“Project demand management is no longer just about managing a pipeline of initiatives. It’s about curating a portfolio that drives sustainable growth, resilience, and competitive advantage.”
Riaan Nel, Strategic Project Manager at Medihelp Medical Scheme, has been managing and leading project delivery teams for about 15 years. Over the years, his view of the role has evolved significantly. “The job of the project portfolio manager can be likened to a curator,” he explains. “Like a curator, project managers are becoming increasingly selective about which projects are admitted into the pipeline.”
For Riaan, this selectiveness is guided by his personal values: integrity in decision-making, empathy for the people impacted, patience to let initiatives mature into meaningful results, resilience in navigating setbacks, and unwavering commitment to creating long-term value.
The power of focus
This approach marks a significant shift from traditional thinking, where running multiple projects simultaneously was often seen as desirable. “It’s almost as if corporates believed that if they had a lot of initiatives in place, one of them was certain to solve the problem,” Riaan notes.
The reality, however, is that chasing volume often comes at the expense of strategic impact.
“As a business, you might be able to deliver anything – but you can’t deliver everything, and certainly not all at the same time.
That’s where patience and resilience matter, because making the right trade-offs today enables meaningful, sustainable results tomorrow.”
Focusing on value ensures that project investments are aligned with long-term goals and that finite resources such as time, talent, and capital are used efficiently. Staff are a critical part of this resource pool.
Overstretching the team risks fatigue and disengagement, which can cause missed opportunities and undermine project success.
Riaan adds another advantage of a value-led portfolio. “When the pipeline is lean, your response to market conditions is quicker, you can make decisions faster, and you can adapt strategies more effectively, especially in an environment that’s vulnerable to disruption, like ours.” All this adds up to stronger business outcomes, which can manifest as increased profitability, stronger customer loyalty, or greater innovation.
Defining what matters most
So, what exactly constitutes value? Different companies prioritise different outcomes. Some chase revenue growth or cost savings, while others are more focused on customer satisfaction or retention. Still others are focused on innovation, market differentiation, risk reduction, compliance, or even reducing their environmental impact.
Riaan suggests establishing a clear value framework.
“For us at Medihelp, it makes sense to focus only on innovations that genuinely improve our members’ lives. This understanding guides our value framework, because it’s the lens through which we view all prospective projects.
Something might be a nice to have, but unless it furthers our goal of helping more people access quality healthcare, we won’t pursue it.”
From there, the organisation should create a scoring model to evaluate project proposals. “Defining and making our definition of value visible is critical. Sometimes a project is initiated based on perceived value, but once outcomes are measured, you realise that the actual impact is minimal. Correcting course, perhaps tweaking the project or shifting focus, ensures resources are invested where they truly matter.”
Ideally, all proposals should go through a centralised channel to be captured, assessed, and prioritised in a unified process. This also makes it easier to judge whether the proposed projects are aligned with short-, medium- or long-term objectives. Because value is dynamic and priorities can change, the project portfolio should be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to tackle the organisation’s most pressing challenges.
Leadership: The key to driving change
Finally, it’s critical to ensure that the value framework and the process of selecting projects that add value are visibly supported by the organisation’s leaders.
“When you cut out the noise and non-value adds, you are able to improve your focus. And that’s when you are really able to drive changes that make fundamental shifts in the business,” Riaan concludes.
More about Riaan
Riaan Nel is a Project Management Professional with extensive experience across management consulting, project delivery, and change enablement. Over his career, he has led diverse teams across multiple industries, including financial services, healthcare, mining, manufacturing, logistics, IT, and FMCG, delivering fit-for-purpose solutions that create sustainable business value. He has successfully managed projects and change programs in Australia, Southern Africa, and the UAE.
Riaan thrives on tackling complex business problems, crafting innovative approaches that drive measurable results. Central to his work is a belief that every project should make a real difference, whether improving organisational efficiency, supporting teams, or enhancing customer outcomes.