By Raymond Levitt
Program Highlights
~ Strategic planning requires measurable near-term objectives to ensure the right projects are executed well.
~ Successful execution, in turn, demands responsiveness to a continually changing environment.
~ The alignment of strategy and execution is an ongoing discipline of analytic engagement and agility.
In a business environment of fast-moving markets, global supply chains, and dynamic technologies, executing strategy is becoming increasingly difficult. How do you aim for a target that is constantly shifting - while standing on a platform that is constantly destabilized? Professor Levitt provides the answer: plan in detail only as far out as you can see; keep questioning your assumptions about your markets, resources, and competitors; and revise your rolling plan frequently as you track and resolve changing issues.
Dr. Levitt emphasizes the critical importance of aligning your organization's structure and culture with your strategy. He describes business failures caused by product value differentiation in conflict with core organizational strengths, leading companies to invest heavily in projects that did not meet the demands of the marketplace or became outdated before they could be released.
Professor Levitt serves as Director of Stanford's Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects and as Academic Director of the award-winning Stanford Advanced Project Management executive program.
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