Framework for aligning project management with business strategy

A theoretical framework for aligning project management with business strategy. Paper presented at PMI® Research Conference: New Directions in Project Management, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Department of Engineering and Technology Management, Portland State University

Although projects are the basic building blocks of organizational strategy in many companies, project management is not often recognized as a functional strategy and is rarely perceived as a business process, making the achievement of a project management /business strategy alignment even more difficult.

We have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that shows the impact of business strategy on project management—as well as the effect of project management on business strategy—and discusses the mechanisms used to strengthen that alignment.