Introduction
Project management is traditionally identified with engineering projects. However, project management has acquired different meanings and nowadays, organizations have incorporated project management to project alignment of their organizational strategies.
Project management can be defined as the planning, organization and management of resources with the sole aim of successfully completing predetermined goals in an organization (Allan 2006).
In the numerous definitions of project management, key words stand out perhaps a pointer to what project management is all about (Herkens 2007). Identification of a project is necessary for the start of a project management cycle. There is a lot of planning that goes into project management done along a carefully done roadmap.
Enormous resources are used in project management and their sound management will ensure successful completion of projects and meeting of the preset goals and objectives. According to Portny, projects management incorporates four critical elements; results, time frames, activity performance and resources (Cleland & Ireland 2006).
Tying project management with strategic aspirations of an organization has become a common practice in both the corporate world and the non-governmental sector. There are many companies that have come up offering the services which highlights the importance it has acquired in corporate pre-certification.
Components of Project Management
Results
Mangers must identify the products and outcomes of the projects they are managing. The goals must be achievable and within the organization’s reach (Thomsett 2009). The results must further meet the organization’s long-term goals and help in the realization of an organization’s mission and vision.
Time frames
The time within which a project will be completed is important in project management. Considering the projects are geared towards improving organizations’ delivery of services, it is important that they are done in fast and efficient manner (Wanna 2007).
Long term projects must be realistic so as their relevance is not diminished by the time they are completed hence achievement of minimum improvement in service delivery and meeting of goals.
Activity Performance
Any project must have in place strategies for performing diverse tasks. Projects have unforeseen obstacles and some tasks may prove to be more challenging than anticipated. Further, some new tasks requiring new innovative techniques may characterize the project management cycle (Cleland & Ireland 2006). Activity performance therefore prepares a manager to face such challenges with ease and the preparedness it deserves.
Resources
Resources are the single most important factor in project management. The type and amount pf resources greatly influence speed and effectiveness of projects undertaken by organizations (Gerald 2007). Fewer resources will result to unnecessary delays and inefficient delivery of project goals hence poor service delivery.
Corporate Project Management
As indicated by Ace Allied Consultants, project management in the corporate world entails linking project portfolio management, operation transition, corporate strategy, and project execution management to ensure successful achievement of a project’s predetermined goal(s). Values and objectives come into play when project management is taking place.
Project management process involves initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closing of a running project (Smit 2000). Strategy intention is normally the vision, mission, values and objectives of a corporation of an organization. The portfolio involves the framework for project organization and normally falls in the initiation stage of the management process.
Project realization falls within the planning, execution, monitoring and part of the closing stages of the management process. The closing stage is the operation action that involves customers, users, employees and the benefits that can be realized through such a process (Parviz & Ginger 2002).
The above described process is generally referred to as the project governance framework which seeks to link the concept, the content the output and the outcomes of the project under management.
A look at the individual components of corporate project management will shed some light in whole concept of strategy implementation in organizations (Smit 2000).
Strategic Alignment
This is by far the most important stage in stage in corporate project management as far as strategy implementation is concerned. Correct matching of these ensures focusing on the right projects by planners and managers (Parviz & Ginger 2002). Any failure to correctly match these two critical areas will result in disconnect that will impend the achievement of organizational results and targets.
Portfolio Management
This assists clients in focusing on strategic precedence while maintaining balanced assortments and maximizing the use of resources. Performance and value creation is a project management cycle of the overall portfolio is realized in portfolio management (Pinto 1985).
Sound portfolio management ensures organizations do not embark on many projects at the same time which may result in project overload and wastage of resources.
Project execution
This is the transformation stage in the organizational project management. In this stage, planning, scheduling and controlling of the project performance, costs incurred and time the project takes and the realization of goals amidst uncertain working environment pose the most serious challenge to project managers in the execution stage.
Competent and qualified project managers need to be in charge of the process at this stage to endure success is achieved (Wanna 2007). Managers need to have in place a good and clear plan for the project. They should ensure an efficient team is built with the right people with the right attitude.
The manager(s) need to fast thinkers who retain control by robust decision making concerning crucial issues in the project management cycle (Koster 2009). Communication within and with others sections of the project will also be crucial in ensuring the successful execution of the project.
Project Transition
Closure signifies completion of the project and it is normally done in a transitional manner. Employees must be trained to know how to work within the new organizational framework. Organizations too have to formally accept the completed project and the doing away with the elements that helped run the project.
Leadership
Organization strategies cannot be successfully implemented without utilizing competent people to run the operations (Jack & Samuel 2005). Choosing the right pope with competency and ability and putting them in the right place is critical in ensuring strategic alignment succeeds through project management.
Project management and Strategic Alignment
Every organization has its core business and project management is normally temporary and different from the core business of an organization. It is meant to achieve predetermined goals which are projected to improve the way business is conducted in the organization in the long-term (Smit 2000). Project management has been incorporated in many organization strategies and strategic alignment to corporate vision and goals is the norm.
According to Turner (2007), the interaction between projects and an organization’s strategy is always a deliberate move. He further says that projects act as formal vehicles that help in strategy implementation. For instance, capital expenditure projects are implemented with the aim of creating new conditions which in turn shape the intended strategy.
Turner describes the relationship between projects and programs as two way in the corporate environment where they are initiated and implemented. Their intended aim is to bring clarity and discipline in the organization, according to (Dean 1985).
Role of project management in strategy formulation and implementation
The role that project management plays in strategic alignment in organizations is often not clear. This is clearly seen in the conflict between top corporate managers who are sharply divided over the necessity of including project management in strategy implementation (Lock 2007).
One side of managers argue that project management should never be involved while another set view project management as purely execution oriented hence it should never be involved in strategy formulation. Yet, another group thinks the participation of project managers in strategy implementation is necessary but at the same time, they lack the required skills and competence to carry out the implementation.
Another group of professionals have a completely different view of what role project management and project mangers should play in strategy formulation and implementation (Bitz & Knutson 1991).
A number of leaders in the UK business environment contend that business and organizational change and strategy implementation projects should be managed by program management (Turner 2007). Not all business leaders therefore acknowledge the importance of project management and the role it plays in organizational success.
Problems and limitations
Challenges facing project management in strategy implementation can be classified into two groups; control limits and specification limits. Control limits are caused by variations in data collected (Portny 2010).
Disagreements among team members affect project control and effectively contributing to project failure. Project managers need to come up with control limit paths as they standard when limits due to data variations occur.
Specification limits are mostly stakeholder and client oriented. They are harder to handle because project managers find it difficult to please stakeholders or clients and can easily sway a project’s direction. Project mangers are normally advised to familiarize clients and stakeholders with the path that the project will take and the expected results so as to easily manage their expectations.
Many business leaders are faced with numerous specific and control limited challenges in strategy implementation using project management (Barkley & Wagner 2009). Difficulty in choosing viable options to make the most out of project management and facing limited viable options is a problem too.
The supply of information used in critical decision making in project management is necessary. Business leaders more often than not do not obtain the right information needed in strategy implementation (Newell 2005).
The disconnect
Some planners exhibit acute disconnect in the course of project management in implementing organizational strategy. The projects show a clear lack of auditable mapping between objectives of the project and the business. The common challenge according to Kiisel (2009) is the failure to align project to be implemented in line with strategic and financial goals of firms (Lientz & Rea 2003).
Normally the approach supposed to be taken by these companies need to address the tactical needs of the employees of the organization, business intelligence needs of the executives and organization and at the same time empower organizations while focusing on maximizing on profits.
Organizations need to adopt the approach of doing projects right instead of just doing projects (Comninos 2002). This can be accomplished if only the planners and managers of these projects carefully consider crucial questions that touch on every aspect of the project.
The objectives the project intend to achieve are important in order to avoid a disconnect between the goals and corporate strategic and financial goals. It is always important to bring into line objectives with the core values, mission and also the vision of the organization. The estimated costs will help organizations plan for the scarce resources so as to carefully determine the anticipated results (Pinkerton 2003).
One of the biggest mistakes that planners make when initiating strategy implementation through project management is the failure to undertake risk analysis. Unidentified risks normally contribute to the unforeseen obstacles during the implementation phase of the project.
Lack of alignment of project objectives and the strategic visions of the involved organizations often make projects to struggle and the goals may never be accomplished.
According to Kiisel (2009), “bridging the gap of strategy and execution requires project management tools that address the business intelligence needs of executives, the process of management needs of managers and facilities the capture of accurate and timely data from the workforce”.
Failure to go through evaluation process
Evaluation of current or potential projects and their compatibility with organizational goals is crucial too to the success of strategic alignment. While making data driven decisions is important it is in some cases overlooked by many stake holders of various organizations simply because they ca gain approval from the concerned authorities.
As a result a number of corporate managers find it difficult to implement the strategies constructed along a hand picked management projects. It is a sort of knee jerk reaction that is not beneficial at all to businesses.
According to Kiisel (2009), 80% of projects that do not go through approved evaluation process fail to meet the objectives they were meant to. Formalized evaluation process for potential projects helps leaders to weight their importance and determine if the projects are a priority.
Failure to stay within project parameters
Another problem associated with strategies implemented through project management is the failure to adhere to laid down parameters. Success is hindered through growth in scope and number of team members as well assigned tasks (Bitz & Knutson 1991). Striking balance between work and life does not necessarily grantee stay within the parameter.
Active questioning of every element in the implementation cycle will ensure achievement of the objectives of a project. Managers fail to clarify how new features relate to corporate strategy and how they affect current objectives (Lientz 2009). Failures to procuring additional resources hinder the successful implementation of projects if new features are added.
Meeting deadlines affects many project completion and failure to adjust them accordingly. While managing the organization via the above planned process, the managers will be able attain control of the project in process while at the same time he will be working within the set guidelines.
Insufficient stakeholder management
A project that can effectively deliver an organization strategy needs stakeholders who can push for the successful completion of the project involvement of stakeholders ensures minimal uncertainty and unplanned for withdrawal because all interests will be onboard (Richman 2002). The stakeholders lend their attentive management to minimize obstacles that derail projects.
Failure collaborate a work environment where changes that result during the implementation cycle can be analyzed and solved by interested parties (Pinkerton 2003). Problem comes in where stake holders are too involved and can even dictate the direction of the whole project implementation phase without following due process.
Communication breakdowns
Breakdowns in communication bring about delays and vague project targets. Various researches have exposed disagreements among top managers in the corporate world on the importance and role of project management in strategy implementation (Clifford & Erik 2000). While some advocate for the active involvement of project managers and project management in strategic alignment (Lawson & Wearne 2009).
Differing opinions on the role or purpose of project management by managers blurs focus and causes demotivation in the group. Communication helps project drivers deliver their messages in an understandable manner. Chances of project are reduced greatly when communication breaks down.
When conflict resolution, coordination and empowerment mechanisms lack in the project implementation phase, communication breaks down.
Lack of risk taking
Given that strategic alignment through project management is a relatively new management technique, it has received quite a cold shoulder from business managers and organizational leaderships. Lack of creativity and risk taking among the organizations contributes to limited growth of the technique. The growth of project management and strategic alignment therefore has impended growth of the technique.
Conclusion
Strategic alignment through project implementation is as important as it is billed. However, it is not the ultimate way through which strategic alignments can be done. Projects and project management is important in pre-certification since it entrenches the work ethics in the workforce and enhances the realization of objectives and goals of an organization.
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