A wide range of tools to support various aspects of project management are available and are being constantly improved. This research examines recently introduced methods and tools which are applied to Single and Multi-Project Management and reviews the benefits they can bring to project success and on-time performance. The work goes on to analyse whether these methods are supported by or potentially implantable into IT tools and what further benefits can be gained from software support. A survey of international industrial companies was designed and carried out to determine the requirements, benefits and criticisms of IT-based project planning as reported by people in positio ns ranging from project engineers to top managers. The data collected were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively to determine the benefits arising from the application of IT tools and the limitations of the currently available software. Finally, proposals are made for the future development of these tools.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE SITUATION
1.2 SCOPE
1.3 PROCEDURE OF THIS WORK
2 RELEVANT ISSUES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
2.1 ORGANIZATION OF PROJECTS
2.1.1 Organization Structure and Size
2.1.2 Informal factors of an Organization and team building
2.1.3 Frustration
2.1.4 Optimal team size and communication
2.2 PROJECT PLANNING: METHODS OF SCHEDULING PROJECTS AND RESOURCES
2.2.1 Types of Project Planning
2.2.2 Project structure and schedule planning methods
2.2.3 Resource allocation methods
2.3 PROJECT EXECUTION / STEERING METHODS AND TOOLS
2.3.1 Problem solving procedure / Customer Change Request Procedure
2.3.2 Project Team Coordination / Groupware tools
2.4 METHODS OF PROJECT CONTROLLING
2.4.1 Evaluating Project Progress (deadlines, costs and subject progress)
2.4.2 Project Risk Assessment (risk)
2.4.3 Productivity Measurement (time)
2.4.4 Performance Measurement (quality)
3 IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANNING PROCESSES INTO IT TOOLS
4 PREVIOUS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF METHODS AND TOOLS
4.1 PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
4.1.1 Findings of Cooper, R.G.; Edgett, S.J.;Kleinschmidt, E.J. (2001)
4.1.2 Findings of Cooke-Davies, Terry (2002)
4.2 BEST PRACTICES FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT
4.2.1 Findings of Elonen, Suvi; Artto, Karlos, A. (2003)
4.2.2 Findings of an analysis in Balderstone, S. J.; Mabin, V. J. (1998)
4.2.3 Findings of Diallo, Amadou; Thuillier, Denis (2004)
4.2.4 Findings of Matheson, D.; Matheson, J. (1998)
4.2.5 Findings of Sanchez, A. M.; Perez, M. P. (2004)
4.2.6 Findings of Shenhar et al. (2002)
4.2.7 Findings of Ojanen, Ville (2003)
4.3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT IT TOOLS
4.3.1 Findings of Kalthoff, C.; Kunz, S. (2004)
4.3.2 Findings of Projektron Ltd.
4.3.3 Findings of Ahlborn, Jan (2003)
5 A STUDY ON DESIRED FUNCTIONALITY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT IT TOOLS
5.1 GOAL AND PROCEDURE OF THE SURVEY
5.1.1 Goal of the Survey
5.1.2 Design of the survey
5.1.3 Searching for and selecting suitable participants
5.2 SURVEY RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS
5.2.1 Qualitative Analysis
5.2.2 Quantitative Analysis
6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Research Objectives & Topics
This thesis examines the utility and implementation of modern project management methods and IT tools to identify their impact on project success and efficiency, specifically addressing whether IT support meets the operational needs of project managers and top management.
- Analysis of principal project management methods (Single/Multi-Project) and their IT implementation.
- Empirical investigation into manager perceptions regarding the importance and actual realization of IT functionalities.
- Evaluation of the correlation between IT tool application and project success rates.
- Identification of barriers to adoption and areas for improvement in existing project management software.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 The Situation
All branches are facing rougher economic environments with increasing competition, increasing market concentration and fragility which is shortening product lifecycles while putting strong requirements to costs and quality. Coincidently less customer and supplier loyalty were forcing industry and science to increase productivity in all branches and business units. In order to increase productivity, theories were heading production costs; trying to optimize production flow, lower throughput time and product buffers.
Pressure to perform came also up for project management and the costs coming up from failing projects and lack of efficiency were embattled (every year 75 Billion US Dollar have been spent on failing projects only in the IT-Sector). New methods and tools were necessary to face inefficiency in projects caused by little pressure to perform, bad planning and unpredicted upcoming resource bottlenecks. As in production, these theories applied critical path, buffer and throughput time planning which guaranteed project schedule optimization.
Furthermore, in the early nineties, new, department overlapping project organization structures were introduced and Project Managers were increasingly managing multiple projects at a time. This made project schedule planning very complex and prediction of resource bottlenecks without aids nearly impossible.
Therefore some scientists suggested application of IT tool supported detailed project planning and controlling, while others, managers in industry were still widely thinking like Dwight Eisenhower once said: "Plans are nothing, planning is everything".
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the challenging economic environment for project management and defines the scope, goals, and procedural structure of the thesis.
2 RELEVANT ISSUES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Defines fundamental project management concepts, including organizational structures, planning methods, scheduling, execution, and controlling metrics.
3 IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANNING PROCESSES INTO IT TOOLS: Examines how project management methodologies, such as planning and controlling, are incorporated into existing IT systems and discusses current software market limitations.
4 PREVIOUS EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF METHODS AND TOOLS: Reviews existing studies on success factors in project portfolio management, best practices, and IT tool adoption within various industries.
5 A STUDY ON DESIRED FUNCTIONALITY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT IT TOOLS: Details the design, methodology, and results of an empirical survey conducted among project managers to evaluate their perceptions of IT tool importance and realization.
6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: Synthesizes the research findings, concludes on the real-world impact of IT tools, and suggests future directions for development and managerial adoption.
Keywords
Project Management, IT Tools, Project Planning, Portfolio Management, Resource Allocation, Project Success, Empirical Study, Software Adoption, Project Controlling, Risk Management, Productivity, Efficiency, Multi-Project Management, Implementation, Business Performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
This thesis investigates the effectiveness of project management methods and IT-based planning tools, exploring whether these technologies truly enhance project success or if their benefits are often overestimated by industry practitioners.
Which specific themes are addressed?
Key thematic areas include project organization, scheduling and resource allocation methods, project controlling metrics (such as time, cost, and quality), and the empirical evaluation of IT software functionality.
What is the primary research question or goal?
The primary goal is to evaluate if current IT tools for project management meet the professional requirements of managers and to test if a higher degree of IT application positively correlates with project success.
Which scientific methods were used?
The author combined a comprehensive literature review of management theories and previous empirical studies with a primary quantitative and qualitative survey conducted among international industrial companies.
What topics does the main section cover?
The main sections summarize essential project management strategies, evaluate how software providers implement these into IT tools, and present a detailed empirical study analyzing manager feedback and data.
How would you characterize this thesis using keywords?
The work is defined by terms such as project success, IT tool implementation, project portfolio management, resource management, and organizational efficiency.
Does the author recommend specific IT tools?
No, the study concludes that no single IT tool guarantees success; instead, it highlights that benefits are derived from proper process alignment rather than specific software packages.
What is the author's stance on IT-based project planning?
The author concludes that while IT tools offer benefits for supervising multiple projects and financial controlling, their role is often overrated, and they currently lack the intuitive usability required to fully satisfy the needs of project-level staff.
- Quote paper
- Jan-Martin Lurse (Author), 2004, Benefits of recent Project Management Methods and Tools, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/36972
