Welcome to the fourth edition of Project Management: A practical guide to planning and managing projects. This revised text explores not only the principles, processes and practice of project management, but also the myriad challenges and opportunities created in trying to balance strategic initiatives (termed projects), organisational priorities and operational realities within project organisations.
The text continues the learning journey of how we plan and manage our projects, be they big or small, easy or complex, single or multiple, single-site or co-located. This new edition aligns with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) and with industry requirements, international best practice and educational qualifications, as well as incorporating aspects of other well-known international (and lesser known) project management methodologies.
With the world continuing to do more and more business on a project management footing while pursuing shorter timeframes, cost reductions and performance innovation, there is also the reality of increasing compliance and transparency (welcomed or imposed), and the ever-present and pervasive impact of risk, which should, to the observant viewer, negate any organisation’s attempts to rely solely on their technical mastery of budgeting and scheduling. Project management is so much more than the mere tracking, reporting and controlling of cost, schedule and performance variances. Yes, these are important, but not at the expense of the equally important cornerstones of project management.
For some, these cornerstones have essentially been ‘borrowed’ from industry and from the academic and government sectors, and they cover everyday business operations, finance, quality, risk, compliance, logistics, human resources, governance, administration, standard operating procedures, communication, information technology, environment, work, health and safety, procurement, sustainability, life-cycles, legal issues, customer service and policy, to name a few.
While some researchers and practitioners interpret this as the project management discipline offering nothing new, I believe their argument is erroneous, as it misses the point. Surely the goal is the discovery, the acquisition, the development, the application, the testing and the evaluation of ideas, knowledge, techniques, tools, skills and abilities in terms of how projects are planned and managed successfully; thus a debate about source is largely irrelevant. As always, I welcome your feedback (both the good bits and the other bits) as you navigate your project management career, research or studies.
Stephen Hartley