Project Management Framework

This book covers the framework of project management, a discipline that is topical in many quarters. The aims of `Project Management Framework’ are to understand project management and to stimulate and contribute to a structured way of thinking in applying this discipline. In this work, a systems view to project management is described, based on the realization that management is a synthesis or inverse problem. One of the overriding reasons for writing this book was to counter the myriad of misconceptions and thinking errors that exist amount project management writers and practitioners. In addition, the usage of correct terminology and application of right level of thinking are discussed as factors contributing to the heart of more mature management practices. The subject matter is developed in this edition through looking at the fundamentals of projects and management and subsequently through studying the chronological development of the project life cycle. In order to support theory, numerous case examples from diverse industries are included. Aspects that are generally not available elsewhere are highlighted, whereas project management material that is readily available in other texts has been deliberately omitted. This book is intended to serve students, teachers and practitioners. As only very few prerequisites are needed apart from a basic interest in projects, some exposure to the discipline and a systematic thinking ability, this book serves a broad group of interested readers who want to know more about the discipline.

Table of Contents:
A. OVERVIEW 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General 1.2 Project Success and Under-Performance 1.2.1 Influences and criteria 1.2.2 Factors affecting a project’s outcome 1.3 Book Outline Exercises 2 PROJECTS AND PROJECT LIFE CYCLES 2.1 Introduction 2.2 What is a Project? 2.2.1 Definitions 2.2.2 Attributes 2.2.3 Projects and subprojects 2.2.4 Programs 2.3 Project Phases 2.3.1 Changes 2.3.2 Phases 2.3.3 Phase transitions 2.3.4 Project life cycles 2.4 Some Humour 2.5 Project Types 2.6 Project Management 2.7 Phase Impact 2.7.1 General 2.7.2 The influence of early project phase work 2.7.3 Some studies 2.7.4 Reasons for not doing early project phase work Exercises 3 WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT? 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Definitions 3.3 Ways of Looking at Project Management 3.3.1 What a project manager does 3.3.2 General 3.4 Is Project Management Different to General Management? 3.4.1 Comparison 3.4.2 Change 3.4.3 Management by projects 3.4.4 Projects and general management 3.5 Project Management as a Discipline Exercises 4 SYSTEMATIC GENERAL PROBLEM SOLVING 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Problem Solving Process 4.3 Problem definition 4.4 Selecting Objectives 4.5 Generating Alternatives/Synthesising Systems 4.5.1 General 4.5.2 Idea generation 4.6 Analysis/Analysing Systems 4.7 Selecting the Best Alternative Exercises Appendix 4/1 Value Management 4/1.1 Group Problem Solving 4/1.2 Value Management Outline 4/1.2.1 Introduction 4/1.2.2 Value management process 4/1.2.3 Comparison 4/1.2.4 Closure Exercises Appendix 4/2 Risk Management 4/2.1 Preferred Definitions 4/2.2 Alternatives 4/2.3 Other Issues 4/2.4 The Risk Management Process 4/2.5 A Systematic Framework Exercises Appendix 4/3 Work Study 4/3.1 lntroduction 4/3.2 Work Study Outline 4/3.3 Method Study 4/3.4 Work Measurement 4/3.5 Relationship to Problem Solving 4/3.6 Reengineering B. STARTING A PROJECT OFF 5 EARLY PROJECT ACTIVITIES Exercises 6 A PROJECT'S ORIGIN 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Strategic Plan 6.3 Market Research 6.4 Opportunity Studies 6.5 Prior Obsolescence 6.6 Political Input 6.7 Tendering 6.8 Miscellaneous Sources Exercises 7 OBJECTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS 7.1 Projects and Project Objectives 7.2 Alternative Names for Objectives 7.3 Characteristics of Objectives 7.4 Organisation Hierarchy and Objectives 7.5 Multiple Objectives 7.6 Constraints 7.7 Performance Measures Exercises 8 PROJECT SCOPE 8.1 Scope Definition 8.2 Getting to the Scope 8.3 Scope Practices Exercises C. OTHER LIFE CYCLE ACTIVITIES 9 OTHER LIFE CYCLE ACTIVITIES 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Other Activities in Starting a Project Off 9.3 Main Issues in Progressing a Project 9.4 Main Issues in Finalising a Project D. PROJECT EXAMPLES 10 MOVIE MAKING 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Project Phases 10.3 Project Management 10.4 Organisation Structure 10.5 Formal Project Management Practices Applied to Movie Making Exercises 11 ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE 11.1 Outline 11.2 Reasons for Change 11.3 Organisational Issues 11.4 Project Management Phasing 11.5 Problems Dealing with Change 11.6 Formal Project Management Practices Applied to Change 12 CONVERTING TO A PROJECT-BASED ORGANISATION 12.1 lntroduction 12.2 Organisational Issues Involved in Converting to a Project-Based Organisation 12.3 Practices for Dealing with Change Issues 13 TECHNICAL V NON-TECHNICAL PROJECTS 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Differences between Technical and Non-Technical Projects 13.3 Management Differences Exercises 14 PROJECTS WITH ILL-DEFINED SCOPE 14.1 Some Issues 14.2 Scope Definition 14.3 General 14.4 Procedures for Managing Projects with Ill-Defined Scope 15 FAST-TRACKED PROJECTS 15.1 lntroduction 15.2 Managerial Problems Peculiar to Fast-Tracked Projects 15.3 Practices for Dealing with These Problems Exercises E. A FRESH LOOK AT PROJECT MANAGEMENT 16 SYSTEMS THINKING 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Systems-Subsystems 16.3 Single Level System 16.4 Fundamental Systems Problems 16.5 Management 16.6 The Optimal Control Problem 16.7 Optimisation Techniques 16.8 Planning 16.9 Project Management 17 STAGED (PHASED) DECOMPOSITION OF PROJECTS 17.1 Introduction 17.2 A Generalisation 17.3 Dynamic Programming 17.4 Pontryagin's Principle 17.5 Lower Level Decomposition of Projects