This book covers the framework of project management, a discipline that is topical in many quarters. The aims of `Project Management Framework’ are to understand project management and to stimulate and contribute to a structured way of thinking in applying this discipline. In this work, a systems view to project management is described, based on the realization that management is a synthesis or inverse problem. One of the overriding reasons for writing this book was to counter the myriad of misconceptions and thinking errors that exist amount project management writers and practitioners. In addition, the usage of correct terminology and application of right level of thinking are discussed as factors contributing to the heart of more mature management practices.
The subject matter is developed in this edition through looking at the fundamentals of projects and management and subsequently through studying the chronological development of the project life cycle. In order to support theory, numerous case examples from diverse industries are included. Aspects that are generally not available elsewhere are highlighted, whereas project management material that is readily available in other texts has been deliberately omitted.
This book is intended to serve students, teachers and practitioners. As only very few prerequisites are needed apart from a basic interest in projects, some exposure to the discipline and a systematic thinking ability, this book serves a broad group of interested readers who want to know more about the discipline.
Table of Contents:
A. OVERVIEW
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General
1.2 Project Success and Under-Performance
1.2.1 Influences and criteria
1.2.2 Factors affecting a project’s outcome
1.3 Book Outline
Exercises
2 PROJECTS AND PROJECT LIFE CYCLES
2.1 Introduction
2.2 What is a Project?
2.2.1 Definitions
2.2.2 Attributes
2.2.3 Projects and subprojects
2.2.4 Programs
2.3 Project Phases
2.3.1 Changes
2.3.2 Phases
2.3.3 Phase transitions
2.3.4 Project life cycles
2.4 Some Humour
2.5 Project Types
2.6 Project Management
2.7 Phase Impact
2.7.1 General
2.7.2 The influence of early project phase work
2.7.3 Some studies
2.7.4 Reasons for not doing early project phase work
Exercises
3 WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Definitions
3.3 Ways of Looking at Project Management
3.3.1 What a project manager does
3.3.2 General
3.4 Is Project Management Different to General Management?
3.4.1 Comparison
3.4.2 Change
3.4.3 Management by projects
3.4.4 Projects and general management
3.5 Project Management as a Discipline
Exercises
4 SYSTEMATIC GENERAL PROBLEM SOLVING
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Problem Solving Process
4.3 Problem definition
4.4 Selecting Objectives
4.5 Generating Alternatives/Synthesising Systems
4.5.1 General
4.5.2 Idea generation
4.6 Analysis/Analysing Systems
4.7 Selecting the Best Alternative
Exercises
Appendix 4/1 Value Management
4/1.1 Group Problem Solving
4/1.2 Value Management Outline
4/1.2.1 Introduction
4/1.2.2 Value management process
4/1.2.3 Comparison
4/1.2.4 Closure
Exercises
Appendix 4/2 Risk Management
4/2.1 Preferred Definitions
4/2.2 Alternatives
4/2.3 Other Issues
4/2.4 The Risk Management Process
4/2.5 A Systematic Framework
Exercises
Appendix 4/3 Work Study
4/3.1 lntroduction
4/3.2 Work Study Outline
4/3.3 Method Study
4/3.4 Work Measurement
4/3.5 Relationship to Problem Solving
4/3.6 Reengineering
B. STARTING A PROJECT OFF
5 EARLY PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Exercises
6 A PROJECT'S ORIGIN
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Strategic Plan
6.3 Market Research
6.4 Opportunity Studies
6.5 Prior Obsolescence
6.6 Political Input
6.7 Tendering
6.8 Miscellaneous Sources
Exercises
7 OBJECTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS
7.1 Projects and Project Objectives
7.2 Alternative Names for Objectives
7.3 Characteristics of Objectives
7.4 Organisation Hierarchy and Objectives
7.5 Multiple Objectives
7.6 Constraints
7.7 Performance Measures
Exercises
8 PROJECT SCOPE
8.1 Scope Definition
8.2 Getting to the Scope
8.3 Scope Practices
Exercises
C. OTHER LIFE CYCLE ACTIVITIES
9 OTHER LIFE CYCLE ACTIVITIES
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Other Activities in Starting a Project Off
9.3 Main Issues in Progressing a Project
9.4 Main Issues in Finalising a Project
D. PROJECT EXAMPLES
10 MOVIE MAKING
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Project Phases
10.3 Project Management
10.4 Organisation Structure
10.5 Formal Project Management Practices Applied to Movie Making
Exercises
11 ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
11.1 Outline
11.2 Reasons for Change
11.3 Organisational Issues
11.4 Project Management Phasing
11.5 Problems Dealing with Change
11.6 Formal Project Management Practices Applied to Change
12 CONVERTING TO A PROJECT-BASED ORGANISATION
12.1 lntroduction
12.2 Organisational Issues Involved in Converting to a Project-Based Organisation
12.3 Practices for Dealing with Change Issues
13 TECHNICAL V NON-TECHNICAL PROJECTS
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Differences between Technical and Non-Technical Projects
13.3 Management Differences
Exercises
14 PROJECTS WITH ILL-DEFINED SCOPE
14.1 Some Issues
14.2 Scope Definition
14.3 General
14.4 Procedures for Managing Projects with Ill-Defined Scope
15 FAST-TRACKED PROJECTS
15.1 lntroduction
15.2 Managerial Problems Peculiar to Fast-Tracked Projects
15.3 Practices for Dealing with These Problems
Exercises
E. A FRESH LOOK AT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
16 SYSTEMS THINKING
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Systems-Subsystems
16.3 Single Level System
16.4 Fundamental Systems Problems
16.5 Management
16.6 The Optimal Control Problem
16.7 Optimisation Techniques
16.8 Planning
16.9 Project Management
17 STAGED (PHASED) DECOMPOSITION OF PROJECTS
17.1 Introduction
17.2 A Generalisation
17.3 Dynamic Programming
17.4 Pontryagin's Principle
17.5 Lower Level Decomposition of Projects
