Why PMs Need To Think More Strategically
John is a versatile, results-driven technologist and manager and is recognized for leveraging his broad business experience, technical knowledge and analytical skills to drive change and help organizations achieve their strategic objectives. John loves sharing ideas through his articles and is eager to hear feedback from the community. John is also the President of PMTrainingOnline.com.
Bringing project management and strategy together is aspirational...and often not reality. The problem is that so often, project management and strategy are each compartmentalized—and sometimes strategy is missing altogether. In addition, if there is a strategy, there is often a “wall” between project management and strategy—a wall that needs to be removed to increase the chances of project success.
Strategy and project purpose
Strategy gives a project its purpose. However, this purpose does not come automatically and seamlessly. Project managers need to not only understand the strategy, but need to discern when it is lacking. PMs need to understand more than the piece of the strategy that is driving their project; they need to understand the full range of strategic thinking behind it.
Project management makes a strategy happen; projects bring strategy to life. Without implementation effort, the strategy might simply sit on the shelf, rapidly become outdated, and never provide any tangible value. Furthermore, the process of strategy implementation is not just about moving in the direction the strategy specifies; it involves adapting constantly as aspects of the strategy itself unfold and evolve.
Here are some reasons that strategy and project management are becoming more intertwined:
- Timeframes are shortening. The pace of change in …
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"Work is what you do for others . . . art is what you do for yourself." - Stephen Sondheim |
