In this post, I throw you a bit of a knuckleball* .
Because the blog is about People, Planet, Profits & Projects, it's about thinking more holistically, thinking more broadly, more long-term, more strategically.
However, when I try to find out what strategy really means, I run into a complex and ever-expanding web of different philosophies, different twists and turns - leaving me (and others) confused about what :::strategy::: really means. If we are going to change the way we think as project managers by linking our projects with the programs and portfolios - and environmental-level strategies in which they exist, we had better start by understanding what strategy really means. Right??
So...my request. Take a moment...please...
I would simply like you to respond to this post with two sentences, you can make one long, one short, or both about the same length. You are limited to a total of 25 words.
In the response I request that youprovide your definition of strategy with the above constraints.
Do NOT view others' responses first.
Do NOT use a search engine or a dictionary or any type of reference book (online or paper).
From your experience in the work world, what is strategy?
I will post again with the top responses, giving credit (if you allow permission to do so).
*from Wikipedia: A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to transition from laminar to turbulent flow. This transition adds a deflecting force on the side of the baseball.
...and now: enjoy a video showing what this looks like. But don't forget my request!
Richard MaltzmanPortfolio Manager| EarthPM LLCAndover, Ma, United States
Interesting: only 3 total comments and 2 definitions here on projectmanagement.com. On LinkedIn, this post has about 3,000 views and 25 definitions.
Ashleigh Kennett-SmithICT Project Manager| Australian Red Cross LifebloodAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
Richard, perhaps it shows a different focus of project managers in a general sense? And a different understanding of strategy as a part of project management? Whereas people on Linked-In are more business development focused?
At the coal face as it were, we may be informed by organisational strategy (and I'd expect appropriate references within Project Proposals and PMP), but in a delivery sense our scope is set and we just work within that boundary. Additionally (and to a large degree I think like this), for project delivery I think more in terms frameworks or approaches so the concept of having a strategy within a project is not something I consider. Hence, I (and perhaps other PMs) really don't have a clear concept of what strategy is, and to some degree less interested in exploring this than those on Linked-In.
Also I think the membership of Linked-In is a lot higher. Is it 12-13 times higher, I don't know? Linked-In supposedly has 660 million members. If projectmanagement.com has 50 million or fewer members, then the statistics would be about right!
I agreed with Jill, its an approach and must be strategically aligned with organization. We need to take an approach which will be cost effective and easy to implement
