Result of change is that organizations now rely more heavily on projects to deliver on their strategic efforts. Instead of considering this a problem, project managers should look at it as a huge opportunity to act more strategically and add value to their roles and should work with executive leadership to help deliver successful projects aligned with the overall organizational strategy. Many organizations have just begun to incorporate project management into their strategic delivery.

1. Project Manager = Strategic
Manager
Ketan Gandhi
www.kgguruji.com

2. World is changing
• Disruptive Technologies
• Flexible working
• Global teams
• Mobile Technologies
• Social Media
• Gen Y and Gen Z at work place
• Artificial Intelligence
• ERP system & Automation
• Information communication speed & volume

3. Change in Project Management?
• PMBOK revised few times.
• Is it enough?
• Timeless skills?

4. What’s required?
• Leadership
– Will power
– Bring people with you
– assertive v/s Autocratic
leadership
– Leading by example

5. What’s required?
• Communication
– Face-to-face
– Texts
– Instant Messaging
– Facebook messenger
– Snap chat
– Email
– Letter

6. Easier or difficult?
• Right message
• Appropriate way of
expressing
meaning

7. Other skills
• Organizing in virtual, global, flexible working
environment
• Ability to adapt
– Technological change
– Social change
– Adapt to circumstances as they happen is key
• Negotiation
– Invest time to understand relationships and
stakeholder’s interest
– Ignoring critical relationship - failure

8. Empathy
• Relate to people
• Diversity
• Multi-generational teams
• Cultures
• Life stage of people

9. Group work during training session
• Local university has selected you as Project
Team member to review current education
system, processes, outcome etc. and suggest a
plan for change in future.

10. Strategic planning for Project
Managers
• Goal setting
• Strategy development
• Customer analysis
• Internal & External analysis
• Strategic thinking & alternatives
• Selection & Implementation

11. Strategic Thinking
• Proactive & creative dialogue
• Way of understanding fundamental drivers of
a business
• Challenging conventional thinking
• Process to achieve innovation, competitive
edge & more successful outcomes
• Promote from all levels – not top-down
• Integrate strategic thinking in culture

12. Current situation
• Leadership team dictates a plan& same team
initiate and approve it
• Result – Poor financial results
• Financial success & project execution speed
increases if strategic thinking is part of
decision making process
• Reason – strategic thinking??

13. Planning v. Thinking v. Solving
Strategic Planning Strategic Thinking Problem Solving
Once a year activity Day-to-day mindset Proactive Reactive
Tendency to focus
on the year at hand
Long-term impacts
and results
Fire prevention Fire fighting
directed by senior
executives
Individual and/or
collective
competency
Forward focus Backward focus

14. Strategic Planning Strategic Thinking Problem Solving
May include
discussion about
innovation but
often linked too
closely to budgeting
Focused on
innovation and
improvement
Creates new value Only stops the
bleeding
Usually What vs.
How
Usually What &
Why
Broader in nature,
big picture
How

16. Thank You