PPM is Profit.co's module for managing multiple projects within a single portfolio framework, covering everything from evaluating new project ideas to closing out finished work. It brings prioritization, budgets, resources, and governance into one connected system instead of scattering them across separate tools.
Table of Contents
What Are the Core Parts of PPM in Profit.co?
Profit.co organizes PPM into five pillars, each representing a phase of the project lifecycle: Demand Management, Project Prioritization, Project Governance, Project Execution, and Project Closure.
In the product, these pillars map to areas in the left-hand navigation once the module is enabled.
| Navigation Area | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Portfolios | Groups of related projects and sub-portfolios, used to manage strategic initiatives at a higher level than individual projects. |
| Projects | Where actual project execution happens: tasks, schedules, budgets, risks, and team management. |
| Resources | An organization-wide view of people, their capacity, and how they are allocated across projects. |
| Requests | The intake pipeline for new project ideas before they are approved and converted into full projects. |
| Approvals | A single inbox for everything awaiting your sign-off: request stage changes, tollgates, lessons, cost-benefit changes, and project closures. |
| Cockpit | Customizable executive-style dashboards built from a library of widgets and summary cards. |
| Backlog | A holding area for portfolios, projects, requests, milestones, and tasks that have been parked rather than deleted. |
Why Does PPM Matter?
Without a portfolio-level view, each project gets evaluated and resourced in isolation, so a lower-value project submitted early can consume resources a higher-value one needed later. PPM streamlines resource allocation, aligns projects with strategic goals, and brings consistency to project evaluation instead of relying on ad hoc decisions.
Because the same governance model applies across every project, Portfolio Managers, PMOs, Finance Managers, and Business Unit Leaders all work from the same pipeline visibility instead of reconciling separate spreadsheets.
How Do I Get Started With PPM?
Step 1: Enable the PPM Module
- Navigate to Settings → General → Apps
- Enable the Portfolios and Projects toggle
Prerequisite
Only Super Users can enable or disable the PPM module via Settings.
Step 2: Explore the Left-Hand Navigation
- Once enabled, the left panel gives you access to Portfolios, Projects, Resources, Requests, Approvals, Cockpit, and Backlog
Step 3: Follow a Project Through Its Five Pillars
- Capture a new idea through Requests (Demand Management)
- Compare it against other requests on the Prioritization & Optimization grid (Project Prioritization)
- Convert an approved request into a Project, where Governance, budgets, and team management take place
- Track day-to-day work in Execution
- Close the project out through Project Closure once it is complete
What Happens as You Move Through PPM?
| Scenario | What Happens |
|---|---|
| You enable Portfolios and Projects in Settings. | Profit.co adds Portfolios, Projects, Resources, Requests, Approvals, Cockpit, and Backlog to the left-hand navigation for your organization. |
| You submit a project idea through Requests. | Profit.co routes it through Demand Management and the Prioritization & Optimization grid before it can become a project. |
| You park a portfolio, project, request, milestone, or task instead of deleting it. | Profit.co moves it to the Backlog, where it stays until restored. |
| You need to review something awaiting your sign-off, such as a request stage, tollgate, lesson, cost-benefit change, or project closure. | Profit.co surfaces it in the Approvals inbox. |
| You want to see how a person's time is allocated across every project. | Profit.co shows this in the Resources area rather than requiring you to check each project individually. |
What Are the Best Practices for Using PPM?
- Enable PPM before trying to configure any of its individual areas, since Portfolios, Projects, Resources, Requests, Approvals, Cockpit, and Backlog only appear in navigation once the module is turned on.
- Route new project ideas through Requests rather than creating projects directly, so they get evaluated on the Prioritization & Optimization grid before resources are committed.
- Check Approvals regularly rather than waiting to be reminded, since it is the single inbox for request stages, tollgates, lessons, cost-benefit changes, and project closures.
- Use Backlog instead of deleting a portfolio, project, request, milestone, or task you are not ready to commit to, since it can be restored later.
- Build role-specific layouts in Cockpit for different stakeholders, since Portfolio Managers, PMOs, Finance Managers, and Business Unit Leaders each need different visibility into the same underlying data.
Related Articles
- How do I enable the Portfolios and Projects module in Profit.co?
- How to create a Project in the PPM module?
What Are Some Frequently Asked Questions About PPM?
PPM is a module within Profit.co. It must be enabled from Settings before Portfolios, Projects, Resources, Requests, Approvals, Cockpit, and Backlog appear in the left-hand navigation.
Enabling the module itself is restricted to Super Users. Once it is on, Portfolio Managers, Project Managers, PMO, VRO, Finance Managers, Program Managers, Business Unit Leaders, and IT Leaders are among the roles who use it day to day.
A Portfolio groups related projects and sub-portfolios to manage strategic initiatives at a higher level, while a Project is where actual execution happens: tasks, schedules, budgets, risks, and team management.
Backlog. Portfolios, projects, requests, milestones, and tasks that are parked rather than deleted are held there until restored.
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