HKSM

This page uses cookies. ACCEPT

2.1 It All Starts With a Vision

It All Starts With a Vision

A vision is a picture of the future that an organization aspires to create. It is the long-term destination, not about day-to-day operations or even current goals; it describes where you are heading. A clear vision inspires people, helps teams feel part of something meaningful and long-lasting, and guides decisions, shapes priorities, and gives leaders a powerful tool to align effort.

Vision Analogy

Think of a vision as the peak of a mountain—the place you want to end up. Strategy is the route you will take, and projects are the steps you climb. Without knowing where the mountain peak is, any trail could seem right. With a clear vision, every step gains direction.

Why Vision Matters to Project Leaders

Even for project leaders who are not CEOs, vision matters because every project is a building block in a larger story. When the vision is understood, it becomes possible to lead with purpose and explain why the project matters, connecting day-to-day work to a meaningful destination that motivates stakeholders and clarifies trade-offs. Teams become more motivated when they see how their work contributes to something bigger, which improves morale, engagement, and ownership. During tough moments—missed deadlines, shifting scope, unclear stakeholders—a strong vision reminds everyone what they are working toward and why it matters, helping sustain momentum and reinforcing collective focus.

Characteristics of a Strong Vision

• Clear—easy to understand and communicate.
• Inspiring—energizes people and sparks passion.
• Future-focused—describes what success looks like over time.
• Aspirational—challenges the organization to grow and improve.

Examples of Vision Statements

Tesla: “To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century…”.
UNICEF: “A world where the rights of every child are realized.”
IKEA: “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
NASA: “To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown…”.
WWF: “To build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.”
Google: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”

These statements express long-term purpose, direction, emotion, and a sense of significance beyond current actions.

Vision in Projects: A Real-Life Story

Early Apple under Steve Jobs embraced the vision “A computer for the rest of us.” This was not about specs or features; it was about making technology accessible. That vision drove Apple’s design and culture, inspiring innovation that changed the world. Over time it evolved into an even bigger dream: “A powerful device in every pocket.” This shows how a compelling vision can expand, guide innovation, and unite teams around a common goal.

Your Role as a Project Leader

Project leaders are not just managing timelines and budgets; they are delivering the organization’s vision one project at a time. To do this well:

• Know the vision.
• Share it with your team.
• Link your project to it.
• Use it to prioritize.

Let vision guide decisions. When facing conflicting demands, ask, “Does this support the vision?” If the answer is no, it may be time to reframe, push back, or realign. Vision serves as a compass when the path becomes unclear.

Summary

Vision gives purpose to a team’s work, and project leaders need to understand and communicate it. Strong vision statements are clear, inspiring, future-focused, and aspirational. Using vision to link daily work to long-term goals keeps efforts aligned with the desired destination.

2.2 Mission and Core Values

Mission and Core Values

Vision sets the destination for an organization, while mission and core values define the present purpose and the principles that guide the path forward. Together, they describe why the organization exists and how people are expected to behave as they move toward long-term aims. Clarifying mission and values brings meaning to daily work, strengthens alignment, and supports consistent decisions, especially when priorities compete or conditions change.

What Is a Mission?

While vision is about the future, mission is about the present. It answers the question, Why do we exist? A mission statement explains what the organization does, who it serves, and how it delivers value. By describing purpose, audience, and approach, it gives direction for daily work and decision-making. Clear mission statements keep efforts focused, inform trade-offs, and help people connect their tasks to outcomes that matter for those they serve.

Examples of Mission Statements

• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
• UNESCO: “To contribute to peace, eradicate poverty, and promote intercultural dialogue.”
• Ken Blanchard Companies: “To unleash the potential and power in people and organizations.”

These statements are clear, purposeful, and service-focused. Each identifies a broad audience or impact area and expresses how value will be delivered, which makes them useful guides for everyday priorities and choices.

The Role of Mission in Project Leadership

An organization’s mission frames the purpose of a project. Consider how the project reflects the mission and whom it serves. Making mission visible connects people to purpose, builds stronger engagement, and brings meaning to daily work. When teams understand the link between tasks and mission, they are more likely to align decisions, resolve conflicts constructively, and sustain momentum through challenges.

What Are Core Values?

If vision is the destination and mission is the purpose, then core values are the principles guiding how to get there. Values influence decisions, behavior, and culture. They answer what the organization believes in and how people should act every day. When values are explicit and lived, they shape norms, set expectations for conduct, and provide a consistent compass under uncertainty or pressure.

Examples of Core Values

• Integrity – Fairness and transparency.
• Excellence – Pursuit of highest standards.
• Unity – Mutual respect.
• Understanding – Compassion and care.
• Responsibility – Community impact.

These values, exemplified by the Tata Group, shape culture and how work gets done. They influence priorities, performance standards, and relationships with stakeholders inside and outside the organization.

Zappos' Core Values

Zappos highlights values such as “Deliver WOW through service,” “Create fun and a little weirdness,” and “Build open and honest relationships.” These values go beyond statements: they influence hiring, design, feedback, and customer experience. High-performing organizations live their values daily, using them to guide actions, reinforce desired behaviors, and differentiate the experience they provide.

Leaders Must Model the Values

Project leaders set the tone. Demonstrating integrity or respect is essential because people follow behavior, not just words. Especially under pressure, values act as a compass. Consistently “walking the talk” builds trust and credibility, making it more likely that teams will adopt and sustain the desired culture.

Project Team Values

Teams can co-create specific values, especially across departments, to clarify expectations and strengthen collaboration. Examples include commitments that make daily interactions constructive and supportive.

• “We will speak openly and respectfully.”
• “We will celebrate progress, not just outcomes.”
• “We will support each other through challenges.”

Documenting these commitments in a project charter or discussing them during a kickoff meeting helps establish norms early and provides a shared reference point throughout the work.

Why Team Values Matter

Team values create a shared identity and accountability. They help unify diverse members, clarify expectations, and guide collaboration. By enhancing psychological safety and cohesion, values enable candid dialogue, faster problem solving, and more reliable execution. Strong teams do not just work together—they believe in how they work together.

Summary

Mission explains what the organization does and for whom, while values guide how it operates and what it stands for. Both are critical for trust, engagement, and clarity. Leaders model and communicate them through consistent behavior, and teams can shape shared values to support effective collaboration and meaningful results.

2.3 Strategy - Turning Vision into Action

What Is Strategy?

Vision describes the destination, and mission and values provide the purpose and guiding principles. Strategy is the bridge between long-term vision and real-world actions. It is a high-level plan — a roadmap — for reaching goals, answering the question, “How will we win?” Strategy connects mission and vision to the ground-level projects, processes, and people that drive results. Without it, vision is a wish; with it, vision becomes a plan — the difference between dreaming and doing.

The Role of Strategy in Leadership

For project leaders, understanding strategy is essential because projects are the way strategy gets done. When leaders grasp the strategy, they can connect work to outcomes and steer execution in ways that matter most to the organization.

• Align goals.
• Make better decisions.
• Communicate the big picture.
• Add strategic value.

Good project leaders don’t just ask, “Are we on time?” They ask, “Are we on-purpose?” This mindset helps ensure that every effort contributes to a larger, meaningful objective.

Strategy Turns Vision Into Projects

A useful way to visualize the flow from aspiration to execution is a funnel:

• Vision — the bold future.
• Strategy — the focused plan.
• Programs and projects — the execution.

Every project should trace back to the vision; otherwise, its purpose is questionable.

An Example of Strategy in Action

Consider the vision: “To be the most sustainable logistics provider in North America.” Strategy focuses on electrifying the fleet in 5 years, cutting warehouse emissions by 40%, and launching eco-friendly packaging. Each goal becomes a project, leading to a fleet conversion project, a warehouse optimization initiative, and eco-friendly product development. A project leader might manage one, yet understanding how all contribute to the strategic vision links day-to-day work to the bigger goal.

Your Role as a Strategic Leader

You don’t have to write the strategy, but you must understand it and speak its language.

• Read the strategic plan.
• Ask sponsors how your project fits.
• Share that link with your team.
• Use strategy to guide priorities.

When the team understands the strategic context, they make smarter choices. They are not just completing tasks — they are contributing to a mission. That is how project leaders become strategic leaders.

Summary

Strategy turns vision into action, defines what to prioritize and how to compete, and gives project leaders a clear basis for execution. Project leaders help execute that plan, and leading with strategic awareness delivers value.

2.4 Strategic Planning Explained

Strategic Planning Explained

Strategic planning is the process that turns vision into priorities and projects, ensuring that big ideas become actionable goals and aligned efforts across the organization. It clarifies how planning translates vision into coordinated execution.

What Is Strategic Planning?

Strategic planning is a structured process that helps organizations decide where to go, how to get there, and what to focus on. It is not just about dreaming big; it is about making smart choices based on facts and clarity.

It helps leaders answer three key questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there? These questions anchor the planning process in reality, aspiration, and action.

Why It Matters for Project Leaders

Even if a plan is written elsewhere, projects are shaped by it. Understanding the strategy enables alignment of project goals, smarter decisions, clearer priorities, and communication of the big picture to stakeholders.

Four Common Steps in Strategic Planning

The typical process unfolds step by step. Each stage builds clarity and structure, helping teams execute with purpose. These steps are widely used and adaptable across industries and organization sizes.

Step 1: Assess the Current Situation

Leaders begin by analyzing where they are now, reviewing both internal and external factors. Tools such as a SWOT analysis—Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats—are commonly used to gain a realistic baseline before moving forward.

Step 2: Define Strategic Objectives

These are high-level goals for the next 3–5 years. They should be clear, measurable, and aligned with the organization’s vision, guiding every major initiative and decision.

Step 3: Identify Initiatives and Success Measures

This is where programs and projects are defined, with each initiative linked to a strategic objective. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are selected to measure progress, helping leaders and teams stay on track and adjust as needed.

Step 4: Allocate Resources and Set Timelines

Leadership assigns the people, budget, and tools needed to succeed; timelines are established; execution begins. At this stage, strategic planning becomes operational—the point where the work truly starts.

Contributions to the Process

Valuable contributions include linking project goals to strategy, using KPIs to track success, speaking the language of strategy, and staying adaptable, since strategy can change over time.

Planning Is Just the Start

A written plan changes nothing by itself; what matters is execution. Leadership turns plans into actions and ensures those actions still serve the vision. Effective project management brings strategy to life.

Summary

Strategic planning turns vision into action, assesses the present and designs the future, and produces a focused plan of goals and resources. Project managers help execute that plan, delivering strategic value through projects.

2.5 The Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

The Balanced Scorecard helps determine whether strategy is working by translating it into measurable objectives and reinforcing organizational alignment.

What Is the Balanced Scorecard?

Developed in the 1990s by Kaplan and Norton, the Balanced Scorecard is a leadership tool used globally across sectors to clarify strategic goals, track performance, and align projects with value. It balances financial and non-financial drivers of success.

Four Perspectives of the BSC

The Balanced Scorecard views strategy through four lenses, and each perspective receives goals, KPIs, targets, and initiatives.

• Financial: Shareholder value.
• Customer: Satisfaction and loyalty.
• Internal Processes: Efficiency and quality.
• Learning & Growth: Innovation and people.

Financial Perspective

Key question: How do we appear to shareholders or funders? Typical metrics include profit, revenue growth, and return on investment. Projects in this perspective aim to improve top- and bottom-line performance and ensure financial sustainability.

Customer Perspective

Key question: How do customers see us? Typical metrics include customer satisfaction, retention, and market share. Projects focus on improving service delivery, experience, and loyalty.

Internal Processes Perspective

Key question: What must we excel at internally to deliver value? Common measures include cycle time, quality, and productivity. Project work emphasizes efficiency, speed, error reduction, and process optimization.

Learning & Growth Perspective

Key question: How do we improve and grow? Measures may include training hours, employee engagement, and innovation rate. Projects might involve leadership development, knowledge sharing, or culture-building.

Why It Matters for Project Leaders

The Balanced Scorecard provides strategic context for project work. If a project does not support a Balanced Scorecard perspective, it may lack value. Familiarity with the Balanced Scorecard helps align goals, communicate impact, design relevant objectives, and demonstrate how work supports strategy.

A Real Example: Regional Airline

Strategy: Improve profitability and customer experience.

• Financial: Increase profit → Revenue per seat → Optimize routes.
• Customer: Boost satisfaction → On-time arrivals → Upgrade check-in.
• Internal: Cut turnaround → Minutes per stop → Train ground crew.
• Growth: Staff engagement → % in training → Leadership workshops.

Summary

• The Balanced Scorecard tracks strategy across four key areas.
• It balances financial and non-financial goals.
• Each perspective includes goals, KPIs, and supporting projects.
• Project leaders must ensure alignment.
• If a project does not link to the Balanced Scorecard, it is time to reassess.

The book download materials include an Excel template for a simple balanced scorecard or a balanced scorecard with KPIs to track progress. An example with prefilled data is provided, and conditional formatting can be used to further improve the scorecard.

2.6 Portfolios, Programs, and Projects

Portfolios, Programs, and Projects

Up to this point, the discussion has covered vision, strategy, and tools such as the Balanced Scorecard. The focus now shifts to the building blocks of strategy execution: portfolios, programs, and projects. These terms describe the structure that turns ideas into action.

What’s the Difference?

• A project is a temporary effort to create a unique product, service, or result.
• A program is a group of related projects, managed in a coordinated way.
• A portfolio is a collection of programs, projects, and operations.

The Strategic Breakdown

Each level serves a distinct purpose: the portfolio explains why work is undertaken by grounding it in a strategic reason; the program clarifies what outcomes and benefits are sought; and the project specifies how those outcomes are delivered through concrete deliverables and actions. This structure keeps work aligned with the big picture and focuses effort on results that matter.

An Example

Imagine a national postal service aiming to modernize its customer experience. The strategy emphasizes digitizing services and improving delivery speed. To make this tangible, the organization creates a portfolio called “Digital Transformation,” which houses the programs and projects that bring the strategy to life.

Inside the Portfolio

Within the Digital Transformation portfolio, a program is created to launch a new mobile app. The program includes several projects:

• Design the app interface.
• Build the back-end system.
• Train customer service reps.

Each project matters, but only together do they deliver the full benefits. Coordinated, aligned work across portfolio, program, and projects turns strategy into reality and ensures that the resulting capabilities create strategic value.

Why This Matters for Project Leaders

Project managers often lead one piece of a larger program. Effective execution requires understanding the bigger picture, coordinating with other project leads, and focusing on outcomes rather than just tasks, because each project supports a broader strategic investment.

Connecting to Strategy

Every project sits within a portfolio, so it should demonstrate how its work contributes to strategic value. Success is not only about meeting deadlines; it is about helping deliver organizational goals. This mindset shift distinguishes capable managers from strategic leaders.

What Do Strategic Leaders Do?

Strategic leaders go beyond managing schedules and budgets. They continually ask how their project fits into the strategy, understand dependencies that affect timing and outcomes, and help their teams see the purpose behind the work, leading with vision and clarity so that execution aligns with intention.

Summary

Portfolios align work with strategy, programs manage outcomes and benefits, and projects deliver the results that realize those benefits. Project leaders connect their efforts to all three layers, ensuring that the right work is delivered in the right way and that execution remains anchored to organizational goals.

2.7 Strategy in Project Management

The Iron Triangle — And What’s Missing

The Iron Triangle in project management highlights three classic constraints—the levers balanced every day—yet it omits a dimension that is just as critical and often overlooked: “On-Strategy.”

• Scope.
• Time.
• Cost.

What Does “On-Strategy” Mean?

A project is “on-strategy” when it directly supports the organization’s strategic goals. It does not just finish on time and on budget; it moves the business forward. This emphasizes purpose as well as performance. A project can be delivered perfectly, yet if it fails to align with strategy, it may still be a wasted effort.

The Strategic Iron Triangle

Traditionally, the triangle includes scope, time, and cost. Now imagine adding a fourth side: strategic alignment. When a project lacks alignment with strategy, it puts pressure on the triangle and on the organization. This expanded view is the Strategic Iron Triangle.

The Risk of Being Off-Strategy

Projects that are on time, on scope, and on budget can still consume resources without delivering true value if they are off strategy. They may look successful on the surface but fail to support the organization’s real priorities. This is a leadership blind spot.

Why “On-Strategy” Matters

Every project consumes energy—time, people, money, and attention. Ensuring that work is on-strategy ensures that this energy is used wisely and helps leaders prioritize the right projects, not just well-managed ones. In practice, this mindset encourages organizations to do the following.

• Avoid “pet projects”.
• Say no to distractions.
• Focus on long-term goals.

The Role of the Project Leader

The role extends beyond asking whether the team is delivering correctly; it also requires asking whether this is the right thing to deliver. In other words, leadership includes linking work to strategy and shaping choices accordingly.

• Challenging unclear project requests.
• Clarifying business value.
• Aligning deliverables with strategy.
• Advocating for impactful projects.

In Summary

On-strategy functions as a fourth constraint of project success, reflecting alignment with long-term goals. A project that fails this test might not be worth doing, even if it is executed well. Effective leaders consistently connect projects to strategic intent.

2.8 Key takeaways

Key Takeaways

Leadership starts with a clear vision—a picture of where the organization wants to go. The mission explains why it exists, and values guide how people behave as they work toward that goal. These elements set the foundation. Strategy turns vision into action; it is the bridge between big ideas and real‑world execution. It defines what matters most—priorities, investments, and direction. Project leaders must understand and communicate vision, mission, and values, and align their work with the strategy so that vision becomes measurable progress.

Projects are how strategy gets done. They are not isolated efforts; they exist within programs and portfolios that turn strategy into structured execution. Understanding where a project fits helps you lead with context—and with more impact. The emphasis is not just “getting it done,” it is “getting the right thing done.”

The Balanced Scorecard tracks strategic success. The Balanced Scorecard monitors results in four areas:

• Financial.
• Customer.
• Internal Processes.
• Learning & Growth.

It gives leaders a full picture of whether strategy is working—not just activity, but value creation.

Being “on-strategy” is essential. A project can hit all the metrics—scope, time, and cost—and still fail because it did not support the bigger strategy. Being “On-Strategy” means the work aligns with what matters most; it is the fourth dimension of project success.

Great project leaders do not just finish tasks; they drive strategic progress. They ask:

• “Does this work move the vision forward?”.
• “Are we creating the right kind of value?”.

This mindset is what separates managers from leaders.