PPME Survey

Please take the survey to support improvements to PPME, the survey is based on PPME & multiple projects environments. Survey link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZJ5QPS7-PPM

Multiple project environments is competitive and high risk, however organizations competing in this environment continue practices of ad hoc decision making for critical resources. Many organization lack commitment to portfolio process systems and continue to shoot from the hip. Top management according to much literature fails in the supporting criteria and duties to successful deliver in the multiple project environments.
This survey sets out to gather data from experts in the field that are involved in project management in the multiple project environments. The aim of this research is to improve project management approaches, organizational commitment and resource allocation.

Your active participation in filling out this questionnaire is much appreciated and all information gathered is strictly confidential and will only be collected and summarized for the analysis.

Knowledge & Information Management

An interesting topic and post that I had recently discussed is knowledge and information management, I would like to share this post. My perspective on knowledge and information management is that knowledge is what we learn and then transfer to others, information management is the data collected during processes. I was recently researching maturity and the P3M3 model and what level most organizations want to achieve out of 1-5, and moreover organizations that had reached maturity, however the literature also suggests that there is no maximum level an organization can achieve due to changing landscapes, and thus further improvements can be made (Andersen & Jessen, 2002; OGC, 2012). As knowledge is transferred and learned we identify gaps in processes that can be improved upon for better management of information.

Collaboration is a great way of knowledge transfer; however this can be misleading if the person offering the knowledge is not working to a best practice that the organization policy adheres to, and/or in addition the best practices of the organization have gaps that may be improved upon, and thus a change is raised, hence the reoccurring of issues during process. We now have information technology to help identify best practices and knowledge across industry by reviewing peer reviewed journals.

A great way of transferring knowledge in mass is through workshops and inviting all stakeholders including the clients; these improve relationships and processes and furthermore create open communication of information sharing that improves project performances. Meredith & Mantel (2009) argue that all team members need to learn & grow from initiatives, and team selection should have a mix of senior & junior candidates, this is future business value for the organization and an invaluable investment, resources are the most valuable asset an organization can possess, Sharpe (2001) also supports this theory.

Wong (2007) claims that working conditions & environmental factors greatly increase the project success and how the team members operate and collaborate; teams are influenced by the intangible spaces, team dynamics and interaction space. Personal space is for self-motivating & developing personal behavior, whereas organization space is the representation of management systems & processes, personal & team space are also influenced by emotions, whereas organizational space is logical.

The fundamental and distinct characteristics between knowledge and information management are linked in the way that they both need each other to enhance organization and personal performances. 

References

Andersen, E. S. & Jessen, S. A. (2002)’Project maturity in organisations’ International Journal of Project Management 21 (2003), pp.457–461, ScienceDirect, EBSCO Host, [Online]. DOI: 10.1016/S0263-7863(02)00088-1 (Accessed: 31 March 2013).
Meredith, J.R. & Mantel, Jr., S.J. (2009) Project management: a managerial approach. 7th ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Office of Government Commerce (OGC), (2012) Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model [Online] Available from: http://www.p3m3-officialsite.com/P3M3Model/P3M3Model.aspxf (Accessed: 31 March 2013).

Sharpe, G. (2001) Characteristics of a high performing organization [Online]. Available from: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/business_performance_improvement/753 55/1 (Accessed: 31 March   2013).

Wong, B.T.Z. (2007) Human factors in project management: concepts, tools, and techniques for inspiring teamwork and motivation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Project Portfolio Management

By Adrian Hepworth

PPM compared to project management is still in its infancy and there are still lots to learn, although there are still many organizations out there that have not grasped project management as a core competency or moved through a transitional stage to keep up technology, market and emerging market trends (Lampel, 2001). Organizations that have plunged into the style of transformational leadership and management have come through the other side unscathed, but leaner, more efficient in leadership and with the competitive edge and advantage over other organizations. It is a natural transitional lifecycle that has happened in the past and will happen again in the future. Organizations that are considering adopting PPM or want to upgrade efficiency of an existing system should look at lessons learned and benchmarking from other organizations that have moved through the transition. Knowledge is already out there it’s a case of researching and adopting some best practices already in place, not mirroring another organization but building a model from many or a few that have sustainable best practices in place, one such best practice as I suggest, the weekly/monthly/milestone reviewing process that can be adapted for singular or multiple project reviews, Kerzner (2010) supports this theory.  I agree with your theory on the reviewing process as a whole for the portfolio to manage impacts to other projects. In addition single projects should go through the milestone review process that is supported by the PMO. The PMO and the project can then make necessary changes from lessons learned during the project lifecycle.    

Further to the PPM knowledge area, project management, PPM & the PMO have all been tried and tested by organizations that have the investment and want the competitive edge in the market, such as IBM, COMAU and PETROFAC, the common amenity is adopting project management as the core organizational competence and platform for all organizational processes (Kerzner, 2010). Crovasce, (2010) the corporate PMO manager at COMAU, suggests that standardization of process across all the business units, fostering knowledge transfer, the implementation of the project program based on leadership traits, tailored specifically to improve project teams within COMAU and foster a positive attitude that is the driving among all employees. Furthermore organizations need to create the vision and the strategic roadmap that all employees share in and bolster achievements.

Changes at any level is better supported by senior/mid management, this reduces resistance throughout the layers and improves implementation, better still change is accepted more when resources are involved and engaged in the planning and process of the change, and thus, making the difference is engaging the resources that the change will affect and impact. Please review the article by (Smet, Lavoie & Hioe, 2012), the article discusses change leadership and agents for best practices. Let me know if you have problems finding the article, I can email it over to you if needed.

Thoughts?

Adrian

References

Crovasce, V. (2010) 'Common Ground', PM Network, 24 (1), pp.28-29, EBSCOhost, [Online]. Available from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=d0de051f-ccc3-4200-a902 -73ff0e62e0b6%40sessionmgr111&hid=115 (Accessed: 6 April 2013).

Kerzner, H. (2010) Project management best practices: achieving global excellence. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

Lampel, J. (2001) 'The core competencies of effective project execution: the challenge of diversity', International Journal of Project Management, 19 (8), pp.471–483, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, [Online]. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0263786301000424? (Accessed: 6 April 2013).

Smet, A., Lavoie, J. & Hioe, E. (2012) 'Developing better change leaders', Mckinsey Quarterly, 2, pp.98-104, Business Source Premier, EBSCO Host,[Online]. Available from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=1cb9f007-9796-4fc8-ae1b-9a32f36513b6%40sessionmgr15&hid=2&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=74756221