Nearly 450 years old, Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. In January 2024, at Thinking Portfolio User Day, Leiden University shares their experiences on how this traditional university utilizes and develops portfolio management.
Leiden University started implementing Thinking Portfolio in 2019. Kim Colman works at the university as a Portfolio Manager and develops the Project Portfolio for the university’s needs.
“I enjoy working at the university. I like to work for an organization which has a meaning within the community”, Kim says. On January 31, 2024, she gives the awaited keynote presentation at Thinking Portfolio User Day event.
Experiences, lessons learned and goals for the future.
According to Kim, Leiden University is currently on a maturity level of 2-3 on portfolio management (on a scale of 1-5). Their goal is higher, but developing the maturity level takes a lot of time and effort.
“Level 5 would be great, of course, but that’s a longer-term goal”, Kim says. Leiden University utilizes tools, training, and new structures to improve their maturity level. She points out that change management is required to get the tool integrated in the organization culture. “So, it takes a lot of time; you must repeat and update.”
Next topics to develop are reporting and gathering more background information for user friendly dashboarding. In her presentation we also learn about the most important key takeaways from the past five years.
“We are very enthusiastic towards project management. I have done a lot of presentations on why it is important to keep the information on track and the message and structure the same. It is for the benefit of the project and the whole organization to keep the project on time and budget.”
The Project Portfolio provides benefits on three levels.
On a practical level the tool gives insights and guides the project managers’ work. They must think about all the aspect of the projects and fill out the forms and project methods.
“It raises the quality of the projects and their documentation.”
Secondly, the portfolio supports working within the project. “Look before you leap, see how much money you need, who is the responsible and so on”, Kim describes.
Thirdly, the Project Portfolio makes prioritization more efficient. On the financial side, it helps to ensure the money is well spent.
“Now it helps the organization to speak the same language. You just follow the steps, and it helps the decision makers and board. They can compare the items that are in the same language and form”, Kim sums up the benefits.
Kim Colman
Portfolio Manager, Leiden University
“The University started implementing Thinking Portfolio in 2019 and we are continually aligning the way of working and needs of the organization with the functionalities and possibilities of the tool.”
Thinking Portfolio User Day Event
Keynote presentation and panel discussion will be conducted in English. Other presentations will be held in Finnish.
Date: 31.1.2024 at. 9:00-16:00 EET. Registration from 8:15am, programme from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
Place: Musiikkitalo, Paavo-sali, Mannerheimintie 13 A, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
