Chapter 2 Strategy, Operations and Change

1. Chapter 2Strategy, Operations and Change Navigating between destiny and reality

2. Chapter overview An inspiring strategy Operational reality Credibility of change Justifying the project Project classifications Embedding governance Project maturity

3. An inspiring strategy strategic dialogue of the organisation involve corporate management identify and exploit differential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats future, value and results oriented integrated organisation wide provide coherence and momentum qualitative in design ‘relative’ long-term focus target action-oriented, measurable activities.

4. Operational reality Routine requests Limited risk Variable effort accepted Prone to inertia and delays Poorly defined High delegation Managed through standard operating procedures Localised (functional) impact

5. Credibility of change Establishing a sense of urgency Creating a guiding coalition Developing vision and strategy Communicating the change vision Empowering employees Generating short-term wins Consolidating gains Anchoring new culture

6. Justifying the project customer advantage regulated compliance operating necessity enhanced capacity cost efficiencies investment return political directive interrelated projects profitability growth

7. Project classifications Extent of planning Risk exposure Stakeholders involved Schedule time Allocated funds Organisational impact Contractual obligations Quality standards Methodology Change controls

8. Embedding governance accountability—the capacity to call people to account for their actions transparency—visible and open processes predictability—uniform compliance and enforcement within laws and regulations participation—stakeholder input and reality checking.

9. Project maturity Common language Common processes Singular methodology Integrated processes Excellence

10. Review questions Define strategic management and its relationship to project management. What are the challenges in trying to balance operational work along with project work? What are examples of possible justification criteria in selecting projects? What role does governance play in project management? Explain how project organisations can demonstrate maturity, why this is important, and the possible benefits accruing from the maturity model concept

11. Group learning activities Debate the linkages between strategic management and project management Discuss the challenges in introducing and managing change Identify additional project justification criteria and how they might be measured Debate the ‘onerous’ conditions governance places on project management Learner’s to self-critique their project management maturity against Table 2.7

12. Assessment options Write an assignment differentiating between strategic management and project management Develop a framework scaling workplace projects Write a report on how project management maturity will be developed Create a governance charter to direct and control future projects Short answer questions Multiple choice questions