Project Strategy and Strategic Portfolio Management: A Primer (Supply and Operations Management Collection)

The success of a project depends on how well it is implemented; and the success of its implementation depends on how well the project is planned. Few would dispute these truisms because they are the basic tenets of successful project management. Managing a project is an operation and these are the basic operational aspects of project management. They represent the traditional wisdom about projects and the methods used in managing them. Project Strategy and Strategic Portfolio Analysis: A Primer has been written to go beyond the operational aspects of projects and address the strategy that frames it. It describes the philosophy of taking a strategic approach to project management and explains why adopting a strategic perspective is important. By learning how to think strategically and critically, by focusing on the larger picture before tackling the nuts and bolts of planning and implementing a project, those charged with or involved in the managing of a project within an organization will be better equipped to ensure a project's success. Because the success of any project is ultimately determined by the benefits its success has gained for the organization, the strategic perspective and approach that this book offers is essential. Project Strategy and Strategic Portfolio Analysis: A Primer is organized to help project managers and students of project management apply the concepts of strategic thinking to the specific management of the projects they are assigned or anticipate being assigned in both their work and daily life. The book has been designed to be concise, and clearly focused on the process of strategically understanding and managing projects. In keeping with the notion of a strategy, the authors envision readers as having both the intuition and insight to fully understand the reasons behind why they are managing projects as well as the ability, through effective management, to bring them to fruition. Students, project team members, prospective project managers, project managers and executives can all benefit from the insights this book provides.