Knowledge and Skills for Strategic Alignment

0:00If you're studying for the PMI's program management professional certification,

0:05then

0:05there are going to be a few things in the domain of strategic alignment that

0:08you've

0:08either spotted on the exam content outline or in the standard for program

0:12management

0:13that might be making you think to yourself, "Hmm, I think I need a bit more

0:16information

0:17here to help me prepare for the exam."

0:19And I didn't want to side track us too much on this extra information when we

0:22were looking

0:23at strategic alignment generally in the last skill, but that's what this skill

0:27is all about.

0:28Starting off with some analysis techniques that we might use in the strategic

0:32alignment

0:33performance domain, including the ones that I vaguely wafted in front of you

0:37when we were

0:38talking about the business case and the environmental assessment elements of

0:42the domain.

0:43And the particular techniques I would like us to consider in varying degrees of

0:47detail

0:47are the ones that you can see appearing here.

0:50And it is a lot, yes, but we will talk about each one and then we're going to

0:53build up

0:54this slide with a summary of each one so that you've got an overall summary to

0:58take away

0:58with you.

0:59And I'm going to start you off gently with the feasibility analysis.

1:03And I say starting off gently because we've kind of already talked about this,

1:06haven't

1:06we?

1:07Because this is sounding remarkably like the business case.

1:09So the business case is a documented economic feasibility study, of course.

1:13So we have talked about that and we also know that it's going to be including

1:17some kind

1:17of cost benefit analysis.

1:19So that's what that little, the scales graphic there.

1:21We're weighing up the costs that we're spending with the benefits that we

1:25expect to achieve.

1:26And here's a reminder of that slide we saw before for those different measures

1:30for cost

1:31benefit analysis.

1:32And in the interests of this skill being all about giving you a bit more

1:36information

1:36to help you with the exam, what I have done, and I've given you this document

1:40in this skill,

1:41is created just a little cheat sheet for you.

1:45Because I'm very aware that I didn't want to sidetrack too much on giving you

1:48all the

1:48detail and all of these different financial measures for possibly relatively

1:52few questions

1:53in the exam where you might have to calculate these.

1:56Some of you will know this already from having studied for the PMP.

1:59But if you're not feeling very comfortable with this, you might be thinking, oh

2:02, well,

2:03if I was going to put a bit of effort into learning something to help me with

2:05these financial

2:06measures, what should that be?

2:07Well, that's what this cheat sheet is all about.

2:09This is kind of what I think is the minimum that you should perhaps be studying

2:13if you

2:13did need to fill in a few gaps around these financial measures and whatnot.

2:17So you've got that document to work through if you need to.

2:20But what I would like to draw your attention to ready for the next analysis

2:23technique is

2:24opportunity cost.

2:25So do you remember we talked about that as being a consideration in our cost

2:29benefit

2:30analysis because we do have to consider what are we giving up in order to

2:33invest in this

2:34one or what are our people not doing if they're doing tasks related to this

2:39initiative.

2:40So there's an opportunity cost that's always there to be considered.

2:43So hold that thought because next on our list for analysis techniques is

2:47comparative advantage

2:49analysis.

2:51Now comparative advantage is an economy's ability to produce a particular good

2:56or service

2:57at a lower opportunity cost than its trading partners.

3:01Now you'll notice I haven't written up that definition for you and you might be

3:04thinking,

3:05oh, that has blown my mind.

3:07But don't worry, this is a term used in economics.

3:10But for us though, I just want us to think of it as a tool that might be useful

3:14to supplement

3:15a feasibility analysis.

3:17So it does lead us on quite well from the feasibility analysis.

3:20And if you're wondering why I've got a picture of a man painting a house here,

3:24well that's

3:24because I'm going to skip straight to an example to explain the principle of

3:28comparative advantage

3:30rather than trying to give you an economics lesson.

3:33So I've gone to the investor PDA website here.

3:37I highly recommend this if you want more background information and I have

3:40given you this link.

3:41It's a fantastic resource for anything to do with finances and investing and

3:45economics

3:46and whatnot.

3:47And I really did like the article on comparative advantage.

3:50So this is your resource if you do want more background information.

3:53But I am going to hop straight to the example because I thought this was really

3:56rather brilliant

3:57and I thought to myself, well, rather than trying to dream up my own example,

4:01why don't

4:02I just use the one that's explained really rather well on this website.

4:05And in fact, let me just zoom in a bit to the actual text so that I can talk

4:09you through

4:09this.

4:10So first paragraph here, as an example, we're going to consider a famous

4:14athlete such as

4:15Michael Jordan.

4:17So as a renowned basketball and baseball star, Michael Jordan is an exceptional

4:22athlete whose

4:23physical abilities surpass those of most other individuals.

4:27So therefore Michael Jordan would likely be able to say, paint his house pretty

4:32quickly,

4:33owing to his abilities as well as his impressive height.

4:36So that's why I had that little graphic of a man painting a house.

4:39So what we're saying here is that Michael Jordan could of course paint his own

4:44house

4:44pretty well.

4:45He would do a perfectly good job at painting his own house.

4:48And because he's an athlete, he's going to have the physical stamina and the

4:52height to

4:52actually do a rather good job.

4:54But if we look at the first part of paragraph two here, so yes, let's say

4:59Michael Jordan

5:00could paint his house in eight hours, but in the same eight hours, he could

5:05also potentially

5:06take part in the filming of a TV commercial, which would earn him $50,000.

5:12So yes, although he could paint the house himself, in the same time it would

5:16take him,

5:17he could actually earn loads of money.

5:19So that represents a really high opportunity cost, doesn't it, for Michael

5:24Jordan?

5:24So if you move on to the second part of this second paragraph.

5:27So by contrast, Jordan's neighbour Joe could paint Jordan's house in maybe 10

5:32hours, so

5:33he could pay Joe to do it.

5:35And in that same time period, Joe could have worked at a fast food restaurant

5:39and earn

5:39$100.

5:40So that's what Joe would be missing out on.

5:42If he painted Jordan's house for him, you know, that's what he would miss out

5:45on.

5:45That's the opportunity he would be foregoing.

5:47If he painted Jordan's house for him, he'd miss out on that $100 wage for

5:51working at the

5:52fast food restaurant.

5:54And that is a much lower opportunity cost, isn't it, than Michael Jordan's

5:57opportunity

5:58cost.

5:59So therefore, this is where the idea of comparative advantage comes in.

6:04Joe has a comparative advantage due to his lower opportunity cost.

6:09Despite the fact that Michael Jordan could possibly do it faster and better.

6:14So the best trade would be for Michael Jordan to go ahead and film his TV

6:18commercial to

6:18earn all that money and pay Joe to paint his house.

6:21But here's the clincher.

6:23As long as Michael does indeed make the expected $50,000 and as long as Joe

6:29earns more than

6:30the $100 for the work he's missing out on, then the trade is a winner.

6:34We've got a win-win situation here.

6:37So that's comparative advantage.

6:39And so for us, as I say, don't let it blow your mind when we hear the

6:42definition talk

6:43about trading partners in an economy.

6:45No, for us, this kind of analysis is going to support the cost benefit analysis

6:49in the

6:50business case.

6:51So we understand our opportunity costs.

6:53We understand what work it makes sense to outsource, that kind of thing.

6:57And speaking personally, when I was a freelance trainer and copywriter, I'd be

7:01doing all sorts

7:02of odd jobs on a freelance basis for lots of different clients.

7:05I would always be considering, well, okay, this particular work I've been

7:08offered on,

7:09this particular date, that will pay me a certain amount.

7:12I traded off against other work I might get offered.

7:15It's a useful way to understand what work we should take on, what work we

7:18should not

7:19take on, and what work we could outsource.

7:21And looking at the time, I think we should take a pause there and wait for the

7:24next video

7:25to talk about the next couple of analysis techniques.

0:00Having looked at feasibility analysis and the idea of comparative advantage in

0:04the last video,

0:05in this video I'd like us to tackle SWAT and PESTEL.

0:09Now the SWAT analysis is going to be really useful to help us assess various

0:14internal and external factors or forces

0:17that are having an impact on our program and certainly in the context of risk

0:22analysis

0:22we're going to be using a SWAT analysis to help us identify risks and what they

0:25might mean to us

0:26and the SWAT analysis will also absolutely be on our list of tools when it

0:30comes to performing the environmental assessments

0:33that we talked about in the strategic align domain skill.

0:36But also the SWAT analysis will play an important part in putting together the

0:41business case.

0:42So let's take a look at it.

0:44So SWAT SWOT comes from these four words here, strengths, weaknesses,

0:49opportunities and threats.

0:51So we're examining factors which represent these four areas here.

0:56And strengths and weaknesses tend to be described as things internal to our

1:01organization

1:02whereas opportunities and threats tend to be things external to our

1:05organization.

1:06You'll see some examples in a second.

1:08While the left-hand side, the strengths and opportunities are seen to be things

1:12that are positive,

1:12you know, they're going to help us out when it comes to our program

1:15and then the right-hand side are the negatives.

1:17Those are the things that could be causing us a problem or could be holding us

1:21back.

1:21So let's look at a few examples.

1:23So when it comes to looking at strengths, we're asking ourselves,

1:26"Well, what gives us a competitive advantage?

1:29What have we got on our side here that's going to help us with this program or

1:32this initiative?"

1:33So it might be something like, "Yay, we've successfully delivered two other

1:37very similar initiatives."

1:39You know, that's a strength.

1:40We've got form.

1:41We've proved that we can do this.

1:43But that also could lead us to understand what weaknesses we might have.

1:47So having understood, yeah, that's a good strength.

1:49We've done this before.

1:50We might then realize, "Hmm, perhaps we're too reliant on certain key team

1:54members."

1:55So our weaknesses are all about properties to our internal environment that

1:59might cause us a problem.

2:00So yeah, we might be reliant on some key team members and if they were to leave

2:04,

2:04that is going to cause us a problem.

2:06So that's a weakness.

2:07Opportunities, however, is where we look at what situations or trends or

2:12circumstances around us,

2:13you know, outside of our organization, you know, what other things are going on

2:17that might be a reason for us to pursue this particular initiative and, you

2:21know,

2:21have a good outcome with it.

2:22So it might be something like, "We've identified an opportunity whereby,

2:26if we qualify as an educational program, we might get funding."

2:30So I was using this example.

2:32I mean, let's imagine we're putting together a language learning app and let's

2:36say our local

2:36government does have grants available for people putting together learning

2:39resources.

2:40You know, we might qualify for that extra funding.

2:42That's an opportunity that could help us out if we decided to pursue this

2:46particular initiative.

2:47Whereas threats, of course, are negative things.

2:51They are things that might be happening in the world around us that could cause

2:54us a problem.

2:54So something like, " Potential new legislation could slow down our processes."

2:58There might be changes to the way we have to do things that are going to cause

3:02us a problem,

3:02that's going to threaten our productivity, it's going to threaten our

3:05profitability,

3:06it's going to threaten the success of our, you know, of our initiative.

3:10So as you can see, the SWOT analysis is a tool to help us organize important

3:15factors into these

3:15four categories here.

3:17And these four categories are really useful indicators of success or failure of

3:21a business

3:21initiative.

3:22So it's a way for us to establish a clear and common understanding of various

3:27categories of

3:27influences that are going to impact the success of our program.

3:30And it's a really useful technique that we can use to get a brainstorming

3:34session flowing

3:34when we are trying to identify risks or trying to understand whether this is

3:38indeed a good

3:39business opportunity to pursue.

3:40But we do need the right people in the room to do that brainstorming session

3:44and it certainly

3:45needs to be well facilitated.

3:46So that's probably the program manager that's facilitating this session.

3:49So it needs to be well run.

3:51We also need to make sure that we are honest when we do our SWOT analysis,

3:55particularly when it comes to, for example, looking for our weaknesses, looking

3:59internally

3:59at ourselves.

4:00What are our weaknesses in terms of considering whether this is a good

4:03initiative to pursue?

4:04So we have to be honest.

4:05And although the SWOT analysis is really common at the very beginning of a

4:09program

4:10when we're initiating it, we should also repeat it periodically when the

4:14program is underway

4:15to assess what's changed and therefore what that means for our program in terms

4:18of strategic

4:19alignment.

4:20So that's our SWOT analysis.

4:22Next on the list we've got PESTLE analysis.

4:25And again, this provides a mechanism or perhaps framework is a better word for

4:31analyzing

4:31the environment from many different angles, six of them to be precise.

4:35And this will be a perfect technique to use for our environmental assessment

4:39element of the strategic alignment performance domain.

4:42And it is a mnemonic PESTLE to help us remember these six categories of

4:45external factors,

4:46which of course we shall go through.

4:48So the P stands for political.

4:51So this is where we're looking at things like government stability and how that

4:55might

4:55impact our program.

4:56We're looking at any political policies such as trade deals.

5:00In fact, here in the UK, when we left Brexit a few years ago now,

5:04that had a big impact on businesses in terms of how they could actually trade

5:08with the European

5:09Union.

5:10And it's going to be things like any taxation changes.

5:13Different governments might have different opinions on how it comes to taxing

5:16different

5:17industries and whatnot.

5:18And of course that taxation changes suggestion leads me on to the E and the E

5:23is for economic.

5:24So this is where we're talking about inflation and economic growth.

5:28You know, it's going to be things like interest rates and currency rates.

5:31All of these kinds of things happening around us in terms of the economy

5:35and finance might have an impact.

5:37It's certainly worthy for consideration when we're looking at a particular

5:40initiative or a program.

5:41The S stands for social.

5:44So this is where we will be looking at population trends.

5:47We might be looking at demographics of our audience, of our customer base.

5:51We're going to be understanding cultural trends.

5:53We'll be taking a look at lifestyle changes.

5:55The T is for technological.

5:58So of course, this is where we're looking at advancements and innovations

6:01that are happening around us that might impact how we go about doing our

6:04business,

6:05how or if we go ahead and do this program.

6:08It's also going to be helping us to understand what new capabilities could

6:11either help us

6:12or compete with us when it comes to putting together whatever service or

6:15product we're trying

6:16to put together.

6:17And also what trends in the field of technology that we might need to

6:20understand or to support.

6:22So for example, things being cloud based people expect to be able to access

6:26services

6:26from their phones from from any device.

6:28So therefore, that's a trend in the world of technology that we should consider

6:32supporting

6:32in whatever product or service we're putting together.

6:35The second E of our list here, well, that stands for environmental.

6:39So this is going to be things like sustainability and our carbon footprint.

6:43It's all about climate change and responsibility and respect for the world

6:47around us in terms

6:48of the environment and, you know, our waste disposable or recycling efforts.

6:52And this could apply to either our processes internally and or the product that

6:57we are producing.

6:58The L, well, that stands for legal.

7:01So this is where we're talking about things like data privacy policies or it

7:05could be health

7:06and safety policies, anything like that that's going to impact how we do work,

7:10how we carry out

7:10our business, how we capture data, how we implement our processes.

7:14It could be other consumer rights or even labor rights.

7:17And yes, that is how we spell labor here in the UK.

7:20And there are going to be other industry or local regulations that we need to

7:23abide by as well.

7:25But many of these factors here will be interrelated.

7:27So for example, political policies might drive the industry and local

7:31regulations that we have

7:33to abide by, which in turn might set standards for how we perform our waste

7:37disposal and what

7:39particular carbon footprint we should be trying to achieve or a booming economy

7:43might drive

7:44certain lifestyle changes. So they are interwoven, but very much like a SWOT

7:49analysis,

7:49the PESTLE framework does give us a good framework for brainstorming.

7:53So this is going to be invaluable for our environmental assessments and for

7:56risk identification.

7:58But again, like the SWOT analysis, these sessions need to be well facilitated

8:02with everybody understanding the purpose of the brainstorming session and we

8:05need to have

8:06the right people in the room as well. So there we go. That's SWOT and PESTLE.

8:10Stand by for the next video where we will tackle the last four of our list.

0:00Okay, we've checked the first four off our list here and I reckon the last four

0:04here

0:04we can tackle all in one video. So we shall begin this video then with

0:08assumption analysis.

0:10And this is where we explore the validity of any assumptions made. So let's

0:14consider

0:15this, starting by making sure we understand what we mean by an assumption. So

0:19an assumption

0:19is something that we consider to be true for planning purposes. But critical in

0:24that

0:25sentence there is that we consider something to be true, but it's not actually

0:29necessarily

0:30true. We don't have any proof or confirmation that it is actually true. I mean

0:33it might

0:33be true, but you know, we're not certain that it is. But why do we need

0:37assumptions?

0:38Well, the idea is we make assumptions in order to fit in the gaps when

0:41information is not

0:43yet available because at the early stages we might not have all of the

0:46information that

0:47we need to be able to have definitive figures and values and the effort spent

0:52in confirming

0:53or proving something might outweigh the benefit of actually having it, whatever

0:56it is. So we

0:57use these best effort judgments to help us move forward with our planning

1:01because we

1:02don't want to hit a hard stop just because we don't know for sure exactly how

1:06much something

1:07is going to cost or exactly how long something will take. Sometimes we just

1:11need to make

1:12an intelligent guess and use that guess as a basis for further planning. That's

1:17an assumption.

1:18So for example, when we're putting together our business case, you know, we

1:22need to have

1:22some kind of cost estimate. Well, that is just a cost estimate. And as part of

1:27putting

1:27together that cost estimate, we will have made certain assumptions such as

1:32assuming that

1:33we need for developers costing however many dollars, then we estimate the cost

1:37is going

1:37to be whatever it is. Or what about when we're putting together our draft

1:41financial framework?

1:42Again, we're making assumptions. We might say assuming that we do continue to

1:46receive

1:47funding as an educational provider, blah, blah, blah. You know, that has

1:51certain implications

1:51as to how we expect the flow of funds to actually pan out throughout the life

1:55cycle of our program.

1:58But here's the thing about assumptions. They might be wrong. You know, it's

2:02something that

2:03we are considering to be true, but without any proof or confirmation. And so

2:08the point,

2:08therefore, of assumptions analysis, well, actually, it's twofold. So firstly,

2:14because

2:14we have an assumption, what risk might they introduce if that assumption turns

2:19out to be wrong?

2:21So the assumption I gave you as an example a second ago, so assuming that we

2:24continue

2:25to receive funding, blah, blah, blah, well, that is just an assumption. So

2:28therefore,

2:29there is a risk that that assumption turns out to be wrong. And therefore, we

2:32don't continue

2:33to receive funding. So that is something that we need to consider as part of

2:37our risk

2:37identification and risk analysis. So that's the first element of assumptions

2:42analysis.

2:42What risk might they introduce if they turn out to be wrong? But secondly, as

2:46we progress

2:47through the program, are these assumptions still valid? So we might have

2:51originally assumed that,

2:53yeah, we think we need four developers costing a certain amount of money. Well,

2:56actually,

2:57now we've got more information. We now realize that we need six developers

3:00costing, obviously,

3:01a slightly larger amount of money. So how does that change things? What impact

3:05does that change

3:06have because the underlying assumption has now changed? Next on our list,

3:10though, we have

3:11historical analysis. And this is where we examine the outcomes of similar

3:16previous initiatives. So

3:18if we just take a take a look at that then and see why that might be useful. So

3:21as I just said,

3:22this is where we take a look at other similar past programs. And this is going

3:27to help us out

3:28in two ways. So outcomes of similar previous programs can help with both

3:32decision making

3:33processes and with planning. For example, at the business case level, we might

3:39be able to

3:39illustrate to management that this wonderful program that we did, you know, a

3:44few years ago

3:44turned out fantastically. And this new program we're proposing has got many

3:48similarities, blah,

3:49blah, blah. It can illustrate to management that there's some repeatable

3:52success that we could

3:53put into play here. It could indicate that we have a greater chance of success

3:58of successfully

3:59completing this other similar program. And in terms of planning, if we look at

4:03other similar

4:04past initiatives, then it can help us understand what went well and what didn't

4:09go well in those

4:09other similar programs. We can learn from those lessons learned documentation

4:14to understand what

4:15unforeseen events occurred, where were the budget overruns, just as an example,

4:19why did they happen,

4:20what can we learn from that, how can we avoid those pitfalls in this program in

4:24order to make

4:25it more successful. With trend analysis next on our list here, well, this is

4:30where we forecast

4:31future results based on actual results that we have evidence for. So at the

4:36simplest level,

4:37it may be that let's look at a little chart here, we've got some actual results

4:42. Now, these might

4:43be from quality checks or whatever, but we've got some actual results that are

4:46happening right now.

4:47And then as I said, the simplest level, we might simply draw a trend line

4:50through that to anticipate

4:52what the future results might be if they were to follow the same trend. So at

4:57the simplest level,

4:58as I said, you're simply sticking a trend line on a chart there. The actual

5:01textbooks will say

5:02this much more grandly, they'll talk about using mathematical models to

5:06continue trends. But in the

5:08context of strategic alignment, this is going to help us look ahead for

5:12potential areas of

5:13misalignment with a view to giving us the opportunity is a bit of a heads up to

5:17correct any undesirable

5:19trends in order to minimize the impact of them. So, you know, we can take

5:22action to get back on

5:24track as it were. And then finally scenario analysis. So you can see here, this

5:30is all about the

5:31evaluation of possible scenarios in order to predict their effect. And I tend

5:35to think of scenario

5:36analysis as kind of like a game of what if. So we're asking ourselves the

5:41question,

5:41what if the situation represented by scenario X happens? And that scenario X is

5:48basically any

5:48risk that we've identified as something which might happen, which might impact

5:52our program.

5:53So yes, scenario analysis is an approach that we will use in our risk

5:58management activities.

5:59And the reason for the crystal ball and the fortune teller here is that

6:03scenario analysis is

6:04considered to be a forward looking approach because we consider a range of

6:08possible future outcomes

6:11based on the current uncertain conditions. The point being, of course, having

6:16peered into our

6:16crystal ball and considered these possible future outcomes, we're better able

6:20to develop

6:21effective risk management strategies in order to deal with them. So, there we

6:26go. That's all

6:27eight analysis techniques which we could be using in the strategic alignment

6:30performance domain.

0:00If you're preparing for the program management professional certification from

0:04the PMI,

0:04then you've probably got an eye on the exam content outline to give you

0:08guidance on what

0:09you might need to know for the exam.

0:11And indeed, in this video, I'd like us to pick up on some skills and knowledge

0:15listed

0:15on that outline and see how we might apply them to the performance domain of

0:20strategic

0:20alignment.

0:21And so if we just quickly look at that outline now, I'm going to pick up on one

0:25or two things

0:25from this list, which are listed as being specific to the strategic alignment

0:29domain,

0:29one, and you might notice that we have already covered most of these, and a few

0:34things from

0:34towards the end of this document as well, so some core skills and some other

0:38areas of

0:38knowledge.

0:39But I should also say, though, if you are not preparing for certification, then

0:43don't worry,

0:43I'm not going to be harping on about the exam.

0:45We're simply going to be exploring the strategic alignment domain from a

0:48slightly different

0:49angle and seeing how we will apply a variety of skills to it, all with the goal

0:53of improving

0:54your program management mindset and bolstering your understanding of what's

0:58involved in this

0:59domain.

1:00Now, when we discussed some aspects of the role of program manager, and one of

1:04the introductory

1:05skills in this course, we did see that in order to be effective in the program

1:09manager

1:10role, you had to have some really good business and financial know-how, and

1:14this was the slide

1:15we saw back then, but having that good solid business knowledge is a really

1:19important part

1:20of the role, especially when we see the number of entries on the exam outline

1:24to do with business.

1:25So let's run through some of these that I plucked from that document I showed

1:28you a second ago.

1:30So we need a good solid understanding of the business strategy and the business

1:34objectives

1:35for our organization.

1:37Otherwise, how can we ensure strategic alignment?

1:40I mean, our goal, of course, is to understand and to manage the way that our

1:45program plan

1:46fits in with the strategic plan of the organization and to ensure that we

1:50maintain alignment with

1:52that strategic plan.

1:54And it is such a shame, I think, sometimes when a program manager just gets

1:57given a program

1:58to manage in apparent isolation, you get this sometimes in very large

2:01businesses, somebody

2:02gets hired as a program manager to simply oversee and execute a collection of

2:07projects

2:08as it were.

2:09And I think that's a real shame that they don't get an opportunity to add the

2:12strategic

2:13alignment side of things, because I think this is an area where a program

2:16manager really

2:17can add value.

2:18You'll also see I've got business environment on the list here, so of course,

2:22we need to

2:23be continually monitoring the business environment that we are operating in.

2:28And there's quite a good little business catchphrase that you will sometimes

2:31see here, which is

2:32"vuka vuca".

2:34And this is a bit of a trendy buzzword, which basically means that our

2:37environment might

2:39be volatile, that's the V, uncertain, that's the U, the C is complex and the A

2:44is ambiguity.

2:46So sometimes when we are working in these vuka environments, we need to

2:49continually monitor

2:50them to understand its impact.

2:52And of course, we talked a little bit about some tools that we might be using

2:55to help us

2:56understand that, to analyze the environment, such as SWOT and PESTLE and what

3:00not.

3:01When it comes to business models, well, we're talking things like, you know, we

3:05might be

3:05operating with a subscription model or a retail model.

3:08It's understanding what the model is that our organization is using to do

3:11business.

3:12So of course, we need a solid understanding of our business model.

3:16But also, I think a general understanding of different business models as part

3:19of our

3:20business know-how in order to be effective in our role.

3:23Having an awareness of other business models can give us a greater depth of

3:27understanding

3:27as to what exactly makes a business tick.

3:30And then finally, business ethics.

3:32Well, when it comes to talking about ethical principles and moral or ethical

3:36problems that

3:37could arise in a business environment, well, it's all about doing the right

3:40thing, isn't

3:41it?

3:42And it is tricky because we've got to focus here on strategic alignment, so

3:45therefore

3:46canceling a project might be necessary in order to maintain strategic alignment

3:51.

3:51But that might mean people losing their jobs.

3:54And so we do need to act morally and ethically in these tricky business

3:59situations.

4:00But next on my list, I've got executive level presentation.

4:04And let's think of this in the context of presenting a business case or getting

4:08the

4:08programme charter approved.

4:10And this might be your only shot to present to senior management.

4:13So you've got to get it right.

4:15They are busy people.

4:16If you mess it up, they're not likely to say, oh, don't worry, come back and

4:20have another

4:20go next week.

4:21So we need to make sure that we talk their language as it were.

4:25We need to show them how the programme contributes to the organisation's

4:30mission and vision.

4:32And if you think about this, as programme managers, we are uniquely positioned

4:37to link

4:38the business strategy to the programme's outcomes.

4:41We need to be crystal clear on why senior management needs to consider this

4:45programme.

4:46And once we have clarified the why and, you know, that they're bought in, the

4:51first question

4:52they're going to ask is, well, how much is this going to cost and how long will

4:55it take?

4:56So you need to be ready with those answers.

4:59You need to be clear and succinct.

5:01They are busy people.

5:02You've got to cut the chase and provide the top level information that they

5:06need in order

5:06to be able to make a decision.

5:08But do be ready to provide backup information if required, but equally be ready

5:13to summarise

5:14if you do get drawn into another level of detail.

5:16You've got to be really sensitive as to whether lengthy side tracks are really

5:19what they're

5:20interested in or not.

5:22And an important part of all of this will be managing expectations.

5:26And of course, the skill of managing expectations could be exercised at any

5:30time throughout

5:31the programme lifecycle in many different ways, and it will apply to all

5:35domains.

5:35But in the context of the business case and the charter, we need to manage

5:39expectations

5:40around the level of detail we're able to provide at that early stage of the

5:44programme.

5:45For example, we might get a senior executive saying, I can't authorise this

5:50programme

5:50until I know exactly how much it's going to cost.

5:55And so yes, we need to set some expectations here because those estimates are

5:59going to

6:00become more accurate as planning progresses.

6:03And there is a cost associated with the next level of planning, isn't there?

6:07You know, we need the thumbs up to go ahead and plan a bit further before those

6:10estimates

6:11will become more accurate.

6:12So it's about setting expectations that at this early stage, these are just

6:15estimates.

6:16And we need to be very clear about what assumptions that we have made.

6:19And we need to reassure them that, yeah, we will revise and review these

6:23assumptions.

6:24Remember that assumptions analysis that we talked about in the last video, I

6:27think.

6:27We need to understand that different stakeholders will have different

6:30priorities, so therefore

6:31their expectations will be different.

6:33And they'll have different requirements that have different priorities in their

6:36minds.

6:36They'll have different appetite for risk, for example.

6:39And therefore we do need to be very transparent about risk.

6:42We need to explain those high level risks.

6:44And we also need them to understand that we're going to be expanding on this

6:47initial risk

6:48assessment in order to build a robust risk management strategy.

6:52And that risk is going to be monitored and managed throughout the entire

6:55programme lifecycle.

6:56But at this stage, we've just got high level risks.

7:00But anyway, I sidetracked onto this managing expectations skill after talking

7:03about executive

7:04level presentation.

7:06But in addition to that, we do have listed presentation tools and techniques.

7:11And of course, we could have a whole separate course on presentation tools and

7:14techniques,

7:15but just a few points to note here.

7:17So firstly, be prepared.

7:19Practice really does make perfect.

7:21Even experienced presenters should run through the presentation in advance

7:25because great presentations

7:26don't happen by mistake.

7:28And it does take time to put together an effective presentation.

7:31For example, if you're putting together slides, then you need to put time aside

7:34to create

7:35those slides.

7:36And don't forget you don't have to use slides at all.

7:38There are other ways of giving a presentation.

7:41Consider what your audience needs to know.

7:43Be careful about having just one generic status update presentation that you

7:47use for

7:48everybody.

7:49Different audiences will want different levels of detail.

7:51They'll have different priorities.

7:52So consider the needs of your audience.

7:54Make sure you are familiar with the tools that you're using so it could be as

7:57simple

7:58as using PowerPoint effectively.

8:00But if you're using some sort of video conferencing tool, then you need to be

8:02confident sharing

8:03your screen and making sure that you can share your slides.

8:07If you're using equipment in a presentation room that's using a projector or a

8:10microphone,

8:11then you need to make sure that you are prepared and you're organized and you

8:13know how to use

8:14the kit.

8:16And then finally, use visual representations rather than text wherever you can.

8:23And I was messing with you here.

8:25But look at this slide.

8:26How did you feel about what you were looking at while I was talking just now?

8:30Because there was no animation nor any visual indicators as to which bullet

8:34point I was

8:34talking about at any one time was there.

8:36You couldn't help it read ahead could you?

8:38And not only were there no visual markers on this slide to keep you with me,

8:41but there's

8:42nothing on here to differentiate this slide from potentially 10 other slides of

8:46plain text

8:47bullets.

8:48Well, not until I added the little laughing face anyway.

8:50And if you've got lots of slides that look like this, then you really do have

8:53death by

8:54PowerPoint.

8:55But it does take time to put together an effective presentation.

8:59You know, choosing the graphics, creating diagrams, using animation.

9:03Believe you me, my manager sometimes asked me, why did that skill take you so

9:06long?

9:07And I can honestly say that creating my visuals was a big chunk of the time

9:10taken.

9:11That's one reason why we use the scribbles so extensively on our slides and our

9:14chalkboards.

9:15It's a really time efficient way to add some visual interest and to keep you

9:18with us as

9:19we're explaining stuff to you.

9:21And when I was talking through this slide without using anything extra, I had

9:24to really sit on

9:24my hands to not add the extra scribbles while I was talking through this boring

9:28slide.

9:29But anyway, for us, a good example of a visual representation rather than text

9:33is going to

9:34be the roadmap.

9:35So this is clearly a visual representation of how the components of the program

9:40might

9:40map out and where the milestones and the key decision points might be.

9:45So compare what you're looking at now to a text based version of a similar

9:48thing.

9:49I mean dreadful, absolutely dreadful.

9:51And to illustrate the problem of having lots of text based slides one after the

9:55other, well,

9:56this is all about the program roadmap, supposedly.

9:59There's that original slide about the presentation tools and techniques.

10:02If I just go back to the roadmap one, back to the presentation techniques, they

10:06just look

10:06the same.

10:07There's nothing that makes them stand out.

10:09So slides like this are horrible.

10:11Next on my list though is facilitation.

10:14Now presenting is a different skill to facilitation.

10:18So what we mean by facilitation is well, we're not presenting, we're not in

10:22broadcast mode,

10:23we're facilitating some kind of collaborative session such as running a meeting

10:27or a brainstorm

10:28or a problem solving workshop or a focus group, et cetera.

10:32And again, we could have a whole separate course on facilitation skills, but

10:36just to

10:36get you thinking, first of all, prepare.

10:39So make sure that you do invite the right people and consider the room layout

10:44of the

10:44place you're going to run this session, whatever it might be.

10:47So theatre style, for example, might be suitable for presentation, but not for

10:51a session where

10:51you're expecting interaction.

10:53So something I think like this would be much better, a U-shape configuration

10:57like this

10:57where people have got desks to write on, particularly if you've got activities

11:00for them to do during

11:02the session.

11:03And if you have got activities that you want them to do, maybe you want them to

11:06write stuff

11:06off on flip chart paper or write things on post-it notes, then you need to have

11:10those

11:10props ready.

11:12You need to, again, be comfortable with the tools that you're using, whether

11:15they're

11:15electronic tools, maybe for an online session, and you need to have decided on

11:19the timings

11:20and the agenda and the structure of the session in advance.

11:23We also need to make sure everybody is clear on the goal of the session.

11:27So you've gathered everybody together for some kind of interactive meeting,

11:30whatever

11:30it might be.

11:31Well, you've got to be really sure that they know why they are there.

11:35What is the problem we're solving?

11:36Or what is it that we're supposed to be brainstorming on?

11:38We need to understand why we're there.

11:40And depending on the type of session it is, you might need to set some ground

11:44rules.

11:45So if it is a problem solving workshop, then potentially tensions might be

11:48running high.

11:49We have to help people behave in a way that's going to be productive.

11:53So maybe you say, right, no phones in this session, or maybe we say, look, you

11:57never disregard

11:58somebody else's input.

11:59We respect everybody's contributions.

12:02And then when we're facilitating any type of collaborative meeting, we need to

12:06actively manage

12:07participation and interaction.

12:10So who needs encouragement to share their view and who needs to shut up?

12:14You know, it's up to us to manage that.

12:16If there is somebody that's talking too much, if they're stopping other people

12:19from talking,

12:20then we need to say to them, you know, thank you for your contribution, Wendy.

12:23I think Lula actually has got something to say now.

12:25We need to be brave enough to do that.

12:28And all of these facilitation techniques will apply when it comes to brainstorm

12:33ing, which

12:33is yet another thing from our list of possible skills.

12:36So brainstorming, of course, is an efficient way of generating a wide range of

12:41ideas from

12:42a variety of different perspectives.

12:44And I think we can safely say that the SWOT analysis and the PESTLE analysis is

12:49going

12:49to be very much examples of brainstorming we might do in the strategic

12:54alignment domain.

12:55And an example of a ground rule that you might want to set as per the fac

12:59ilitation tips

13:00would be this, forbid the NO-BUT response to an idea.

13:05Let's imagine you're running a brainstorm to try and solve a problem.

13:08And somebody says, hey, how about we do this?

13:11And then somebody else says, oh, no, but that'll never work.

13:14We need to forbid that type of response because it means that the poor person

13:18that just tried

13:18to contribute then, you know, probably isn't going to say anything else again

13:21for the rest

13:21of the session.

13:23Because this is the type of interaction that we want in a brainstorming session

13:27.

13:27Every idea, any idea is a good idea.

13:30And we need to bounce ideas off each other rather than saying, oh, no, that'll

13:34never

13:34work.

13:35And then finally, we need to potentially be inventive about how we can

13:39encourage participation,

13:41particularly in the case of HIP-O.

13:43Now, have you heard of HIP-O?

13:44So HIP-O means the highest paid person's opinion.

13:47So the danger of having senior executives in a brainstorming session means that

13:52their

13:52opinion wins.

13:53I mean, if a chief executive says, oh, I think we should do this, well, who am

13:57I to

13:57say?

13:58Well, actually, I think it might be even better if we did that.

14:00So we need to be quite careful about this and be aware of the different people

14:05in the room.

14:06We might need to get inventive about how we get people to share their ideas.

14:10Maybe we get them to write things up on flip charts.

14:13Maybe we get them to write things on bits of paper anonymously.

14:15Lots of different ideas we could use to ensure participation from everybody.

14:21My goodness, that was a bit of a mammoth video.

14:23I am well aware that we covered a lot of ground there.

14:26So I'm not going to go through all of these again on the key takeaways.

14:28But just take a moment to reflect on this list here of the things that we

14:32talked about.

14:33And just remind yourself in your own mind as to how we might apply these skills

14:37and

14:37knowledge in the strategic alignment performance domain.

0:00Okay, let's run through the answers then. Starting with task number one,

0:04perform an initial

0:05program assessment by defining the program objectives, requirements and risks

0:09to ensure

0:09program alignment with the d-d-d-d-d-d-d-organizations strategic plan. So

0:13hopefully that was quite an easy one.

0:16Number two here, establish a what kind of roadmap. Well, it is going to be high

0:21level. I mean, it's

0:23certainly not detailed. I suppose draft might have been kind of correct, but

0:26high level

0:27is the term that we do tend to use in this context. Number three here, evaluate

0:32the

0:32program's what to develop, validate and assess the program objectives, priority

0:37, feasibility,

0:38readiness and alignment with the organization's strategic plan. Now your clue

0:42here was feasibility,

0:44because you might be thinking, oh, you know, is this the charter, is this the

0:47business case,

0:47but since you see feasibility, then that means we're talking about the business

0:51case. So that was

0:52the answer that I was after. Number four here, estimate the high level what and

0:57non-financial

0:58benefits, blah, blah, blah. Well, this was the high level financial framework.

1:03That's the term we

1:03see in the textbooks. You will remember from the last skill that this maps out

1:07the expected flow

1:08of funding for our program. And we will be creating this in the in the early

1:12stages of the life

1:13cycle. It's high level at this stage, but we will build upon it. And also, one

1:18of these tasks

1:19do mention benefits. For example, this mentions non-financial benefits. Now we

1:23're going to come

1:23back to talking in more detail about benefits because there's a whole separate

1:27performance

1:27domain on benefits. So if you wonder why I've glossed over, glossed over

1:31benefits, then don't

1:32worry, we're coming back to that. But task number five here, my goodness, you

1:36had three gaps to fill

1:37in. So the first gap, obtain organizational leadership, what approval for the

1:42program by

1:43presenting the what? Well, it's the charter that we present for approval. And

1:47that means we get

1:48authorization to initiate the program. And I bet you are looking for the word

1:53begin or start or even

1:55plan from the list of choices in the quiz question. But this task has been

1:59lifted directly from the

2:01PMI exam content outline. And yes, initiate is the word that they used. I hope

2:06this has been informative

2:07for you. And I'd like to thank you for viewing.