Portfolio Management Competency Standards

Abstract

Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition programs and professionals have been under scrutiny for years. Direction has been provided, over time, to adopt civilian program management practices within the DoD. The Project Management Institute (PMI) sets and manages civilian project, program, and portfolio management standards and certifications. This study assesses DoD alignment with PMI standards and focuses on portfolio management competency standards. In both this study and previous research, gap analysis methodology (both qualitative and quantitative approaches) was applied. This research found a nearly 60% alignment between the DoD program management (PM) competency model and industry standards. The research recommends an alignment between DoD standards and the industry-accepted PMI standards for portfolio management.