How leading retailers optimize capital portfolio execution

By

Anthresia McWashington

Last Updated Jun 8, 2026

By

Anthresia McWashington

Most retailers are managing fast-moving capital portfolios with a key problem: Project data lives in their GC's systems and not their own. Without owning that data, they're perpetually reactive on cost, schedule, and capital decisions.

We spoke with capital program leaders and advisory experts — including Sara Angus, Field COO at Procore and former Director of Construction at Starbucks, and strategy specialist Steven Scott from Deloitte — to understand portfolio oversight best practices.

Relying on project heroics vs. a connected system of record

The most expensive problem in capital delivery is when retailers rely on what manual data tells them about their project, instead of having automated, accurate visibility.

When there is no cushion for marginal error, an unaccounted-for red flag in a project’s schedule can drain projected operational revenue.

Sara Angus shared how at Starbucks, her priority was to uncover red flags before project conception.

When evaluating historical project data using an analytics platform, her team uncovered substantial gaps between their planned timelines and actual execution.

• The baseline portfolio: A project lifecycle initially perceived as a 52-week cycle was actually averaging a 70-week cycle when accounting for modern permitting and coordination friction.
• Grocery and licensed segment: Projects that were thought to take 20 weeks were actually taking 40 weeks — double the planned timeline.

By finding the source of delay, the team at Starbucks compressed their time-to-value from 40 weeks to 25, with some projects completed in as few as 12 weeks.

The strategy was straightforward: Use historical data to create a predictable strategy for future projects.

With a clear view of their portfolio, retailers like Starbucks have the ability to accurately forecast performance, eliminate scheduling padding, and make decisions based on connected data instead of relying on project heroics.

How data provides capital protection

To achieve this level of agility, retailers must move away from point solutions in favor of a centralized platform strategy. With data stored on one connected platform configured to their needs, retail construction leaders have a permanent, single source of truth they can act on. 

Deloitte's perspective on capital portfolio management takes this a step further. When asked how leading organizations maintain clear oversight across their portfolios, Steven Scott's answer was straightforward:

“If I think about this from the portfolio level, the interplay between my risk register value versus contingency left on the project, and then tie that to cost or schedule percent complete. If you plot that across your projects from a portfolio perspective, pretty quickly you’re going to be able to identify what projects you need to drill into.”

The value of this approach is simple: turning project data into portfolio intelligence, enabling leaders to quickly identify risk and focus attention where it matters most to make more informed capital decisions.

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Managing a multi-site retail portfolio with confidence

Maintaining speed and accuracy across a multi-site retail portfolio requires the discipline to align short-term project adjustments with long-term strategic growth. 

It means giving internal teams the real-time cost visibility and live financial workflows needed to defend capital expenditures and catch scope creep before commitments are signed.

In a market where speed wins, the retailers pulling ahead are the ones who treat their construction data as strategic insight. From preconstruction through operational handover, data visibility is what gives leading retailers the confidence to deliver their portfolio of projects on time and on budget.

Written by

Anthresia McWashington

Content Manager | Procore

24 articles

Anthresia McWashington is a Content Manager at Procore. She previously worked as an editor and reporter for Gulf Energy Information and Houston Media Group. She earned her BA in Communications and Journalism from the University of Houston. Anthresia loves track & field and practicing her French. She lives in Houston.

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