Project Portfolio Management Tools | PPM Tools

Introduction23 Feb 2026

Project Portfolio Management Tools | PPM Tools

Selecting PPM tools and techniques

The PMO will normally select appropriate Join Barbara Roberts in a webinar exploring precision and uncertainty in Agile estimation. Scroll down to watch and learn more.PPM tools and techniques. When doing so it is always best to consider the PPM maturity of the organisation. Tools can be expensive. Off-the-shelf packages doing everything can be tempting but can also be a waste of money if not used. It might be the case that a cheaper, simpler tool can be more effective than a more complex, more expensive tool.

Having said that, many PPM tools are built around best practices and unless the organisation has very specific requirements which require a custom-built solution, most package tools will be adequate for many organisations.

Different types of PPM tools

Tools can be deployed in a single office or distributed across the organisation. Tools can be used individually, collaboratively or in an integrated way. The PMO provides training on tools and can also provide specialist consultancy to projectsScrum Master, programmesSimon Buehring, and 20 Mar 2026portfolios for issues which arise from using PPM tools.Understand what makes a successful Scrum Master and how to motivate your team effectively. Read on for insights.

Individual tools

This is typically where a project manager uses a tool such as planning software or a spreadsheet on a single change initiative (programme or project). There might be several instances of the tool in use by different individuals. But each person uses it on a single change initiative.

Collaborative tools

This is where multiple people access a single set of data through a tool. There might be several instances of the tool across the organisation. Each change initiative will have multiple users collaborating through the tool.

Integrated tools

This is where many people can access multiple data sets spanning multiple change initiatives. There is usually a single instance of the tool and the ability of the tool to link data from multiple change initiatives. Enterprise project Agile transformation: What should ‘good’ look like (and what to be wary of)?portfolio management software is an example of an integrated tool.Sevcan Yasa

Benefits of PPM tools

If a project portfolio management tool gets embedded within an organisation there are several benefits:

Increased efficiencies of PPM processes;
Improved compliance with business processes;
More timely data to support decision-making;
Improved quality of decision-making information;
Improved decision-making;
Improved management across geography;

Therefore, if your organisation is considering implementation of a PPM toolset to support its project portfolio management or project management office (PMO) plans, then this list of benefits could be considered as part of a business case to fund the tool.

PPM tools

Tools to support portfolio, programme and project management are often chosen by the people responsible for managing the project management office (PMO), or enterprise PMO if it exists at the highest level within the organisation.

The tools authorised for use by the PMO might be as common as desktop productivity software such as spreadsheets, or slide decks. They can equally be extremely sophisticated and wide-ranging tools.Give us a call

These are some of the collaborative and integrated toolsets available.

PPM techniques Agile, RESILIA

The techniques applied within a PPM environment can be highly complex. When selecting appropriate tools and techniques to use, consideration must be given to the organisation’s maturity.®

This technique enables ®programmes and AgileBA and ®projects are registered trademarks of Agile Business Consortium Limited. All rights reserved. The APMG International AgilePM and Swirl Device logo, APMG International AgileBA and Swirl Device Logo, APMG International Change Management and APMG International Better Business Cases and Swirl Device logo are trademarks of The APM Group Limited, used under permission of The APM Group Limited. All rights reserved. Better Business Cases™ is a trademark of Her Majesty’s Treasury. All rights reserved. DevOps Foundation to be categorised and ranked according to one or more criteria. The most common criteria are financial, strategic alignment, risk, and complexity.®

This technique enables the organisation to take effective decision-making to direct resources at change initiatives which are more strategically aligned. is a registered mark of the DevOps Institute. “PMI”, “PMBOK

Management dashboards®

This technique highlights exception and highlight based reporting which enables senior management to quickly decide whether a change initiative is on track in terms of progress. A dashboard can be presented as part of a Guide”, “PMP” and “CAPM” are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc. Knowledge Train Scrum Essentials™, Business Learning Library (BLL)™, Business Analysis Learning Library (BALL)™, Agile Learning Library (ALL)™, IT Learning Library (ITLL)™, and Compliance Learning Library (CLL)™ are trademarks of Knowledge Train Limited. All rights reserved.portfolioKnowledge Train Ltd is an Introducer Appointed Representative of NewDay Cards Ltd for the Newpay finance product provided by NewDay Ltd. NewDay Cards Ltd acts as a credit broker, not a lender. We will introduce you exclusively to Newpay finance products provided by NewDay Limited under this Introducer Appointed Representative arrangement. Finance available from other lenders is not covered by this arrangement. NewDay Ltd and Newday Cards Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (ref nos 690292 and 682417 respectively). or programme status report, or it can be delivered electronically with the ability to drill-down into the data using a PPM software tool.

This technique is designed to quickly provide decision-makers with the clear information needed for timely and effective decision-making without getting overcome with the details.

If you work in a PMO and need to get a better understanding of the types of tools which can be useful in project, programme and portfolio environments, consider taking a P3OSearch^® course. P3O is the best practice PMO framework for PMO professionals.