Project management and strategic initiatives intersect for increased sustainable competitive advantage

M.Comm.One of the challenges facing traditional stock broking firms, including Investec Securities, the firm used as the case study in the dissertation, is to strengthen and align their operational business to support the strategic initiatives of the revenue-generating component of the business, to enable them to deliver well diversified, top performing wealth generating investment products and services to the astute and knowledgeable investor of the 21st century. Projects and project management serve as primary capabilities of an organisation to respond to change and to strive to maintain a competitive advantage. Projects may be considered in the design and implementation of future strategies of the organisation. It is therefore necessary for management to shift their focus towards the simultaneous management of the whole collection of projects as one consolidated entity, linking the set of projects to the ultimate strategic business initiatives of the organisation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of implementing standardised project management methodologies in large stock broking firms in South Africa using Investec Securities, the largest stock broker in the country, as a case study. The secondary objectives were to assess the effectiveness of project management in the organisation, gain insight into the concept of standardised project management, and assess which methods the Project office applies to align strategic business initiatives with project expectations and delivery. Given the purpose and objectives of the study a qualitative approach was taken as the primary research methodology for the study. The sampling design was a purposive non-probability sample, and the survey population consisted only of individuals employed in Investec Securities that play an active role in the project management programme and/or strategy formulation of the organisation. Data was collected using the survey research method in the form of a questionnaire distributed to respondents with the purpose of obtaining a representative sample of the target population. This study aimed at gleaning respondent’s perceptions on project management, business strategy, and their alignment within the chosen organisation