# Initiative

A discrete body of work undertaken to advance a strategic objective, sitting above individual projects in the delivery hierarchy.

An initiative is a unit of strategic work — often spanning several projects or workstreams — created to move a specific objective forward. Initiatives are the level at which organizations usually prioritize investment and measure contribution to strategy.

Scoring initiatives against strategic objectives, then tracking their delivery and benefits, is how portfolios stay aligned to the outcomes leadership cares about.

### Commonly confused

A specific type of work — which is the problem. "Initiative" is a loose term for a discrete strategic effort; it may be a project, a program, or a workstream. Useful shorthand, but say which you mean before you resource it.

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