Project Delivery in Business-As-Usual Organizations

by Carroll,Tim

• ISBN13: 9780566086298
• ISBN10: 0566086298
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Business organizations are highly successful at delivering business as usual; the day-to-day tasks of managing customer transactions, marketing and production activities, and motivating employees. But there is a growing requirement for such organizations also to deliver business change projects successfully. 'Business as usual organizations' represent a particularly challenging environment for achieving this because of the fundamentally different mindset and culture required to deliver projects in this context.Tim Carroll's book provides an authoritative guide to improving project delivery in such organizations by:- building a project management capability and culture that is appropriate to BAU organizations;- aligning projects more closely with the strategic agenda of the organization, through the use of programmes;- using portfolio management to improve this alignment and ensure the effectiveness of project investments;- demonstrating the business context for projects and their contribution to the organization's agenda of strategic change.The author argues convincingly that project management hasn't travelled well from its traditional roots in construction and engineering to business-as-usual organizations. New approaches are called for, in particular to embed project delivery capabilities more deeply within the organization rather than treat it as a specialist discipline. This is a 'must-read' book to help managers responsible for strategy and change in all business-as-usual organizations (such as banks, insurance, business and consumer service companies, hospitals, local and national government) to realize the value that project management can bring to the long-term development of their organization.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	vii
List of Tables	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
Business-as-usual companies?	1	(1)
Business issues to be addressed	2	(1)
Rationale for this book	3	(1)
Reading this book	4	(1)
So, what are the benefits of reading this book?	5	(4)
Business-as-Usual Organizations	9	(16)
Roadmap for Chapter 2	9	(16)
Project management moves into new territories	9	(4)
Hard and soft projects	13	(1)
Business-as-usual organizations	14	(4)
The financial services sector as an example	18	(4)
Propositions	22	(2)
Conclusions	24	(1)
Building the Organization's Project Delivery Capability	25	(64)
Roadmap for Chapter 3	25	(64)
A model for considering project delivery	27	(7)
A framework for improving project delivery	34	(28)
Making it happen	62	(11)
Taking stock -- progress so far, challenges ahead	73	(4)
A proposition	77	(3)
An embedded framework for project delivery	80	(6)
Conclusion -- a case for humility?	86	(3)
Projects as Agents of Strategic Change -- Programme Management	89	(26)
Roadmap for Chapter 4	89	(26)
Introduction -- the complexities of business change	90	(2)
Programme management concepts	92	(9)
Successes of programme management	101	(1)
Problems in applying programme management	102	(5)
Making it happen	107	(6)
Conclusions	113	(2)
Projects as Agents of Strategic Change -- Portfolio Management	115	(38)
Roadmap for Chapter 5	115	(38)
Introduction to portfolio management	115	(2)
Drivers for a new approach	117	(2)
Portfolio management of project investments	119	(5)
Techniques for portfolio management	124	(11)
Tools for portfolio management	135	(5)
Making it happen	140	(11)
Conclusions	151	(2)
Conclusions	153	(6)
Change and BAU organizations	153	(1)
A business issue for the project management profession	154	(1)
Embedding a capability in the organization	155	(1)
Embedding projects in the organization's strategic agenda	155	(1)
Executive support	155	(2)
The right time for a fresh approach	157	(1)
Issues for further consideration	157	(2)
Appendix 1 Project Management -- Minimum Control Standards	159	(14)
Appendix 2 Notes on Benefits Management	173	(8)
Appendix 3 Notes on Managing Change and Stakeholders	181	(6)
Appendix 4 Notes on Risk Assessment	187	(8)
Appendix 5 Notes on the Use of Stages in Projects	195	(4)
Index	199