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Portfolio Settings

Portfolio Settings let you configure the scoring system, team skills, project phase templates, and classification structure used across all portfolio requests and projects. These settings shape how requests are evaluated, how projects are structured, and how items are categorized.

Where to find it

  • Workspace: Portfolio Management
  • Path: Portfolio Management > Settings
  • Permissions:
  • You need portfolio_settings:admin to modify settings
  • Lower permission levels can view but not edit

If you don't see Settings in the menu, ask your administrator to grant you the appropriate permissions.

Scoring Criteria

Define the evaluation criteria used to calculate priority scores for requests and projects.

Mandatory Bypass Setting

At the top of the Scoring Criteria tab: - Mandatory requests automatically score 100 points: When enabled, any request with a criterion value flagged as "mandatory" receives a priority score of 100 regardless of other criteria

Managing Criteria

Each criterion has: - Name: What you're evaluating (e.g., "Strategic Alignment", "Risk Level") - Weight: Relative importance (higher weight = more impact on score) - Inverted: If checked, first value = highest score instead of lowest - Enabled/Disabled: Toggle to include in scoring or not - Values: The scale options in order

To add a criterion: 1. Click Add Criterion 2. Enter the name 3. Set the weight (default is 1) 4. Check "Inverted" if higher position should mean lower score 5. Define the values in order (minimum 2) 6. Optionally flag a value as "Mandatory" (triggers the bypass) 7. Click Save

To edit a criterion: - Click the edit icon - Modify name, weight, inversion, or values - Click Save

To delete a criterion: - Click the delete icon - Confirm the deletion - Note: Existing evaluations using this criterion will be removed

Example criteria: - Strategic Alignment: Low, Medium, High (weight 2) - Business Value: Low, Medium, High, Very High (weight 1.5) - Risk Level: Low, Medium, High, Critical (weight 1, inverted) - Compliance: Optional, Recommended, Mandatory (weight 1, "Mandatory" triggers bypass)

Skills

Define team member expertise areas for project staffing.

Managing Skills

Skills are grouped by category: - Toggle skills on/off to make them available for team assignments - Add, edit, or delete skills as needed

To seed defaults: - If no skills exist, click Seed Defaults to populate with standard IT and business skills - Categories include: Development, Infrastructure, Business Analysis, Project Management, etc.

To add a skill: 1. Click Add Skill 2. Select or type a category name 3. Enter the skill name 4. Click Save

To disable a skill: - Toggle the switch next to the skill name - Disabled skills won't appear in team skill selectors

Phase Templates

Define standard phase structures to apply to projects.

Understanding Templates

Phase templates provide: - Consistent project structures across the organization - Quick setup when creating or planning projects - Optional milestones linked to each phase

System templates: - Pre-defined templates provided by KANAP - Marked with a "System" chip - Can be edited but provide sensible defaults

Custom templates: - Templates you create for your organization's methodology - Useful for different project types (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Quick Win)

Managing Templates

To create a template: 1. Click Add Template 2. Enter the template name 3. Add phases in order: - Enter phase name - Check "Milestone" if a completion milestone should be created - Optionally customize the milestone name 4. Add more phases as needed 5. Click Save

To edit a template: - Click the edit icon - Modify name, phases, or milestone settings - Click Save

To delete a template: - Click the delete icon - Confirm the deletion - Note: Existing projects using this template are not affected

Example templates: - Waterfall: Analysis, Design, Development, Testing, Deployment (all with milestones) - Agile: Discovery, MVP, Iteration 1, Iteration 2, Release - Quick Win: Planning, Execution, Closure

Classification

Configure types, categories, and streams for organizing requests and projects.

Types

Types describe the nature of the work: - Enhancement: Improvements to existing capabilities - New Development: Building new capabilities - Maintenance: Keeping systems operational - Infrastructure: Platform and technical foundation

To add a type: 1. Click Add Type 2. Enter name and optional description 3. Click Save

To toggle a type: - Use the switch to enable/disable - Disabled types won't appear in selection dropdowns

Categories & Streams

Categories provide high-level grouping, and streams offer sub-categorization within each category.

Structure: 

Category (e.g., "Digital Transformation")
  ├── Stream (e.g., "Customer Experience")
  ├── Stream (e.g., "Operations Efficiency")
  └── Stream (e.g., "Data Analytics")

To add a category: 1. Click Add Category 2. Enter name and optional description 3. Click Save

To add a stream: 1. Expand the category 2. Click Add Stream 3. Enter name and optional description 4. Click Save

To toggle items: - Use switches to enable/disable categories or streams - Disabled items won't appear in selection dropdowns - Disabling a category hides all its streams

System items: - Pre-defined categories and types marked with "System" chip - Can be edited or disabled but not deleted

Best Practices

  • Keep type list short (3-6 items)
  • Use categories for major business areas or strategic themes
  • Use streams for more specific groupings within categories
  • Review and clean up unused classification items periodically

Tips

  • Start with scoring: Define your evaluation criteria first so requests can be properly prioritized
  • Use templates: Create templates that match your organization's delivery methodology
  • Keep classification simple: Too many options create confusion; start small and expand as needed
  • Review regularly: As your organization evolves, revisit these settings to ensure they remain relevant