Alignment of large project management process to business strategy : A review and conceptual framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss in depth the factors that lead to misalignment between the project management (PM) and the business strategy by investigating four case studies in the telecommunications industry in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach – Due to the limited research on the subject of the alignment of PM and business strategy, the methodology used in this research was a case study in depth interview. Findings – The paper highlights the important factors that affect the process of aligning the PM to the business strategy. The companies that have strong alignment between the business strategy and the PM show successful projects outcome while the companies that have mismatch alignment show less successful projects outcome. Research limitations/implications – The paper has investigated four telecommunications companies only. However, more companies will be better to compare the finding. Due to time constrains, the research has studied one project in each company. Each project was supporting one of the company's business strategies. More projects and business strategies will lead to clear picture of the alignment. Access to executives’ managers and CIO's was difficult. Several meetings were cancelled without short notice. Practical implications – This paper helps the companies to implement their business strategies with embedding their projects in the overall strategy. Also, helps the PM team to execute the projects in a strategic way. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature with a clear explanation of the concept of the alignment and provides a framework to ensure the alignment between the large PM process and the business strategy is achieved.