Your First Portfolio Item

When you log in for the first time, Vane Loop shows an Onboarding Roadmap — a progress bar just above the taskbar with five steps to complete. This page walks you through all five.

Step 1 — Create your first Portfolio Item

A Portfolio Item represents a data asset or AI use-case whose value you want to understand and track. It is the starting point for everything else in Vane Loop.

To create one:

1. Click + Add Portfolio Item in the Portfolio zone on the desktop, or click the Open Portfolio button and use the New button inside.
2. A four-step wizard opens.

Step 1 of 4 — Type Choose whether this is a Portfolio Item (Data) — for Data Products, datasets, reports, pipelines, and other data assets — or a Portfolio Item (AI) — for AI applications, models, and solutions.

Step 2 of 4 — Domain Select the domain this item belongs to. Domains are defined in My Organisation and represent the business or technical areas your portfolio is organised by. If no domains exist yet, you will be prompted to create one first.

Step 3 of 4 — Name Give your portfolio item a clear, descriptive name (up to 120 characters).

Step 4 of 4 — Value Type Choose how you want to measure this item's value:

You can adjust detailed valuation settings after creation.

1. Click Create. The item is saved and its detail window opens automatically.

Step 2 — Add a Driver

Drivers define what determines how feasibly your portfolio item can be executed. They are assessed across three dimensions: Governance, Architecture, and People.

To add a driver:

1. Open your portfolio item and go to the Drivers tab.
2. Click Add Driver.
3. Select a dimension — Governance, Architecture, or People.
4. Choose a driver from the suggested list, or type a custom name.
5. Click Add.

Your driver appears in the Drivers tab and starts contributing to the item's feasibility score.

Step 3 — Score a Driver with the AI Agent

Once a driver is added, you can score it using the Vane Loop Agent. The Agent asks you a set of guided questions and uses your answers to produce a maturity rating for that driver.

To score a driver:

1. In the Drivers tab, click the Score with AI button on any driver.
2. The Vane Loop Agent sidebar opens with a guided questionnaire.
3. Answer the questions — the Agent will clarify or ask follow-ups as needed.
4. When the session is complete, the driver receives a maturity score.

The score is reflected immediately in the Feasibility & Maturity tile on the desktop.

Step 4 — Create an Initiative

Initiatives are the projects and improvements that move your portfolio forward. They represent planned investments — work that will improve feasibility, governance, technical infrastructure, or team capability.

To create an initiative:

1. Click + Add Portfolio Item and choose Initiative.
2. A four-step wizard opens.

Step 1 of 4 — Type Choose Portfolio Item (Data) or Portfolio Item (AI) to align the initiative with the right module.

Step 2 of 4 — Category Select which area this initiative addresses:

Step 3 of 4 — Name Give the initiative a concise, recognisable name — something your teammates will understand at a glance.

Step 4 of 4 — Estimated Investment Enter an approximate cost. This is used for planning and prioritisation. You can leave it at zero and update it later.

1. Click Finish. The initiative detail window opens.

Step 5 — Add Costs to a Portfolio Item

Understanding costs is essential for calculating ROI and making the business case for your data work. Costs can be one-time (e.g. a migration project) or recurring (e.g. platform licensing).

To add costs:

1. Open a portfolio item.
2. Go to the Costs tab.
3. Click Add Cost and fill in the cost details — name, category, amount, and frequency.
4. Save.

The cost feeds into the item's overall value model alongside any savings you define.

All done!

Once all five steps are complete, the Onboarding Roadmap disappears and your portfolio is ready for deeper analysis. From here you can:

• Open Scenario Analysis to compare value across different configurations
• Use Initiative Analysis to track what your planned work will deliver
• Invite teammates via My Organisation