Strategic Focus: Why We Do Projects

Projects offer an enormous opportunity for achieving competitive advantage and/or value for the corporation. A project strategy is necessary to take advantage of these opportunities. One of the key elements of a project strategy is to have an appropriate strategic focus. Individual researchers used a standardized case study format to analyze the project strategy of real life projects from within their company. Project strategy helps the project achieve the intent of the strategic stakeholders. The researchers focused on the what, why, how, who, when and where of the project as well as the project´s desired strategic results. Four strategic focuses were examined: customer, cost, product, and time. Distinct patterns of behavior were observed some were successful and others were not. We must manage projects more than just tactically or operationally. We must manage projects strategically to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that projects represent. Following the right patterns as part of an explicit project strategy will help corporations to achieve better competitive advantage/value in their projects and achieve the strategic intent that stakeholders expect.