Developing an Effective Global Project Strategy Plan
Successful projects begin with an effective project strategy together with a healthy respect for how projects fail and what it takes for them to succeed.
Effective project strategy assures that a robust pool of project candidates is identified, that the best choices are made from this pool, that these projects focus ruthlessly on business objectives, that effective organizational structures are created to administer these projects, and that project-based human resources are recognized as a critical resource in achieving project success.
In this context, project strategy is therefore less concerned with tactical-level issues that address how the project is planned and executed and more concerned with strategic-level issues that focus on why the project is chosen and how it will contribute to the competitive position of the firm.
When project strategy is neglected, disappointing results and even project failure can occur. At the extreme, ineffective project strategy can lead to business failure. Recent examples include General Motors, Chrysler, and Circuit City.
Indeed, one of the more productive and interesting ways to understand the role of project strategy in the project management process is to study project failure as well as project success. In this way we can learn from real-world examples that provide insight into how projects unfold in messy and often complex environments, how project managers respond to these situations, and why these projects eventually succeed or fail.
By studying project failures and project successes we learn how organizations get in their own way, how decisions are sometimes made that undermine the effective use of project management principles and methodologies, how difficult it can be to recognize when projects get off-course, how challenging it can be to help them recover, and how impossible it may be to kill projects that are beyond repair. But most importantly, by studying project failures and success we become exposed to what actually happens rather than focusing exclusively on what should happen. And it is through this learning process that we can improve our chances of success.
This site focuses on project strategy. It includes many case studies of project failures and project successes, summarizes the lessons learned from these cases, and includes many project tips that can help you from falling into those traps that project manager’s fall into time and time again.
Global Project Strategy offers a broad range of consulting services including project strategy formulation and review, project turnaround, and project-based collaboration development. In addition, I would be happy to talk with you about delivering my message at your company’s facilities or at a professional meeting.
Thank You
Barry Shore, PhD
(603-767-0480)