Creating value in project management using PRINCE2

This important research is published at a critical time in the history of PRINCE2. The world’s project managers are under incredible scrutiny and pressure to ensure their projects deliver quality on time and on budget – and even more so during a world recession. The research shows that PRINCE2 goes a long way to helping them achieve these goals. Although its origins began in the UK, PRINCE2 now has a truly international reach. We are delighted that the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has undertaken this global, thorough and informative research project. While it highlights the strengths of the methodology itself, the report also looks at the challenges organisations face when using a project management method such as PRINCE2. We’re sure the challenges will resonate with project managers around the world. Securing executive support to champion the adoption of PRINCE2, creating a robust business case and prioritising project governance are key issues that all project managers will grapple with during their career. The research also shows that to be thoroughly effective, organisations need to properly embed PRINCE2 and tailor it to suit their particular circumstances. Many successful organisations have sought the effective help of accredited consulting organisations to assist them in developing a programme to tailor and inculcate this method into their organisational culture. The latest version incorporates a whole chapter on tailoring PRINCE2. We believe that the publication of PRINCE2 Directing Successful Projects using PRINCE2 and the development of further support in the form of materials, mentoring and training for senior executives will be of significant benefit to contemporary project based organisations. The APM Group has already developed a qualification for sponsors in conjunction with the UK’s Home Office to help with this.

Acting and knowing in temporary and project-based organizing : turning from the practice world to a liberation praxeology?

The purpose of this article is to offer a critical discussion about the “practice” lens and its weaknesses in addressing acting and knowledge & competence development in the context of temporary and project-based organizing. I demonstrate that “practice turn” and “phronetic proposal” are dual and opposite perspectives within the “practice” world, none of them being fully relevant to grasp project organizing and that each of them maintain the opposition between the “observer” and the “natives “of the practices. I suggest an alternate style of reasoning in order to address the dissatisfaction in face of problems, antinomies, perplexities and contradictions generated by the dichotomous thinking: a liberation praxeology rooted in Aristotle philosophy aiming, through praxis & phronesis and practical acquired experience & perfecting actualization, at reconciling facts & values and means & ends, and Ethics & Politics in the quest for human happiness and social good through project organizing.

Knowledge governance in project-based organizations : theoretical and empirical approaches

This paper conceptualizes knowledge governance (KG) in project-based organizations (PBOs) and its methodological approaches for empirical investigation. Three key contributions towards a multi-faceted view of KG and an understanding of KG in PBOs are advanced. These contributions include a definition of KG in PBOs, a conceptual framework to investigate KG and a methodological framework for empirical inquiry into KG in PBO settings. Our definition highlights the contingent nature of KG processes in relation to their organizational context. The conceptual framework addresses macro- and micro-level elements of KG and their interaction. The methodological framework proposes five different research approaches, structured by differentiation and integration of various ontological and epistemological stances. Together these contributions provide a novel platform for understanding KG in PBOs and developing new insights into the design and execution of research on KG within PBOs.

A conceptualization of knowledge governance in project-based organizations

This paper conceptualizes and defines knowledge governance (KG) in project-based organizations (PBOs). Two key contributions towards a multi-faceted view of KG and an understanding of KG in PBOs are advanced, as distinguished from knowledge management and organizational learning concepts. The conceptual framework addresses macro- and micro-level elements of KG and their interaction. Our definition of KG in PBOs highlights the contingent nature of KG processes in relation to their organizational context. These contributions provide a novel platform for understanding KG in PBOs.

Management of project knowledge at various maturity levels in PMO, a theoretical framework

Management of project knowledge is a critical factor for project success. Project Management Office (PMO) is a unit within organisations to centrally facilitate, manage and control organisational project for improving the rate of project success. Due to increasing interest of developing PMO, the Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM) has been proposed to develop PMOs gradually. The PMMM contributes to evolvement of PMO from immature to mature level through addressing appropriate PM practices. Despite the importance of project knowledge, it has not been extensively investigated in project environments. In addition, the existing PMMMs not only do not address management of project knowledge, but also they recommend little criteria to assess the maturity of PMO from KM point of view. The absence of KM discussion in current PMMMs was defined as the subject of a research project in order for addressing KM practices at various maturity levels of PMO. In order to address the mentioned gap, a framework has been developed based on the current discussions of both PM and KM. The proposed framework comprises three premises: KM processes and practices, PMMM, and KM Maturity Model (KMMM). The incorporation of KMMM practices at various maturity levels of PMO is one of the significance of this framework. It proposes numbers of KM strategies, processes, and practices to address project knowledge management at various levels PMO. This framework shall be useful guidance for developing PMOs from KM perspective. In other words, it contributes to management of project knowledge, as a key for project success. The proposed framework follows the process-based approach and it could be employed alongside the current PMMMs for PMO development. This paper presents the developed framework, theoretical background, premises, proposed KM practices, and processes to be employed in Project-based Organisations and PMOs. This framework has been examined at numbers of case studies with different maturity levels. The case studies outcomes, which will be subjects for future papers, have not shown any significant contradiction yet, however, more investigations are being conducted to validate the proposed framework.

Importance of knowledge management processes in a project-based organization : a case study of research enterprise

Knowledge Management (KM) is vital factor to successfully undertake projects. The temporary nature of projects necessitates employing useful KM practices for tackling issues such as knowledge leakiness and rework. The Project Management Office (PMO) is a unit within organizations to facilitate and oversee organizational projects. Project Management Maturity Models (PMMM) shows the development of PMOs from immature to mature levels. The existing PMMMs have focused on discussing Project Management (PM) practices, however, the management of project knowledge is yet to be addressed, at various levels of maturity. This research project was undertaken to investigate the mentioned gap for addressing KM practices at the existing PMMMs. Due to the exploratory and inductive nature of this research, qualitative methods were chosen as the research methodology. In total, three cases selected from different industries: research; mining and government organizations, to provide broad categories for research and research questions were examined using the developed framework. This paper presents the partial findings of undertaken investigation of the research organisation with the lowest level of maturity. The result shows that knowledge creation and capturing are the most important processes, while knowledge transferring and reusing are not as important as the other two processes. In addition, it was revealed that provision of “knowledge about client” and “project management knowledge” are the most important types of knowledge that are required at this level of maturity. In conclusion, the outcomes of this paper shall provide powerful guidance to PMOs at lowest level of maturity from KM point of view.

Project-based civil engineering courses

Problem solving is an essential element of civil engineering education. It has been observed that students are best able to understand civil engineering theory when there is a practical application of it. Teaching theory alone has led to lower levels of comprehension and motivation and a correspondingly higher rate of failure and “drop-out”. This paper analyses the effectiveness of introducing practical design projects at an early stage within a civil engineering undergraduate program at Queensland University of Technology. In two of the essential basic subjects, Engineering Mechanics and Steel Structures, model projects which simulate realistic engineering exercises were introduced. Students were required to work in small groups to analyse, design and build the lightest / most efficient model bridges made of specific materials such as spaghetti, drinking straw, paddle pop sticks and balsa wood and steel columns for a given design loading/target capacity. The paper traces the success of the teaching strategy at each stage from its introduction through to the final student and staff evaluation.

Investigating the role of knowledge management at various maturity levels of project management office

This thesis is an exploratory study to scrutinise Project Knowledge Management in Project-Based Organisations, specifically in the Project Management Office (PMO). It is the first attempt to investigate the maturity of Project Management, from a Knowledge Management perspective. The findings of this study address multiple Knowledge Management processes and practices to both assess the level of Knowledge Management Maturity in PMOs, and improve the capability of Project Knowledge Management in Project-based Organisations. This research significantly contributes to bridge the current gap in the existing Project Management Maturity Models.

Insights from stimulating creative behaviours in a project-based organization team

Novel and useful ideas and creative behaviours originate in varied work environments, yet the characteristics of work environments that stimulate and foster such creative behaviours are not well defined. The aim of this study was to identify the influences that contribute to creative behaviours in the work environment of a global project-based professional service organization. This article is based on an investigation of the work environment of one project team undertaking interdisciplinary work in the construction of a processing plant in a remote location. This multi-disciplinary team encouraged creative behaviours through regular team meetings, ensuring the presentation of diverse views and commitments to regular interaction and collaboration in co-located environments. In addition, a technology manager dedicated to identifying potential opportunities for patenting and commercialization further extended the creative behaviours of the team by focusing on the best solution for each situation. The study contributes new knowledge to research regarding work environments that facilitate creative behaviours.

It's only temporary: Time frame and the dynamics of creative project teams

The success of many knowledge-intensive industries depends on creative projects that lie at the heart of their logic of production. The temporality of such projects, however, is an issue that is insufficiently understood. To address this, we study the perceived time frame of teams that work on creative projects and its effects on project dynamics. An experiment with 267 managers assigned to creative project teams with varying time frames demonstrates that compared to creative project teams with a relatively longer time frame, project teams with a shorter time frame focus more on the immediate present, are less immersed in their task, and utilize a more heuristic mode of information processing. Furthermore, we find that time frame moderates the negative effect of team conflict on team cohesion. These results are consistent with our theory that the temporary nature of creative projects shapes different time frames among project participants, and that it is this time frame that is an important predictor of task and team processes.

From outpost to outback : project career paths in Australia

With the growth in project management as a form of work organisation in many sectors of the economy has come the significant rise in the number of project managers and project team members. This change in work organisation brings issues in forging career paths and determining career support in work situations that are often dynamic, short lived and intense. In the relatively small but substantially robust Australian economy, a unique labour market and the tyranny of distance bring their own difficulties. Innovative and collaborative project structures and increasing prevalence of contract work provide both challenges and opportunities for new career pathways in many industries. A growing percentage of Australia's workforce is employed in project-based or project-oriented organisations, leading to the claim that Australia is a project-based economy. This provided a context for our research into the career paths and the issues of career management for project managers working in a project based economy. Using in-depth interviews with project managers from three industry areas we found generational and gender differences in experiences of work, workplace support and mentoring for career development. For a continued strong performance in this economy,organisations that employ project personnel will need to consider how they will ensure the supply of high quality project professionals into the future.

Co-creating stories in social learning systems : The role of community media and cultural organisations in disseminating knowledge

This paper investigates how community based media organisations are co-creative storytelling institutions, and how they learn to disseminate knowledge in a social learning system. Organisations involved in story co-creation are learning to create in fluid environments.They are project based, with a constant turnover of volunteers or staff. These organisations have to meet the needs of their funding bodies and their communities to remain sustainable. Learning is seen as dialogical, and this is also reflected in the nature of storytelling itself. These organisations must learn to meet the needs of their communities, who in turn learn from the organisation’s expertise in a facilitated setting. This learning is participatory and collaborative, and is often a mix of virtual and offline interaction. Such community-based organisations sit in the realm of a hybrid-learning environment; they are neither a formal educational institution like a college, nor do their volunteers produce outcomes in a professional capacity. Yet, they must maintain a certain level of quality outcomes from their contributors to be of continued value in their communities. Drawing from a larger research study, one particular example is that of the CitizenJ project. CitizenJ is hosted by a state cultural centre, and partnered with publishing partners in the community broadcasting sector. This paper explores how this project is a Community of Practice, and how it promotes ethical and best practice, meets contributors’ needs, emphasises the importance of facilitation in achieving quality outcomes, and the creation of projects for wider community and public interest.

A multiliteracies project in the middle school : Parents as coteachers

This paper examines the experiences of one middle years’ English and Studies of Society and Environment (SoSE) teacher who adopted a multiliteracies project-based orientation to a unit on War and Refugees. It details the multiliteracies teaching and learning cycle, which is based on four non-hierarchical, pedagogical orientations: situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice (New London Group, 2000; Kalantzis & Cope, 2005a). Following the work of Kalantzis and Cope (2005a), it draws out the knowledge processes exacted in each of these four phases: experiencing the known and the new; conceptualising by naming and theorising; analysing functionally and critically; and, applying appropriately and creatively. Two parents were invited to enter the study as coteachers with the teacher and researcher. Using Bourdieu’s (1992) construct of capital, the findings report on how the multiliteracies approach enabled them to engage in school-based literacy practices differently than they had done previously in classrooms. An unexpected finding concerns the teacher’s altered view about how his role and status were perceived by the parents.