5 Mental Models To Calm The Chaos in LPM
There are 5 Mental Models used in LPM (Lean Portfolio Management) … that you can also apply in life and any other aspects of your work (i.e., ART-level work or Team-level work):
Mental Model #1: Limit Work to Increase Flow
Old Mental Model: “More throughput needs more started work.”
New Mental Model: “Starting less = finishing more.”
Mental Model #1 instantly reduces/calms chaos.
Mental Model #2: Capacity is a Real Constraint
Old Mental Model: “Capacity? What capacity… just assign it to the teams. They will figure it out.”
New Mental Model: “We cannot commit beyond real capacity.”
Mental Model #2 stops/calms the chaos of overcommitment.
Mental Model #3: Strategy Before Execution
Old Mental Model: “Fund everything a little.”
New Mental Model: “Fund the few strategic things a lot.”
Mental Model #3 reduces/calms chaos from scattered investments.
Mental Model #4: Make Work Visible
Old Mental Model: “If I do not push, work gets ignored.”
New Mental Model: “If we visualize work, we can manage work.”
Mental Model #4 calms chaotic flow by visualization.
Mental Model #5: Feedback Over Prediction
Old Mental Model: “Plan it perfectly upfront. Variance is failure.”
New Mental Model: “Short cycles help us adapt… before chaos hits.”
Mental Model #5 calms chaotic flow by letting the system self-correct.
LPM (Lean Portfolio Management) is the system that operationalizes those 5 Mental Models.
LPM is not just a process. It is a portfolio-wide operating system that calms chaos through shared Mental Models!
You have reached the denouement of this 12-part series.
