Bridge the Gap Between Business Strategy and Ground-level Execution

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  • Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams by Terry Schmidt provides a practical methodology to bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and ground-level execution. 
  • Schmidt argues that up to 70% of organizational strategies fail not because the ideas are bad, but because teams prematurely rush into execution without establishing a solid strategic.

The 4 Critical Strategic Questions

  • What are we trying to accomplish and why? (#1)
    • Establishes the bigger picture and high-level strategic alignment.
    • Prevents teams from chasing "fuzzy" or poorly defined objectives.
    • Project completion is not project success, therefore we need a common language. 
      • Design your projects to reach purpose not just produce outcomes.

  • How will we measure success? (#2)
    • Establishes clear, quantifiable metrics early.
    • Defines exactly what a successful outcome looks like.
    • All stakeholder agree on what success is from the beginning.
    • Define how the measures are going to be tracked.
    • Define measures from the top-down.
  • What other conditions must exist? (#3)
    • Valid assumptions - factors needed for success.
    • Maybe beyond your control.
    • Always present, whether defined or not.
    • Assumptions identify risks.
  • How do we get there? (#4)
    • Outlining the physical activities, resources, and timelines.
    • Use conventional project management.

Test With the Implementation Equation

  • Linking your goals to project actions through "If-Then" logic:
    • If Inputs and valid Assumptions, Then Outcomes
    • If Outcomes and valid Assumptions, Then Purpose.
    • If Purpose and valid Assumptions, Then Goal.

Examples



Takeaways For Leaders

  • Involve Stakeholders Early: A strategy is only as strong as the alignment of the people executing it. Use the LogFrame as a universal communication tool to align expectations across cross-functional teams.
  • Manage the "Inner Game": A project manager's mindset, emotional self-mastery, and leadership capabilities are just as vital to execution as technical scheduling skills.
  • Iterate to Excellence: Do not let a quest for perfection stall the project. Build a "Minimum Viable Project" framework and refine it through continuous feedback loops and learning cycles.

References


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