Portfolio and Project Leaders Forum

Advancing the Impact of Projects

The Portfolio and Project Leaders Forum (PPLF) is a group of senior leaders who share common problems and solutions about how to lead project-based organizations. Members lead organizations that do many projects, are currently implementing portfolio management techniques in their organization, are running a project office, or are seriously investigating these things.

PPLF is a forum for confidential and open discussion. Current members come from a wide spectrum of commercial industries, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.

Meetings and Resources

The Forum meets quarterly to listen to speakers, share experiences, and discuss current issues. Currently these meetings occur on the second Thursday of February, May, August, and November from 7:45 AM to 9:00 AM via Zoom. Members also meet up for social gatherings and informal small group meetings on topics of special interest to them.

Membership is by invitation only. Guests are welcome when sponsored by a member.   Anyone interested in membership must be a practitioner in the areas listed above and should attend a meeting as a guest of a current member to discover whether there is a good fit.

 

Connect to the PPLF's website.

Click to Access

Contact Information

Jeff Oltmann, convenor
Synergy Professional Services
(503) 644-6433
Email:

Past Speakers and Topics

  • Managing Organizational Change by Denise Hoover, Service Line Director, Orthopedics, Neuroscience, & Rehabilitation at Salem Health
  • Enterprise Governance in Oregon and how PPM pulls it all together by Julie Pearson-Ruthven, Director of the Strategic Technology Office of the State of Oregon
  • Driving Adoption of Your PPM System by Ron Sklaver, Enterprise Portfolio Manager, EY
  • Demonstrating Flexibility: Cambia Health Solutions Moves from an EPMO to a Project Results Office, by Jeff Markle, Cambia Health Solutions
  • Creation of an International PMO at SolarWorld, by Scott Haight, Planning & Investment Manager / PMO, Solarworld Industries of America
  • How Uncertainty Destroys PPM Best Practices by Dr. Gary Summers
  • How BPA Manages Its Portfolio of Innovation Projects by Sheila Bennett, Portfolio Manager, Technology Innovation Office at Bonneville Power
  • How Providence Health & Services Aligns Projects to Strategic Objectives by Robert Tresente, Project Portfolio Director
  • PGE's Enterprise Portfolio Management Initiative, Melissa Swenson and Kristine Koneck, PGE
  • Portfolio Management for Innovation at the Intel Digital Healthcare Group by Farzin Guilak, Intel
  • PGE Project Portfolio Management Year 1 – Pilot Results" by Kristine Koneck and Jana Quinlan, PGE
  • Nike's Journey from a Centralized to Decentralized PMO by Nita Huque, Nike
  • Building a World Class Portfolio Management Process by Maureen Weverka, Mutual of Omaha
  • Uncertainty in the PPM Process by Dr. Gary Summers
  • Oracle Tax and Utilities Product Development - Program Management Toolsby Matt Taylor

  • Portfolio Management and Governance at AutoZone by Mark Rabinowitz
  • Dan Bauer and Emily Rice, City of Portland, on their experiences introducing portfolio management into a complex organization with functional silos.
  • Beth Britt, SVP of UMT's West Coast region.
  • Sam Phenix, site manager of Barco's Portland operations, on how she uses portfolio management techniques to promote innovation.
  • Dr. Gary Summers presented the latest updates on how Heiner's theory of decision-making affects portfolio management.
  • Michael Moore, PMO Director, Northwest Evaluation Association, presented a case study of NWEA's foray into a governance framework.
  • Keith Bearden, president of Virtual Information Executives, reviewed some foundational tips of portfolio governance, then walked through a case study of a company implementing portfolio management.
  • Shelly Gaddie, President of ProjectCorps, with case studies of three companies that have successfully introduced project portfolio management and continue to realize significant enterprise wide benefits from it.
  • Dave Weber, CIO of Northwest Natural about NWN's portfolio management approach, which emphasizes transparency, simplicity, informality, and (internal) customer-orientation.
  • Jo Ann Long, Senior VP and Head of Enterprise PMO, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield about the recent transformation to enterprise portfolio and project management at Regence.
  • Kathleen Paul and Evelyn Bian, Port of Portland Business Services Management, about their on-the-front-lines experiences implementing enterprise portfolio management at the Port.
  • John May, CIO of Digimarc, on his experiences with implementing PPM at 3 different companies.