Portfolio Management Through a Strategic Lens

Linking delivery to purpose

I have been fortunate to have worked with a very diverse range of organizations as part of their strategic planning process, and one thing is always consistent: there is a strong desire to link delivery to purpose. This connection is crucial in ensuring that every portfolio and therefore project aligns with the overarching goals of the organization.

Applying a strategic lens to enterprise portfolio and project management not only enhances accountability but also fosters a culture where each team member understands how their contributions impact the bigger picture. By prioritizing purpose in your delivery processes, you can drive meaningful outcomes that resonate throughout the organization. Emphasizing this alignment helps create clarity and focus, ultimately leading to more successful project execution and fulfillment of your strategic objectives.

The Work Breakdown Structure

All organizations I have worked with describe delivery in the form of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This hierarchy not only delineates the work involved but also illustrates how each role contributes to collective goals, from the Chief Executive Officer to every member of a project team.

By applying this structured approach to delivery, we gain invaluable insights. It helps maintain alignment across the enterprise, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding objectives and expectations. Moreover, it enables more precise monitoring of progress and outcome performance, allowing us to identify potential roadblocks early on.

The WBS also serves as a critical mechanism for supporting at-risk or high-priority initiatives. By clearly outlining tasks and responsibilities, we can focus our resources where they are most needed, ultimately driving successful outcomes and fostering a culture of productivity within our teams. Embracing this framework can significantly enhance our strategic execution capabilities, leading to more effective project management and overall organizational success.

Consistency is critical

Inconsistent internal business messaging can lead to confusion among teams and stakeholders, affecting productivity. When employees are unsure of the language or terminology being used, it creates barriers to effective communication and collaboration. To foster an environment where everyone is on the same page, it’s essential to establish a clear framework for your strategic vocabulary and ensure that they are adhered to throughout the organization. In StrategyBlocks we use Level Labels and Focus Areas, to describe this framework.

By prioritizing consistency in your messaging, you not only enhance clarity but also empower your teams to work more effectively towards shared goals. Remember, a unified approach can significantly improve both morale and productivity within your organization.

Strategic shape

In the realm of strategic execution, it’s essential to acknowledge that various realities impact our work breakdown structure, available resources, market pressures, and organizational structure. These factors should not merely be obstacles; instead, they must actively shape our strategic goals. Our platform delivers a flexible solution that empowers organizations to execute successfully without being hindered by these challenges.

At the apex of our strategic framework lies the vision and mission—our guiding statements that clarify our purpose. As we deconstruct this vision, we uncover a spectrum of high-level priorities that fall under the purview of chief executives and senior leadership teams. This is where clarity begins.

As strategy cascades down through mid-level management, it takes on an organizational shape centered around people, lines of business, or departments. Here, accountability becomes increasingly defined as we delve deeper into details. Lower in the hierarchy, we see the emergence of a delivery structure rooted in classic portfolio and project management (PPM) principles. This includes clearly defined timelines with milestones and interdependent projects and phases designed for effective execution.

By understanding this strategic shape, senior managers can better navigate their organizations toward successful outcomes while maintaining alignment with overarching goals amidst ever-evolving realities.