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Theory Of Project Management

 

The Theory of Project Management consists primarily from concepts and causal relationships that relate these concepts (Whetten1989). It is possible to broadly characterize a target theory of production/operations management (Koskela 2000). This characterization applies also for project management, being a special type of production/operations management.

 

A Theory of Project Management should be prescriptive: it should reveal how action contributes to the goals set to it. On the most general level, there are three possible actions: design of the systems employed in designing and making; control of those systems in order to realize the production intended; improvement of those systems. Project management, and indeed all production, has three kinds of goal.

 

Firstly, the goal of getting intended products produced in general. Secondly, there are internal goals, such as cost minimization and level of utilization. Thirdly, there are external goals related to the needs of the customer, like quality, dependability and flexibility. An explicit theory of project management would serve various functions. In prior research, the following roles of a theory have been pinpointed (Koskela 2000):

 

  • A Theory of Project Management provides an explanation of observed behavior, and contributes thus to understanding. A theory provides a prediction of future behavior.
  • On the basis of the theory, tools for analyzing, designing and controlling can be built.
  • A Theory of Project Management, when shared, provides a common language or framework, through which the co-operation of people in collective undertakings, like project, firm, etc., is facilitated and enabled.
  • A Theory of Project Management gives direction in pinpointing the sources of further progress.
  • When explicit, testing the validity of the theory in practice leads to learning.
  • Innovative practices can be transferred to other settings by first abstracting a theory from that practice and then applying it in target conditions.
  • A Theory of Project Management can be seen as a condensed piece of knowledge: it empowers novices to do the things that formerly only experts could do. It is thus instrumental in teaching.

 

What is the underlying Theory of Project Management? In prior literature, it is generally seen that there is no explicit theory of project management. However, it is possible to find statements from the PMBOK Guide or the work of leading scholars on project management that approximate the definition of a theory or from which a theory can be deduced. Based on such core statements, we proceed in two steps.

 

First, we crystallize the prescriptions (for action) and explicit principles of project management regarding a specific aspect or part of the project management process. Secondly, we compare this crystallization to the principles and prescriptions of candidate theories and identify a corresponding theory. The PMBOK Guide states that projects are composed of two kinds of processes: project management processes and product-oriented processes (which specify and create the project product). Project management processes are further divided into initiating, planning, execution, controlling and closing processes.

 

The Four Stages Theory of Project Management: Most everyone who writes about, teaches, or explains project management says that projects have four stages:

  • Startup
  • Planning
  • Execution (or Doing)
  • Close Down

 

At first glance this seems reasonable. Projects start and they end so you must have a "Startup" and a "Close Down". It also makes sense you would want to "Plan" something before you "Do" it. But are these really stages of a project. Do you really complete most of Startup before you Plan anything? Do you really Plan everything before you do anything? Do you really want to delay Close Down activities until after the execution activities are completed?

 

If you try to be good project managers and organize your actions into these four stages you run into all sorts of difficulties. For example, out of the thousands of project managers, you rarely found two who could agree on the difference between Startup and Planning. Most thought that there is a tremendous amount of overlap, that Startup is really preliminary Planning with some Doing thrown in. They agreed that almost everything that they would categorize as a Startup activity could also be part of one of the other stages.

 

Another problem is the separation between Planning and Doing. It collecting requirements planning or doing? Is building consensus planning or doing? Is a feasibility test planning or doing?

 

Here is another subtle, but very real problem. Project Managers who think in terms of these stages, that Planning comes before Doing, have a mental obstacle to get around when they are busy doing and discover that the plan needs to be changed. They talk about "having to backup into Planning before they can go forwards on the project". They ask "how can we take the time to backup when we are trying to meet our deadlines?" They lose track of the truth that adjusting the plan when necessary is moving forward.

 

Similar problems occur regarding Close-Down. An exit survey is a useful tool to get feedback on team effectiveness from people when they are most likely to be candid. In the Four Stages Theory the exit survey is categorized as a Close-Down activity on the assumption that people leave the project at the end. In real life people can leave a project at any time. Project Managers who wait until Close-Down for exit surveys will miss valuable information that could help them now.

 

Many more examples could be offered of how the Four Stages Theory either fails to provide the guidance that project managers need or, worse, misleads.

When you, as a project manager, accept responsibility for a project, you accept the schedule, timeline, deadlines, resources, and expectations set out at the start. Now you can make sure you're asking the right questions for each project by utilizing the tools, checklists, and information from projectmanagementsurvival.

Now you can manage your risk project according to best practice standards. You'll have the details and plans in place to handle whatever arises during a project's duration—setting appropriate expectations for timelines, milestones, and deliverables. And, ensure success for each and every project with resources on:

  • Ensuring you have the necessary equipment and resources available
  • Properly documenting all project activities
  • Identifying staff skills by roles needed
  • Putting quality controls in place
  • Identifying and estimating indirect costs
  • Documenting and prioritizing requirements
  • And much more

Start and end each project on a positive note—order your Templates and Tool Kits for Project Managers today!

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