PM War Stories #37 - Creating an SMO: How to Align Operations with Strategic Goals in Small & Medium Enterprises, Part 1

Download PMW_0037_SMO_Part1.mp3 (12.4 MB)

Small and medium enterprises (SME) typically are lean, agile organizations. On one hand, functional managers of SMEs often wear multiple hats and are focused on executing the day-to-day operations to ensure their organization’s survival. On the other hand, the executives of SMEs are charged with creating a strategic vision and executing on that vision to ensure the long-term viability of the organization. And oh by the way depending on the size of the organization, the executives may also be working in the trenches as well to maximize the chances to achieve success. 

Like their larger brethren, success requires SMEs to be able to not only articulate the strategic goals of the organization, but also to capture and implement them at all levels of the enterprise to ensure that all projects, not matter how small or large, are aligned to the enterprise’s overall strategy. The lack of a middle management layer in SMEs, however, often means that there is no one in the organization to help translate the vision of the executives into operational terms so that the entire enterprise and all of its projects (i.e., tactical activities) are working in concert to achieve the same common set of goals.

Strategic management offices (SMO) represent one approach to help SMEs align their tactical operations with their strategic planning, bridging the gap between the operations management and the executive suite while optimizing resource management and minimizing waste.

In this episode, we will examine what makes strategy implementation so difficult in SMEs, what is an SMO, and how does an SMO differ from a project management office (PMO).

To do this, Wayne Thompson sits down with his friend and colleague, Michael Kamel, for a two part interview on strategic management offices.

Michael has over a decade of experience in engineering and project management. Currently he works as a Senior Manager in Strategy & Operations at Deloitte where his practice covers the domains of strategic planning, strategy deployment, innovation strategy and project management. Recently he was named President Ex-Officio of PMI Montreal. Today he will be sharing his insights and war stories on aligning operational activities with strategic planning in small and medium enterprises.

Music Notes

1.     The opening of the show – “Pursuit”

2.     Interview with the industry insider – “Sprightly”

3.     The closing of the show – “Dogma”