IT portfolio management | IT governance | technology strategy | FinOps | IT budget | business case | vendor selection
What You Will Learn:
- Build a technology roadmap over three to five years instead of a wish list
- Use ITIL and COBIT as a governance frame without drowning in either
- Write a business case that survives a finance review
- Prioritise initiatives by impact, feasibility and risk, and kill the rest
- Set selection criteria before you talk to a vendor, and negotiate a discount
- Run delivery on PMBOK 7: charter, scope, plan, schedule, budget, control
- Read a cloud bill and break it down by product, team and cost centre
- Set up chargeback so spending has an owner, and calculate unit economics
- Separate the AI return you can calculate from the return you cannot
- Learn alongside Mike’s 1.6 million students from 185 countries
Overview
Alright, let’s talk about ‘IT Portfolio Management: Prioritize, Govern & Measure [EN]’. I’ve seen a lot of these courses come and go, and frankly, most of them either get lost in the weeds of frameworks or are just glorified slideshows. Mike’s course, however, feels… different. It cuts through the noise. The core promise here – building a technology roadmap that’s a strategic weapon, not just a wish list – is spot on. It’s about getting real value from IT, aligning it with the business, and crucially, proving that value. The emphasis on making your business case robust enough to actually survive a finance review is a massive differentiator. This isn’t just theory; it’s about tangible outcomes and demonstrating ROI, which is absolutely critical in today’s climate.
What I appreciated most was the practical approach. They use ITIL and COBIT as guiding lights, not as dogma. You get the benefits of these established governance frameworks without getting bogged down in every single process. It’s about understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ without needing a certification prep course for each one. The section on vendor selection, focusing on setting criteria *before* you engage, is a goldmine. Too many people walk into vendor negotiations blind, and this course equips you to flip that script and actually get a better deal. And the breakdown of cloud bills? That’s pure, unadulterated FinOps gold. Being able to dissect cloud spend by product, team, and cost center is an absolute game-changer for any IT leader or aspiring one.
Prerequisites
- A foundational understanding of IT operations and project management principles is beneficial, though not strictly mandatory.
- Familiarity with common IT terminology and concepts will help you get the most out of the course.
- Basic spreadsheet skills are assumed for some of the financial breakdown exercises.
Skills & Tools
This course is designed to impart a range of practical, **job-ready skills**. You’ll learn to develop and manage a strategic technology roadmap, master the art of crafting compelling **business cases**, and implement effective **IT governance** structures. The curriculum dives deep into prioritization techniques, enabling you to assess initiatives based on impact, feasibility, and risk. You’ll also gain proficiency in vendor selection processes and negotiation strategies. A significant portion is dedicated to **FinOps**, including reading and dissecting cloud bills, setting up chargeback mechanisms, and calculating unit economics. The course also touches upon differentiating measurable AI returns from intangible benefits. While specific industry-standard tools aren’t explicitly taught (as the focus is on principles), the concepts directly apply to tools used in portfolio management, project management (like PMBOK 7), and financial tracking.
Career Benefits & Job Roles
Completing this course offers substantial **career growth** opportunities. The skills acquired are highly sought after in the current IT landscape. You’ll be better positioned for roles such as:
- IT Portfolio Manager
- IT Governance Lead
- Technology Strategist
- FinOps Analyst/Manager
- IT Director
- Program Manager
- Senior Project Manager
The **hands-on labs** and real-world project simulations mentioned implicitly in the course content prepare you to immediately apply your learnings, making you a more attractive candidate for these positions.
Pros
- Actionable Frameworks: The course provides practical, implementable frameworks for portfolio management, governance, and financial oversight, moving beyond theoretical concepts.
- Financial Acumen: The in-depth coverage of FinOps, cloud bill analysis, and chargeback mechanisms is invaluable for anyone responsible for IT budgets and cost optimization.
- Strategic Alignment: It excels at teaching how to align IT initiatives with business objectives, ensuring that technology investments deliver tangible value and support organizational goals.
- Vendor Management Savvy: The structured approach to vendor selection and negotiation equips learners with the confidence and tools to secure better deals.
Cons
One honest critique: While the course emphasizes using ITIL and COBIT without “drowning” in them, a complete novice to these frameworks might still find some initial concepts a bit dense. It would have been beneficial to have a brief, introductory module or appendix that contextualizes these governance models at a very high level before diving into their application within portfolio management. However, this is a minor point in an otherwise exceptionally well-structured and valuable course.