Miro recognised for Strategic Portfolio Management — what it means

Miro has been recognised in Forrester’s Strategic Portfolio Management Tools landscape for Q4 2025. In practice, that matters because SPM tools don’t just “track projects”; they help leaders translate strategy into funded initiatives, prioritise work, and continually rebalance portfolios as conditions change. Miro’s differentiator is bringing those decisions into a shared, visual workspace where planning and delivery data sit side‑by‑side — and where AI can surface what needs attention.

Why Miro for portfolio management?

1. One space from vision to value. Map goals and OKRs, shape initiatives, and see delivery status without hopping across slide decks, spreadsheets, and status tools.

2. AI that spots patterns. Miro’s AI Sidekicks scan boards and portfolio data to flag risks, gaps and next steps — like initiatives with slipping dates or unmet dependencies — so leaders can act before issues spread.

3. Live delivery data. Two‑way integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps and Asana mean your epics, stories and statuses update in real time, keeping planning views honest.

4. Flexible views for every audience. Shift from portfolio Kanban to roadmap, from dependency maps to OKR roll‑ups, or open a single initiative for a deep dive — all on the same canvas.

5. Enterprise‑ready. Spaces, permissions, templates and governance guardrails make it simple to standardise how projects are planned and reviewed across business units.

What’s inside Miro Portfolios

• Portfolio Kanban & roadmaps. Frame your portfolio as a Kanban flow (e.g., Funnel → Evaluating → Committed → In Delivery → Done) or time‑based roadmap by quarter. Add swimlanes for strategic themes.
  
  

• OKR alignment. Tie initiatives and projects to company objectives. Roll up progress and confidence to show where value is really accruing.
  
  

• AI Sidekicks for portfolio insight. Ask questions in plain English (“Which initiatives are at risk this quarter?”) and get highlighted answers with context. Use recommendations to unblock teams or re‑sequence work.
  
  

• Metrics views. Pull in key KPIs from delivery tools (cycle time, throughput), financials, or customer signals so each review is data‑driven.
  
  

• Integrations that keep everything in sync. Drag in Jira or Azure DevOps items as cards; update status here or there — it stays aligned. Add Asana tasks for cross‑functional work streams.
  
  

• Dependency visualisation. Map cross‑team dependencies directly on the board. Record decisions and owners during big‑room planning.
  
  

• Templates & blueprints. Standardise how initiatives are defined, estimated, gated and reviewed with re‑usable templates.

A 30‑minute quick start: from zero to portfolio review

Step 1 — Create your Portfolio space (5 min). Use a Portfolio blueprint or start from a board template. Set columns and policies (e.g., WIP limits) for your Kanban flow. Add strategic themes as lanes.

Step 2 — Connect delivery tools (5–10 min). Enable Jira and/or Azure DevOps integrations. Pull existing epics into the appropriate column; set two‑way sync so updates flow both ways. Create a “Parking Lot” frame for candidate initiatives.

Step 3 — Align to OKRs (5 min). Add company Objectives at the top and link initiatives underneath. For each initiative, capture expected outcomes, leading indicators, and a high‑level hypothesis of value.

Step 4 — Map dependencies (5 min). Use dependency links between initiatives across teams. Mark critical paths and note owners to mitigate.

Step 5 — Add metrics & customer signals (5 min). Pin a small panel with throughput/cycle time, budget burn, and a “Customer Voice” feed (e.g., top 3 insights from feedback). This keeps every review grounded.

Step 6 — Review with AI assist (5 min). Ask the AI Sidekick to highlight at‑risk items, blockers, and date slips. Capture actions directly on cards.

At the end of this setup, you have a functioning portfolio board with live delivery data, visible risk, and a crisp executive narrative.

Governance that actually sticks

• Cadence. Run a monthly “Portfolio Council” (60 minutes) and a lighter fortnightly check‑in (30 minutes). Use the same board; change the view, not the tool.

• Standard entry/exit criteria. Define the information every initiative must show before moving stage: problem statement, measurable outcome, dependency scan, tech estimate, and cost/benefit sketch.

• Cross‑functional owners. Every initiative gets a business owner and a delivery owner. Decisions are annotated on the card and timestamped.

• Transparent reprioritisation. When capacity, risk, or market changes, re‑sequence on the Kanban and record the rationale. This builds trust with stakeholders.

Executive and PMO use cases

• Strategic Value Office (SVO). Track enterprise themes and OKR progress, slice by business unit, and resolve cross‑portfolio contention.

• Product portfolio. Tie discovery to delivery with a shared view of problem statements, customer insights, and roadmap bets.

• Transformation/change portfolio. Visualise dependencies between platform work, capability uplift and business outcomes.

• Marketing & GTM portfolio. Align launch plans, enablement and content against product milestones.

Integrations worth enabling on day one

• Jira / Atlassian. Pull epics and stories into Miro, convert sticky notes to issues, and keep statuses and assignees in sync. Ideal for agile teams that want planning and execution aligned.

• Azure DevOps. Sync work items, show capacity during PI/quarterly planning, and use dependency links for multi‑team delivery.

• Asana. Bring in cross‑functional tasks for campaigns or operations so “non‑engineering” work stays visible in the portfolio.

Tips to make it real in your organisation

• Start with one portfolio. Prove the model in a single domain (e.g., product engineering or transformation), then scale to others with a blueprint.

• Make outcomes explicit. Every initiative must tie to a measurable objective and customer signal. If it can’t, challenge the priority.

• Use AI Sidekicks as a second pair of eyes. Before each review, ask it to summarise risks and suggest the top three actions to de‑risk.

• Keep the meeting lightweight. The board is the agenda. Capture decisions on the canvas and assign owners on the spot.

How Generation Digital can help

We’ll set up your Portfolio blueprint, wire up Jira/Azure DevOps, train your leaders on running the cadence, and add AI prompts and templates tailored to your context. The result is a working portfolio in weeks, not months — with clear governance and a repeatable rhythm.

Get in touch to book a Miro portfolio management workshop with Generation Digital.

FAQ

Does Miro do “real” portfolio management or just visualisation?
Miro Portfolios gives you a governed flow (Kanban/roadmap), OKR alignment, AI‑assisted insights, and live delivery integrations. It’s designed for executive and PMO use — not just brainstorming.

How does Miro link strategy to execution?
Objectives sit at the top; initiatives and projects roll up underneath. Cards sync to Jira/Azure so delivery status is always current.

Can I keep our PI planning and quarterly reviews in one place?
Yes. Use the same board for big‑room planning, dependency mapping and executive reviews. Switch views for different audiences.

What about reporting?
Use metrics panels for throughput, cycle time and value measures. Export snapshots, or share the live board for self‑serve visibility.

Is it secure and scalable?
Miro Enterprise supports SSO, SCIM, granular permissions, and admin controls for spaces, apps and templates across large organisations.