Project Management : Designing Effective Organisational Structures in Construction

by Moore, David Richard

• ISBN13: 9780632063932
• ISBN10: 0632063939
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-10-22
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Organisation structure can make or break the project manager...New forms of organisation are emerging in the construction industry - from partnering to virtual teams. There is a growing need to consider project organisational structures carefully. This book differs from the many other texts on project management by concentrating on the challenges of devising relevant structures for project management.It examines the diverse factors to be considered when determining an initial overall organisation for new construction projects. It also looks at how to vary the organisation in response to the differing environments over the lifetime of a project.In a pragmatic, accessible style, the author has both added to the body of knowledge in this area and provided the project management with a set of effectivemanagement tools to:examine the criteria for designing structures within an organisation identify the factors relevant to the development of an initial project organisation structure assess the significance of an individual factor in the operation of a structure

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Preface	xiii
Part I Structure Past	1	(68)
Searching for the Real Project: the Historical Approach	3	(30)
Introduction	3	(1)
Information as a production resource	4	(9)
Identifying the project nature in system terms	13	(7)
Effects on the internal environment	20	(7)
The conversion process	27	(4)
Conclusions	31	(2)
Open System Characteristics in Industrial Terms: Relatively Recent Developments	33	(36)
Introduction	33	(1)
Energy	34	(3)
Throughput	37	(7)
Output	44	(3)
Event management	47	(2)
Entropy and the issue of noise	49	(5)
Feedback	54	(4)
Steady state	58	(3)
Differentiation - further discussion of Case study 1	61	(3)
Equifinality	64	(3)
Conclusions	67	(2)
Part II Structure Present	69	(98)
Establishing a Project's Relevant Environmental Forces: Recognise the Relevant -- Ignore Everything Else?	71	(41)
Introduction	71	(1)
Gathering information	71	(5)
Application: a hypothetical project scenario	76	(11)
Project objectives and organisation structure	87	(9)
Traditional organisation structures	96	(8)
Variations on the basic themes	104	(3)
Selecting an organisational form	107	(2)
Integrated project teams (IPTs)	109	(2)
Conclusions	111	(1)
Further Factors in a Possible Model for Organisation Structure Design	112	(23)
Introduction	112	(1)
Changes in the external environment	113	(4)
Environments becoming unfavourable	117	(4)
Virtual teams	121	(6)
Transformational organisation structures	127	(7)
Conclusions	134	(1)
Control is Not Total	135	(32)
Introduction	135	(1)
Project boundaries	136	(8)
Control of the human resource	144	(7)
Caveat emptor	151	(14)
Conclusions	165	(2)
Part III Structure Future?	167	(58)
The Genome Approach	169	(28)
Introduction	169	(1)
The simplified genome	170	(17)
Expanding the start genome	187	(9)
Conclusions	196	(1)
Taking Up the Options	197	(17)
Introduction	197	(1)
Required structure characteristics: discussion of Skunkworks	198	(1)
Achieving the project-specific genome (PSG)	199	(2)
Implementing the structure	201	(6)
The learning organisation	207	(4)
The humorous organisation	211	(1)
Conclusions	212	(2)
Future Challenges	214	(11)
Introduction	214	(2)
The short term	216	(2)
The medium term	218	(3)
The long term	221	(4)
Appendix 1 Glossary of Project Management Terms	225	(54)
Appendix 2 Glossary of Structure and Gene Terms	279	(2)
References	281	(4)
Index	285