Projects Articles

The Strategic Project Managers LinkedIn Group is a group of project managers working on strategic goals for their organizations. We realize that cost, time, and budget are all important, but sometimes strategy is much more important than any tactical project goals.
Members of this group promise to

Think and act strategically
Cooperate with and help other strategic thinkers [...]

Download
Printer-friendly version (PDF)
Presentation handout (PDF)
Presentation Slides (PDF)
Animated strategic plan overview (GIF)

Introduction
Project management and organizational strategy should be natural partners in any business. Project managers can and should play a strong role in executing organizational strategy. They also should provide critical information to the executives who set organizational strategy. Unfortunately, many project managers still do not [...]

Risk management is a truly universal tool. It protects individuals, corporations, and investments from harm every day. Managing projects to meet strategic, organizational goals requires a broader view of risk management. Looking at project risk is not enough. Inventing new “project portfolio risk management” methods is not enough. Strategic views of risk require integrating risk [...]

Download
Printer-friendly version (PDF)

Sponsors rarely hand project managers a clear, well-defined charter. Project managers need to ask, negotiate, and sometimes demand in order to get a useful charter. The negotiations begin as soon as the sponsor asks the project manager to investigate the new project or idea.
The project charter may begin as a simple verbal request, [...]

Project managers often face conflict. Resolving conflict in business requires negotiation. Project charters provide the foundation for project negotiations.

Learn how to use project charters effectively as a negotiating tool.

Have you ever thought about becoming an independent consultant? This article gives you practical advice on how to get started, what it might cost, and how to find your target market.

Written for a panel discussion at the PMI Asia Pacific Congress in Sydney Australia in March 2008. Panelists included Jerry Ball, Frank Parth, Jennifer (Tharp) Russell, and Frank Walker. Alex Brown served as panel moderator. The paper was written by Jennifer (Tharp) Russell and Alex Brown.

Alex Brown’s views about the best way to study for and pass the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam. NOT an objective review, just Alex’s personal, biased opinion, and his own experience.

I gave a presentation about the deceptive statistics about project failure rates so often quoted in the press and by project management experts. If you are wondering why people say that “84% of projects fail”, this presentation gives you the answers. The PowerPoint is available, and the full audio and slides from three performances of [...]

“Strategic Project Management” was presented to a packed lecture hall on October 24, 2006 at the PMI North America Congress. The presentation was selected as one of the top presentations of the Congress, and an encore presentation was made the following day.
Many at the Congress were unable to get into the room and hear the [...]

Strategic Project Management
Alex S. Brown, PMP
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSIG USA)
Session ADV09
Presented October 24, 2006
Introducing Alex S. Brown

Manager Strategic Planning Office MSIG
Experienced Presenter

PMI NJ Events
Past Congresses and Symposium

“Strategic Project Management”

What is a Project Nightmare?

Over budget?
Late delivery?
Poor quality?
Even worse: on-time, on-budget, great quality, but delivering something your organization does not need

Case Study

Mitsui Sumitomo [...]