A Strategic Management Model that
Works
By Majlinda Priku
Applying
a strategic management model to your project does
not mean that
you are going to change your project-plans or the framework and tools
you are currently using to implement it.
A
strategic
planning model is more about a different approach to
the
project. It's about stepping back from the execution-mode in
order to examine and evaluate it from a different angle.
In
the traditional project
cycle the monitoring and
evaluation was done towards the end of the project. This model
changes that by considering on-going monitoring and
frequent
evaluation as vital parts of the implementation stage for a successful
project. It's important to recognize what is working and what
needs to be changed on time. As a manager you
need to become
strategic and view your project from different lenses. If you focus
only the execution part and the day-to-day tasks, how do you know
that the selected project tools are working
effectively? How do you measure the quality of what you are
doing?
What are your indicators?
In order to
create a strategic management model that will support the
current
implementation and the long-term impact of the project start with the
following questions:
- What is the purpose
of the project?
- How do all the activities we
are implementing relate to its purpose?
- Are we sticking to the project plan?
- What have evolved or changed
from when we started? Why?
- How it would it look like in
3 years? What would be the impact?
- How do we measure impact?
What qualitative and quantitative indicators exist to back-up our
success?
- Who benefits from our
project? Are they winners and are they losers? Why?
A strategic management model in seven steps:
1. Analyze the overall goal and the purpose of the project.
2. Asses the objectives, activities and values of the project.
3. Assess current strengths, successes and achievements. Consider
quantitative and qualitative results.
4. Analyze what contributed to them (consider internal/external
resources and capabilities).
5. Asses challenges and gaps. Analyze what contributed to each.
6. Adjust your current project plan in order to reflect best practices
and a strategy to fill gaps.
7.
Develop a generative vision. What is it about this project
that
inspired and will inspire to implement? How would success look like?
This strategic management model will help you manage
and lead at the same time.
Considerations:
Visualise
the process of using this strategic management model.
Visual models allow us to see the big picture
Visual models and frameworks are a right brain activity, just like
leadership.
Embrace them!
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