Strategic Program Management
Quick Start Guide
Joanne Eckton
Joanne@JoanneEckton.com
615-412-9462
@JoanneEckton
JoanneEckton.com
Strategic Program Management
Drives Transformational Change
Current
State
Transition
Future
State
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Business Model
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Publications
Companies I’ve Worked With
Is this how you spend your day?
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Typical View of Projects
New
Product
Launch
Marketing
Campaign
Supply
chain
solution
Drive
online
adoption
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Automate
order
flow
6
Crowded Landscape
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Result?
Lack of sufficient progress
towards strategic objectives
Employee disengagement
• Do only what they are
told
• Lack of innovation
• Burnout
• Low morale
Survivorship rather than
leadership
Internal competition
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Cross-functional teams all
striving for a common goal
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Strategic Program Management
Collect, select and prioritize the right
initiatives.
 Optimize resource allocation and
planning.
 Drive excellence in project and program
management.
 Manage the overall strategic initiative
portfolio.

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Top 5 Warning Signs of Failing
Strategic Initiatives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Decisions are stalled
Insufficient resources allocated
Fuzzy or conflicting expectations
Lack of clear ownership & direction
Missing executive level champion
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Thinking Strategically
3 Key Questions:
 What
are we trying to accomplish?
 Why are we doing this?
 How do we know we’re successful?
"Ideas without action aren't ideas.
They're regrets.”
~author unknown
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Steps for Success
Leadership
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Leading Organizational Change
"The speed of the leader determines the
speed of the gang." – Mary Kay Ash
“The vision of the leader
determines the vision of the team.”
“The energy of the leader
determines the energy of the team.”
“The competence & productivity of the leader
determines the competence & productivity of the
team.”
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Team Performance
Roles &
Responsibilities
Shared
Leadership
Relationships
High
Performance
Open
Communication
Accountability
Systems
Common
Vision
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Role of Executive Sponsor
Advocate the initiative
Share the vision
Energize and guide organizational decision
making
Clarify direction to help people understand
Allocate resources to the plan
Build network of influence
"Once man understands an idea, he can identify
with it, acknowledge it, and make it his own."
~Aristotle
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Role of PM
Be a champion of the change
Share information
Open up lines of communication
Clarify plans
Share leadership
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Role of PM
Focus on results
Celebrate success
Share learning
experiences
Encourage collaboration,
new ideas, teamwork
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Who Do You Need?
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Stakeholders, influencers,
game-changers & bottlenecks
 Do they agree on the nature of the problem
or opportunity?
 Do they agree on the solution design?
 Are they willing to make sacrifices and
promises?
 What benefits does the stakeholder seek?
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Communicate!
It’s impossible for a single leader to drive
down the message of change and inspire
people at all levels.
It takes a network of
people who are having
conversations across the
organization reinforcing
the message.
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Move From This….
New
Product
Launch
Marketing
Campaign
Supply
chain
solution
Drive
online
adoption
JoanneEckton.com
Automate
order
flow
22
Aligning to a Goal
Increase Company
Growth by 15%
Goals
Objectives
Projects
Reduce
Cost
by 50%
Increase
Sales by
30%
Marketing
Campaign
New
Product
Launch
Supply
chain
solution
Drive
online
adoption
JoanneEckton.com
Automate
order
flow
23
Set Clear Objectives
Who does what when?
•
•
•
•
Define short-term objectives
Reduce complexity
Clarify responsibility and accountability
Create system of rewards for desired
behavior
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Allocate Resources
Program A
Project 1
Project 2
Program B
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3
Increase
Sales by
30%
Reduce
Cost
by 50%
Continuous Operations
PRJ1
PRJ2
PRJ3
PRJ4
PRJ5
PRJ6
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Operations
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Measurements of Success
Goals/
Objectives
Projects
What do I
measure?
Where do I get
the data?
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The Success Cycle
Plan what change
or improvement is
needed.
Do
Check
Plan
Take corrective
action.
Implement on
a small scale.
Act
Measure results
against goals.
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What Will You Do Differently
Tomorrow?
No great things were ever
accomplished by doing
things the same way.
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Connect With Me
Joanne Eckton
Joanne@JoanneEckton.com
615-412-9462
@JoanneEckton
JoanneEckton.com