Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Strategic Project Management Made Simple summary
Terry Dean Schmidt
Solution Tools for Leaders and Teams
15 mins
Brief summary
Strategic Project Management Made Simple by Terry Dean Schmidt is a practical guide that helps project managers develop and implement effective strategies. It offers valuable insights and tools for overcoming common project management challenges.
Table of Contents
Strategic Project Management Made Simple
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Your strategic foundation
Laying a solid strategic foundation is crucial to project success. To start, you need to define your objectives and link them in an “if-then” logic flow. The Logical Framework Approach, often shown as a LogFrame matrix, can help you here. It’s a tool for structured project planning and management that enables you to clearly outline a project’s main objectives and track their progress.
Here's a simplified structure of a LogFrame matrix:
In your first row, your goal encompasses the broader objective the project aims to contribute to. This is usually at the company level – where are you heading in the long term?
Next up is your purpose, or outcome – the direct impact of the project. You’ll get a little more specific here. Why are you doing this project, and how does it support your longer term goals?
Third are your outputs, which are the specific results or products that need to be produced to accomplish the purpose. Outputs are tangible deliverables that are totally in your team’s control.
In your final row, list your activities – the tasks that need to be done to achieve the outputs. These are your specific, day-to-day actions.
For each of these components, you’re going to look at four strategic questions to help you define the objectives, measurement metrics, assumptions, and specific plans of the project: What are you trying to accomplish, and why? How will you measure success? What conditions must exist? And how will you get there?
But before we dive into each of these critical questions, let’s talk about who’s going to be involved in answering them: the project stakeholders.
Want to see all full key ideas from Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
Key ideas in Strategic Project Management Made Simple
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Strategic Project Management Made Simple about?
Strategic Project Management Made Simple (2009) is a guide outlining how to develop clear and impactful strategies for projects of all sizes. It offers a practical framework for managing stakeholders, reducing risk, and building in learning cycles so you can adapt plans amid changing conditions.
Strategic Project Management Made Simple Review
Strategic Project Management Made Simple (2009) offers valuable insights into managing projects effectively and achieving successful outcomes. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It provides practical strategies for managing projects, helping readers navigate complex tasks and deliver results.
- With its step-by-step approach and real-life examples, the book offers readers a clear understanding of project management principles.
- The author's engaging writing style keeps readers captivated, ensuring that the book is anything but boring.
Who should read Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
- Executives and strategic planners
- Project managers
- Business owners and entrepreneurs
Categories with Strategic Project Management Made Simple
Book summaries like Strategic Project Management Made Simple
Learning Agile
Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban
17 min
4.3
The Elements of Scrum
Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson
A guide to every aspect of Scrum
16 min
4.1
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
32 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Strategic Project Management Made Simple FAQs
What is the main message of Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
Strategic Project Management Made Simple emphasizes the importance of effective project management for achieving success.
How long does it take to read Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
The reading time for Strategic Project Management Made Simple varies. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just a few minutes.
Is Strategic Project Management Made Simple a good book? Is it worth reading?
Strategic Project Management Made Simple is a valuable read for professionals looking to enhance their project management skills and achieve successful outcomes.
Who is the author of Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
The author of Strategic Project Management Made Simple is Terry Dean Schmidt.
What to read after Strategic Project Management Made Simple?
If you're wondering what to read next after Strategic Project Management Made Simple, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Transforming Project Management by Duane Petersen
- Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager by Kory Kogon
- Learning Agile by Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
- The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management by Zachary Wong
- The Elements of Scrum by Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson
- How to Work with (Almost) Anyone by Michael Bungay Stanier
- The 48 Laws of Power (new version) by Robert Greene
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
- Remote Work Revolution by Tsedal Neeley