DNSC 6269: Project and Operational Management in Defense Industry

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the importance and impact of project management and operational management within the defense industry. It examines the challenges posed by globalization and deregulation, highlighting the dynamic nature of projects in this sector, particularly in aerospace. The study emphasizes the necessity of effective project and operations management for global competitiveness and improved performance. The research explores the complexities of defense projects, including time and budget constraints, and underscores the need for planned methodologies and solid operational strategies. The report identifies the benefits of incorporating project management concepts, the advantages of operational management, and the need for both in the defense industry. It concludes by recommending appropriate uses of project and operational management to ensure successful project completion. The literature review explores problems associated with the defense industry and its project management process. This research contributes to the understanding of the importance of project management and operations management in defense industry.

Comparative Assessment of the Importance and Impact
of Project Management and Operational Management in
the Defense Industry
Name Surname {Author}
University of Colorado {Affiliation}
The defense industry is changing at a first-pace. This change however is not
without some challenges. This challenges includes globalization and
deregulations. Every sector of defense industry has many ongoing projects. The
projects in aerospace and defense are generally more dynamic than the projects
in the other sectors. The projects undertaken by the defense industry are usually
long term and require, appropriate project management and operation
management. To be able to compete globally and improve performance, a project
must have effective project and operations management. This research analyzes
the complexities associated with projects in defense industry with special
emphasis on the importance of appropriate project and operations management.
The analysis reveals that project management and operations management have a
high impact on the success of projects in the defense industry.
1. Introduction
The research study focuses on the importance and impact of project
management and operations management in defense industry. Defense project are
generally associated with rigorous requirements. This requirements include time
and budget constraints. Therefore, use of planned project management
methodology and solid operational management strategies becomes inevitable
(Mir & Pinnington, 2014). This project will analyze the need of appropriate
project management methodology and operations management in ensuring
successful completion of the projects undertaken. This is one of the most
significant reasons behind the increasing importance of knowledge skills and
experience in projects undertaken in defense industry.
1.1. Research Aims and Objectives
Aim: To assess the importance and impact of project management and
operations management in defense industry.
Objectives:
 To identify the Project Management advantages and benefits
 To identify the benefits of Operational Management
 To understand the need for Project Management and Operational
Management in defense industry
Colorado Research in Linguistics. June 2009. Vol. 22. Boulder: University of Colorado.
© 2009 by [Author full names as they appear in the author line].

Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
 To recommend appropriate use of Project Management and
Operational Management in defense industry.
1.2. Research Problem or Statement of the Problem
The research has been undertaken for analyzing the importance of project
management and operations management in defense industry. It becomes essential
to identify and analyze the need of incorporating project management concepts
and operations management in projects undertaken by defense sector. The high
complexity projects in defense industry require implementation in a planned
approach giving rise to the need of implementing a project by making use of
planned approach of project management and management of the related
operations in a project.
The use of accurate project management and operations management is quite
essential in order to manage the dynamic projects related to aerospace industry.
Lack of research is one of the major problems in the field of aerospace. This study
is being undertaken in order to eliminate the problems associated with the lack of
understanding of project management and operations management. At the end of
this research, it is expected that the importance of project management and
operations management in defense industry will be understood.
1.3. Rationale of the Research
It is essential to analyze the use of project management concepts in managing
the complex projects in the defense industry. The increasing complexity of
defense projects makes it inevitable for the project manager to consider different
approaches of project management and operations management (Nicholas &
Steyn, 2017). In this research we discuss the major issues faced in management of
defense industry projects and the need to make use of planned project
management approaches that can lead to successful project deliverables.
1.4. Research Questions
The Primary research question in this research is as follows-
What is the impact of project management and operations management in
defense industry?
To find answer to the primary research question, these secondary research
questions are identified-
1. What are the benefits of incorporating project management concepts in
management of a project?
2. What is the need of incorporating project management and operations
management in defense industry?
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
3. What is the importance and impact of project management and operations
management in defense industry?
1.5. Structure of Study
The entire research has been subdivided into a number of sections. The
briefing of each section is indicated in the paragraphs below-
Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of project management and
operations management. It gives a brief description of how these concepts can be
incorporated into Defense Industry projects. The introduction chapter of the
research report identifies the aims and objectives of the research. It provides the
reader with a basis understanding of the research problem.
Literature Review: This section will provide the reader with available
research and the gaps of current research. This section will help in collection of
the research data by evaluating the previously published research journals in this
field.
Research Methodology: The research methodology chapter is important for
identification of the tools and techniques that were used to ensure successful
completion of the project.
Data Analysis and Findings: This section of the research report will be
analyzing the findings from the collection of primary data analysis. The findings
chapter forms the basis of the discussion chapter of the research.
Discussion: The discussion chapter analyses the findings from the data
collection and analysis section and draws a conclusion for the identified research
question.
Conclusion: The conclusion chapter concludes the research findings and
recommends solution to the research problem.
2. Literature Review
In this chapter, I review previously published literature related to defense
industry. The literature review will focus on examining the problems associated
with the defense industry and its project management process. It will also identify
solutions to these problems. The research aims in identification of the major
challenges associated with the projects undertaken by the defense industry in
evaluating the needs of incorporating project management and operations
management in successful completion of a project (McCrie, 2015). The literature
review section will be evaluating the importance of project management and
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
operations management by discussing the concepts of these methodology and its
contribution in successful completion of a project.
2.1. Project Management and Operations Management
Project management involves use of planned processes, tools and
technique to implement a project in a successful manner (Ramasesh & Browning,
2014). Operations management on a contrary deals with the administration of
different business practices that aims in increasing the efficiency of a business
process or a project. Project management is the use of knowledge, skills, tools
and techniques in project activities in order to meet the requirements of a project
(What is Project Management, 2019). Organization management includes
planning, implementing and supervising the day to day activities of a project. It
manages resources such as materials, machines, technology and people involved
in the project.
2.1.1. The Concept of Project Management
Project management is an essential need of the complex projects, as it
helps in implementation of a project in an orderly manner. It is a practice of
initiation, planning and execution of a project in a planned manner. The use of
appropriate project management approach is essential for ensuring that the
complex projects are executed in an effective manner. It is associated with the use
of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques for successful completion of
various activities in a project (McCrie, 2015). The use of project management is
necessary for correct identification of the scope of the project, which in turn helps
with implementation. According to Too and Weaver (2014), making use of an
appropriate project management approach is quite vital for projects with high
complexity and it creates optimal value for the organization or the industry that is
undertaking this project This is one of the primary reasons behind the significant
growth in the adoption of project management in projects related to defence
industry (Alias et al., 2014).
2.1.2. Operations Management
According to Walker et al. 2014, sustainable operations management has been
a growing interest of majority of the business and government projects in the
recent years. The concept of operations management can be beneficial for
managing projects in the defence industry. Operations management is needed in
projects, as it addresses the various aspects of a project or a business. It deals
with the administration of different business practises so that highest level of
efficiency is achieved within the particular organization or industry (Carvalho &
Rabechini Junior, 2015). The operations management is associated with
efficiently maximizing the profit of an organization and therefore can be used in
management of the projects in defence industry (Alias et al., 2014).
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
2.2. Importance of Project Management in Defence Industry
This section of the research will be analysing the impact and importance of
project management in defence industry. Project management is integral for
defence industry mainly because it helps in efficient delivery of project tasks and
effective management of a project. Every project is associated with certain
strategic goals (Resta et al., 2015). The use of project management helps in
fulfilling those goals.
There is a need of incorporating project management in defence industry as
the complex projects needs a planned implementation approach. The industry
faces a number of challenges related to execution and management of projects
(Panneerselvam et al., 2014. Adoption of different project management processes
is essential for improving the performance of the projects undertaken by the
defence industry and also to ensure that the company is able compete in a global
market.
The projects associated with the defence industry is seemingly complex and
therefore a more planned approach is necessary for appropriate management of
those complex project. Since, project management helps in dividing the project
into a number of controllable units, it can help in enforcing better control on the
complex projects associated with defence industry.
2.3. Importance of Operations Management in Defence Industry
Operations Management is vital for management of the business associated
with the defence industry. The operations management has a large impact in
defence industry as it works for planning, organizing, controlling and
coordinating the resources related to a service or an activity (Ansoff et al., 2019).
The operations management process encompasses planning and supervising of
goods and services. The operation managers have responsibilities of align every
work associated with a project in an effective manner. Therefore, it can be
predicted that use of operations management in defence industry can improve the
performance of this industry and the project.
2.4. Assessment of Importance of Project Management and Operations
Management
For analysing the importance of project management and operations
management in defence industry it is quite vital to evaluate the importance of
project management and operations management. The benefits of making use of
project management and operations management in defence industry are needed
to be evaluated.
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
According to Carvalho and Junior (2015), project management is quite vital to
ensure that the project is implemented using a planned approach. One significant
benefit of management of a particular project is improving the chances of
achieving a desired result. The use of project management concepts helps in
prioritising the different business resources for ensuring the use of the project
resources that are available. The use of project management in defence industry
can be used for prioritizing the scope, schedule and budgets associated with the
management of the project. It is quite necessary to correctly set these factors, in
order to ensure that the projects undertaken are implemented in a successful
manner.
Operations management can be of great benefit in defence industry. This is
particularly because the use of operations management can significantly help in
prioritizing the business process and can further contribute to effective control of
all the business processes. This can be achieved as the operations management
can help in focusing on the tools and techniques needed in effective management
of a project. Operations management help in better administration of the factors
that can help in ensuring effective project control.
Therefore, it can be commented that both project management and operations
management can be beneficial for defence industry. However, incorporation of
project management methods is comparatively easier than incorporation of
operations management in defence industry (Jacobs, Chase & Lummus, 2014).
This is particularly because a basic knowledge of project management can help in
its incorporation. On a contrary, the incorporation of operation management in
defence industry may not be easier as it involves a structured process and
appropriate experience of the same is essential.
3. Research Methodology
This chapter outlines the major tools and techniques that are required for
collection and analysis of the data. It is important to be familiar with the required
tools and techniques of a research to ensure that the research has been conducted
in an efficient manner.
The researcher has chosen to make use of primary data for the research. The
data is collected with the help of pre developed questionnaire. A random samplin
The data has been collected in form of an online survey. 50 respondents were
chosen by random sampling method. The collected data is analyzed by
quantitative data analysis method. There are mainly two variables of the research,
which are dependent variable and independent variable. The effective
management of the project is dependent on project management and operations
management and therefore, these two methods are independent variable of the
research.
4. Data Analysis and Findings
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
The results of the survey are analyzed on basis of the data obtained in the
literature review to draw a conclusion (Quinlan et al., 2019). Since the research
aims in establishing a comparative assessment of the use of project management
and operations management in defense industry, the benefits of both project
management and operations management will be analyzed. Since the data from
the literature review reveals that use of project management is comparatively
more beneficial for the defense industry, the survey questions are designed in that
manner.
The research respondents were asked to provide their opinion regarding the
need and use of operations management and project management. Their responses
have been recorded and analyzed in order to find answers to the identified
research questions.
4.1. Demographic Data Analysis
The research respondents were asked to provide the details of their gender.
Out of 50 respondents, 22 respondents were male, while 20 respondents were
female. The table below represents the data collected.
Demographic Data
Gen
der
Respon
ses
Age Respo
nses
Experi
ence
Respo
nses
Famili
arity
Respo
nses
Fem
ale
2
0
18-24
Years
3 0-5
Years
7 Not
Familia
r
3
Male 2
2
25-30
Years
35 6-10
Years
34 Somew
hat
Familia
r
27
Prefe
r not
to
say
8 31-35
Years
9 More
than 10
Years
9 Very
Familia
r
20
Gra
nd
Tota
l
5
0
36-40
Years
1 Grand
Total
50 Grand
Total
50
More
than 40
2
Grand
Total
50
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
Table 1: Representing the Demographic Data
(Source: Data based)
The table above represents the demographic details (gender, age, experiences), of
the research respondents.
Out of 50 respondents, 22 respondents are male and 20 respondents are female
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The research respondents who have a significant experience in the field of defense
have been chosen for this research.
The research respondents were further asked to provide the details of their age.
The data reveals that majority of the responses are in age group of 25-30. The
chart reveals the data obtained.
Since majority of the research respondents are from age group 25-30 years, it can
be expected that the respondents have a significant experience about the work
processes in defense industry.
The respondents were further asked to provide details of their experience in
defense industry.
The data obtained indicates that 68% of the respondents have an experience of 6-
10 years in the field of defense industry.
Since this research is related to the evaluation of the importance of project
management and operations management in defense industry, the research
respondents were asked to provide opinion about their knowledge of project
management and operations management. They were asked to provide their about
their familiarity with the operations management and project management.
The data obtained from the responses represents that majority of the research
respondents are either very familiar or somewhat familiar with the concepts of
project management and operations management and therefore accurate research
results can be obtained.
4.2. 4.2. Quantitative Data Analysis
In order to collect data related to the research, the research respondents were
asked to provide their opinion regarding certain needs of project management and
operations management (refer to appendix). The responses received are indicated
in the table below-
Addressing
The
Complexities
Responses Basic
Concepts of
Project
Management
Responses Increasing
Efficiency in
Work
Processes
Responses
Agree 37 Agree 31 Agree 36
Disagree 1 Disagree 2 Disagree 1
Neutral 7 Neutral 11 Neutral 5
Strongly
Agree
5 Strongly
Agree
6 Strongly
Agree
8
Grand Total 50 Grand Total 50 Grand Total 50
Factors Responses Most Responses Important Responses
Colorado Research in Linguistics. June 2009. Vol. 22. Boulder: University of Colorado.
© 2009 by [Author full names as they appear in the author line].

Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
Prominent
Factors
for Defence
Agree 27 All the factors
mentioned
above
3 Both 23
Disagree 1 Need for
effective
supervision of
the project
activities
34 Operation
Management
6
Neutral 14 Need for
ensuring
strategic
project
management
8 Project
Management
21
Strongly
Agree
8 Need for
reducing the
project
complexities
5 Grand Total 50
Grand Total 50 Grand Total 50
Table 2: Representing the Data Collected
The collected data reveals that majority of the respondents agree to the fact
that there is a need of bringing in certain changes in the project implementation
processes in defense industry.
Since most of the respondents have provided positive opinion regarding the same,
it can be concluded that there is a need for inclusion of project management and
operation management in defense industry.
The next question of the survey aimed in analysis of the use of project
management in organizing different activities in defense industry.
Since majority of the respondent have agreed to the pact that PM helps in
organizing the different activities in Defense industry, it can be concluded the
inclusion of PM in defense is quite essential.
The respondents were further asked to opine on whether the use of different
concepts of project management can help in addressing the complexities of a
project.
The data obtained indicates that project management can be effectively used
in addressing the complexities of the projects in defense industry.
In the survey, the research respondents were asked whether a basic knowledge
of project management can help in its implementation in defense industry.
Mostly, a positive response has been gathered in this context.
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
The data obtained indicates that with a basic knowledge of different project
management concepts, it is possible to incorporate project management in defense
industry, which is one significant benefits of project management over operations
management.
The survey respondents were further asked to give their opinion on the use of
PM in increasing the efficiency of different work processes.
Since the above data represents that the use of PM can significantly increase
the efficiency of the work processes in defense industry, it is expected that the
incorporation of Pm can increase the efficiency of the work processes.
The data in the table 2 reveals that the use of operations management can be
beneficial for defense industry.
The respondents have provided an opinion that enforcement of better control
can help in incorporating project management and operations management is a
major reason.
The respondents were further asked to provide their opinion regarding the
prominent factor that contributes to the incorporation of project management and
operation management in defense industry.
The responses reveal that the need of effective supervision of different project
activities is one prominent factor behind the incorporation of project management
and operations management.
However, the effective supervision for project activities can be done
effectively with the help of project management. Therefore, the respondents were
requested to opine about whether project management or operations management
is important for defense industry.
The above data in table 2 represents that project management is more
beneficial for defense industry. However, a large group of respondents have
provided their opinion for both. Therefore, it can be concluded that both project
management and operations management have a large impact on the defense
industry.
5. Discussion
The research aimed in identification and analysis of the use of project
management and operational management in defense industry. The literature
review section of the research identifies that both operational management and
project management is important for effective management of the projects in
defense industry. Hence, a comparative assessment of both project management
and operational management is done in this research by collecting data from the
secondary sources. The data analysis reveals that both project management and
operational management is integral for managing the complexities of the project
in defense industry.
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
The research has been undertaken to provide a comparative assessment of
project management and operations management. The analysis of the data
obtained from the research indicates that the research respondents consider both
project management and operations management equally important for projects in
defense industry. However, the sample size chosen for this research is quite
constricted and it is one of the most significant limitation of the research
undertaken. Further researches can be conducted in this field in order to get a
better research result.
The collection of demographic data indicates that the research respondents
have significant knowledge about project management and operations
management. Thus, the collection of primary data indicates that the data has been
collected from the valid sources.
6. Conclusion and Recommendations
This research was undertaken to assess the importance and project
management and operational management in defense industry. For collecting data
from legitimate sources, a primary data collection method in chosen. The
collected data has undergone quantitative data analysis for revealing the need and
impact of project management and operational management in defense industry.
Since the main intention of the research was undergo a comparative assessment of
the importance of project management and operational management in defense
industry, the questionnaires were designed in a specific manner for assessing the
importance of project management and operational management in defense
industry. The results obtained indicates that both project management and
operations management is important for defense industry. However, project
management can be easily enforced in defense industry in comparison to
operational management.
Based on the analysis of the research findings, certain recommendations are
made. These recommendations are as follows-
Understanding the Concepts of PM: For incorporation of effective project
management in defense industry, it is essential to have a knowledge of the core
concepts of project management and the advantages of incorporating project
management in defense.
Large-Scale Research: A small scale research has been conducted for
understanding the impact and importance of project management and operations
management. A large scale research, however, is recommended for better analysis
of the importance of project management and operations management on defense.
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
Appendix
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Importance of Project Management and Operations Management in Defense Industry
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