As Websites evolve from early stage, dissociated sites to intelligent and scalable enterprise portals, a significant shift in management techniques and competencies must occur. A mature enterprise portal initiative requires best practices-based program management rather than traditional project management. The more strategic the portal, the more critical the non-IT aspects of the program become. These aspects usually require a level of negotiation and consulting skills with a broad business perspective not usually found on corporate IT teams. At LDS portal program management is characterized by equally important and, at times, competing priorities across two main fronts:

• Management of a Portfolio of Projects that fall under the umbrella of the portal program, in which the success of the program is largely based on the synchronized success of these individual efforts. Managing multiple initiatives running at the same time, with nonaligned schedules and differing dependencies requires a broad perspective that facilitates best practices, including common tools and processes for tracking, managing, and reporting on these projects at an aggregate level.
• Strategic Portal Program Management responsibilities are both strategic and portal-centric and sit above individual projects. In larger implementations, this may require a Program Management Office that guides areas such as goal management, planning and execution, portal asset management, governance and application of portal technology across all projects.