Project Management Methodologies: Implementation and Recommendations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of project management methodologies suitable for various organizational structures and business needs. It begins with an introduction to project management as a discipline, emphasizing the importance of efficient project management methodologies ...Read More

Project Management
Project Management Methodologies
9/11/2017

Project Management
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Recommendations for Organization A........................................................................................................3
Implementation of Project Management Activity....................................................................................3
Implementation Plan................................................................................................................................3
Set of Issues.............................................................................................................................................4
Addressing of the Issues..........................................................................................................................5
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization........................................................5
Recommendations for Organization B.........................................................................................................5
Implementation of Project Management Activity....................................................................................6
Implementation Plan................................................................................................................................6
Set of Issues.............................................................................................................................................7
Addressing of the Issues..........................................................................................................................7
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization........................................................7
Recommendations for Organization C.........................................................................................................8
Implementation of Project Management Activity....................................................................................8
Implementation Plan................................................................................................................................9
Set of Issues.............................................................................................................................................9
Addressing of the Issues........................................................................................................................10
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization......................................................10
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................10
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................12
References.................................................................................................................................................14
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Introduction
Project Management is a discipline that provides the Project Managers and the senior
management involved in the projects with the set of principles and guidelines to effectively
manage the projects. There are various organizations that carry out a number of different
projects. The project management methodologies have been defined to make sure that the
projects are managed efficiently and the success rate associated with the projects is high
(Kerzner, 2009).
The report analyzes and covers the requirements of the project management methodologies for
three different organizations. The implementation plan, challenges and countermeasures to
overcome the issues have been covered for every organization.
Recommendations for Organization A
PRINCE2 is the methodology that has been recommended for implementation in the
organization A. This methodology has been selected because it will allow the organization to
manage the project related risks and will also make sure that the projects and their associated
requirements, resources, conflicts and disputes are correctly managed (Hedeman and Seegers,
2009).
Implementation of Project Management Activity
Project management activity and the selection of the same shall be a management level activity.
The planning, execution and implementation of the same shall be done by the management.
However, the selection of the management methodology to be applied shall be discussed with the
operational level members of the staff as well. It is due to the reason that they will be able to
share the project requirements and will aid in the better selection process.
In the project of the implementation of the project management methodology, Project Managers
and the Project Leaders shall be involved during the planning phase. It shall also involve the
heads of the departments along with the team representative of every project.
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Implementation Plan
The project management methodology that has been selected for organization A is Project In
Controlled Environment (PRINCE2). The number of employees currently associated with the
organization is 80 and the set of projects and business operations performed by the organization
are also not varied.
The implementation plan of PRINCE2 in organization A shall follow the following steps:
 Securing backing up of the improvements to be implemented must be taken. In the
process of implementing the methodology, there will be a few modifications that will be
made which shall not impact the project progress.
 A list of projects associated with the organization shall be prepared along with the
mapping up of the project activities and project roles.
 The current project status on the basis of progress reports shall be highlighted.
 A strategic alignment between the project activities and the PRINCE2 methodology of
the project management shall be formed. There are different stages that are involved in
this methodology as starting, directing, initiating, controlling, managing product
deliveries, stage boundaries management and closing. These stages shall be mapped with
the phases of the project (Randolph, 2013).
 The set of best practices shall be defined along with the highlighting of project risk areas,
conflicts and disputes. The matching handling measures shall then be listed.
 There shall be monitoring and control processes executed to understand the progress of
the implementation and the underlying issues involved.
 A weekly report shall be submitted to the CEO and the board of directors on a weekly
basis by each of the project managers.
Set of Issues
 Absence of standards and best practices will lead to improper and inadequate
implementation.
 There will be many changes that will be introduced which will be required to be
managed.
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 Absence of adequate project management skills may lead to errors and deviations (Muller
and Turner, 2007).
 Big Bang implementation will cause failure.
Addressing of the Issues
 There shall be organizational standards and focus defined to ensure that the
implementation process that is carried out is adequate.
 The changes shall be managed with the aid of a change management plan covering the set
of changes, methods to handle the changes and the reinforcement processes.
 The skills and knowledge of the Project Managers shall be identified and these shall be
mapped with the PRINCE2 requirements.
 The implementation of the methodology shall be done in a phased manner.
Implementation of all of the processes in one go will lead to failures.
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization
 PRINCE2 is a widely recognized methodology that will provide the organization A with
the common standards and frameworks to be used in the financial sector (O’Leary, 2009).
 PRINCE2 does not require the involvement of additional tools or equipment for
implementation. The employees will be provided with the knowledge of the methodology
and they will be able to make use of the same on an immediate basis.
 There is a lot of documentation that is done in the projects that are managed using
PRINCE2 as the management methodology. It will allow the organization to keep a track
of its projects and will also assist in the expansion of the organization.
 There may be a number of project and operational risks associated with the financial
services and solutions. Such risks will be managed easily by the PRINCE2 methodology
for project management.
Recommendations for Organization B
Organization B is a company that is a building society with 600 employees and it has its area of
operation in Australia. The customers that the company serves are also from Australia. The
recommended project management methodology for the organization is Project Management
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Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This is due to increased number of employees that are
associated with the organization, more risk areas and more number of stakeholders that will be
associated with the organization.
Implementation of Project Management Activity
PMBOK is the project management activity that shall be implemented in the organization. The
implementation process must include the internal management along with certain external
stakeholders as well (Pmi, 2013).
The external stakeholders that should be involved in the implementation shall include the
business analysts along with the business partners. The internal team that shall be involved in the
implementation must include the senior management and leadership.
Implementation Plan
The following steps shall be involved in the implementation of PMBOK in the organization.
 The implementation schedule shall be designed for the implementation of the PMBOK
methodology at the organizational and project levels.
 The project scope, risk areas, budget, team and communication plan shall then be
analyzed for every individual project.
 The PMBOK methodology shall then be implemented in a series of fives phases:
o Initiation Stage: A feasibility study shall be carried out for every project and a
charter must be prepared on the implementation of PMBOK in the project.
o The planning must be carried out by forming a strategic alignment between the
project activities and the PMBOK phases (Mirza, Pourzolfaghar and Shahnazari,
2013).
o The execution shall be carried out by carefully covering the project tasks and
addressing the issues associated with every task and activity.
o The control stage shall cover the reviews, inspections along with the performance
measurement.
o The last stage would be the closure stage in which the project management
activities associated with the project shall be documented and the final deliveries
shall be made.
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 The feedback analysis on the implementation success shall then be carried out.
Set of Issues
 There are too many processes involved in PMBOK which may make it difficult to
implement in the small projects.
 There will be a lot of reliance and responsibility on the Project Manager which may lead
to failure of the projects in case of incompetent manager.
 The documentation involved in these methodologies is lesser which will make it difficult
to obtain references from other success stories during the implementation.
Addressing of the Issues
 The projects that will be mainly carried out in the organization will be large and huge
because of the nature of business. However, in case of a small project, the project
requirements must be analyzed properly to map the same with the PMBOK activities.
 The Project managers that are deployed shall be selected on the basis of their skills,
knowledge and experience. The selection of the managers shall be done on the basis of
the requirements of the project.
 The implementation plan must make use of the PMBOK guide and the journal articles
that are available. Also, the guidance from the senior management shall be obtained to
make good use of their past experiences (Kock, Heising and Gemunden, 2016).
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization
There will be a number of benefits that will be offered by the PMBOK methodology to the
organization B.
 PMBOK will manage the projects from nine different areas such as time, knowledge,
budget, resources etc. It will make sure that the overall project management is carried out
with ease.
 A standard methodology and the set of best practices will be provided to the Project
Managers which will make it easier to handle and resolve the risks, conflicts and disputes
that will be related to the projects.
 The organization may look to expand in the near future which would require
collaboration from a number of external partners and entities. The use and
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implementation of PMBOK in the organization will bring all of these different units on a
single platform. This will make the process of expansion and collaboration with others
easier and smoother.
 The project activities that will be associated with each of the projects carried out by the
organization will also be mapped easily with the PMBOK guidelines and procedures.
This will make sure that the project objectives are received.
Recommendations for Organization C
Organization C makes use of Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and is composed of
1200 employees. The domain of business of the organization is into technical services and
solutions. Technology is something that is witnessing a lot many changes in the recent years. The
technology that is in use at the particular instant may soon become obsolete.
There are many changes and transformations that are happening in the field of technology and
therefore, it is necessary to have a project management methodology in place that is flexible,
adaptable and scalable in nature (Taymor, 2012).
The project methodology that has been recommended keeping the factors of the organization into
perspective is the agile methodology for project management.
It will provide the organization with the required set of guidelines and the managerial abilities to
make sure that all of the project activities are successfully achieved.
Implementation of Project Management Activity
Agile methodology is a project management methodology that is ad-hoc and value based in
nature. It does not rely on a set pattern or a particular set of rules and guidelines for execution
and implementation. There is also a close proximity with the clients that is maintained in the
agile projects.
The implementation of the project management activity in the case of organization C must
include the involvement of the senior management of the company along with the target
customer groups on the basis of the projects being executed. The customer feedback shall also be
obtained in the matter and the implementation process shall be carried out accordingly.
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Implementation Plan
The primary objective of every project is to meet the customer needs and requirements to attain
highest customer satisfaction and engagement levels.
The implementation plan that is designed for the organization must also keep the customer
perspective in consideration during each of the steps. The following processes shall be included
in the implementation plan.
 There shall be a definition of the strategy and the vision obtained from each of the
projects being carried out in the organization. Also, the vision, mission and strategy
statement of the organization must be obtained and analyzed. A bridge shall be formed
between the organization and all of its associated projects in terms of the strategic
alignment.
 The identification process must be carried out on the existing agile activities being
carried out in the organization and the projects that are being executed.
 The level of effort to be applied for every individual project and in the organization as a
whole shall be identified.
 Inter-operatibility shall be classified and identified so that the implementation process is
based on the values associated with the projects.
 Sustainable development and design of the projects shall be amalgamated with the agile
management processes by identifying the set of best practices and standards on the basis
of the project factors (Peslak, 2012).
 The project resources along with the customers and other stakeholders shall be
communicated and contacted for their suggestions and involvement.
 The ad-hoc process shall then be implemented and a final report shall be published.
Set of Issues
 There is a lot of self-organization involved in the agile processes which will demand
contribution from each of the employees working in the organization. This may be
difficult to achieve.
 There is a lot of communication that is involved in the agile processes and ineffective
communication may result in inadequate results.
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 Risk management and control shall be integrated with the agile management methods
which may go missing if not paid due attention to it.
 The journey of the agile processes requires a lot of improvement and the efforts need to
be applied continuously.
Addressing of the Issues
 The employees of the organizations must be imparted with the trainings and knowledge
of the agile processes. They shall be made aware of the agile practices and the level of
involvement that will be expected from them.
 The communication framework and the set of client expectations must be made clear.
The management must look in to the successful implementation of the same
(Greenburger, 2016).
 The risk management plan comprising of risk assessment, treatment and control shall be
defined in advance and shall be integrated with the agile processes.
 The agile team and the management involved must look and explore the methods for the
improvement of the processes.
Benefits of Project Management Methodology to the Organization
 The quality of the end-results that will be achieved with the implementation of the agile
methods and processes in the organization will improve. This is because of the reason
that the project requirements will be handled in a better manner and the client will also be
communicated frequently. Any of the changes that would be required to be implemented
will be communicated in a timely manner (Ayiri and Kudzanayi, 2017).
 The risk areas associated with the projects will also drop as the agile management will be
ad-hoc and value based in nature.
 The return on investment that will be achieved on the projects will improve leading to
better organizational performance.
 The rate of customer satisfaction and customer engagement will also improve.
Conclusion
Project management is one of the most important activities and areas that need to be applied and
accomplished in the projects. There are a lot many project management methodologies that have
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been defined and it is necessary to make sure that the methodology that is selected goes well
with the nature of the projects. There are three different organizations that have been covered in
the report with different lines of business, number of employees, number of locations and
customers. The project management methodology along with their implementation that has been
recommended for the organizations is based upon all of these factors. These methodologies may
also differ on the basis of specific project factors and the attributes. It is necessary to make sure
that the Project Managers and the leadership that is deployed in the organizations has a correct
combination of skills and knowledge to execute these management methodologies successfully.
In this manner, the organizations will be able to achieve their objectives and the specific project
goals with higher success rates.
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Appendix
PRINCE2 Project Management Process
PMBOK Process Groups
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Agile Project Management Process
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References
Ayiri, G. and Kudzanayi, G. (2017). Embracing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to
Improve Organisational Viability by Small Businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. IOSR Journal of
Business and Management, 19(01), pp.50-54.
Greenberger, L. (2016). Effective Communications for Project Success. Remediation Journal,
26(2), pp.121-128.
Hedeman, B. and Seegers, R. (2009). PRINCE2 2009 Edition A Pocker Guide. [online]
Available at: http://www.vanharen.net/Samplefiles/9789087535445_prince2-edition-2009-a-
pocket-guide.pdf [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].
Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and
Controlling. [online] Available at: http://honestyets.pbworks.com/f/Project+Management+-
+A+Systems+Approach+-+10thEd.pdf [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].
Kock, A., Heising, W. and Gemunden, H. (2016). A Contingency Approach on the Impact of
Front-End Success on Project Portfolio Success. Project Management Journal, 47(2), pp.115-
129.
Mirza, M., Pourzolfaghar, Z. and Shahnazari, M. (2013). Significance of Scope in Project
Success. Procedia Technology, 9, pp.722-729.
Muller, R. and Turner, R. (2007). The Influence of Project Managers on Project Success Criteria
and Project Success by Type of Project. European Management Journal, 25(4), pp.298-309.
O'Leary, D. (2009). Downloads and citations inIntelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and
Management. Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance & Management, 16(1-2), pp.21-31.
Peslak, A. (2012). Information Technology Project Management and Project Success.
International Journal of Information Technology Project Management, 3(3), pp.31-44.
Pmi (2013). PMBOK Guide | Project Management Institute. [online] Pmi.org. Available at:
https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].
Randolph, S. (2013). Projects and Complexity. Project Management Journal, 44(3), pp.e2-e2.
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Taymor, E. (2012). Agile Handbook. [online] Available at: http://agilehandbook.com/agile-
handbook.pdf [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].
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