Stakeholders are concerned about the purpose of optimizing a portfolio while already having defined the portfolio with its related components, and are worried that this will cause a lot of time to be

Producing an organized portfolio for ongoing evaluation and selection describes the purpose of the Define Portfolio process, not the Optimize Portfolio process.

The Optimize Portfolio process is specifically designed to balance and optimize the mix of portfolio components to maximize performance and value delivery, and this balancing activity must continue even after components are defined because organizational conditions, priorities, and resource availability change over time.

The process cannot be skipped when an inventory of work exists - optimization is a continuous governance responsibility that ensures the component mix remains aligned with strategy regardless of what is already defined.

The Optimize Portfolio process is a distinct, standalone process that cannot be deferred or treated as a sub-activity of itself; it must be performed as defined in the portfolio management standard.