Implementing a Project Management System
INTRODUCTION
“A project is a complex non routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, resources, and performance specifications designed to meet customer needs” (Gray/Larson Project Management)
Project Management (pm) is an evolving science. It is a flexible, efficient, innovative, and accountable way to get things done in today’s fast paced consumerist society. Pm is ideally suited to the business environment where product lead times are constantly being trimmed down, due to the rapid increase in global competition.
In the recent past, the general consensus in business was that strategic business and project management were two different disciplines. Strategy deals with the how’s of a business, how will it make profit? How will it grow? How will it attract new customers? By its nature PM is results orientated, it is how the strategy objectives are achieved. Today a new discipline is being employed, Strategic Project Management.
The first step in implementing a pm system is to align this style of management with the companies overall business strategy. Following this the firm must decide on the correct structure to use. Next, managers must create a culture within the firm where all employees share the company’s vision and accept this style of governance. The final two steps are implementing and evaluating the new system.
Over the following pages this report will examine, Strategy, Structure, Culture, and implementation & Evaluation individually. As this report deals with implementation of a project management system, the emphasis of the report is placed on the first three topics. The final section of this report examines a project management case study on Boeing, and the design of the new 777 aircraft. This case study gives working examples of good approaches, which are highlight in the report, to project management. STRATEGY
“A managerial commitment to pursue a particular course of action”
(Thompson, Strickland, Gamble,
“A project is a complex non routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, resources, and performance specifications designed to meet customer needs” (Gray/Larson Project Management)
Project Management (pm) is an evolving science. It is a flexible, efficient, innovative, and accountable way to get things done in today’s fast paced consumerist society. Pm is ideally suited to the business environment where product lead times are constantly being trimmed down, due to the rapid increase in global competition.
In the recent past, the general consensus in business was that strategic business and project management were two different disciplines. Strategy deals with the how’s of a business, how will it make profit? How will it grow? How will it attract new customers? By its nature PM is results orientated, it is how the strategy objectives are achieved. Today a new discipline is being employed, Strategic Project Management.
The first step in implementing a pm system is to align this style of management with the companies overall business strategy. Following this the firm must decide on the correct structure to use. Next, managers must create a culture within the firm where all employees share the company’s vision and accept this style of governance. The final two steps are implementing and evaluating the new system.
Over the following pages this report will examine, Strategy, Structure, Culture, and implementation & Evaluation individually. As this report deals with implementation of a project management system, the emphasis of the report is placed on the first three topics. The final section of this report examines a project management case study on Boeing, and the design of the new 777 aircraft. This case study gives working examples of good approaches, which are highlight in the report, to project management. STRATEGY
“A managerial commitment to pursue a particular course of action”
(Thompson, Strickland, Gamble,
Bibliography: TEXT BOOKS • Gray Larson (2007) Project Management, the managerial process, 4th ed • Kernzer Advanced Project Management • Morley, Moore, Heraty, Linehan, MacCurtain, (2004) Principles of Organisational Behaviour 2nd ed • Tiernan, Morley, Foley, (2001) Modern Management 2nd ed. Gill & McMillan • Thompson, Strickland, Gamble (2007) Crafting & Executing Strategy 15th ed JOURNAL ARTICLES Johnson, (2006) Project management and business processes a look at strategy, structure processes, and projects Milliar (2006) Climbing the project management maturity ladder. Knowledge Ireland. (Lecture handout) Websites