All you need is strategy

Are we there yet? The most annoying question may only be answered if we have a strategy.

We used to think that managing a project was mainly about creating a very comprehensive plan that includes scope, estimates, tasks, etc. However, in a world that values more adapting to constant changes than anything else, those plans are not really the answer and we need something else, the strategy.


Plan and strategy, often used as synonyms, are far from being the same… well not really, but I want to make my point :)

Plans are the steps you will take to answer the "how?" while strategy is the "what?" But more important, while plans are a list of actions that depend on a changing context, strategies are on top of this and deal with the uncertainty.

In other words, we will change our plans as much as we need to achieve what we want, our strategy. After all, the only thing we know about a plan is that things won't go according to it and what we really want is answered by the strategy, which should remain the same during the project.

The issue is that many of us spend a lot of resources trying to define the "how" but don't know the "what." So, we never know how far we are from our strategic goals. This can only end up in wasting time and money.

So a good exercise is to develop a strategy for our projects since it will help us to identify where we are, where we want to be and define the plan to connect those points.

I'm including in this post a template to develop a project strategy (get it here). The process is way too simple and it's based on a hierarchical organization:

- Project Vision: this is the first level and we should define 1 goal and it should answer the questions: what do we want from this project? or where do we want to be at the end of the project?. It could be to impress your CEO, improve the quality standards, get the best project ever award, etc.

- Objectives: decompose that big vision in small items that can be reviewed and measured independently. We should include as many objectives as needed to achieve the project vision.

- Milestones: break down your objectives in items that can be accomplished during your project. This way you can know where you are at any given time and don't need to wait till the end of the project.

Then, define the metrics that will be used to assess each of these items and may be also map milestones and objectives to find priorities and alternative plans.

Please comment on this post, it will help me meet my strategy.