APM Scotland Network and The Scottish Government Host Portfolio Management Session

The Association for Project Management (APM) Scotland Regional Network, in partnership with the Scottish Government, recently hosted a session on enhancing approaches to portfolio management. The session brought together Senior Civil Servants and senior leads and practitioners from the Project Delivery Profession, along with representatives from various organisations such as Scottish Water, Yorkshire Building Society, and Heriot-Watt University. Attendees engaged in insightful discussions centred around case studies and theoretical frameworks related to project management.

The day commenced with a panel discussion titled "Hearing from Our Leadership," featuring Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive Officer of APM, alongside John-Paul Marks, Permanent Secretary CB and Lesley Fraser, Director General of Corporate Services, both from the Scottish Government.

Prof Boddison emphasised the importance of aligning project selection and prioritisation with strategic objectives, highlighting that effective portfolio management is crucial for delivering meaningful outcomes. He noted, "P3M doesn’t exist in a vacuum—projects must be realistic and impactful."

JP Marks welcomed the focus on improving PPM skills, noting they are core to the successful delivery of major projects in Scotland. He said: “Good portfolio management is essential for good Government, supporting Ministers, their teams, and partners to manage risk and prioritise based on objective evidence, to deliver better impact and improve value for money for the taxpayer. I'm grateful to the APM and our Change professionals for their leadership, as we continue to build this important capability, striving to deliver Public Sector Reform to improve national outcomes in Scotland in the years ahead."

Lesley Fraser underscored the role of portfolio management in maximising impact, particularly in a fiscal environment where every decision carries weight. She explained, "We can only inform good decisions if we have resilient data and frameworks." She also pointed to the Scottish Government's priorities, such as tackling child poverty and improving public services, emphasising that success relies on deploying skilled professionals underpinned by robust project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) frameworks.

The session provided valuable insights into the complexities of project management in the public sector, and how collaboration among civil servants and industry leaders is needed to drive effective project delivery across Scotland.