LPM Post

Mental Models can make or break you. If leaders' Mental Models are: "Keep starting... in an unbridled way... and perhaps something finishes." "More work = more output." "My initiative is the most important... ROI is astronomical!" With that mindset, Chaos is inevitable... and it will grow... and more meetings and reports cannot take you out of Chaos! A new Mental Model is needed! To Calm The Chaos, leaders need new Mental Models that reshape how they work.   5 Mental Models   Here are 5 Mental Models used in LPM (Lean Portfolio Management) ... that you can also apply in…

November 22, 2025, Charlotte International Airport. I noticed the sign: "Calm The Chaos". I said: "That's interesting... I see no chaos at all... whatever the airport is doing -- to Calm The Chaos -- is working!" So, I got curious... I observed... whilst waiting for my son's arrival -- he is coming home from Delaware to Charlotte, NC, for Thanksgiving with the fam. What I have observed... I can relate it -- the "Principle" of "Calm the Chaos" -- to the Portfolio and Mental Models! "Calm The Chaos" vis-a-vis Mental Models and LPM (Lean Portfolio Management). "Calm The Chaos" is…

There is a strong connection between Mental Models and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM). Mental Models and Lean Portfolio Management: Steve Jobs' Strategic Reset When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he was confronted with a sprawling, incoherent product lineup. To cut through the noise, he posed a deceptively simple question to his leadership team: “Which ones do I tell my friends to buy?” This question wasn't just tactical—it revealed a powerful mental model: clarity through customer-centric prioritization. Jobs used this model to expose the lack of strategic focus and alignment across Apple’s portfolio. Unable to justify the clutter, Jobs…

What is a Mental Model? It is the way your mind understands how something works. It is like a mental map or framework you use to interpret the world, solve problems, and make decisions. Why it matters: Mental models help you make sense of complex situations without needing to analyze every detail from scratch. The more (and better) mental model you have the better your judgement and problem solving become. Here are some useful Mental Models for LPM: Lean (Lean Thinking) and Agile (Agile Thinking) Systems and Science (Systems Thinking, Feedback Loop, Leverage, Game Theory, Entropy), General Thinking and Problem…

LPM (Lean Portfolio Management) helps organizations chart the best courses through Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. LPM aligns technology initiatives with strategic goals. LPM simplifies decision-making. LPM shows how it empowers portfolio leaders – to align strategy with execution, manage investments effectively, and deliver continuous value. LPM is not just for executives .... it is also for Business Owners, Architects, RTEs, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches, Coaches, Product Management, Product Owners ... basically, all roles and stakeholders – like the Value Management Office (VMO) and Lean Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) – critical in supporting execution and governance across the Portfolio. In…

Imagine you are like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. You are navigating a maze of investment priorities: new initiatives on-going commitments complex and dynamic demands unexpected twists and turns With the wrong approach, you can be left navigating the dark while technology investments veer off-track. But... what if you have a roadmap to guide the way... like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz? Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) is the roadmap – the “yellow brick road!” LPM. Now on Amazon