Risk Management in Project Portfolios Is More Than Managing Project Risks: A Contingency Perspective on Risk Management

ABSTRACT Project risk management aims at reducing the likelihood of project failure. To manage risk in project portfolios, research suggests adopting a perspective that is wider than the individual project risk. The results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis on a sample of 177 project portfolios suggest that formal risk management at the project level and integration of risk information at the portfolio level are positively associated with overall project portfolio success. Simultaneous risk management at both levels increases this positive effect. Furthermore, risk management at the project level is more important for R&D‐dominated project portfolios, whereas the integration of risk information is more important with high levels of turbulence and portfolio dynamics.