about ;nishing a project; it’s about value-add and
realizing business bene;t throughout the project
life cycle.”
STAY ON POINT
A slow-growth environment puts all the more pressure on organizations to ensure their projects are
aligned with their strategy, says Ms. Schoeman.
In 2013, Ms. Schoeman’s portfolio budget was
reduced to accommodate a new strategic initiative,
and in 2014, the budget remained ;at even as the
scope increased. Given that ;nancial reality, every
project—and every deliverable—must support a
speci;c strategic objective to keep getting a piece of
the funding pie.
“Project delivery is not just about completing a
task, but making sure it remains aimed at contribut-
ing towards the strategic objectives of the organiza-
tion,” she says. “;e strategic objectives will move
the organization forward, and the projects are the
drivers of these objectives.”
To keep the portfolio on track when the strategy
shifts, Ms. Schoeman maintains a three-year road
map and revises it annually. ;is helps ensure
important, says Marna Schoeman, PMP, program
manager, ;nance business services in treasury and
capital management for ;nancial services company
Standard Bank Group, Johannesburg, South Africa.
“When a business case is created, we ensure that
we follow a phased approach. ;us there is always
a logical stop within a project at the end of a phase.
;is enables a project to stop at a logical point, and
thus restart is easier,” she says. “It’s no longer just
“We try to be proactive;
that’s our goal. We try
to work with clients to
look to the future. But
sometimes, you have
to react. For instance, right now,
people are trying to figure out what
the Ukrainian situation means for
the oil and gas industry in Europe.”
—Joel Eacker, PMP, PgMP, CH2M Hill, Houston, Texas, USA
