In the latest PMI Global Survey on Project Management (
Pulse of the Profession® 2023, 14th Edition | PMI
), Strategic Thinking was voted one of the top 4 Power Skills for project success, but it can be a challenge to consistently think strategically in the midst of your day-to-day agenda. In this article I'd like to share some simple but powerful questions that I use to guide my thinking in an environment where schedule pressure is constant, information is incomplete, and everybody has an agenda.
How do I know something is true, why is it a problem and how will I know when it's solved?
As information passes through an organization, stories change and details get lost. Wherever possible, talk to the person who originally identified the issue and see it with your own eyes. Is there data that will help you quantify it? Are there long-timers who have seen it before? Before you take action, make sure you understand exactly what needs fixing.
What stakeholders will be affected?
As your project team gets larger, so does the potential for unintended consequences of your actions. Keep asking questions until you've engaged everyone who's involved and don't worry if those questions sound too simple. More often than not those are the ones that help you avoid a mistake.
What are the other stakeholders’ priorities?
Everybody has different goals that color what information they emphasize. Cultivate people whose judgement you trust and seek out those who disagree with you. People who can make valid objections to your strategy in a professional manner are incredibly valuable. Engineers are especially good at this - we love finding each other's mistakes!
Could the problem fix itself?
The demands on your time are endless and not every issue needs immediate action. Always consider the "wait and see" option. Solving a problem through action makes you look smart, but solving it by choosing to leave it alone will make you look brilliant!
And finally - what happens next and what if I'm wrong?
Project Managers can't always predict the future, but we still have to try. Know what results you want and always have a Plan B if your first strategy doesn't work.
Cultivate the habit of strategic thinking by keeping these simple questions always in mind and you'll see how much more effective your project leadership can be!
