Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams

When Fortune Magazine estimated that 70% of all strategies fail, it also noted that most of these strategies were basically sound, but could not be executed. The central premise of Strategic Project Management Made Simple is that most projects and strategies never get off the ground because of adhoc, haphazard, and obsolete methods used to turn their ideas into coherent and actionable plans. Strategic Project Management Made Simple is the first book to couple a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives. Strategic Project Management Made Simple builds a solid platform upon four critical questions that are vital for teams to intelligently answer in order to create their own strong, strategic foundation. These questions are: 1. What are we trying to accomplish and why? 2. How will we measure success? 3. What other conditions must exist? 4. How do we get there? This fresh approach begins with clearly understanding the what and why of a project - comprehending the bigger picture goals that are often given only lip service or cursory reviews. The second and third questions clarify success measures and identify the risky assumptions that can later cause pain if not spotted early. The how questions - what are the activities, budgets, and schedules - comes last in our four-question system. By contrast, most project approaches prematurely concentrate on the how without first adequately addressing the three other questions. These four questions guide readers into fleshing out a simple, yet sophisticated, mental workbench called "the Logical Framework" - a Systems Thinking paradigm that lays out one's own project strategy in an easily accessible, interactive 4x4 matrix. The inclusion of memorable features and concepts (four critical questions, LogFrame matrix, If-then thinking, and Implementation Equation) make this book unique.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv Why I Wrote This Book xvi Getting the Most from This Book xvii Three Logical Parts xviii PART ONE: Are You Strategic? Chapter 1: Thinking Outside the Bar Chart 3 Tackling the Big Hairy Issues 5 Mastering Strategic Project Management 7 Start Smart 8 Lessons Learned Along the Way 10 Why Read This Book? 12 Beware These Six Dangerous Planning Mistakes 13 Key Points Review 17 Chapter 2: Building Strong Project Backbones 19 Asking the Four Critical Strategic Questions 20 Concepts from the Cornfield 22 Making Strategy Simple 25 Test Your Strategic If-Then IQ 28 Sorting Out Your Objectives 30 Organizing Multiple Objectives Into Trees 34 Key Points Review 37 Chapter 3: Introducing the Logical Framework 40 The Best Solutions Tool You’ll Ever Find 40 Systems Thinking: Conceptual Foundation of the Logical Framework 42 Tackling the Four Critical Strategic Questions 44 Grab a Front-Row Workshop Seat 46 Ingredients of the Grid 56 Key Points Review 61 Chapter 4: Aligning Projects With Strategic Intent 63 Strategy in a Nutshell 64 Juggling Portfolios and Programs 67 Managing Multiple Bottom Lines 69 Quick and Clean Strategic Planning at Any Level 71 Eight Logical Planning Steps 72 Key Points Review 82 PART TWO: Mastering The Four Critical Strategic Questions Chapter 5: Question #1—What Are We Trying to Accomplish and Why? 87 Shoot for the Moon 88 Linking Objectives Into Logical Levels 89 Turning a Problem Into a Set of Objectives 92 Terry’s Tips for Clear Objectives 95 Exploring Distinctions Among LogFrame Levels 99 Sculpting Your Project Masterpiece 105 Key Points Review 107 Application Step #1 108 Chapter 6: Question #2—How Do We Measure Success? 110 Winning the Peace After Winning the War 111 Four Tips for Meaningful Measures 112 Measures Sharpen Vague Objectives 118 Managing Complex Enterprise-Wide Change 123 Special Situations Demand Special Measures 124 Key Points Review 128 Application Step #2 129 Chapter 7: Question #3—What Other Conditions Must Exist? 131 The Whoops Hall of Shame 132 Spotting Trouble Before It Comes 134 How the LogFrame Accommodates Assumptions 134 Three Steps for Managing Assumptions 135 Making Fine Point Distinctions 139 Key Points Review 141 Application Step #3 142 Chapter 8: Question #4—How Do We Get There? 143 The Ancient Project that Saved the World 144 Chunking 101 144 Organizing Inputs: Nitty Gritty Project Planning 147 Clarify Resource Requirements 150 Make Responsibility Clear to All 151 Applying Schmidt’s Law of Planning Density 155 Defining the Next Action Step 159 Key Points Review 160 Application Step #4 161 PART THREE: Putting The Concepts Into Action Chapter 9: Managing the Strategic Action Cycle 165 Taking a “Cycle-Logical” Approach 165 Three Types of Assessment 167 Type One Assessment: Project Monitoring 169 Type Two Assessment: Project Status Review 171 Type Three Assessment: Project Evaluation 172 Celebrating Success 176 LogFrame Limitations and Best Practices 176 Key Points Review 178 Chapter 10: Managing the People Dynamics 179 The Heart and Soul of Projects 179 Engaging Your Key Stakeholders 180 Building Your Own Dream Team 183 Creating Shared Norms for High Performance 187 Sharpening Your Emotional Intelligence 189 Techniques for Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence 190 Key Points Review 193 Chapter 11: Applying These Ideas In Your World 195 Exploring a Dozen Dynamic Directions 195 Terry’s Tips for Doing the Project RAP (Rapid Action Planning) 198 Facilitating by Yourself 201 Taking Strategic Action Now 202 Appendix: Reference Tools and Resources 205 Blank Logical Framework Grid 206 Logical Framework Quality Checklist 208 Logical Framework Application Case Studies 211 Ongoing Support and Services 237 Glossary and Usage of Terms 241 About the Author 243 Index 245

About the Author :
TERRY SCHMIDT is a certified PMP and internationally known management consultant who helps organizations become more strategic, productive, and profitable. He has more than thirty years of experience as an executive, educator, and strategy coach in thirty-four countries. The founder of www.ManagementPro.com, he teaches strategic project management at the UCLA Technical Management Program and at the University of Wisconsin, and teaches team-building at the MIT Professional Institute. He is affiliated with the Haines Centre, a global alliance of master consultants in over twenty countries. Terry is a lifelong learner with a BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Washington and an MBA from Harvard. For more on Terry and Strategic Project Management Made Simple, visit www.managementpro.com