Is your team stuck in the project management triangle of time, scope, and cost? Shifting focus from these metrics could unlock real business value. Embrace an outcome-driven approach and redefine success with stakeholder engagement. Discover how to become a Strategy Navigator, aligning your projects with organizational goals. Strategies discussed will empower you to deliver greater impact and forge meaningful outcomes. Stop managing and start leading to accelerate your success!
An excessive focus on the project management triangle can obscure genuine business value and hinder meaningful project outcomes.
Engaging stakeholders early to define success collaboratively is crucial for aligning projects with actual business goals and enhancing value delivery.
Deep dives
The Triangle Trap in Project Management
Focusing excessively on the project management triangle, which consists of time, scope, and cost, can hinder the delivery of meaningful outcomes. In the case of Samantha, a new PMO leader, her dedication to adhering to this triangle led her to resist necessary changes that could have improved project alignment with business goals. Despite maintaining control over timelines and budgets, her projects ultimately failed to meet critical market needs, resulting in significant dissatisfaction among executives. This situation exemplifies how an over-reliance on traditional metrics can lead to misguided priorities that overlook the actual value delivered to the business.
Understanding Stakeholder Needs
To avoid the pitfalls associated with the triangle trap, it is essential to define success in collaboration with stakeholders before projects begin. Engaging stakeholders in discussions about their expectations and the desired outcomes helps ensure that projects are aligned with genuine business goals. By asking clarifying questions—such as what achieving success looks like and how it can be measured—project leaders can obtain meaningful criteria that guide project execution. This proactive approach fosters accountability and increases the likelihood that projects will deliver valuable results to the organization.
Shifting Focus to Business Value
Project leaders must shift their focus from merely delivering outputs to achieving substantive business outcomes. Continually assessing the value delivered throughout a project ensures that teams remain aligned with the overarching business goals rather than just meeting timeline and budgetary constraints. Additionally, traditional metrics like Earned Value Management (EVM) should be challenged, as they may indicate progress without truly measuring the impact of the project. By emphasizing real-world results and aligning project efforts with strategic objectives, project managers can enhance their value to the organization and contribute to meaningful change.
Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!
PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working
🚨 Is your team getting stuck in the Triangle Trap of time, scope, and cost? 🚨
In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the hard truth: focusing too much on these metrics could be blocking your projects from delivering the real business value your organization craves.
If you want to be more than a project manager—if you want to be a true Strategy Navigator—you need to shift your mindset from simply managing outputs to driving meaningful outcomes. 🎯
💡 Key takeaway: Learn how to break free from the triangle trap and start delivering real business value through your projects. It’s time to stop managing and start leading.
🎧 Tune in to unlock the strategies that will help you drive higher IMPACT, faster.
Accelerate your IMPACT!
P.S. 🚀 If you want to elevate your game and deliver real results that matter, listen to this episode. Let’s go beyond the basics!
Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!
I welcome your feedback and insights!
I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!
Warmly,
Laura Barnard
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