Michael Porter, top Harvard Business School Professor and one of the most well-known long time strategy experts in the world, spoke at the PMO Symposium by the Project Management Institute (PMI) a few years ago. You can watch the one-hour video here: Michael Porter on Aligning Strategy and Project Management. This post explores the key … Read more
Pattern recognition today is a popular topic largely because pattern recognition techniques have leveraged advanced technology, such as Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. However, there also is very much a human side to pattern recognition, and it is applicable to developing strategies and managing projects. This post explores the value of pattern recognition, where it … Read more
Innovation is an important topic these days simply because it is becoming critical to survival – for companies, governments, and people. Indeed, we have seen the effect on all three of the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Innovations are usually not completely new, a single stroke of genius, or just about a product. Let’s explore the … Read more
Design thinking has been around for decades, but it has taken root more deeply in recent years. As the transition to a digital economy continues, design thinking plays a role in making and keeping the customer first. It also supports shorter delivery time frames, increases chances of project success, and wards off the effects of … Read more
What do you get when you combine Agile with Strategy? If there is such a thing, I would call it Strategic Agility Competency. Strategy, like project management, is plagued with the dilemma that while planning is good, the world changes so fast that the time it takes to plan can result in a changed value … Read more
A common theme in virtually every facet of life is that the pace of change is accelerating. This post is about how the pace of change is affecting strategic planning cycles in a way that closely parallels the transition of project management methodologies from waterfall to agile. This article shows that strategic planning cycles are … Read more
Understanding business models is a key to successful project management. Why? If you can understand the business model that you are supporting, you will be better able to create a stronger and more relevant project charter and plan. You will be in a much better position to measure your project’s success throughout execution based upon … Read more
Project management and organizational strategy should be a tight fit – but often are not. It would only seem natural that projects would be designed and managed based upon the reason they exist in the first place. Often it seems like ‘out of the box thinking’ to map project purpose back to organizational strategy and … Read more
The idea of doing ‘strategic project management’ may sound appealing. It has a buzz to it! But what exactly is strategic project management? This post explores the essentials strategic project management. What Strategic Project Management Could Be When we start a project, we begin by asking what it is all about, what is to be … Read more
Hi – John Reiling here! Welcome to The Strategic PM. Project Managers are typically associated with implementing…but I’ve always thought that was limiting. There is nothing like seeing the big picture to help you deliver more value, to open new opportunities for the organization and you, and to help others. MY STORY My first job … Read more