Case Study: Cross-Country Portfolio Delivery and Audit Readiness

Context

Project Management Specialist / Training Consultant at DAI (Mar 2019 - Feb 2021), supporting a USAID-funded portfolio across 5 Central Asian countries.

Problem

Portfolio delivery required tight timeline control across multiple country workstreams, consistent documentation standards, and reliable readiness for donor audit reviews. Coordination gaps and fragmented evidence packages created delivery and compliance risk.

Actions

Set a structured weekly coordination rhythm across country teams and central program management.
Built delivery trackers for milestones, dependencies, and risk signals across parallel workstreams.
Standardized documentation packs for donor-facing review cycles and audit preparation.
Aligned budget-monitoring and vendor deliverable checks with reporting and compliance timelines.
Escalated blockers early to protect timeline performance and submission quality.

Results

Delivered 25+ portfolio deliverables on time over 24 months.
Supported donor audits in 2019 and 2020 with zero findings.
Maintained consistent cross-country execution and reduced deadline risk through proactive coordination.

Relevance for Future Roles

Demonstrates PMO and compliance-program capability in multi-market environments: governance cadence, risk visibility, audit evidence control, and deadline reliability.

Related profile

Author: Vassiliy Lakhonin