ABSTRACT
Planning a single project can be a complex affair, with questions such as time and resource constraints, task priorities, allocated responsibilities, and so on to be resolved. Planning a portfolio presents many challenges. The planning results will have to answer many different questions about the portfolio and its contained programmes and projects. Portfolio planning needs to be orientated to satisfying high-level goals which are typically set by the enterprise management or the management of the business area to which the portfolio belongs. Planning a project portfolio is very difficult, not least because of the various stakeholders involved. An important aim of portfolio planning is to find out which projects and programmes should be conducted within a specific planning period. The number and the granularity of the planning dimensions determine the extents and efforts for any planning activities. Portfolio plans are normally divided into fixed, equal time periods. The granularity of planning reveals the biggest variety in practice.
