Project Management Methodology for Organisation A: PMBOK

Discuss About The Comparison And Contrast Of Project Management.

Innovation and creativity is needed in a business order to create a niche for the business operations. With the emergence of technology, the challenges faced by the organisations increase as well. The survivability in such case depends on the steps taken by the organisation in mitigating those challenges. One of the possible solutions of managing the different business processes is the adoption of project management methodology in addressing the challenge. The use of a methodology in managing the project helps in planning, organising, managing and controlling the different project work (Kerzner and Kerzner 2017). Proper management of all the business processes of the organisation helps in improving the performance of the project and the organisation as a whole along with the increase in productivity. The definition of the methodology is a set of methods that helps in easier and planned management of the different project works. The need of different organisations varies and therefore the use of the project management methodology in different organisations will vary as well (Harrison and Lock 2017). Methodology is a system of methods that is used in a particular area of the study or the activity. The choice of a proper methodology is therefore very crucial for an organisation and this choice is to be made by evaluating the needs of the project management organisation. The essay discusses the problems and the need of three different organisations in adoption of the project management methodology. Since the type and the problems of the three organisations differ, the possible recommendations of project management methodology will differ as well (Parker et al. 2013). The use of a proper project management methodology is expected to address the different problems faced by the project management organisations (Remington and Pollack 2016). The recommendations for the project management approaches in three different organisations are discussed in the following paragraphs.

This manufacturing organisation, works on manufacturing of the high volume and technologically advanced memory chips. There are almost 2100 employees and operates in USA. The aim of the organisation is developing and spreading markets in North and South America.  The organisation wants plans to spread markets in America and further aims at expanding the manufacturing operations of the company. The organisation wants to set up sales division along with the marketing division and after that a low cost and high tech manufacturing plant is needed to be developed. Therefore the choice of the project management methodology will depend on the organisational needs. In order to implement this task, which includes setting up of the manufacturing plant in low cost, the staffs of the organisation will be temporarily shifted to the project site to set up the new operations in Brazil. Furthermore, a speedy implementation of the project management methodology is required with the establishment of a local project team. The methodology suggested for organisation A is project management body of knowledge or PMBOK.  PMBOK is developed by the project management institute and is widely accepted across the globe. The choice of PMBOK is appropriate to consider for this organisation as it not only helps in efficient management of the high priority tasks associated with the project, but also helps in proper project governance (Deshpande, Beecham and Richardson 2013). Project governance, monitoring and control is needed in ensuring that the project is executed within the time estimated for the project.

Project Management Methodology for Organisation B: PRINCE2

The implementation of the project methodology is a management level activity since the methodology will be implemented throughout the organisation. Along with the project manager, the higher officials of the organisation should remain engaged in the choice of project management methodology. The PMBOK project management methodology should be implemented entirely as this is a high priority project and is needed to be completed within the set schedule (Rose 2013). Since project governance is one of the basic principles of PMBOK project management methodology, the chances of project completion within the scheduled time is high. The PMBOK project management methodology divides the entire project into five manageable phases for easier project implementation. These phases are project initiation, project planning, project execution, monitoring and control and project closure (refer to appendix 1). The implementation plan for this project is as follows-

In the initiation phase, along with the setting up of the local team, it is necessary to gather the requirements of the projects. The gathered requirements will help in easier development of the project plan.

In the planning stage of the project, the project plan is made. Setting up of a high tech plant requires the use of advanced project management methods, so that the project can be implemented within a scheduled time. The PMBOK methodology is one of the advanced project management approaches that helps in easier management of the projects associated with a particular organisation. The project plan that is developed in this phase will be followed during the execution of the project as it will help in implementation of the project within the set project schedule.

In the execution phase, the actual project is implemented that is setting up of the manufacturing plan. This stage requires proper monitoring for elimination of the risks associated with the project.

The monitoring and control stage is crucial as it ensures that the project execution follows the project plan. The project closing phase marks the end of the project.

The assumptions that are made in considering this PMBOK approach is that the team members consist of a basic idea of project management body of knowledge.

With the use of PMBOK, certain issues arises that can be faced by the project team. One of the significant issues is that the project team might have a very less idea about the knowledge groups and processes of PMBOK methodology (Obrutsky 2015). A prior experience is needed in order to implement the project with the help of project management body of knowledge. Furthermore, PMBOK does not allow scope changeof the project and therefore it is essential properly identify the requirements of the project in its initiation phase. However, these difficulties can be addressed by providing proper training to the team members and ensuring that correct requirements for the project are gathered.

Project Management Methodology for Organisation C: Agile

Apart from this, there are certain benefits of implementing the project with the PMBOK project methodology. This project management methodology ensures that the project is completed within a particular schedule and within a set budget. Cost control is possible in PMBOK as it does not allow any change in project scope and therefore, there is very less chances in change in a project or increase in the cost of the project. Therefore, the use of the PMBOK project management methodology is recommended for organisation A.

 This organisation works on infrastructure projects of the European government. It is a small company with 300 employees. The organisation plans to increase the number of infrastructure project that is managed by the company in Europe. The Company director is concerned about the increase in risks that the company will face with this new (Bentley 2012). A project management methodology is to be chosen for this organisation so that it helps in proper risk management so that the leadership team can review the project viability before proceeding to the next phase. Since the organisation deals with the infrastructure projects, PRINCE2 project management methodology is suggested for the organisation (Tomanek and Juricek 2015). The PRINCE2 was developed by the Office of government commerce in UK. PRINCE2 stands for Project IN a Controlled Environment that ensures proper monitoring and project control in execution of the project. The PRINCE2 has properly staged risk management process that will help the organisation in managing the risks associated with the project (Lianying, Jing and Xinxing 2012.).

The implementation of the project methodology for this organisation is a management level activity since the Company director is associated in the choice of the project management methodology. Therefore, in decision of selection of the project management methodology, the company director should remian involved.

The chosen project management methodology that is PRINCE2 should be implemented in its entirely as proper risk management is necessary for the future projects of the organisation. The risk management stage in PRINCE2 has certain phases, which include identification of the risks, accessing the level of severity and the probability of occurrence of the risk in the project, planning the risk mitigation approach and implementation of the risk mitigation plan (Refer to appendix 2).  Risk assessment is one of the main stages of risk management in PRINCE2. The priority of a particular risk that is identified in a project is determined on basis of its severity level and probability of occurrence. Correct risk assessment is necessary in order to identify which risks need immediate attention. The risk mitigation approach is identified on basis of the severity of the identified risk and the probability of its occurrence. This helps in setting up the priority regarding the risks that should be mitigated at first. Furthermore, the use of PRINCE2 divides the entire project in seven phases so that the project can be controlled more appropriately. The different phases of project includes starting up of a project, project initiation, directing a project, controlling a project stage, management of the product delivery, management of stage boundary and project closing. Division of the entire project in these seven manageable stages helps in implementation of the project in a controlled environment.

Comparison of PMBOK, PRINCE2, and Agile

The assumptions that are made in choosing this approach is that, the leadership team has a proper knowledge about the PRINCE2 project methodology.

However, there are certain difficulties that might be faced by the project team members in implementation of the PRINCE2 project methodology. Prior or present knowledge about the PRINCE2 project methodology is needed for implementing the risk management stage of the project.  Furthermore, since in PRINCE2, the entire project is mainly executed in a controlled environment, the phases of the project is generally long, which in turn increases the time for execution of the project. The schedule revision further results in increase in the cost allocated for the project. In order to address these problems, it is necessary to ensure that the team members are knowledgeable about the PRINCE2 project methodology along with the leadership team that is responsible for checking the viability of each project at certain stages.

However, there are certain benefits of using the PRINCE2 project methodology. This project methodology makes sure that the project is executed without any risk as has separate risk management process. Therefore, the choice of this project management methodology will be appropriate for organisation B.  

This organisation works on providing financial services and advices in the areas such as taxation, financial planning, fund management and retirement plan. The company has 800 employees and is located in Australia. This organisation has a proper business model and is therefore looking for improving or enhancing the project delivery capabilities. The organisation is able to create a senior management team that is enthusiastic, energetic, and highly motivated, who are constantly looking for new ideas for challenging the status of the organisation. The aim of the company is continuous improvement and therefore, a proper methodology is to be chosen that will help the organisation in improving the project performance. The organisation was established 11 years ago and is therefore a mature and a well established organisation. The organisation is confident about their business process and wants further improvement. Therefore, the six sigma project management methodology is proposed for the organisation as this methodology helps in improvement of the different business processes and operations running within an organisation. Six Sigma project management methodology is a set of technique for tools and processes that was invented by Motorola Company in order to ensure all their projects maintain correct specifications from start to end (Akpolat 2017). Since it is a disciplined and statistical based data driven approach of continuous improvement, it can help the organisation enhancing the performance of their projects.

Conclusion

The choice of the project management methodology is an organisation level activity for this organisation. This organisation is a well established organisation and therefore, the suggestion and choosing of project methodology should involve the management. Furthermore, the projects of this organisation need enhancements or improvements and the higher officials or the management of the organisation will have an appropriate knowledge about the needs of the company.  In the decision of choosing a project management methodology for the organisation, the manager of the organisation should be involved (Antony, Gijo and Childe 2012). This is because in the choice of the project management methodology, the higher officials of the organisation can provide accurate and helpful suggestions.

The chosen project management methodology should be implemented entirely as the organisational aim is to enhance the performance of the project. The implementation of the six sigma project methodology mainly involves four processes (refer to appendix 3). In order to improve the project, the needs of the customers are correctly identified (Pyzdek and Keller 2014). Based on the customers’ need the process of project implementation is developed that increases the satisfaction of the customer (Evans and Lindsay 2014). However, in order to properly analyse the requirements of the customers, it is very essential to develop a proper plan for the project (Drohomeretski et al. 2014). Furthermore, proper identification of the business problem is essential in order to recommend a statistical solution for the identified problems of the project (Pamfilie et al. 2012). The requirements of the customers are found out and analysed with the help of appropriate project metrics.

In suggesting this project methodology, certain assumptions are made. It is assumed that proper researches are done before implementation of the project with this approach. However, there are certain issues associated with the use of the Sig Sigma (Hilton and Sohal 2012). Six Sigma lacks proper leadership and the implementation time taken is huge as well. However, this can be mitigated by ensuring proper monitoring in the projects (Manville et al. 2012). The benefit of using six sigma is that it helps in improving or enhancing the quality and the performance of a project.

Conclusion

The essay identifies the needs of the three different organisations and recommends a proper project methodology for the three organisations. The use of proper project management methodologies in implementation of a project is necessary as it helps in easier management of the different business processes of the organisation. Since organisation A needs to set up a low cost and high tech manufacturing plant, the PMBOK project methodology is recommended. The suggestion of methodologies is based on the requirements of the organisation, which is implementation of the project is a constricted time frame. The Organisation B needed a project management methodology that has staged risk management and therefore, the PRINCE2 project methodology is suggested. Organisation C is a well established organisation that is requires a methodology that will enhance the performance of the project and therefore the six sigma is suggested. The suggestion of methodology is based on the organisational needs.

References

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