Application portfolio management is like organizing your toys in your toybox. Just like how you have different toys for different purposes, like building blocks for building things or action figures for playing out stories, companies use different computer programs for different things, like accounting or designing graphics.
Application portfolio management is when people who work for a company look at all the different computer programs they have and decide which ones they need to keep using and which ones they don't need anymore. It's like deciding which toys you want to keep in your toybox and which ones you want to give away or get rid of.
This is important because having too many computer programs that do the same thing can be confusing and expensive. Think of it like if you had ten different action figures that all looked the same – it would be hard to remember which one does what and you might end up buying more toys than you need.
So companies use application portfolio management to make sure they have the right computer programs for their needs and they don't waste money on programs they don't need. They also make sure the programs they have are up-to-date and working well, like making sure your toys are clean and not broken.