Portfolio analysis business drivers
Summary: Learn how to use business drivers for portfolio analysis in Project Web App.
Applies to: Project Server Subscription Edition, Project Server 2019, Project Server 2016, Project Server 2013
A business driver is a goal that your company wants to accomplish. Examples include improving customer satisfaction, expanding market share, or reducing IT costs.
Business drivers should be measurable so that you can objectively determine how your projects affect them.
In Project Web App, business drivers are used as part of the portfolio analysis process to help rank the relative importance of your projects. Using this process, Project Web App can help you determine which projects to do and which not to do to get the best overall value for your budget.
Project impact statements
Each business driver in Project Web App includes a series of project impact statements. Project impact statements are a way of defining how a given project affects a business driver. For example, if you have a business driver around improving customer satisfaction, then an internal project to improve your company's network might have no impact on that business driver, whereas a project to reduce customer support wait times would have a greater impact.
The following table provides a list of the impact ratings provided in Project Web App, and a description of each.
| Impact rating | Description |
|---|---|
| None |
The project has no impact on this business driver. |
| Low |
The project has a low impact on this business driver. In the example of a customer satisfaction business driver, you might define this to mean a 1-3 point increase in customer satisfaction. |
| Moderate |
The project has a moderate impact on this business driver. In the example of a customer satisfaction business driver, you might define this to mean a 4-9 point increase in customer satisfaction. |
| Strong |
The project has a strong impact on this business driver. In the example of a customer satisfaction business driver, you might define this to mean a 10-20 point increase in customer satisfaction. |
| Extreme |
The project has an extreme impact on this business driver. In the example of a customer satisfaction business driver, you might define this to mean a greater than 20 point increase in customer satisfaction. |
Creating drivers
In Project Web App, you can create as many business drivers as you need to associate with the various projects that you plan to do. You can create drivers for the whole company as well as drivers that are specific to a particular department.
To create a business driver
In Project Web App, in the left navigation, click Driver Library.
Note
If the Driver Library link isn't there, click Edit Links, and select the check box for Strategy and the links below it.
On the ribbon, click New.
Type a name and description for the driver.
If this driver is for a specific department, select the department in the Departments box. If you do not select a department, then the driver will be available to all departments.
Fill in descriptions for each project impact statement.
On the ribbon, click Save & Close.
Once you have created the business drivers that you want to use, the next step is to prioritize them.