How can you integrate strategic thinking into your project team's daily activities?

Simon Sinek's "Start with Why" is a great example of this. When your team is able to see the end goal and rally behind that together, the synergy of your team becomes unstoppable.

Organisations that have clear mission and vision statements can more easily build strategic thinking into roles and responsibilities so each staff member clearly understands the why but also has the opportunity to feed into the how

While the Charter itself is an important tool to lay down clear objectives, scope and plans for the project, the strategic impact of the project should be defined clearly in the form of expected business benefits and classifying them as long term vs short term. The best way to get an understanding and buy in from the team is through a Project initiation workshop that enables team members to contribute to the above.

Defining the WHY is the most important job of a program manager. Without a clear answer to that question, you will not be able to have a clear strategy for the program.

In my experience, the why has always been the most critical component for the team to take ownership of the project, much before the project gets kicked off. For any project to be executed successfully, everyone needs to work cohesively. Once the team knows why they would be doing what they need to do, their alignment with the project's objective happens naturally. Explaining the why also helps the team members feel valued and important - critical factors to perform beyond just the project's brief - taking ownership and kicking out the this-is/that-was-not-my-job attitude.

I recently learned from our CEO a simple, yet super interesting way to manage and plan work. Asking yourself “What if I don’t do this” or “What happens if this is not done” for large strategic projects as well as the steps we plan to take while running them. You will be surprised with the perspective it brings in. This is helping me to make projects leaner, more effective and centric to larger business goals.

Embracing the 'what-if' approach in project management can be transformative, as exemplified by the story of SpaceX. Initially, the idea of a private company entering the space industry and revolutionizing space travel was a massive 'what-if'. But by challenging the status quo and asking questions like 'What if reusable rockets were a reality?' and 'What if we could significantly reduce the cost of space travel?', SpaceX transformed those speculative queries into groundbreaking achievements. This example illustrates the power of 'what-if' thinking in turning seemingly impossible ideas into reality. As program managers, let’s encourage this mindset in our teams. Let's ask the bold questions and challenge the conventional.

I recently heard that 'great leadership is a thinking partnership', and couldn't agree more. Strategic thinking is often a divergent rather than convergent style-- you and your team should explore the problem rather than assume that it's well defined. This exploration can lead to innovative results.

As a program manager, I advocate for strategic thinking in my team, emphasizing creativity, curiosity, and the exploration of new possibilities. Challenging assumptions and conventional norms is key. I encourage thinking outside the box by posing open-ended questions like, "What if we approach this differently?" or "How would varying resources change our strategy?" Techniques like brainstorming, mind mapping, and scenario planning are tools I use to stimulate idea generation and evaluation. This approach aids in uncovering opportunities, risks, and gaps, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of our projects.

This is main reason of having the retrospective meetings to get different improvement ideas and to avoid any mistakes happened during the previous phases , in general accepting changes and tailoring the management approach to fit the project environment would be a game changer.

Last decade was Simon Sinek decade of WHY. AI is ushering in the decade of HOW. There are so many ways AI can help you implement your strategic plan by automating meeting notes, reminders, competitive analysis, business processes.

Aligning the 'how' of project execution with strategic objectives is a critical facet of effective project management. A prime example of this is the construction of the Burj Khalifa. This project wasn't just about building the tallest structure; it was a strategic alignment of tasks, resources, and timelines with Dubai's vision to transform its image and economy. As program managers, our role extends beyond task management. Crafting a project plan that resonates with our organization's strategy and values, choosing the proper methodologies, and maintaining effective communication is key. This approach isn't just about doing things right, but doing the right things in the right way, as demonstrated by the Burj Khalifa's success.

The key methods to align strategy implementation include participative planning, review cycles, and change management. Detailed plans outline steps, timelines, and responsibilities. Brainstorming identifies approaches; stakeholder interviews provide feedback on plans. Workflows and resources are mapped. KPIs measure progress. Regular check-ins review alignment and adjustments. Cross-functional teams focus on objectives, not silos. Change management socializes plans and gains buy-in. Pilot's test feasibility before full implementation. Governance structures and roles established. Training builds execution capabilities. Iterative and participative methods develop and maintain alignment of strategies with practical execution.

Prioritising activities is an important step in keeping alignment with strategic goals. Prioritise those tasks/projects that flow from strategic goals. After this comes strategic tasks or projects of other departments that are dependent on your department. This ensures top-down and lateral alignments

Aligning the how requires clarity of vision coupled with effective execution skills. A strategic thinker with a clear understanding of the end state and the path to getting there would be able to successfully plan and execute the alignment.

Building trust within the team is critical to nurturing the who. Without trust team members can be reluctant to push the envelope of new ideas that are necessary for collaboration.

One of the best ways to "nuture the who" and build a strong team is to spend time together with a focus on getting to know each other. Whether it's 5-10 minutes before your morning meeting, sitting together in a collaborative work environment, or even incorporating 10-15 minute virtual meetings in a remote environment to catch-up, getting to know "the who" nurtures the individual and the team. Since teamwork is based on relationships, when individuals feel valued as their authentic self, have trust, and feel cared for by their teammates, it fosters the best environment for coaching, open-mindedness, strategic thinking and problem-solving without the fear of rejection or judgment.

In addition to these strategies, constantly reassuring team members that you are a safe space for them and not biased to the project sponsor, but rather an advocate for the health of the project can be critical in nurturing the whole for not only strategic thinking, but strong team building as a whole where everyone feels that their voice matters.

I have personally found "who" is the toughest question and critical to execution and strategy realization. The right resources are seldom idle in an organization, so making them available for strategic initiatives is challenging. It definitely depends upon a healthy team to distribute tasks to get the items in quadrant two accomplished.

In project management, nurturing the 'who' is critical. Take Google's approach: fostering a culture of trust, respect, and continuous learning. By valuing diversity and inclusion, Google empowers its teams to innovate and think strategically. As program managers, we, too, should focus on mentoring, team cohesion, and recognizing contributions. This drives individual growth and builds our collective strategic capacity, much like Google's success in creating a collaborative and innovative environment.

To be more specific - it is crucial to make awareness of key metrics a priority. One way to do this is to build out the work plan for the year, and each week review the status of a key metrics or group of them. I would normally group them into profit, revenue, cost, and operational metrics (timing, quality etc). It’s a great time to set up your 2024 workplan to incorporate your key metrics!

Colleen Thompson's emphasis on integrating key metrics into strategic planning is spot on. To build on this, I'd suggest incorporating a dynamic feedback loop into the process. For instance, at Tesla, they not only track standard metrics like revenue and quality but also constantly iterate their strategies based on real-time data and customer feedback. This approach of blending structured metric analysis with agile responsiveness allows for a more holistic view of project progress and effectiveness. By adopting a similar model, we can ensure our projects are meeting the planned targets and are adaptable to evolving market demands and customer needs. It’s about creating a balance between rigorous metric tracking and adaptive strategy.

The "review when" is important for a program manager because it ensures that progress is regularly assessed and evaluated. By setting specific review dates and milestones, program managers can track the implementation of tasks, monitor project timelines, and identify any deviations from the plan. Regular reviews help to maintain accountability and keep team members focused on their goals and responsibilities. They provide an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of strategies and make adjustments as needed. Reviews also facilitate communication and collaboration among team members, as they allow for open discussions about progress, challenges, and potential solutions. The review when ultimately ensures project is moving along.

After the What , How and Who is defined ... the When is a key question that the organisation and evaluators always wants to know clearly. This can be set-up via a clear timeline/scheduling but most important is what is the control item to achieve certain milestones . What are the outcomes on a regular basis that can track project health check. For this, a good governance model and supportive advisory members and key SMEs can contribute.

Think critically about the number of initiatives that fall under strategic planning. It is exceedingly better to do 2 or 3 things well versus several things that don’t get completed entirely, or will bugs, or not at all. Further, all leadership needs to be aligned on the critical few. I worked for a company that typically had 30 strategic projects. There was no alignment across the organization. Bonuses were paid on the few initiatives that were completely, yet we never materialized a significant improvement to our products and services.

It's important to provide regular opportunities for your team to discuss and understand enterprise goals and how their work fits into those objectives. You should also consistently be that connection point for your team and coach them to frequently look beyond the details and day-to-day and discuss how what they are doing fits into the strategic plan of the company.

As an effective leader it is important to clearly define vision and share it with team. As a leader, you must be an excellent story teller to make the vision relatable for every team member connecting the team symbolically to the vision. Once alignment is achieved, empower team members to create the action plan collaboratively. Conduct review sessions as brainstorming forums, fostering a problem-solving mindset. Utilize your experience to coach the team, sharing pertinent past experiences for informed decision-making.

Keeping the dashboard of forecasted achievement of program goals both updated and visible supports: 1. Making sure everyone knows the goals and 2. Can serve as key criteria for proposed changes. It does not have to be fancy- it can be a spreadsheet or chart.

The very best programmes require all key resources to align on a shared agenda. In my experience, projects thrive when the executive or business sponsor takes accountability for delivery, you see this in Steering Committees, the very best operate with Sponsors leading the dialogue, eg not having a PM simply updating on status. That approach fails to drive accountability correctly.