PMP, was until recently the portfolio project man-ager/program manager at the University of New
South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
PM Network: Let’s start at the beginning.
What’s the business case for the strategic
alignment of projects?
Ms. Nuseibeh: Strategic alignment is all about
adding value, delivering capability and, of course,
achieving strategic objectives via projects, programs
and portfolios. A misalignment means a loss of
investment. It can mean a financial loss or a loss in
terms of time and capabilities.
Mr. Amr: If a project portfolio fails to meet
business goals, no matter how successful individual
projects are, business and subsequent projects will
likely suffer.
Ms. Buchanan: Strategic alignment is a foolproof
way for a company to track the achievement of its
vision and goals through the projects undertaken. If
a company does not understand how its activities
tie to its overall strategy, it is very difficult, if not
impossible, to assess the value it receives from the
investments made via projects. For me, the lack of
strategic alignment is akin to flying blind. You can
only fly for so long before you crash.
How important is communication of strategy to
the success of strategic initiatives?
Ms. Nuseibeh: The strategy has an impact on
every single employee’s daily work and activities,
so it needs to be well understood by every single
person within the organization.
For me, communication is the oxygen that an
organization’s strategy breathes in order to grow
and prosper into execution and success. It enables
it, from inception to execution. Unfortunately,
most strategies are not communicated well. Often,
they’re just stuffed in a drawer or put on a website.
Ms. Buchanan: Strategy depends on people to be
executed, so if you don’t communicate it you have
no chance of achieving it.
What does successful strategic communication
look like?
Mr. Amr: Overall business strategies are usually
broken down to smaller strategies, or missions, at
the division or department level. Those sub-strate-
“Strategic alignment is
a foolproof way for a
company to track the
achievement of its vision
and goals through the
projects undertaken.”
—Jennifer Buchanan, PMP, Vantage Business
Group Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
