Strategic Project Management

Organisations invest heavily in projects, but many initiatives are approved without a clear link to strategy, compete for the same scarce people, and are reported only on progress against plan. Sponsors are unclear about their role, business cases are written to win approval rather than to guide decisions, and nobody is accountable for the benefits once the project closes. The result is a portfolio that is busy but not delivering value.

This programme looks at project management from the perspective of the sponsor, senior project manager and PMO. It moves through five stages: linking projects to strategy and value, building a business case and choosing the delivery approach, setting up governance and leadership for performance, controlling delivery with integrated risk, schedule and cost information, and realising and sustaining benefits after handover.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references PMI's Standard for Project Management and PMBOK Guide, PMI's standards for program and portfolio management, ISO 21502 guidance on project management, ISO 21504 on portfolio management, established benefits management practice and adaptive and hybrid delivery approaches. Participants learn how to apply them in a way that fits their organisation, not only what they say.

Decisions this programme improves. Which projects to start, stop or reshape; whether a business case is strong enough to approve; which delivery approach suits the level of uncertainty; how to structure sponsorship and steering; when to escalate or re-baseline; and how to confirm that benefits are actually delivered.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a strategic transformation project in a large organisation, from business case to benefits review. Participants use practical templates for business cases, governance structures, risk registers, dashboards and benefits maps.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own project lifecycle, governance framework, templates and portfolio, and delivered for sponsors, project managers and PMO staff together so that everyone uses the same language and decision points.

Who Should Attend

Project and programme managers leading strategic or high-value initiatives

Project sponsors and senior managers who approve, fund or oversee projects

PMO staff: PMO heads, portfolio analysts and project controls staff

Team leads and project executives moving into larger project responsibilities

Strategy and transformation professionals responsible for turning plans into initiatives

Objectives

Explain how projects, programmes and portfolios create value and link to organisational strategy

Assess and strengthen a business case, including options, costs, benefits and risks

Apply prioritisation criteria to select and balance projects within a portfolio

Choose a predictive, adaptive or hybrid delivery approach based on the project context

Design a governance structure with clear sponsor, steering committee and project manager roles

Build and lead a high-performing project team and manage stakeholder expectations

Integrate scope, schedule, cost and risk information to forecast project outcomes

Design a project dashboard that supports decisions by sponsors and senior management

Build a benefits map and a benefits realisation plan with owners and measures

Manage compliance, handover and lessons learned to sustain value after closure

Course Outline

Projects as Vehicles for Strategy and Value

Projects, programmes and portfolios: how they differ and connect
Value delivery systems and the link between strategy and projects
Why strategically important projects fail: selection, sponsorship and benefits gaps
Portfolio prioritisation criteria and scoring models
Capacity and resource constraints across the portfolio
The role of the PMO: supportive, controlling and strategic models

The Business Case and the Delivery Approach

Business case structure: need, options, costs, benefits and risks
Option appraisal and basic financial measures such as NPV and payback
Defining success criteria beyond time, cost and scope
Predictive, adaptive and hybrid approaches: selecting the right fit
Tailoring the project lifecycle and stage gates
Project charter and initial stakeholder analysis

Governance, Leadership and Stakeholders

Governance structures: sponsor, steering committee, project board and PMO
Decision rights, tolerances and escalation
Stakeholder mapping, engagement and managing resistance
Building and leading high-performing project teams
Working in matrix organisations and with contractors
Communication planning for senior stakeholders

Controlling Delivery and Managing Risk

Integrated planning: scope, WBS, schedule and budget baseline
Earned value and forecast measures at a management level
Strategic and project risk management, including opportunities
Change control and protecting the business case
Project dashboards, health checks and assurance reviews
Digital project tools, data quality and emerging uses of AI in project controls

Realising Benefits and Sustaining Value

Benefits identification, mapping and ownership
Measuring benefits: baselines, indicators and timing
Transition, handover and business change
Compliance, closure and post-implementation review
Lessons learned and organisational project management maturity
Action plan: strengthening strategic project management in your organisation

Competencies

Strategic alignment of projects and portfolios

Business case development and appraisal

Portfolio prioritisation and resource balancing

Selection of predictive, adaptive and hybrid delivery approaches

Project governance and sponsorship

Stakeholder engagement and project team leadership

Integrated project control and risk management

Decision-focused project reporting

Benefits realisation management

Live Online

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio live online. Organizations, distributed teams and professionals can join scheduled interactive sessions or request any program to be delivered online, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Elite Academy’s Live Online Training provides access to our complete portfolio of professional programs without linking availability to a physical destination. Organizations, multi-location teams and individual professionals can join scheduled instructor-led sessions or request any program from the Elite Academy portfolio for live online delivery, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. The format preserves real-time interaction, expert guidance and practical learning while removing the need to travel. Browse the current Live Online schedule below or request your preferred program and dates.