It is critical in portfolio management to focus on 'doing the right work'. This means stakeholder expectations and effective management of these expectations are essential. The primary conduit…

The program or project sponsor advocates for a specific component's interests but does not serve as the primary communication link across all portfolio stakeholders.

According to PMI's Standard for Portfolio Management, the portfolio manager is explicitly defined as the primary conduit between component managers and other portfolio stakeholders. This role holds authority and accountability for managing stakeholder expectations, communicating portfolio status, and ensuring strategic alignment across all components. No other role has the breadth of responsibility needed to bridge component-level execution with portfolio-level governance.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Review Board presides over governance meetings but does not own day-to-day stakeholder communication across the full portfolio.

The Secretary of the Portfolio Review Board performs administrative support functions for the board and has no primary stakeholder management responsibility.