritisation?

• A Selecting only the cheapest projects regardless of value
• B A prioritisation or scoring matrix that ranks initiatives against agreed criteria ✓
• C A random selection of projects
• D A first-come, first-served queue with no criteria

Answer: A prioritisation or scoring matrix ranks initiatives against agreed criteria such as strategic fit, value, risk and cost, helping the organisation invest in the right change.

Which technique would a P3O use to identify and analyse the internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats relevant to a change initiative?

• A Earned value analysis
• B MoSCoW analysis
• C Critical path method
• D SWOT analysis ✓

Answer: SWOT analysis examines Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, helping a P3O assess the internal and external factors affecting an initiative or the portfolio.