PPMP20013 Unit Portfolio Week 9: Manage Change, Disputes, Arbitration

This portfolio for PPMP20013 Week 9 explores managing change, disputes, arbitration, and mediation within project management. It emphasizes the importance of proactive planning for disruptions and resolving conflicts early through strategies like conciliation, mediation, litigation, and arbitration. The document highlights key factors contributing to disputes, such as schedule overruns, budget issues, and differing interpretations of project specifications. Effective risk assessment, project governance, and clear communication are crucial for preventing and resolving disputes. Maintaining thorough documentation and historical data ensures timely and efficient resolution. The portfolio also touches on the significance of negotiation and communication in conflict management, referencing various academic sources and real-world examples to illustrate effective strategies.

Project Management
Week 9: Manage Change, Disputes, Arbitration, and Mediation
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Mandatory Readings
 Smith Chapters 4,
15, & 20
 Nilsson B. 2010
The Project
Management
Information
System (PMIS)
Made Easy: A
Case Study
 Kelly E.M. 2010
Governance Rules!
The Principles of
Effective Project
Governance
Optional Readings
 Pinto, J. K. &
Kharbanda, O. P.
(1995). Project
management and
conflict resolution.
Project
Management
Journal, 26(4), 45–
54.
 Diekmann, J. E. &
Girard, M. (1995).
Construction
In large projects, it is
essential that all project
members and
contractors should be
ready for any kind of
conflicts and disputes.
these conflicts or
disputes may take the
form of litigation. It is
the duty of contractors
to frame a strategy to
deal and resolve the
conflicts.
Among various reasons of conflicts and disputes, the key ones are schedule and
budget overshoot. In such scenario, different team members come with their
own opinion to resolve them. They also offer to adapt the opinions and provide
strategy for resolution. However, it ends in a dispute. Team members do play
blame games to transfer the ownership and responsibility of the issue on other
one another.
PPMP20013 Unit Profile
PPMP20013 Moodle
Web site
1 of 5

Project Management
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
industry attitudes
toward disputes
and
prevention/resolu
tion techniques.
Project
Management
Journal, 26(1), 3–
11
 AS/NZS
8016:2013
Governance of IT
enabled projects
When a conflict occurs,
it gives rise to four
outcomes: conciliation,
mediation, litigation
and mediation.
Conciliation and
mediation bear less
costs for resolving the
conflicts. On the other
hand, litigation and
mediation incur much
high cost for dispute
resolution.
When mediation gets failed, the best solution to settle the disputes in
construction area is arbitration. Besides the above mentioned, there are many
other reasons which may lead to dispute occurrence in the project like different
interpretations of specifications and project scope, different opinion over the
methodology to be selected for the project, differences in best practices and so
on. When one or more issues are combined in a project, it may lead to
occurrence of disputes.
Padar, K., Pataki, B.
and Sebestyen, Z.
(2017). Bringing
project and change
management roles into
sync. Journal of
Organizational Change
Management, 30(5),
pp.797-822.
It is the responsibility of
project managers to
make sure that
assessment of risk and
analysis should be done
There are also other reasons which may give rise to disputes in the project
which include changes in requirement made by the client or by other
stakeholders. This is because of restraint behaviour from team members in
adapting the changes. The occurrence of dispute may lead to monitory loss in
the project It can also hamper the business reputation of the company in case
Pegoraro, C. and Paula,
I. (2017).
Requirements
processing for building
2 of 5

Project Management
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
in early phases of
project. This will
monitor that risks and
unlikely events are
avoided in the project.
There is another way
which can help in
resolving disputes in the
project that is Project
governance.
the dispute remains unresolved among the team members. design: a systematic
review. [online]
Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1
590/0103-
6513.212116
[Accessed 31 Mat.
2018].
Assurance process is
also conducted which
includes compliance in
the internal processes
and strategies to ensure
that all involving parties
adhere to the
obligations. When
issues and challenges
are detected at early
phases of project, risks
are handled in a linear
manner. Disputes and
conflicts are resolved in
a better manner, if
documentation has
been done.
Also, storing old and historical data and recording regular updates ensure that
disputes and conflicts are resolved as soon as they occur. In case,
documentation is not maintained then chances of resolution drop considerably.
Poitras, J. and Le
Tareau, A. (2008).
Dispute resolution
patterns and
organizational dispute
states. International
Journal of Conflict
Management, 19(1),
pp.72-87.
Negotiation and The project plan also includes strategies to resolve project disputes in the form Shaw, D. (2015).
3 of 5

Project Management
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
communication play an
important role in
managing and resolving
conflicts. An effective
communication makes
sure that all conflicts
and issues are resolved
on time. But, it has
been observed that
most of the project
managers give
preference to wait and
observe rather taking
step.
of risk management and communication plan. Managing dualities in
organizational change
projects. Journal of
Change Management,
16(3), pp.201-222.
References
Padar, K., Pataki, B. and Sebestyen, Z. (2017). Bringing project and change management roles into sync. Journal of Organizational Change
Management, 30(5), pp.797-822.
Pegoraro, C. and Paula, I. (2017). Requirements processing for building design: a systematic review. [online] Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.212116 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2018].
Poitras, J. and Le Tareau, A. (2008). Dispute resolution patterns and organizational dispute states. International Journal of Conflict
Management, 19(1), pp.72-87.
Shaw, D. (2015). Managing dualities in organizational change projects. Journal of Change Management, 16(3), pp.201-222.
4 of 5

Project Management
5 of 5