Clear strategic alignment is key to a company’s success. Yet, many organizations overestimate how well employees understand and follow their corporate strategy. When alignment is unclear, program management and operations suffer, leading to inefficiencies and misdirection.
This disconnect was highlighted in a Harvard Business Review study that surveyed over 500 employees, from frontline staff to executives, across 12 companies. On average, employees believed their organizations had 82% strategic alignment. However, a deeper analysis of their descriptions of company strategy revealed actual alignment was only 23%.
This gap—two to three times lower than perceived—creates serious challenges in executing projects, managing programs, and ensuring smooth operations.
How Operations Managers Can Drive Business Alignment for Project Success
Achieving strong strategic alignment requires proactive leadership, clear communication, and continuous monitoring. Here are key steps operations and strategy leaders can take to ensure company-wide alignment for better project outcomes:
Setting Clear Objectives and Expectations
Strategic management models such as Management by Objectives (MBO) improve organizational performance by setting clear, agreed-upon goals between management and employees. This approach encourages participation, commitment, and alignment across the organization.
Executives must begin by defining clear, specific, and measurable objectives for each project. These objectives should directly connect to the company’s overall strategy. When teams understand how their work contributes to broader goals, they can align their efforts more effectively. Well-defined objectives also improve communication and collaboration, reducing misalignment risks across program and operations management.
Effectively Communicating Company Objectives
Communication plays a crucial role in strategic alignment. Executives should ensure that all employees understand the company’s objectives and how their roles fit into the bigger picture.
Regular communication channels—such as newsletters, and internal presentations—helps reinforce the company’s strategic direction. When employees see the direct impact of their work, they stay engaged, motivated, and aligned with organizational goals.
Monitoring Progress and Making Informed Decisions
Tracking progress is essential for maintaining alignment. Executives should establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure how well projects align with strategic objectives. Regular performance reviews reveal gaps, address deviations, and ensure projects stay on track. Additionally, empowering project managers to make decisions aligned with the strategy fosters a culture of accountability and project efficiency.
Maintaining a Project Management Office (PMO)
A Project Management Office (PMO) is designed to align company strategy with project execution. This dedicated team ensures that best practices, methodologies, and standards are consistently applied across projects, maximizing efficiency and value delivery. By aligning strategic goals and project management processes, a PMO helps organizations stay on track and achieve desired outcomes.
According to Statista, 82% of organizations worldwide now have a project management officer (PMO), emphasizing its growing importance. Additionally, the Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that companies adopting flexible, digitized project management solutions and providing mentoring and training programs experience an 8.3% increase in project performance.
A strategically designed Project Management Office (PMO) can significantly enhance business and strategy alignment. It promotes uniformity, facilitates clear communication between leadership and project teams, and ensures that all projects align with the company’s overarching goals.
Turning Strategy into Action: Partnering for Successful Outcomes
At Peridot Consulting Group (PCG), we collaborate with your team to create actionable plans, foster innovative design thinking, implement effective strategies, and ensure tangible results. From idea creation to final delivery, we partner with your team every step of the way to help your organization achieve its goals quickly and efficiently.
Let’s work together to harmonize your strategy with your projects, unleashing the complete potential of your organization.
Contact Peridot Consulting Group today and let’s align your strategy with your company’s goals, paving the way for successful project outcomes.