Meet the PIT-Plot: A Smarter Way to Prioritize Projects

I’m happy to let you know that my colleague Stig-Johan Wiklund and I have published a new article introducing a tool that will become a staple in project portfolio management: the PIT-plot.

PIT stands for Project Impact Tornado, and yes—it does look like a tornado plot. But more importantly, it turns the traditional view inside out. Instead of looking at project properties in isolation, the PIT-plot measures how each project impacts the entire portfolio. That’s a shift we believe is long overdue.

Why does this matter?

🌀 The PIT-plot reframes the discussion—from "what’s the value of this project?" to “How does this project impact our portfolio?”

🔍 It visualizes both downside (removal) and upside (success) in a way that’s easy to interpret. We call these the Exclusion bar and the Success bar. This two-bar format makes it easier to identify what to cut, what to double down on, and what to leave alone.

📊 It aligns perfectly with metrics like ROI, IRR, and Productivity Index, where efficiency matters more than raw value.

🎯 Most sensitivity tools look at variables inside a project. The PIT-plot helps us understand how entire projects move the needle at the portfolio level.

📈 And while we built this in a pharma context, the method applies to any industry managing a risky, resource-constrained portfolio.

Pitplot.pdf

Download PDF • 390KB

We’ll make the PIT-plot a standard visualization in Captario SUM. If you’re using a different tool, I suggest you send the article to your vendor with a friendly note: “Here’s what innovative portfolio tools are doing in 2025.” 😁

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Could this approach change how you prioritize projects? Have you tackled similar problems another way? Let’s start the conversation.