Contextualization of Project Management Practice and Best Practice

Transcription

1 Project Management Institute Contextualization of Project Management Practice and Best Practice Claude Besner, PhD, MBA, PMP, Professor in Project Management Department of Management and Technology University of Quebec at Montreal Brian Hobbs, PhD, MBA PMP, Project Management Chair Department of Management and Technology University of Quebec at Montreal

2 Table of Contents Executive Summary xi Acknowledgements ; xiii 1 Introduction Research Objectives and Questions General Strategy to Accomplish the Goals Organization of the Monograph 4 2 Project Management Practice Introduction Researching the Value of Project Management Practice The Literature on Project Management Practices, Tools and Techniques Research with a narrow perspective on project management practice Research with a wide perspective on project management practice Project Management Software Concluding Remarks 13 3 Methodology Design of the Web-based Questionnaire Soliciting Practitioners in Three Phases Presentation of the Questionnaire and Differences Between Phases Statistical Analysis and Presentation of Results The Sample Sizes for Different Analyses Methodological Note Presentation of the Results; Methodological Aspects Chapter 4: Description of Contextual Variables and the Performance Measure: methodological aspects Chapter 5: Generic Project Management Practice: methodological aspects Chapter 6: Contextual Variation in Project Management Practice: methodological aspects Chapter 7: Best Practices: methodological aspects The Index of Toolsets and Tools; methodological aspects 34

3 4 Description of the Contextual Variables and the Performance Measure Respondent Demographics Contextual Variables Organizational Context Maturity Organizational support for use of tools or techniques Availability of competent personnel : Rate of project success Public or private sector Number of employees Number of project managers Project Management Context Organizational structure Participation in different phases Project is part of a program or independent Project Characteristics Project types Project budget Prpject duration Internal or external project customers Local, regional, national or international Well-defined or ill-defined Level of product or technical innovation Project Similarity ; Number of interfaces with other systems/services/products/projects Diverse or narrow range of disciplines Principle Component Analysis on Contextual Variables Performing maturity Other constructs identified 45 5 Generic Project Management Practice The Extent of Use of Project Management Tools and Techniques Extent of Use of PMSF The Most Extensively Used Tools: The Basic Toolbox The Least-Used Tools r The Tools' Potential Tools With the Least Potential Examining the Information on Use and Potential Simultaneously The "super tools": high use and high potential Adequately utilized tools: high use, low potential Discredited tools: low use and low potential Underutilized Tools; low use and high potential 57

4 5.8 Toolset Identification Description of the Toolsets Comparing Toolsets with the Content of the PMBOK Guide In Summary 71 6 Contextual Variation in Project Management Practice Is Project Management Practice Generic or Specific to Different Contexts and Different Project Types? What Is Similar? What Are the Differences? : Variation Across Geographic Regions Differences Across Project Types Comparisons between E&C and IT & telecom projects Comparisons of business and financial services projects with other types of projects Comparisons of IT & telecom and software project types Comparisons at the tool level In summary Identification of Significant Differences in Practice Among Contextual Archetypes Presentation.of Contextual Archetypes ; C4: More performing maturity, better defined projects and greater use of tools C2: Less performing maturity, ill-defined projects and less use of tools Cl vs. C3: Smaller internal projects in large organizations vs. larger external projects in smaller organizations C5: Public sector, functional structure, mostly internal projects In summary 97 7 Best Practices ; Identification of the General Context and Practices Leading to Performing Maturity Identification of Best Practices Looking at Project Types Business and financial services Engineering and construction IT and telecom Software development Identification of Best Practices in Each Contextual Archetype Cl: Smaller internal projects in larger organizations C2: Less performing maturity, ill-defined projects and less use of tools C3: Larger external projects in smaller organizations Ill

5 7.3.4 C4: More performing maturity, better defined projects and greater use of tools Ill C5: Less performing maturity, ill-defined projects and less use of tools In Summary Discussion The Identification of Generic Practice ; Practices, Tools and Techniques with the Most Potential Explanations of Variation in Practice Complexity of use and organizational support Variation with organizational, project management and project contexts Contextual archetypes and practice archetypes Best Project Management Practices Identifying Best Practices Comparing project paradise with the theoretical model of performing maturity Generic and context specific best practices Best Practices vs. Perceptions of Unrealized Potential The Structuring Effect of Well-defined Projects : Importance of participation in the front-end The structuring effect of project definition Reducing uncertainty vs. managing uncertainty Implications for the Project Management Community Limits of the Research Future Research.' Conclusion References Appendices.-; Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire Appendix 2: Index of Toolsets and Tools 156