1. Case Study Who Owns the Portfolio?
Case Studies in Project, Program, and Organizational Project Management
p.385

2. ICC Background
Makes custom - made interconnecting cables for the health, computer, and other industries
Annual sales of $ 140 million
Three kinds of services:
big projects—develop platform cables
medium projects—color, major changes of materials, and length
small projects—color and small changes of material
 Profit pattern:
Platform cables — costly to develop
Buyers share the cost with ICC — ICC prefer small and medium projects(“ bread and butter ” projects)

3. Situation For six-month report, completed none of the big projects
A frequent issue in companies
Change: four - hour workshop (engineering and marketing department)
Discussion on the responsibility for managing ICC ’ s project portfolio

4. Issues Unbalanced project mix or project portfolio
Engineers would not be up for the challenges of the big projects in the future
Unclear responsibility for managing ICC ’ s project portfolio
(Marketing department, Ian Plachy, portfolio interdepartmental committee……)

5. Discussion items
1. Who should manage project portfolio? Marketing? Engineering? Both? Some other groups?
2. How does project portfolio management influence engineers ’ skill sets, a company ’ s competencies, and market position?
3. Does the use of only NPV as a project selection method carry certain risks? What are they?
4. Why is it risky if ICC ’ s portfolio consists of 80 percent of the bread and butter projects?