Role of strategy in project management

There are three levels in the role of strategy in project management.

v  Strategy

v  Tactical

v  Operational

The project management has focused on the tactical and operational levels. This has resulted in those arias,

•  Project being carried out in a reactive mode with project managers having little or          no input to the strategy process
•  A lack of definable objectives for projects
•  Inevitable conflicts with line manages over resources

First project manager should understand the strategy process and he can make an input to process. The strategy is like a set of principles that guide and inform the actions and decisions of managers.

The major classifications of strategy are:

•         The environment in which an organisation exists
•          In an absolute sense, as a statement of the vision for the organisation

Strategy in the context of project management is the outcome of a strategy process. This process includes two key elements. There are:

•           Assessment of the present
•           Anticipation of the future

Furthermore strategy process is conducted at two levels,

•           Organisational
•           Project level

At the organisational level, the aspects of interest are external to the project but those policies will affect its objectives. At the project level, these are internal aspects that are generated by the project manager and refer to the project specifics. As a minimum requirement, the project strategy should be in line with the organizational strategy.