Project Management - Context & Contemporary Issues

Determinants of Project Success and Failure Activities & Alignment of Projects With Strategy

Determinants of Project Success & Failure(1)Debate continue about what is meant by project success; a topic that is widely acknowledged as a complex issue.There are no silver bullets in project management and therefore any consideration of the determinants of project success and failure must be tempered with caution.The importance of success factors change as a

project moves through its lifecycle.

Determinants of Project Success & Failure(2)-14 critical success factors-(1)

(1)Project mission – initial clarity of goals and general direction

(2)Top management support – willingness of top management to provide the necessary resources and authority for project success

(3)Project schedule and plans – a detailed specification of the individual action steps required for project implementation

(4)Client consultation – communication, consultation, & active listening to all parties

Determinants of Project Success & Failure(3)-14 critical success factors-(2)

(5) Personnel – recruitment, selection and training of the necessary personnel for the project team

(6) Technical tasks – availability of the required technology and expertise to accomplish the specific technical action steps

(7) Client acceptance – the act of ‘selling’ the final project to its ultimate intended users

(8) Monitoring & feedback – timely provision of comprehensive control information at each phase in the implementation process

Determinants of Project Success & Failure(4)-14 critical success factors-(3)

(9) Communication – the provision of an appropriate network and necessary data to all key factors in the project implementation

(10) Troubleshooting – the ability to handle unexpected crises and deviations from the plan

(11) Characteristics of the project team leader –competence of the project leader (administratively, interpersonally & technically) and the amount of authority available to perform his/her duties

Determinants of Project Success & Failure(5)-14 critical success factors-(4)

(12) Power and politics – the degree of political activity within the organization and perception of the project as furthering the self-interests of an organization’s members

(13) Environmental events – the likelihood of external organizational factors impacting on the operations of the project team, either positively or negatively

(14) Urgency – the perception of the importance of the project or the need to implement the project as soon as possible.

Aligning Projects with Strategy

There is no Shortcut

Bridging the Gap Between Organisation Strategy & Projects

– in the face of adversity!

Modern Societies Generate New Value (2)

Gloomy faces, complaints, professional arrogance, innovation voices, ostriches

Plethora of Messes

Aligning Projects with Strategy

“Aligning the public organization’s (my emphasis) portfolio of projects to maximize their contributions to strategic objectives takes a highly coordinated effort. It requires more than the old "grenade over the wall" approach, in which the planning staff

identifies and characterizes the project and then tosses it to an uninformed and uninvolved project management group that is

supposed to complete the project. - everyone must be engaged with the project before charging ahead.”

- Dinsmore (1999)

Unsuccessful business/development strategy –

not achieving commercial success/developmental

Inefficient projects –failing to meet budget,

quality, utility and schedule expectations

Unsustainable potential – unable to contribute towards improving the standard of living

Sick Projects Are Familiar – Umbrella Dimensions

Weak impact on stakeholders – unable to meet technical specs, to

address stakeholders needs

Common Project Challenges - Symptoms (1)Clients’/Stakeholders’ dissatisfaction with final products or services –

ultimate intended users unhappy with what has finally been deliveredMost project missions have been archaic – majority of projects are

completed without initial clarity of project goals & general directionMost projects do not have appropriate schedules and plans - bar charts as

dominant planning models!Most PBO have no well defined system of consulting stakeholders – what

do they know syndrome?

SYMPTOMS – OPPOSITE TO PROJECT CRITICAL FACTORS

Common Project Challenges - Symptoms (2)

Most PBOs have poor project personnel recruitment & selection systems –PMs and core team members (poor selection & training)

Most PBOs have poor project monitoring & feedback systems – majority of projects face late provision of comprehensive control of information at each phase of the project

Most PBOs have poor communication systems – a good number of projects suffer from non provision of appropriate network & necessary data

SYMPTOMS – OPPOSITE TO PROJECT CRITICAL FACTORS

Common Project Challenges - Symptoms (3)

Most PBOs do not have appropriate troubleshooting strategies – most projects suffer from inabilities to handle unexpected crises & deviations from project plans

Dominance of incompetent PMs – a significant number of people who assume positions of PMs are technical experts & incompetent administratively, interpersonally, and technically (project specific)

Excessive power & politics – it is common to find high degrees of political activities within organisations & perceptions of projects furthering self-interests of organisation members

SYMPTOMS – OPPOSITE TO PROJECT CRITICAL FACTORS

Common Project Challenges - Symptoms (4)Negative impact from environmental events – it is common to find

external organisational factors (especially within public sector) affecting operations of project teams negatively

Urgency is an elusive word (especially in public sector organisations) – fundamental fact of a temporary social coalition seem far away and the consequences on project parameters are enormous

SYMPTOMS – OPPOSITE TO PROJECT CRITICAL FACTORS

ProjectLink in the midst of the Upstream and Downstream of Project Management Development

Strategic Project Management

Tactical Project Management

Technical + Social Cultural Project PM

Executive Management Interface between Project Link and Clients (internally and externally) and the focus to

continuously ensuring appropriate and optimised solutions

[Strategic emphasis; Core team & organisation; PMIS; Developing a PM; Becoming a learning organisation; Inter-organisational relations]U

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The Project Manager and his/her Team’s Interface with stakeholders applying Project

Management Best Practices

The Project Manager and his/her Team’s Integration and Optimisation of the Required Project Resources (Technical)

+ Management (Social-cultural Issues)