Developing a strategic project position

One of the exercise I learnt about this is issue is the use of echelons of Project Goals.

Placing goals into echelons also helps determine the person in the client organization that can help you achieve multiple goals. Placing these echelons allow the people to see in which step of the project they are working.
The echelons could be something like that:
  1. Organizational , focused on project goals,
  2. External/Customer , focused on customer behavior,
  3. Inter-departmental , focused on inter-departmental performance,
  4. Operational , focused on functioning of a department,
  5. Feature , focused on system or process performance.

Developing a strategic project position

Look for links to higher echelons. Work with the client or your team to find the tasks that will place the goal into a higher echelon. You will then have a project that meets higher critical areas of performance and has greater value for the client.

The right alignment of these echelons is essential and it’s one of the things that will increase your odds of success.

It’s never too late to try to enchance the strategic position of your project.

If you find your project scope or goal does not correspond to those of your client, there are some alternatives you can try:

  • Lower the expectations of decision makers,
  • Elevate your project scope,
  • Move forward without further client consultation.

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