Portfolio Sync / Lean Portfolio Review

POWERD Start

· Purpose: Align investments, demand, and capacity across value streams.

· Outcomes: Funding decisions, updated portfolio roadmap, visibility into epics and strategic initiatives.

· What’s In / Out of Scope: Focus on portfolio-level alignment, not team or program-level tasking.

· Engagement: Collaborative review of demand vs. capacity, transparent decision-making.

· Roles: Portfolio Leaders, Business Owners, Finance, Epic Owners, Enterprise Architects.

· Document: Portfolio Kanban, roadmap, financial summaries.

What is a Portfolio Sync / Lean Portfolio Review?

A Portfolio Sync, sometimes called a Lean Portfolio Review, is an enterprise-level event to review current investments, balance demand against capacity, and adjust funding. It provides visibility into the portfolio Kanban and ensures alignment with strategy and value delivery.

What’s the Benefit?

· Ensures investments align with strategy.

· Increases transparency across the portfolio.

· Provides a forum for adjusting priorities and funding.

· Improves responsiveness to changing business needs.

When?

Occurs monthly or quarterly, depending on cadence and portfolio size.

Who Attends?

· Portfolio Leaders

· Business Owners

· Finance partners

· Epic Owners

· Enterprise Architects

Inputs

· Portfolio Kanban with initiatives and epics

· Strategic priorities

· Capacity and funding availability

· Metrics on value delivery

Outputs

· Updated portfolio roadmap

· Funding decisions for initiatives

· Adjusted priorities and sequencing

· Shared understanding of capacity allocation

Preparing for Success

Team Preparation: Epic Owners review status and prepare updates.
Facilitator Preparation: Ensure portfolio Kanban and financials are up to date and visible.

Execution

· Review current initiatives and funding.

· Compare progress against strategy and outcomes.

· Adjust investments and priorities as needed.

· Update roadmap and communicate decisions.

Best Practices

· Keep focus on outcomes and strategy, not delivery details.

· Visualize portfolio work through a Kanban system.

· Ensure finance is part of the conversation.

· Create transparency across all stakeholders.

Common Anti-Patterns

· Treating the session as a status meeting.

· Making funding decisions without linking to strategy.

· Ignoring capacity constraints.

· Failing to update and communicate roadmap changes.

Continuous Improvement Prompts

· Did we align funding decisions with strategy?

· Were capacity constraints visible and addressed?

· Are portfolio adjustments communicated clearly to all stakeholders?