Setting the Target Metric and Constraint

Project Managers can use the Accolade Portfolio Planner to create plans that align with key business goals. When configuring a new planner, enter the following information:

Target Metric – Define the business goal by choosing a target metric from the list.
Goal – Assign a numeric value to your target metric.
Constraint – Select a restricting metric from the list. You can add two separate constraints.
Limit - Set a numeric restriction.

Calculating the Waterline

The waterline is a visual representation of your constraint limit. When calculating the waterline, you can choose Enhanced or Priority.

Enhanced – The Enhanced waterline calculates each project in the list and then divides the target metric by the constraint. When the Enhanced option is selected, Accolade will dynamically arrange the projects based on the target metric and constraint calculation. Accolade places the projects with the highest return on investment (ROI) at the top of the list, and then draws a waterline based on the entered constraint limit.

Priority – When the Priority option is selected, Accolade will calculate which projects fit within the limits of the assigned constraint based on the set order of priority. As a Project Manager, you can rank each project from the brand portfolio in an order of your choosing.

After you click the Calculate button, a red waterline will display. All the projects that appear above the waterline will be within the set constraint limit. The constraint total displays the actual total for all projects above the waterline. The constraint total may be less than the assigned constraint limit, but it will not exceed that limit.

Project Managers can drag and drop projects to rearrange which projects appear above the waterline. This rearrangement can also establish the order of priority.

To add a constraint metric to your planner:

From the Planning menu, go to Portfolio Planner.
Open the desired planner.
Click on the Add (+) button in the Target Metric section.
Choose Add Constraint Metric.
Search for a constraint from the list.
Click the Select button to add the desired constraint metric.
Enter a numeric value for the limit.
Choose your waterline calculation (enhanced or priority).
Select Calculate.

Filtering Projects

Portfolio planners can set metric rules to eliminate projects from being factored into waterline calculations. The filtering feature allows you to exclude projects that do not meet particular requirements from being considered during the planning process. Filtering provides you with a quick way to test different scenarios without committing.

To add a filter metric to your planner:

From the Planning menu, go to Portfolio Planner.
Open the desired planner.
Click on the Add (+) button in the Target Metric section.
Choose Add Filter Metric.
Search for a filter from the list.
Click the Select button to add the desired filter metric.
Enter the desired filtering criteria (criteria differs based on the metric selected).
Choose your waterline calculation (enhanced or priority).
Select Calculate.

Notes:

The Target Metric Total is calculated automatically based on the values of the projects added to the Portfolio Planner. This total represents projects above the waterline.
You can add up to 2 constraints and up to 3 filters.
Adding a second constraint allows you to set an additional restricting metric. Use the second constraint to identify bottlenecks and plan accordingly.
If the metric required for the process model is missing or the project itself is empty, the project will not be excluded in the filtering process.

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