The Project Management Office: it’s just not what it used to be

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric John Darling ◽  
Stephen Jonathan Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Project Management Office ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
History Of

Purpose – The Project Management Office (PMO) phenomenon is a dynamic and regularly evolving feature of the project landscape. The functions and practices expected of the PMO differ as widely as the industries and organisations, which host them. By uncovering the documented and undocumented history of the PMO and its practices the authors see how PMOs have developed to current times, how PMOs develop their ideas, how useful PMOs are, and what associated activities they partake in. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors conduct an extensive literature review of the academic and non-academic literature. The first phase involved searching academic journals and published theses. The second, deep searches with Google Scholar and Books using a variety of parameters to capture the changing nomenclature of the PMO over many years. These searches discovered lost academic literature within university libraries, examples of very early essays on the project office and numerous government reports on PMO and project office undertakings. Findings – This research reveals how the form and use of the structure we now call the PMO has evolved and adapted over time. In recent history the PMO has evolved to be the central repository for tools and methodologies for this non-operational work. The PMO has become an asset, a commodity to be traded upon and a badge to be worn to attain certain privileges. Research limitations/implications – This research identifies a number of deficiencies in existing literature. Particularly highlighting that many practices, methods and PMO typologies exist, frequently their custodians tout these as “best practice”. Although some research has been conducted by academics on PMOs vast gaps exist in PMO literature. Practical implications – This research identifies a number of assumptions in practitioner literature and professional practice. Organisations both private and public are investing enormous resources in the pursuit of enhancing project management outcomes often turning to the PMO concept to resolve their problems. However there is limited evidence to suggest PMOs create a favourable return. If the authors were to use medicine as an example, prior to a scientific approach in medicine the field relied on potions and magic, however medicine changed to evidence-based practice this has lead to enhanced life prospects. An evolution in project management doctrine may enhance outcomes. Originality/value – This review of the PMO which possesses archaeological attributes in it’s historical context adds a rich understanding to organisational knowledge by considering the history of the PMO and the dramatic shifts in its purpose over a prolonged period of time. The discussion draws out the critical PMO topics to be addressed and includes a critique of practitioner and academic knowledge.

scholarly journals Defining project efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youcef J.-T. Zidane ◽  
Nils O.E. Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Management Journal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Google Books ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper studies how the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy are used in project management literature. The concepts relate to the degree of success or failure of projects and the degree to which the results are achieved. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of the concepts of efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness in project management literature and among practitioners. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an extensive literature review, initially from the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. The first phase involved searching the words “efficiency”, “effectiveness” and “efficacy” in all articles of the journal, and then quantifying the results. This was followed by a qualitative search of the same articles with the aim of understanding how the terms “project efficiency”, “project efficacy” and “project effectiveness” are used. A further intensive literature review was then conducted in other literatures in the field of project management, including, but not limited to, International Journal of Project Management and Project Management Journal. Finally, the authors complemented the review by including theories from deep searches of Google Scholar and Google Books using the parameters “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy” and checked how the three concepts are used in other fields. Findings This research reveals there is wide diversity in interpretations of the three concepts among research scholars and practitioners, which makes it challenging to apply these three concepts appropriately and clearly. As a consequence, the authors propose a model for describing these concepts. Research limitations/implications This research is based on an academic and non-academic literature review. It identifies a number of inconsistencies in existing literature regarding the three concepts. Practical implications This review enriches understanding of project management. Clarifying the understanding of project efficiency, project effectiveness and project efficacy will help and support organisational improvement. A clear and aligned view of these concepts can also be a basis for measurements based on possible developed indicators. Originality/value This paper highlights the gap in the literature concerning the practical use and interpretation of the concepts “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy”.

A brief history of small business in Australia, 1970-2010

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Schaper
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Support Tools ◽  
History Of ◽  
Training And Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of the SME sector in Australia, concentrating on a number of key areas: small business definitions and numbers; the role of government; the emergence of key industry groups; and the evolution of education, training and research services. Design/methodology/approach – The study is a result of extensive literature reviews, desk research and the recollections of various participants in the field. Findings – There have been major changes to the Australian small business sector over the last 40 years. In 1983-1984 there were an estimated 550,000 small firms, and by 2010 this had grown to almost two million. Government involvement in, and support for, SMEs was virtually non-existent before 1970. Following the delivery of the Wiltshire report (1971), however, both state and federal governments responded by developing specialist advisory services, funding programmes and other support tools. Virtually non-existent before the 1970s, several peak industry associations were formed between 1977 and the 1990s. At the same time, formal education and teaching in the area expanded in the 1970s and 1980s and is now widespread. Practical implications – Development of the small business sector in Australia has often paralleled similar trends in other OECD nations. State and territory governments have often (but not always) been the principal drivers of policy change. Originality/value – There has been no little, if any, prior documentation of the evolution of the small business sector in Australia in the last 40 years.

Integrated reporting and integrated thinking in Italian public sector organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Guthrie ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Rebecca Levy Orelli
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to explore the linkages between integrated reporting (IR) and organisations’ internal processes, specifically focusing on investigating the internal mechanisms of change that can lead organisations to adopt IR disclosure and how this impacts on integrated thinking internally. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon previous analysis and insights provided in the IR academic literature, as well as analysing several directives, policy and framework pronouncements. The study also draws on the management accounting change literature, using it as a lens to observe early adopters’ practice. In addition, it provides detailed case studies considering the internal processes of change in five early adopters of the integrated reporting framework (<IRF>) and whether the adoption leads to internal “integrated thinking”. Five Italian public sector organisations are analysed, and the authors make use of official documents, press releases and in-depth semi-structured interviews with the major internal actors. Findings The research highlights that the processes of change in organisations adopting IR is their adoption of a way of thinking, that is, integrated thinking, as a result of the process of internalisation. Research limitations/implications Given the short history of IR, this sample is small due to the small number of early adopters. Originality/value The paper provides academics and policymakers with insights into the process of change to be considered while adopting the <IRF> and responds to calls in the IR literature for further field-based studies on IR’s impact on internal processes. Also, the paper highlights that the European Directive on the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information (2014/95/EU) has the potential to increase environmental, social and governance disclosures amongst European companies.

scholarly journals Initiation of capital projects in industries having an operational focus: an Australian stevedoring case example

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haya Aldaghlas ◽  
Felix Kin Peng Hui ◽  
Colin Fraser Duffield
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Container Terminal ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Initiation Phase ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe initiation phase of capital projects is critical as this is where the highest number of options exist for modifying the project with minimal expenditure. Government and large organisations frequently involved in major capital projects have extensive procedures for this phase, yet organisations having an operational focus (like major container terminal stevedores), that only occasionally undertake capital projects face the dilemma of the trade-off between project planning and the management of operations. This research reported in this paper investigated the impact of industry operational considerations on the initiation of capital projects.Design/methodology/approachIn addition to an extensive literature review, a living research investigation of real projects initiated by a stevedoring company operating in Australia has been observed; the primary author of this paper spent six months as a participant/observer and witnessed the initiation of 12 capital projects. The collected data was qualitatively analysed using a four-step coding method.FindingsThe findings confirm that project initiation is a challenge for organisations who only spasmodically undertake capital projects and available project management frameworks do not necessarily consider the impact of such an organisation's culture. Issues identified that may have a negative impact on the initiation phase include lack of workplace trust, high individualism, ineffective interdepartmental communication, lack of resources and engineering and safety complexity.Originality/valueThe study investigated an underexplored industry within the context of project initiation, using the Australian stevedoring as a case study. This initial investigation suggests that a tailored project management framework is needed for the initiation phase of projects to reflect the unique nature of the stevedoring industry and by inference other industries that have a strong operational focus.

Karl E. Weick and the dawning awareness of organized cognition

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1287-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H Starbuck
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Major Activity ◽  
Sharp Focus ◽  
Thought Leader ◽  
History Of ◽  
Karl Weick ◽  
Struggle For Recognition ◽  
Cognitive Perspectives

Purpose – Cognitive perspectives have emerged from many years of struggle for recognition, and grown into a dominant theme in psychology. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what Karl Weick expressed as important themes in this struggle, made major contributions to the content of cognitive psychology, and helped to make cognition relevant for organizational behavior. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews key developments in the history of psychology, points out central issues, and summarizes Weick’s contributions. Findings – Weick brought sensemaking into sharp focus as a major activity of people and organizations. His writings established information processing as the core of organizational activities. He also showed how sensemaking affects organizational reliability. Originality/value – Weick is one of the authors whom management scholars cite very often because he has been a thought leader. The paper places Weick’s work in historical context and points to his major contributions.

Illuminating the black box of entrepreneurship education programs

2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Maritz ◽  
Christopher R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Literature ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Comprehensive View ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore the components of entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) and their interrelationships to develop a conceptual framework through which entrepreneurship education may be contextually evaluated and developed.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an extensive literature review of the entrepreneurship education literature which is used to inform a comprehensive framework for entrepreneurial education; based upon contextualisation, outcomes, objectives, audience, assessment, content and pedagogy.FindingsThe paper develops a comprehensive and parsimonious framework for understanding and evaluating entrepreneurship education programs based on and adapted from the extended conceptualisations and contextualisation of previous research on entrepreneurship education programs.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents preliminary conceptualisation and as such requires subsequent testing in various entrepreneurship contexts.Practical implicationsThe framework elaborated upon can provide a comprehensive view of entrepreneurship education programs by examining and describing the relationships between the components. In so doing, the paper illuminates for educators and researchers a comprehensive view of an entrepreneurship education program which can be used by contextualising the components of outcomes, objectives, assessment and pedagogy.Originality/valueThe value of this work lies in its responsiveness to the calls in the academic literature for more appropriate evaluations of entrepreneurship programs and greater contextualisation of the programs to facilitate research into the effectiveness of such programs. The paper proposes that EEPs have to be developed, not only with objectives in mind, but in the context within which they operate.

Toward a regional ontology for information systems project management

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 681-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosheek Sewchurran ◽  
Derek Smith ◽  
Dewald Roode
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Underlying Theory

PurposeThe paper aims to paper an overview of a completed doctoral thesis which pursued the development of underlying theory (ontology) to give coherence to research in the information systems (IS) project management space.Design/methodology/approachAs a result of the considerable concern about a lack of underlying theory in project management the author has chosen to investigate the development of underlying theory to serve as a regional ontology to give debates undertaken to improve IS project management coherence. The thesis is a critical interpretive a priori effort. In the pursuit of the goal of developing a regional ontology, the notions, concepts and theories related to existentialism and social construction were investigated. These were investigated because the research literature places considerable emphasis on the need to understand as‐lived project experiences.FindingsOne of the significant outcomes that results from this research is the development of a proposed regional ontology. This was achieved by fusing the theories of Heidegger's Dasein, Bourdieu's “Theory of practice” and Maturana and Varela's “Theory of living systems”. The regional ontology is a consolidation of the various concepts defined by these researchers. These theories complement each other to give rise to a relational model of social construction which also has related phenomenological, existential and biological perspectives.Practical implicationsThe proposed ontology was interpreted using the popular alternatives that have recently emerged alongside the established best practices such as project management body of knowledge. The perspectives of complex, responsive processes of relating, the temporary organisation, agility and organisational becoming were reviewed using the regional ontology. The interpretation process illustrated that the regional ontology is able to provide a more fundamental and coherent context to subsume and delimit these emerging new frames.Originality/valueThe thesis also discusses the researcher's view of contemporary project management practice that accords with the regional ontology principles. Through argument and the contemporary context of IS project management practice that was sketched, the principles of the regional ontology are illuminated. Through this process it was possible to claim that established best practice modes of education should not exist in isolation but should instead be situated within a wider analogical context that embraces the values of learning, becoming and innovating.

The protean nature of Stanford University's biological sciences, 1946––1972

2004 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIC J. VETTEL
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
World War ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fundamental Research

ABSTRACT: Academic literature has paid scant attention to the biological sciences at Stanford University, an omission all the more conspicuous considering their productivity since World War II. This article draws on previously unused archival material to establish a starting point for further study of the biological sciences at Stanford. It traces the evolution of Stanford's biological sciences through three experimental fields: self-directed developmental and evolutionary studies; fundamental research at the molecular level; and biomedical applications of fundamental knowledge. Taken together, a history of Stanford's biological sciences offers a remarkably fertile example of organizational flexibility in historical context. This essay ends by suggesting that a fourth phase of biological research at Stanford will be governed by commercial interest in biology.

Thinking about thinking

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick Martin
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Forward Direction ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Motion ◽  
Michael Porter ◽  
History Of

Purpose – Business strategists can easily become slaves to their inbox or to the passing enthusiasm of the times, their supervisors or outside influencers, ranging from social activists to securities analysts and investment bankers. This article seeks to put their work in historical context and to encourage them to engage in meta-cognition – a deep consideration of their role in helping to shape their business’s response to its current environment and challenges. Design/methodology/approach – The article reviews the history of modern business strategy and divides it into three major phases, centered on the theories and practices of three strategists: Frederick Taylor, Peter Drucker and Michael Porter. The author suggests that each of these strategists was addressing the key business questions of their time and influenced the thinking of others who built on – and in many cases improved on – their theories and models. He suggests that a business strategist’s thinking should build on the work of those who came before in responding to contemporary questions of importance to their firm. Findings – Business strategy is fundamentally an exercise in understanding and improving business performance and growth. It requires a depth of sophisticated thought that can be sharpened and focused through meta-cognition – thinking about thinking, i.e. a thoughtful consideration of what dominates our thinking and why. Practical implications – This article invites practicing strategists to find their own place on that arc. Originality/value – The article presents the history of business strategy as an arc of inquiry that has forward direction, moving inexorably outward, from time–motion studies on the shop floor, to the human beings who occupied it, and to the larger society in which they and the firm live. It invites practicing strategists to find their own place on that arc.

Identifying the characteristics of a high-performance finance function

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-377
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Eelco Bilstra ◽  
Peter De Roeck
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Role Clarity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
People Development ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Finance Function

Purpose The concept of the high-performance organization (HPO) receives much attention nowadays. To create and sustain an HPO, all parts of the organization must contribute, especially the finance function, whose relations with every part of the organization mean that it can be regarded as the spider in the organizational web. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study develops the high-performance finance function (HPFF) framework based on the HPO framework, a scientifically developed and validated approach to transforming organizations into HPOs. Based on an extensive literature review, potential characteristics of an HPFF were identified and subsequently linked to factors in the HPO framework. Subsequently, using a questionnaire and statistical analysis, these potential characteristics were clustered into five HPFF factors that showed a significant positive relation with the finance function’s performance. Findings The five HPFF factors are: Finance Function Improvement, IT Focus, People Development (of financial professionals working in the function), Role Clarity (for each of the various types of role in the function) and Strategic Role (of the finance function in the organization, especially in supporting management). Originality/value The HPFF framework is a practical improvement framework based on a solid scientific foundation. It also fills the current gap in the academic literature on how to develop HPFFs, thus giving the frameworks described in practitioner literature a robust scientific grounding.

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