#Types Of Projects Update The Existing

These types emerged from our ongoing work of understanding how different business development projects can drive strategic renewal in organizations, and the matrix below has helped in capturing potential misalignments between employees and projects.There are many different types of mixed-use projects, depending on the types of uses developed together and whether these uses are integrated horizontally or verti-cally. Your organizationвЂ™s growth opportunities fall into four different categories, and in order to develop your business in a commercially sustainable manner, you need four specific types of project manager to pursue them. However, few executives work systematically with the types of employees they need to realize various growth opportunities.

At the very least, executives need to be aware of the variety of growth opportunities that they may be losing out on by leaning heavily on a single type of project manager. Consequently, there is often a job forВ all four types of employees in most organizations, although the optimal dose of each can differ. Analysis of data that are normally collected from clinic patients.The employee types and the growth opportunities that they are best at pursuing can be positioned along two dimensions: (1) Is the growth opportunity in line with our existing strategy? (2) Can a reliable business case be made? These two questions create a matrix that distinguishes the four different kinds of project leaders, each of which is optimally suited for a different type of project.Will every organization need all four types of employees to sustainably develop and grow their organizations? We argue that even the most stable and conservative industries may be threatened by disruption вЂ”В and the most dynamic and hypercompetitive industries also entail incremental growth opportunities that can be quantified and realistically assessed.

In the following, we further explain the characteristics of each of the different types.Prophet.В This type of project manager actively pursues business opportunities that lie outside the existing strategic boundaries in an area where it is extremely difficult to obtain trustworthy data concerning the likelihood of success. However, you will need a few prophets, gamblers, and expertsВ to be able to identify and pursue growth opportunities at the periphery that can help you renew your organization beyond the chosen path. This does not necessarily mean that you need an equal number of each, as most organizations must predominantly rely on executors to ensure the alignment and feasibility needed to maintain profits in the short term. In that respect, they complement each other. In other words, you need them all because they see and support different types of growth opportunities.

Hence, the gambler seeks to gain organizational followers for a big bet on a growth opportunity that is consistent with the current strategy but without trustworthy quantitative evidence. In such projects, it is typically impossible to realistically assess the likelihood of success before theyВ areВ tried out.Gambler.В This type of project manager actively pursues business opportunities that lie within the existing strategic boundaries but have no good business case attached, as trustworthy data concerning the likelihood of success is lacking. Hence, the projects in X tend to be outside GoogleвЂ™s current domain and strategic focus. Employees in this unit seek to solve big problems using breakthrough technologies and radical solutions. Obviously, running such projects is risky, as it is likely that the growth opportunities will not materialize, and therefore that the employee may be a вЂњfalse prophet.вЂќ Be that as it may, a prophet is needed to challenge the existing strategy and to pursue overlooked growth opportunities.A constructive use of this employee type is found at Google, which has a unit called X (formerly Google X), which is a self-proclaimed moonshot factory.

Types Of Projects Update The Existing

However, gamblers are necessary, as they can update the existing strategy by pursuing analytically overlooked growth opportunities.This type of project champion is documented in a study by Paddy Miller and Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg, which shows that MTVвЂ™s first digitally integrated and interactive program, Top Selection,В was initially tried under the radar before the projectвЂ™s backers had sufficient proof of concept to get managerial approval to continue.В This project was driven by gamblers, as they stayed inside the existing strategic boundaries but were unable to document the likelihood of success before the idea had been tested.Expert.В This type of project manager actively pursues business opportunities that lie outside the existing strategic boundaries but for which trustworthy data builds a solid business case. This can obviously be viewed as an uncertain path, as there is some likelihood that the growth opportunities are not feasible and that they may therefore result in significant losses. Consequently, the gambler seeks to engage other organizational members who also like bets.

Many who bear the formal title of business developer systematically analyze, prepare, and support growth opportunities that lie within the strategic boundaries and for which it is possible to realistically assess the likelihood of success.For instance, DuPont has a systematic approach for assessing and implementing growth opportunities. However, the executor can only point to a limited number of growth opportunities that are low-hanging fruit вЂ” the executorВ cannot provide insights into the more radical and unknown business opportunities. This can be viewed as the most certain path to success, as the growth opportunity is well documented and aligned with the existing strategy. Consequently, executors rely on organizational members to follow their rigorous analyses of a strategically embraced project. In other words, there is no risk, no uncertainty, and no challenge вЂ” just a need for execution. The executor gains organizational followers for a sure-thing growth opportunity that is consistent with the current strategy and is backed by trustworthy quantitative evidence.

You need to ensure enough room for all of the logics within the organization, ideally by introducing boundary-spanning individuals who can navigate among these logics.В In this regard, it is beneficial if top management adopts a вЂњbridgingвЂќ role to allow for coexistence and diversity.As an executive, you can similarly seek to stimulate a fruitful understanding and interaction among the different types of employees. Consequently, conflict tends to loom among the different types.What typically happens is that the logic of one of the types becomes dominant throughout the organization.В The fact that a single logic pervades the organization at the expense of the others may mean that key employees of a different type leave the organization and take their ideas with them.В Moreover, relying on a single type of logic may lead to organizational inertia, which is dangerous in dynamic and evolving markets. For instance, a prophet may see an executor as overly bureaucratic and rigid, while an executor may view a prophet as unrealistic and disorganized. How Do They Interact?The various types of project managers may struggle in their interactions with each other. A comprehensive business case is essential to initiate the process вЂ” and as the approach involves key work streams and вЂњblocks of workвЂќ that the core team must plan and execute in an effective manner, it is particularly suitable for executors.

Types Of Projects Pdf