Implementation Planning
Strategic project management and the corporate strategy-Implementing strategies through projects
Harrison-Keyes (H-K), Inc had a proven track record of success with its traditional publishing business but due to an industry-wide change in the way other publishing firms were conducting their business, the company had to realign its corporate strategy with its changing business environment. The company’s new CEO, Meg McGill, was experiencing the challenges faced by project advocates who do not align their initiatives with the current corporate strategy. H-K’s e-publishing project was the pet project of the new, tech-savvy CEO. Unfortunately, Ms. McGill was unable to demonstrate to all members of her upper management team how the e-publishing initiative was aligned to the organization’s corporate strategy. In this case, some major stakeholders at H-K, such as its A-list author Will Harper and the firm’s CFO and production, felt the project was an inappropriate choice.
Businesses use project management to manage projects and achieve outcomes typically in alignment with implementing a new corporate strategy. The focus of a corporate strategy is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of project management is on a specific objective. Strategic planning involves defining objectives and creating strategies to attain those objectives. A strategy is a long-term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, as opposed to a project which is a specific task aimed at satisfying a specific need. Projects are needed to implement strategy, but if the objective of the project conflicts with the overall corporate raison d’être, it will be met with resistance by its team members and other stakeholders.
Reference to Concept in Reading
“The role of projects in organizations is receiving increasing attention. Projects are becoming the major tool for implementing and achieving the strategic goals of the organization” (Gray & Larson, 2005, p. 32).
“In some organizations, selection and management of projects often fail to support the strategic plan of the organization… An integrated project management system is one in which all of the parts are interrelated” (Gray & Larson, 2005, p. 32).
Implications of organizational culture on project selection
The reason for considering the e-publishing project was because there was a great need for innovation to combat the stagnation H-K was facing. Newly hired, Meg McGill did not take into account that an organizational culture was already established, and the effect of her proposal on the key constituents of the organization. The venture was met with resistance from three critical areas of the organization: employees, clients and technology.
Gray, C., Larson, E. (2008). Project Management: The managerial Process. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.
Frame, J.D., Managing Projects in Organizations: How to Make the Best use of Time, Techniques and People, third ed., San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,112-117, 2003.
Project management is "the art and science of converting vision into reality" (Atkinson, 1999). Project management delivers results. Project managers enjoy the challenge of juggling multiple responsibilities and optimizing workflow in a highly competitive environment. From managing the development of a website to launching new company wide integration system, project managers keep projects on time, on track and within budget. Strong business, management and organizational skills as well as experience with current technologies put qualified candidates in high demand in this extraordinary career field. The practice of project management focuses efforts on your mission by defining priorities, utilizing resources, and producing outstanding goods and services for businesses and customers alike. A successful project translates a broad public mission into concrete results and outcomes.
Kerzner, 2013 defines project management as “The planning, organising, directing, and controlling of company resources for a relatively short-term objective that has been established to complete specific goals and objectives. In this report, I will discuss risks, deliverance and management of a real-life project and the decisions and actions of project managers and stakeholders.
Based on the findings from CIO – Project Management Definition and Solutions, Project Management Certification, Wisconsin School of Business – Project Portfolio Management, and Project Management Institute this paper will answer the question: how can organizations justify investing in enterprise project management for IT projects?
Successful organizations must manage resources and control the diverse range of projects operating within their systems at any one time. To be successful in the current business climate, organizations need to focus on how to manage the many competing requirements for resources. Conflicting resource requirements across multiple projects and corporate priorities not centrally managed usually are grounds for failure. I believe that a properly organized enterprise project office is the formula for successful project implementation. This paper briefly outlines what I feel is the main philosophy of the project office and two functions it can provide.
Patanakul, P., & Milosevic, D. Z. (2010). They are business leaders at Spotlight Corporation. In D. Z. Milosevic, P. Patanakul, & S. Srivannaboon, (Eds.), Case studies in project, program, and organizational project management (pp.409-416), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Kezner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. 6th. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 1998. Print.
A project is a defined as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result (Larson, 2014). The characteristics of a project in the context of project management include an established objective, a defined life span with a start and finish, the involvement of a collection of different departments and other professionals, non-static with innovations of new ideas/processes, a clearly defined budget and specified requirements (Laron, 2014).
There is an immense difference in project management between a large traditional organization, a technology company and a startup. To begin with, project management practice in a traditional company is superlative, well-defined and show a sustained approach. They have a balanced strong metrics and internal communities to maintain personalized methodologies and tools to achieve project deliverables. However, in a large technology company project management is complicated as the business needs keep changing with the demanding stakeholders from traditional organization. Project management in an IT organization ensures that a factual technology is applied to provide a direct solution to the organization. Also, management is well planned with the appropriate consideration given to schedule, risk, resource and quality management. Unlike in larger organizations, a startup company has a creative disruption and not a well-established i.e.
Project management involves the use of appropriate processes to deliver a project focusing on efficiency and operational performance (Shenhar, 2004) within constraints of time, budget, and scope (Kerzner 2009, 2010; Maylor, 2010; Morris & Pinto, 2007; Sanghera, 2010 Wysocki, 2009, 2014).
“Project definition provides a complete understanding of project and serves to guide the project Manager and project team in planning and implementation. It also provides the basis of decision making for executives who need to evaluate the potential for project success and completion on time, within budget, and according to performance specifications.”(Hill 2008)
“Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to organisational and project activities to achieve the aims of an organisation through projects” (PMI, 2003).
Project management involves all activities that encompass scheduling, planning, and controlling projects. A successful project manager ensure that an organization’s resources are being used both efficiently and effectively. Most projects need to be uniquely developed require a sense of customization and the ability to adapt to any posed challenges. The scope of effective project management includes defining what the project is and what is being expected to be accomplished. Projects are imposed to fulfill a certain need and project managers must have the ability to create the proper definition. Goals and the means used to attain those goals have to be clearly stated. Project Managers must also have the ability to plan
When planning a new project, how the project will be managed is one of the most important factors. The importance of a managers will determine the success of the project. The success of the project will be determined by how well it is managed. Project management is referred to as the discipline that entails the processes of carefully planning, organizing, controlling, and motivating the organization resources so as to foster and facilitate the achievement of specific established and desired goals and meet the specific criteria of success required in the organization (Larson, 2014). Over the course of this paper I will be discussing and analyzing the importance of project management.