<![CDATA[Background: Synchronization between central and local planning and budgeting is a prerequisite for the effective delivery of National Strategic Projects (PSNs; Indonesian: Proyek Strategis Nasional). However, most studies treat synchronization as an internal administrative process and rarely examine how it is reflected in national project delivery. Objective: This study examines the level of central–local planning and budgeting synchronization and how this synchronization is reflected in PSN achievement in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, while identifying the factors that constrain it. Methods: Using an applied qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with key informants from regional planning, finance, technical implementation, the regional secretariat, and the regional parliament. The data were analyzed through open and axial coding and triangulated with planning and budgeting documents and the provincial PSN matrix. Results: The findings reveal an asymmetric pattern: synchronization is relatively strong at the planning-document level but weakens at the budgeting and implementation stages. Among the thirteen PSNs reviewed, centrally financed projects descriptively showed greater progress, although differences in project characteristics prevent causal attribution to funding schemes alone. Limited fiscal capacity, the dominance of personnel expenditures, rigid financing regulations, top-down policy patterns, and weak institutional coordination were the principal constraints. Conclusion: The study contributes a resource-alignment perspective that compares document consistency, aggregate fiscal movements, and observed project progress. It recommends stronger two-way collaboration, greater regulatory flexibility in project financing, and improved regional fiscal capacity.]]>
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