PROJECT MANAGEMENT TODAYAN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH Competing in a global market influenced by rapid change, innovation, and time to market

means organizations manage more and more projects. Some means for coordinating and managing projects in this changing environment is needed. Centralization of project management processes and practices has been the practical outcome. For example, Dell, !", #e$lett%&ackard, and ntel all have over ',((( projects being implemented concurrently every day of the year across borders and differing cultures. Questions: 1. How do these organizations oversee the management of all these projects? 2. How were these projects selected? 3. How do they ensure performance measurement and accounta ility? !. How can project management continually improve? Centralization entails integration of all project processes and practices to improve project management. ntegration is designed to improve project management in the $hole organization over the long haul. The rationale for integration of proje t !anage!ent "a# to pro$i%e #enior !anage!ent "ith& ) *n overvie$ of all project management activities+ ) * big picture of ho$ organizational resources are being used+ ) *n assessment of the risk their portfolio of projects represents+ ) * rough metric for measuring the improvement of managing projects relative to others in the industry+ ) ,inkages of senior management $ith actual project execution management. Full insight of all components of the organization is crucial for aligning internal business resources $ith the re-uirements of the changing environment. ntegration enables management to have greater flexibility and better control of all project management activities. .perationally, $hat does project management integration mean/ t necessitates combining all of the major dimensions of project management under one umbrella. 0ach dimension is connected in one seamless, integrated domain. ntegration means applying a set of kno$ledge, skills, tools, and techni-ues to a collection of projects in order to move the organization to$ard its strategic goals. 1his integration movement represents a major thrust of project driven organizations across all industries. INTEGRATION O' PROJECT( )ITH ORGANI*ATIONA+ (TRATEGY 1oday, projects are the modus operandi for implementing strategy. 2et in some organizations, selection and management of projects often fail to support the strategicplan of the organization. Strategic plans are $ritten by one group of managers, projects selected by another group, and projects implemented by another. 1hese independent decisions by different groups of managers create a set of conditions leading to conflict, confusion, and fre-uently an unsatisfied customer. 3nder these conditions, resources of the organization are $asted in non%value%added activities4projects. Since projects are the modus operandi, strategic alignment of projects is of major importance to conserving and effective use of organization resources. Selection criteria need to ensure each project is prioritized and contributes to strategic goals. *nything less is a $aste of scarce organizational resources5people, capital, and e-uipment. 0nsuring alignment re-uires a selection process that is systematic, open, consistent, and balanced. *ll of the projects selected become part of a project portfolio that balances the total risk for the organization. "anagement of the project portfolio ensures that only the most valuable projects are approved and managed across the entire organization. INTEGRATION O' PROJECT( THRO,GH PORT'O+IO MANAGEMENT 1he portfolio management domain encompasses project management oversight at the organization level through the project level. "anagement has the capability to zoom to a $ide%angle vie$ or zoom in to a very specific element of a specific project activity or process. Full insight of all components of the organization is crucial for aligning internal business resources $ith the re-uirements of the changing

environment. &roject portfolios are fre-uently managed by a project office that serves as a bridge bet$een senior management and project managers and teams. 1he major functions of portfolio management are to ) .versee project selection. ) "onitor aggregate resource levels and skills. ) 0ncourage use of best practices. ) !alance projects in the portfolio in order to represent a risk level appropriate to the organization. ) mprove communication among all stakeholders. ) Create a total organization perspective that goes beyond silo thinking. ) mprove the overall management of projects over time. &ortfolio management manages the integration of elements of organizational strategy $ith projects, along $ith their interdependencies. *t the project level, the management of the portfolio is directed to$ard creation and use of best practices. INTEGRATION O' THE PROCE((E( O' IMP+EMENTING ACT,A+ PROJECT( Senior management is often involved in selecting projects but seldom involved in implementing them. mplementing the project is the challenge. 1here are t$o dimensions $ithin the actual execution of projects 6see Figure '.7, 1he 1echnical and Sociocultural Dimensions of the &roject "anagement &rocess8. 1he first dimension is the technical side of the management process, $hich consists of the formal, disciplined, purely logical parts of the process. 1his technical dimension includes planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Clear project scope statements are $ritten to link the project and customer and to facilitate planning and control. Creation of the deliverables and $ork breakdo$n structures facilitates planning and monitoring the progress of the project. 1he $ork breakdo$n structure serves as a database that links all levels in the organization, major deliverables, and all $ork5right do$n to the tasks in a $ork package. 0ffects of project changes are documented and traceable. 1hus, any change in one part of the project is traceable to the source by the integrated linkages of the system. 1his integrated information approach can provide all project managers and the customer $ith decision information appropriate to their level and needs. * successful project manager $ill be $ell trained in the technical side of managing projects. 1he second and opposing dimension is the sociocultural side of project management. t centers on creating a temporary social system $ithin a larger organizational environment that combines the talents of a divergent set of professionals $orking to

"he technical and #ocio$cultural dimensions of the project management complete the project. (EE RE(EARCH HIGH+IGHT& )or-# )ell "ith Other#. &roject managers must shape a project culture that stimulates team$ork and high levels of personal motivation as $ell as a capacity to -uickly identify and resolve problems that threaten project $ork. 1his dimension also involves managing the interface bet$een the project and external environment. &roject managers have to assuage and shape expectations of customers, sustain the political support of top management, negotiate $ith their functional counterparts, monitor subcontractors, and so on. .verall, the manager must build a cooperative social net$ork among a divergent set of allies $ith different standards, commitments, and perspectives.