The Role Of Project Management In Achieving Project Success

Transcription

International Journal of Project Management Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 81-87, 1996Copyright 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd and IPMAPrinted in Great Britain. All rights reserved0263-7863/96 15.00 0.00Pergamon0263-7863(95)00057-7The role of project management inachieving project successA K Munns and B F BjeirmiUniversity of Dundee, Department of Civil Engineering, Dundee, Scotland DD1 4HN, UKThe role of different project management techniques to implement projects successfully hasbeen widely established in areas such as the planning and control of time, cost and quality. Inspite of this the distinction between the project and project management is less than precise.This paper aims to identify the overlap between the definition of the project and projectmanagement and to discuss how the confusion between the two may affect their relationship.It identifies the different individuals involved on the project and project management, togetherwith their objectives, expectations and influences. It demonstrates how a better appreciation ofthe distinction between the two will bring a higher possibility of project success. Copyright Elsevier Science Ltd and IPMAKeywords: projects, project management, success, failure, evaluationIt has been recognised over the last 30 years that projectmanagement is an efficient tool to handle novel or complexactivities. Avots has suggested that it is more efficientthan traditional methods of management, such as the practice of functional divisions in a formal hierarchical organisation, for handling such situations. The process of bringingnew projects on stream and into the market imposesdemands on established organisations and necessitatesdifferent management techniques from those required tomaintain day-to-day operations. In such circumstances,where companies have a finite, unique and unfamiliar undertaking, the techniques of project management can besuccessfully implemented. These undertakings would callfor more and faster decision making techniques thanpossible in a normal operation and making the right choiceswill be critical to company success.The use of project management has become associatedwith such novel complex problems, which are inevitablycalled a project. Consequently the success of project management has often been associated with the final outcome ofthe project. Over time it has been shown that projectmanagement and project success are not necessarilydirectly related. The objectives of both project managementand the project are different and the control of time, costand progress, which are often the project managementobjectives, should not be confused with measuring projectsuccess. Also, experience has shown that it is possible toachieve a successful project even when management hasfailed and vice versa (see, for example, Wit2). There aremany examples of projects which were relatively successfuldespite not being completed on time, or being over budget,e.g. the Thames Barrier, the Fulmar North Sea oil projector Concorde, all of which turned out to be relative successes, even though the project control aspect of them failed.It can therefore be argued that the relationship between thetwo is less dependent than was first assumed, and in orderto measure project success a distinction should be madebetween the success of a project and the success of theproject management activity.This paper attempts to provide a logic for the distinctionbetween project management and the project. Starting froma definition of the two terms, it will outline the factorswhich affect their success, the individuals involved andtheir respective orientations and the relationship betweenthese elements. It also discusses the implications of thesituation where the project fails but the project managementprocess is perceived to have succeeded or vice versa.DefinitionsIn order to distinguish between the project and projectmanagement it is necessary to develop distinct definitionsfor the two terms. A project can be considered to be theachievement of a specific objective, which involves a seriesof activities and tasks which consume resources. It has tobe completed within a set specification, having definite startand end dates.In contrast, project management can be defined as theprocess of controlling the achievement of the project objectives. Utilising the existing organisational structures andresources, it seeks to manage the project by applying a collection of tools and techniques, without adversely disturbingthe routine operation of the company (See, for example,Kerzner3). The function of project management includes81

The role of project management in achieving project success: A K Munns and B F Bjeirmidefining the requirement of work, establishing the extentof work, allocating the resources required, planning theexecution of the work, monitoring the progress of the workand adjusting deviations from the plan.Initially these two definitions may appear to overlap.Both are heavily orientated to the achievement of the project.The important distinction lies in the emphasis of bothdefinitions. The project is concerned with defining andselecting a task which will be of overall benefit to the company. This benefit may be financial, marketing or technical,but this will tend to be of a long-term nature, orientedtowards the expected total life span of the completedproject. In the case of a construction project the benefitscould be extended over 50-100 years, depending on theanticipated building life. In contrast, project management isorientated towards planning and control. It is concernedwith on-time delivery, within-budget expenditures andappropriate performance standards. This is the context ofthe short-term life of the project development and delivery.Once delivery is achieved the management, as it relates toplanning and control of the development and delivery, willcease. A new, or different form of management, will thenestablish the operation and control of the project use fromthis point on. The focus, therefore, of project managementis distinct from that of the project because it is short term,until delivery of the project for use. In contrast the projectitself is long term, based on the whole life rather than justthe development cycle.Having established this distinction between the projectand project management it is possible to start to distinguishbetween success and failure of the two.Project success or failureThe definition of a project has suggested that there is anorientation towards higher and long-term goals. Importantparameters within the goals will be return on investment,profitability, competition and market ability.A range of variables and factors will affect the ability toachieve these goals, which have been identified by variousauthors. The following list has been derived from thewritings of Cash and Fox 4, Baker et al.5'6, Kerzner 3, Wit 2and KumarT: (a) objectives; (b) project administration; (c)third parties; (d) relations with client; (e) human parties; (f)contracting; (g) legal agreements; (h) politics; (i) efficiency;(j) conflicts and (k) profit. The current literature, forexample, Morris and Hugh 8, would imply that the successof a project is dependent on having: a realistic goal;competition;client satisfaction;a definite goal;profitability;third parties;market availability;the implementation process;the perceived value of the project.Only two of the items from this list would lie directly withinthe scope of project management as previously defined.These are the definitions of a goal and the implementationprocess. This would indicate that project management andits techniques are only a subset of the wider context of theproject. Project management plays a role in project success82but that role is affected by many other factors outside thedirect control of the project manager. This would start toexplain why projects can succeed or fail independently ofthe project management process.Project management success or failureThe definition of project management suggests a shorterterm and more specific context for success. The outcomesof project management success are many. They wouldinclude the obvious indicators of completion to budget,satisfying the project schedule, adequate quality standards,and meeting the project goal. The factors which may causethe project management to fail to achieve these wouldinclude (see, for example, Avotsl): inadequate basis for project;wrong person as project manager;top management unsupportive;inadequately defined tasks;lack of project management techniques;management techniques mis-used;project closedown not planned;lack of commitment to project.These factors would suggest that successful project management requires planning with a commitment to completethe project; careful appointment of a skilled project manager;spending time to define the project adequately; correctlyplanning the activities in the project; ensuring correct andadequate information flows; changing activities to accommodate frequent changes on dynamic; accommodatingemployees' personal goals with performance and rewards;and making a fresh start when mistakes in implementationhave been identified.The narrow definition of tasks in successful project management provides an indicator of why project managementsuccess and project success are not directly correlated. Aproject may still be successful despite the failings of projectmanagement because it meets the higher and long-termobjectives. At the point when the project management iscompleted the short-term orientation could be one of failurebut the long-term outcome could be a success, because thelarger set of objectives are satisfied instead of the narrowsubset which constitutes project management.The majority of literature on project management (see,for example, Kerzner 3, Duncan and Gorsha 9) stresses theimportance of techniques in achieving project objectives.They stress how successful implementation of techniquescontributes to a successful project. Avots and Duncan andGorsha 9 both claim that project management is an important part in project success. Avots , in studying the reasonsfor project management failure, argued that failure could beavoided by paying careful attention to the project management factors which caused failure. Duncan and Gorsha 9identified three problem areas which indicate the success ofa project. These are under-costing, overspending and latedelivery. It is suggested that project planning is needed toovercome these problems.Lackman has discussed the different tools available toa project manager to achieve success. These include workbreakdown structures, client information sheets and projectplans, among others. The early development of strategies,philosophies and methodologies of project implementationhave been stressed by Kumar 7 as the most important factor

The role of project management in achieving project success: A K Munns and B F Bjeirmiin achieving success. He suggested that by gathering sufficient site information and being aware of project considerations and constraints; it is possible to tailor strategies andmethodologies which are specific to a certain situation.Such well-defined strategies will assist in providing asatisfying and successful implementation of a project.The concentration on techniques may be considered asthe 'hard' issues in project management. They are theeasily measured and quantified concepts of time and cost.Other writers have incorporated what might loosely becalled people skills alongside these more administrativefunctions. These people skills are 'soft' issues in management. For example Randolph and Posner N, Posner 12 andJaafari t3 stressed personal, technical and organisationalskills as being necessary to help control projects andachieve successful results.Implicit in all the above literature is the claim thatprojects end when they are delivered to the customer. Thatis the point at which project management ends. They do notconsider the wider criteria which will affect the projectonce in use. Two writers who have made a distinctionbetween these orientations are Wit2 and Nicholas TM. Theymake a distinction between project success and the successof project management, bearing in mind that good projectmanagement can contribute towards project success but isunlikely to be able to prevent failure. They also emphasisethat a project can be a success despite a poor projectmanagement performance.If, as this argument implies, project management is purelya subset of the project as a whole, then it is suggested thatthe broader decisions in selecting a suitable project in thefirst place are more likely to influence the overall successof the project than can be achieved merely through thetechniques of project management. The techniques mayhelp to ensure a successful implementation of the project,but if the project is fundamentally flawed from the start itwould be unlikely that techniques alone could salvage it.The techniques may help to identify the unfeasible natureof the project, and indicate that it should be abandoned orchanged.Individual responsibilitiesGiven a clear distinction between the project and projectmanagement it would imply a requirement for a corresponding distinction between the individuals responsible forsuccess in both areas. Kerzner 3 states that "the major factorfor the successful implementation of project management isthat the project manager and team become the focal pointof integrative responsibility". This would suggest that thefocus for success in both spheres should lie with the projectmanagement team and would tend to exclude the clientfrom any role in project success, contradicting the earlierassertion that the early decision making on a project dictatessuccess. The client is responsible for these decisions andtherefore has an important role in determining success.The completion of a project requires input from a varietyof groups including the client, the project team, the pa

In the case of a construction project the benefits could be extended over 50-100 years, depending on the anticipated building life. In contrast, project management is orientated towards planning and control. It is concerned with on-time delivery, within-budget expenditures and appropriate performance standards. This is the context of the short-term life of the project development and delivery .