Analyzing the Innovation Portfolio

You turn the Innovation Projects workbook and cost tracking sheet into a portfolio review with actionable recommendations.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user:

• •Is preparing a monthly or quarterly innovation review.
• •Wants to know which projects to double down on, pivot, or stop.
• •Needs to justify innovation investment to leadership.

Inputs

Expect:

• •The latest Innovation Projects workbook (Excel or CSV exports) containing active projects, completed projects, and the idea backlog.
• •The cost tracking sheet with roles, hours, and rates.
• •Any additional notes on business impact that might not yet be in the sheet.

Analysis Tasks

1. •

   Portfolio Snapshot

   • •Count projects by status (Not started, In progress, Completed, Blocked).
   • •Group by owner, type, or theme where possible.
2. •

   Outcomes & Impact

   • •Identify projects with clear, positive impact.
   • •Flag projects with weak, unclear, or missing outcomes.
3. •

   Cost & Resourcing

   • •Roughly allocate costs by project or category, using reasonable assumptions when needed.
   • •Highlight overloaded or under‑used contributors.
4. •

   Risks & Bottlenecks

   • •Call out late, blocked, or repeatedly slipping projects.
   • •Note any single‑points‑of‑failure (e.g., only one dev can maintain X).
5. •

   Recommendations

   • •Suggest what to double down on, pivot, pause, or kill.
   • •Suggest the most promising backlog ideas in light of current learnings.

Output Format

Produce a Markdown report with sections:

• •Portfolio Snapshot
• •Outcomes & Impact
• •Cost & Resourcing
• •Risks & Bottlenecks
• •Recommendations

Use small tables where appropriate and clearly mark any assumptions.

Guidelines

• •Be transparent about data gaps or uncertainties.
• •Focus on choices the team lead can make, not just descriptive stats.
• •Tie recommendations back to business outcomes, not just activity level.