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TRANSCRIPT
UAS Conference Series 2013/14
4 February 2014
Project management: reality vs theory
Ian Wild and Philippa Days
IT Services
14 September 2010
Page 1
A project is:
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“A planned or proposed undertaking; a scheme, a
proposal; a purpose, an objective.”
(www.oed.com)
A project is:
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A temporary organisation
• to which resources are assigned
• to undertake a unique, novel, and transient
endeavour
• managing the inherent uncertainty and need for
integration
• in order to deliver beneficial objectives of change
(Race, 2005)
Why do IT projects go wrong? • Lack of leadership/ senior management
ownership
• Lack of effective engagement of stakeholders
• Lack of team integration
• Lack of skills (Project and Risk Management)
NB: NOT technology
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(Parks, 2005)
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Why do IT projects go wrong?
Uncertainty
Supporting
change
Visualisation
Flexibility
(Adapted from BCS, 2004)
Organisational culture & change management
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Handy (2009)
Strong individual
Concentration of power
Example - IMG
Authority dictated by job role
Bureaucracy in purest form
Example - Local authorities
Constant change
Temporary teams
Example - R&D, advertising agency
Organisation’s crucial asset - talent of
individual
Structure only to serve needs of individuals –
“stars”
Example - University
The HE context
“ ... these are the organisations of consent, where the
manager governs with the consent of the governed, and
not with the delegated authority of the owners. It may be
democracy, but is very difficult, and exhausting, to deal
with”
“Where you can manage only by consent, every
individual has the right of veto, so that any co-ordinated
effort becomes a matter of endless negotiation”
(Handy, 2009)
Challenge for projects: wide consultation, change slow
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....and this can be the result
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How can we reduce the chances of failure?
• External independent assurance
• Skills
• Raising levels of PM competencies
• Risk management
• Methodology review and standardisation
• Uncertainty / visualisation
• “Agile” approach where appropriate
• Early testing
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Agile project approach
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How can we reduce the chances of failure?
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Cost of fixing defects
• Test early
Success: On time? On budget?
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Success?
“The quality is remembered long after the price is
forgotten”
(Versace)
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So – it’s not simple...
• Projects are risky undertakings - every project is doing
something that hasn’t been done before
• There are specific issues for projects in HE – allow for
these during planning
• There is no magic solution – but there are ways to
reduce the risks
• How we measure success varies depending on the
project - focus on delivering what is really needed
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QUESTIONS
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