Suitability of Project Management with Organisational Change Initiatives
I agree that project based management is ideally suited to organizational change. Projects produce change and their management technique is undertaken to achieved a specified outcomes that requires commitment of skills and resources (Stuckenbruck,1981). Meanwhile, change management is best described by Parker (2013) as a planned process of transitioning from one state to another through a sequence steps with a focus on generating the acceptance from individuals undergoing the change. The similarity between project based management and change management apparent when each purpose is contrast; project based management focuses extensively on tasks and output while change management emphasizes people and outcome.
Project based management is best described in the context of knowledge, vocabulary, process tools and techniques of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBoK) (PMI, 2008). The adoption of PMBoK is based on the use of five process group of project life cycle which are initiating, planning, implementation, monitoring and controlling, and closing. These process groups incorporate nine knowledge areas that support the successful implementation or production of service, product or outcome. Of these, four of the knowledge areas (scope, schedule, cost and procurement) lend themselves easily to delivering outputs that are specific and measurable, otherwise known as hard elements. The remaining elements (risk, quality, integration, communication and human resources) are directly related to people within an organisation. It is these soft elements which closely align with change management; and where project management and change management overlap. Consequently, the soft knowledge elements in project based management are well suited to interventions that involve change for people (Parker, 2013).
Kotter (2007) claims that too many managers don’t realise transformation is a process, not an event. It advances through stages that build on each other and takes
Project based management is best described in the context of knowledge, vocabulary, process tools and techniques of the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBoK) (PMI, 2008). The adoption of PMBoK is based on the use of five process group of project life cycle which are initiating, planning, implementation, monitoring and controlling, and closing. These process groups incorporate nine knowledge areas that support the successful implementation or production of service, product or outcome. Of these, four of the knowledge areas (scope, schedule, cost and procurement) lend themselves easily to delivering outputs that are specific and measurable, otherwise known as hard elements. The remaining elements (risk, quality, integration, communication and human resources) are directly related to people within an organisation. It is these soft elements which closely align with change management; and where project management and change management overlap. Consequently, the soft knowledge elements in project based management are well suited to interventions that involve change for people (Parker, 2013).
Kotter (2007) claims that too many managers don’t realise transformation is a process, not an event. It advances through stages that build on each other and takes