Thanks for your comment. As you mention, the skills are very different - not good or bad - just different. It’s unfortunate that many organizations fail to realize this and as a result, they put people in jobs they’re ill-equipped to do. Ultimately, when the project fails, it may not be because the idea is the wrong one, but because the wrong person was at the helm.

Thanks,
Anand

I have studied strategic planning and the personality and approach of a good strategic planner is very different from a good project manager. Project managers tend to be practical and concrete. Strategic planners are often visionary and abstract.

A good portfolio manager will typically be concerned with the overall vision and goal first, and the methods to achieve them second. I know few project managers who can effectively create and innovate around strategy and vision. There is nothing wrong with that; it is just a different skill set.

I sometimes teach project managers about strategic planning, and I structure the course entirely differently than a typical course for strategic planners. Strategic planners like to hear about the process and the vision. Project managers usually prefer to start from their own projects and understand how they build up into programs and build up into vision and mission. Neither approach is wrong or right, but they are very different.

If you find this interesting, take a look at my site, http://www.alexsbrown.com, at some of the articles on strategic planning and portfolio management. I think you will find a similar perspective.