Platform vs Pure Play Strategic Portfolio Management: Which Is Better?
When organizations start looking to improve their Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM), the first instinct is often: “Why not just extend the platform we already have?”
It sounds practical leveraging an existing system like ServiceNow, Microsoft Power Platform, or an ERP platform seems easier and more cost-effective than adding another solution. But that’s a dangerous assumption, and one that can lead to underwhelming results. Gartner’s latest research makes it clear: when it comes to SPM, platform-based tools often fall short.
Let’s break down why.
The Platform Trap
It’s tempting to believe your current platform can stretch to cover SPM. But according to Gartner, this approach usually leads to:
- Limited capabilities: Most platforms prioritize R&D for their core markets (ITSM, ERP, etc.), not SPM. You’re left with surface-level features that don’t meet the needs of today’s portfolio leaders.
- Added complexity and cost: You’ll likely need extra modules, third-party apps, and consultants driving up your total investment and lengthening time to value.
- Slow innovation: Platform vendors spread resources across many use cases. SPM rarely gets the focused innovation it needs.
- Risky assumptions: Many teams assume, “We can just configure the platform to do it.” In reality, this often results in custom builds that are brittle, expensive to maintain, and ultimately unsatisfying.
In short: you’re trying to force a square peg into a round hole.
Why Pure-Play SPM Wins
Pure-play SPM solutions like OnePlan are purpose-built from the ground up for today’s strategic portfolio leaders. Every feature, workflow, and report is designed for this world, not retrofitted from another system.
What Gartner Recommends
Gartner strongly advises organizations to avoid “technology bias” when selecting SPM solutions. Their guidance:
Run objective evaluations of both pure-play and platform-based options Define your must-have use cases and roles to ensure the solution can deliver Don’t assume “good enough” just because your current platform is familiar
The truth is: the right tool matters. Strategic Portfolio Management is too critical to compromise on.
How OnePlan Bridges the Gap
Choosing a pure-play solution is just the first step. Choosing the right pure-play makes the difference between incremental improvement and transformational change.
That’s where OnePlan stands out.
Unlike generalist tools or niche add-ons, OnePlan is purpose-built for Strategic Portfolio Management, yet flexible enough to meet organizations where they are, whether they’re evolving a PMO, building an EPMO, or running enterprise-wide transformation.
Here’s how OnePlan bridges the gap between vision and execution:
- Strategic Alignment Built In
Set goals, define OKRs, and cascade priorities across portfolios with planning tools designed for strategy-first teams, not retrofitted from IT or finance modules.
- Real-Time Portfolio Intelligence
Make confident, timely decisions with live visibility into financials, resourcing, risks, and trade-offs without relying on stitched-together spreadsheets or slow-reporting platforms.
- Deep Microsoft Integration
OnePlan integrates natively with Microsoft Project, Teams, Azure DevOps, Power BI, and the Power Platform—so your teams stay connected without leaving the tools they already use.
- Configurability Without Chaos
Built-in best practices provide a fast-starting point, while flexible configuration options mean you can scale and adapt OnePlan to your evolving governance, business units, or delivery methods (Agile, Hybrid, Waterfall).
- Expertise That Doesn’t End at Go-Live
OnePlan brings more than software. We offer advisory services, onboarding accelerators, and long-term partnership that help teams not just implement SPM, but mature it.
For leaders ready to move beyond the limitations of platform-based tools, OnePlan delivers purpose-built SPM without the platform bloat.
Final Thoughts
If you’re tired of bending an ITSM or ERP platform to fit your SPM needs…
If you’ve been burned by hidden costs, clunky customizations, or disappointing capabilities…
It’s time to take a closer look at pure-play SPM.
OnePlan is trusted by forward-thinking PMOs, EPMOs, and business transformation teams across industries, because it brings purpose-built depth, faster deployment, and expert support without the trade-offs of platform-first tools.
Ready to rethink your SPM strategy?
Schedule a OnePlan demo today.
