留学生MBA学位dissertation：Research on the Constructing of th
Research on the Constructing of the Multi-project Managing Platform in IT Enterprises
Content Explanation
This study will begin at finding some issues, and then gradually analyze and bring in the thoughts and methods to settle these issues, finally construct an IT enterprises’ multi-project managing platform. The specific content of the dissertation is designed as follows: in Chapter 1, the research background, objectives, methodologies will be 留学生MBAdissertationdescribed, and the basic thoughts and the general framework will also be put forward. Chapter 2 mainly introduces the relevant theories and methods for the multi-project managing platform and, what is more, analyzes the factors that are needed to consider in the instructing of the multi-project managing platform in IT enterprises. In Chapter 3, the author will introduce the traditional multi-project managing style as well as the existing problems, explore the requirements to the organizing style and explore the reasonable organizing style for it. In Chapter 4, the author will introduce how to construct an IT enterprise multi-project managing office from the perspectives of the office’s value, structure, functions and performance management. In Chapter 5, the author will show how to construct a multi-project managing information system for the IT enterprises from the perspectives of the functions, designing principles, accomplishment of the IT enterprises’ multi-project information system. The Chapter 6 will take an enterprise as an example to illustrate the constructing of the IT enterprises’ multi-project managing platform, and make a comparison with the original managing situation of the enterprise to show its applying effects. Finally, the author will summarize the whole study and come to some conclusions.
Chapter 1
1 Preface
1.1 Research Background
The increasingly fierce competitiveness in the big market environment of the IT industry has brought great challenges as well as more opportunities to the IT enterprises in this field. For example, the issues such as how to effectively apply the relevant knowledge and theories in terms of the multi-project management as well as project management of offices (PMO), improve the ability of multi-project management by virtue of project management information system (PMIS) so as to effectively manage the multi-projects and, further, enhance the competitiveness of the enterprises, which have become the key issues that the IT enterprises pay special attention to.
Even though, the multi-project management has been promoted among the Chinese IT enterprises during the recently years, there still exist some issues as following four prospective: (1)The limitation of the knowledge sharing: as is known to all, the text management is one of the most important aspects of the communication management. In some extent, text is a kind of product, so no text, no product. At the present time, the importance of the texts is still thrown no lights by many IT enterprises. As a result, the texts can only existed in the mind of the researchers. Sometimes, only can the technological explorers understand because the unregularity of the texts. What is worse, the consequences of these are as following: on the one hand, once the key technologists leave at the middle of the producing, nobody can take these tasks of the department. On the other hand, the enterprise has to prepare for re-exploration, which will bring about the subversive consequences. At present, this phenomenon can be seen in most enterprises of the IT industry. (2)Severe resources conflicts: at the present time, the structure of traditional administrative departments still stay in dominated role in the organizational form of most Chinese IT enterprises. Namely, employees from different departments will construct a project group to execute their tasks. What is more, in this project group the project managers’ rights are limited, the fulltime project group members have a proportion under 25%, and the administrators of the project management are still part-time. In addition, because of the influences from the original administrative departments, the cooperation among the departments will be affected. However, a complete project must accomplished by the cooperation of many departments. For instant, in the phase of establishing product project, the cooperative researches of different products departments are also a necessity; in the analyzing of the demand and the supply, the cooperation between the after-sell services department and the designing department; in the courses of exploration, the cooperation among different project groups is also needed. (3)The management of the shopping and the contracts is easy to lose control: the products of the IT enterprises, sometimes, require the cooperation with lots of suppliers. At the present time, there is no special attention paid to the equipments providers as well as the technology suppliers. In addition, there is no enough attention paid to the management, especially the ignorance to the contract management. Moreover, to most of the overseas providers such as IBM, Intel, Microsoft, most of the enterprises are lack of the effective controlling, which has brought great risks to the accomplishment of the projects. As a result, a clear cooperative regularity should be established in IT enterprises and take #p#分页标题#e#http://www.ukthesis.org/dissertation_writing/MBA/some respective measures so as to guarantee the accomplishment of the projects. The project managers should communicate with the providers when they are establishing project plans, so as to cooperate with the providers to establish plans and providers’ accessing standards, perform the course supervision as well as the checkups of the results, and clarify the obligations, rights, exploring plan, rewards and breach-of-faith responsibilities and so on. What is more, the providers should provide clear contacting method, participate into the project meetings and report the project schedule to the project group. (4)Lack of reasonable accessing system for the incentive to assessment of the project and the project managers: currently, most of the IT managers in China were technologists before they got involve to the managing post. As a result, they are good at solving technological problems, while they are confronted with managing the large scale team, their cooperative fighting ability is often short of experiences. What is more, they are often assessed by the supervisors according to their ability to solving problems. For example, if there are many problems in project management, the quicker they solve the problem, the stronger will the supervisors regard them to be. However,
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Chapter 2 Theories and methods of Multi-project management
2.1 Project Management Capability Maturity Model
留学生dissertationProject Management Maturity Model primarily developed on the basis of the software process maturity model (CMM), and as the project management process for the organization it is a measure of maturity. According to the U.S. Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) above, the Project Management process is divided into five groups, 44 processes, these processes are also related to the nine knowledge areas of project management knowledge. The five basic process of project management is Initiating Processes, Planning Processes, Executing Processes, Controlling Processes and Closing Processes2. The nine areas of project management refers to the overall project management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resources management, project communication management, project risk management and project procurement management project management organization3. Three territories of the organize management are Project Management, Program Management and Portfolio Management. But the project management carry out through the application and integration, such as startup, planning, implementation, monitoring and finishing processes. Therefore, the maturity of project management is mainly reflected in the project management process maturity.
Project Management Maturity Model (PM3) is a project-oriented management process maturity model, English abbreviation PMMM or PM3. Project Management Maturity Model was first originated in the International Project Management Association of the Nordic member states and Australia and some other countries that will use the project management maturity model to study and planning project-based social areas (such as high-tech enterprise gathering areas) and project-oriented society4. Later, there are a number of organizations or individuals from the project management who are referring CMM model and project management knowledge systems, using different criteria and the basis, putting forward their own project management maturity model.#p#分页标题#e#
Project Management Maturity Model has the following three basic components, Figure 2 - 1 as follows:
Figure 2-1 The Constructing of the CMM for Project Management
At present there are several major project management maturity model:
(1) International Project Management Association (IPMA) proposed Project Manage- ment Maturity Cobweb Model, referred to as IPMA-PM35;
(2) American Project Management Institute (PMI) proposed Organizational project management maturity model OPM3, its latest version of was released in October 2003, referred to as PMI-PM36;
(3) OGC Project Management Maturity Model 5.0 version, referred to as OGC-PM7;
(4) The United States KLR-Consulting, Inc. proposed the five Project Management Maturity Model, referred to as PMS-PM38;
(5) United States Project Management Solutions, Inc. proposed the five Project Management Maturity Model, referred to as PMS-PM39;
(6) United States Dr Harold Kerzner proposed 5-level Project Management Maturity Model Type, this article referred to as Dr. Kerzner Model or abbreviated K-PM310;
(7) Berkeley Project Management Process Maturity Model, By Dr Young Hoon Kwak and Dr. C. William Ibbs the joint development of models, referred to as (PM) 2 Model;
(8) United States Capstone Planning & Control, Inc. proposed Project Management Maturity Model, system derived from (PM) 2 model, consistent with this model name, 留学生MBAdissertationreferred to as Ca-PM3;
(9) United States Micro Frame Technologies, Inc. and Project Management Technologies, Inc. developed five Project Management Maturity Model, referred to as MF-PM3;
(10) Knapp & Moore Pty Limited proposed the four project management maturity model, referred to as KM-PM3.
These maturity models in the content frame structure can be roughly divided into four categories:
(1) International Project Management Association (IPMA) proposed by the project management maturity cobweb model IPMA-PM3, it is mainly through project management, project group management, project portfolio management, personal management, organizational design, project management education, project management research , http://www.ukthesis.org/dissertation_writing/MBA/project management and project management standards and other market indicators, nine researching and planning project-oriented social area11 (such as high-tech enterprise gathering areas) and project-oriented society, but these indicators are not sufficiently comprehensive to adapt to Chinese national conditions.
(2) American Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Organization Maturity Model OPM3, OGC-PM3, as well as PMS-PM3, these are the main draw on several models of software process capability maturity model CMM architecture include five levels of hierarchy, and for each of the key process areas to conduct a detailed definition and description. The shortcomings of these models are not quantitative project management maturity evaluation index system.#p#分页标题#e#
(3) United States Project Management Solutions, Inc’s Project Management Maturity Model PMS-PM3, the model is characterized by the nine project management knowledge system as a project management maturity evaluation index. The model is originally divided into eight levels and has been into five levels, from project management nine knowledge areas are big ratings. The model shortcomings do not combined with project management maturity key process areas, and the design of indicators is not very reasonable.
(4) United States Dr Harold Kerzner proposed Project Management Maturity Model K-PM3 (PM) 2, MF-PM3, and KM-PM3. These models are mainly through the maturity assessment form to complete the project management maturity measurement.
Choosing the right PM3 appropriate for the successful implementation of project management to continuously improve the level of project management, play a multiplier effect. That is widely used at present is the OPM3. The U.S. Project Management Institute (PMI) proposed Orgnize Project Management Maturity Model-OPM3, which is a three-dimensional model. The first dimension is the maturity of the four steps, and the second dimension is the Project Management 9 area and the five basic processes, the third dimension is the organization of the three map levels of project management.
Figure 2 - 2 shown maturity four steps are:
Figure 2-2 Four Steps of the Mode OPM3
(1) Standardizing;
(2) Measuring;
(3) Controlling;
(4) Continuously Improving.
Project Management Maturity Model-based on project management process divided the level of the enterprise project management, from chaos to the specification and then to optimize the orderly evolution into five levels, forming an escalation platform. Each level of project management level to reach the next higher level will serve as the basis for enterprise project management maturity that is the process of escalating its project management process of gradual accumulation. With Project Management Maturity Model, businesses can identify the weak links in its project management and project management by addressing several issues critical to improvements in the level to form the improvement of its project management strategy, and thus steadily improving enterprise projects level of management, to enable enterprise project management capabilities continue to grow. Project management maturity model provide a guide map for enterprise project management process of continuous improvement. It can help companies identify their shortcomings in project management, project management to guide enterprises in their own grade level to "do" to improve. It is also used in the enterprise project management maturity model the reason why.
IT enterprises, therefore, we must first select the appropriate project management maturity model, only the choice of the appropriate project management maturity model, in order to use project management improvements into measurable, operational details, so that the project increased ability to manage rules to follow.#p#分页标题#e#
Determine the project management maturity model, based on the model indicators and describe the various key domains for their own level of assessment to determine the level of the key fields, from the organization, processes, methods, personnel and other aspects of corporate culture assessment, finalization of business itself and in project management maturity level, identify themselves to reach the next level of maturity to be improved, the development of improved practices and improved planning and gradual implementation, and improvement through continuous and accumulated to improve project management maturity level, to improve project management capacity and level.
IT companies have been expanding and constantly with the merger, faced with a large number of items need to implement to improve project management maturity to reduce business risk. Improving enterprise profitability of crucial importance to realize the new business strategy must be achieved through the implementation of the project, while the high project management maturity is the completion of the project to achieve corporate strategic objectives of protection. Therefore, improving project management maturity of the IT companies has a strategic position.
2.2 IT enterprise multi-project management features
IT project has its own features compared with other projects. The main features are as follows12:
(1)With the development of IT industry, the development tools and development techniques are upgrading and changing.
(2)Implementation of the project involves the user organization, process optimization and specification of the future market of sub - Forecast Analysis.
(3)System integration projects require the advanced architecture, standards, platforms and application software. The implementation process must do project adjustment of the total management and resource scheduling through cross-sectoral or cross-regional.
(4)System has a fast upgrades and expansion, it need growth and change rapidly.
(5)The implementation of the project can rely on different standards and norms.
(6)The failure rates of the project were high, a research firm in Dennis.
International Inc. International Inc. Since 1993, the project began tracking the information technology industry failure rate, its latest Survey shows 46% of the IT project costs exceed budget or extended, 28% of IT projects are both over. Another study showed that the success rate of IT projects is very small, only 24% IT projects of the Fortune 500 success.
(7)The contract did not fully consider the nature of the project deliverables, blindly committed to the function which we are not sure. The main reasons of the failure are as follows:
a、Lack of the high-level support and user involvement.
b、Lack of strong project management.
c、Incomplete requirements.
d、Changing demand.
e、No clear goals and expectations.
f、Resource starvation and inappropriate technology
g、Unrealistic schedule#p#分页标题#e#
h、New project.
Just because of the project has that features, through information systems to support project management, use of digital technology and network technology, and continuously inherit the original project management and experience in a variety of advantages, in order to ensure that the project existing investment and reduce project risk, a more efficient project implementation and management.
The aim of the IT project management has six aspects: time, objectives, quality goals, cost targets, scope ,goals, organizational goals and objectives (customer satisfaction),The six aspects of project management is composed of six head standard elements, as shown in Figure 2-3.
The key feature of the IT project management objectives is the multi-objective, between these aims exist many conflict, the implementation of the project management process is multi-objective co-ordination process. Therefore, the project management of multi-objective became the core of the IT management. The core of the project was to highlight the integration of the integration thinking, it does not pursue a single goal of the project the best, but to multiple targets in the project while optimizing the base basis, search for project coordination and balance between the objectives so as to enhance the project management activities, the overall efficiency and effectiveness.
IT project management should pay attention to the following principles the following principles, in order to continuously improve the quality of projects.
(1) Forecast the project progress and identify the available resources;
(2) Know how to discover the real needs and terminate the no value items;
(3) Master the basic analysis tools;
(4) Attention to the detail but not bogged down in them;
(5) Can make the right judgment in the situation of lack of information or even the information full of conflict.
(6) To find an acceptable solution, rather than a perfect solution.
Project management experts in the United States Gary R•Haken's "24 principles of project management", the more detailed noted 24 of project management principles and come up with more comprehensive requirement:
(1) Understand the role of project manager:
(2) Rely on a strong team;
(3) Understanding the real project requirements;
(4) To conduct financial analysis;
(5) At the official launching ceremony of the project:
(6) According to the actual situation in adjustment programs;
(7) Termination of no value to the project:
(8) Prepare the plan;
(9) Left to study space;
(10) Managing the project team;
(11) Development of project plans;
(12) Concern about interpersonal relationships;
(13) According to the basic objective to evaluate the project situation; #p#分页标题#e#
(14) Response to the risk objectively
(15) To promote communication proactively ;
(16) To enable the project work optimization;
(17) Consider the project follow-up work;
(18) "Interface" management;
(19) Take the initiative to look for information feedback;
(20) To develop a variety of measurement standards;
(21) Flexible use of project document;
(22) Rewarding outstanding team:
(23) Learning from the end of the project ;
(24) Summed up the experience from the project.
2.3 Factors need to be considered for multi-project management platform of IT business-building
The construction of a multi-project management platform for IT companies needs a lot of factors, including the following:
(1) The organization and regulations of a business
Whether a company has a complete, suitable project implementation and high standard organization and regulations system is the key factors to the maturity of project management. If the project has no operational security for organization and system, people work separately, and each has their own process, there is also no fixed rule, thus it can be far from maturity. It can only rely on the project manager individual's ability and knowledge to manage the project. Thus the project Quality is difficult to guarantee.
(2) The integrity of the project management process and self-improvement systems
It is a gradual process for the enterprises to improve their project management capacity. They must continually improve management process and self-improvement systems, and also they should have the ability to improve and perfect the project management processes, then they can gradually achieve a capability for a virtuous cycle of project management.
(3) The degree of standardization of the project process
Only a variety of processes is not enough. They need to improve the standardization of project management process to make the manager complete the project through the standards and norms as much as possible during the operation of each process. Thus, they can reduce the project risk, improve the reusability of the implementation of programs to improve the maturity level of project management.
(4) The application level of platform for Project Management Information System
The application of project management provides a more powerful support for project management. Because the using of PMIS system will naturally operation, flowing the standard step of the PMIS, thus ensuring the flow of Normative processes; At the same time the PMIS can allow full sharing of project information, and also it make the project stakeholder analysis and review projects, and thus they can have suggestion for implementation of the project or resources for project; Furthermore, the building of PMIS need to go through to the enterprise project management process of sorting out process, to achieve the purpose of process optimization, which is a powerful tool to improve the capacity of project management .#p#分页标题#e#
(5) The capacity of project management manager
The project manager is a very crucial factor for the success of the operation of a project. Companies need training project managers to enhance their knowledge and ability. The beginning of the project, choosing the right projects managers and, making the project managers threw themselves into the project through incentive systems and even ultra level of play, is the best way to improve the quality of projects.
(6) The flexibility capability for the required resources
Now, in most cases, while facing with a large number of project implementation and operation, the IT companies often waste a lot of resources. Through flexible scheduling of resources, it can not only improve the quality of projects, but also can reduce the costs significantly, thus it can improve the operational efficiency of enterprises.
(7) The richness of Project Management Case library and project-related databases
In a large number of project management practice, it will have a variety of projects, such as the risk analysis, the estimated duration terms, the analysis of the cost. These accumulated data can be a reference on the subsequent implementation of project planning, thereby enhancing the quality of similar projects.
Chapter 3 The organizational form of IT enterprise Multi-Project Management
As the organization guarantee of Project Management, the organizational form plays a crucial role for the success of the project in the IT enterprise Project Management process. The reason is being the framework of Project Management, the organizational form task on the important task of information exchange, giving orders, unifying the steps, organizing the running and making decisions.
3.1 The requires for the organizational form in IT enterprise Project Management process
The basic prerequisite of enterprise Multi-Project Management is that regarding each project in enterprise as an organization unit, considering characteristics of multiple projects comprehensively, you should organize the resource based on a certain project in order to achieve the business goal. According to the characteristics of IT projects and principles of management, IT enterprise Multi-Project Management raises the following special requirements to the enterprise organizational form.
(1) Flat organizational form
The Flat Framework is an organizational form pattern which has a wider management extent and less management hierarchy. Less management hierarchies makes a result of faster information exchange and adaptable management, while the wider management extent is favorable for bringing out the activeness and initiative of the staff. The enterprise Multi-Project Management should ensure that all of the enterprise projects could be carried out effectively. Most of the projects must step over several departments which should communication and cooperation in order to complete them. In the other hand, the traditional Pyramid Framework is an organizational form pattern which has narrower management extent and more management hierarchies. The organizational form with more management hierarchies result in overstaffing in organizations by more organizational hierarchies. In addition, since different functional departments have different missions and goals, we always emphasize its own missions heavily while neglect the overall goal of the project. This does not conform to management requires to the objects (namely the multiple projects) of the enterprise Multi-Project Management. Therefore the enterprises should change the Pyramid Framework to the organizational form which is built by each project as a unit, making it to flat organizational form. That will be more helpful for achieving the overall goal of the enterprise. #p#分页标题#e#
(2) Full support and leadership from top management should be made available to the project team.
The management model of multi-projects in the enterprise should be equipped with easy accesses for the teams to obtain resources which include quick solutions to potential technical and financial hazard. It is guided by the principle of project optimization and profit maximization. Problems concerns decision-making and technique know-how and finance are up to the top management. So, it’s imperative to gain direct support from them while conducting the multi-projects.
（3）to solve problem of various leaders in same level and assign their power reasonably. In the process of various projects management in enterprise, the situation that a member of project team should report work not only to project manager whom is responsible for the programme but also to department director that was previous in charge of might probably happen. When two supervisors disagreed with each other , the team member will be at a loss, as a result, the work can’t be carried on regularly. This problem plays an unfavorable role in completing project. To solve this problem, it should reasonably assign authorities between project manager and department director in terms of organizational mode, so that problem of various leaders in same level could be handled thoroughly.
(4) to solve balance problem and correctly handle profits assignment between projects
To manage enterprise’s various projects, it should handle not only the balance problem of each project’s inside in different stages, also the balance problems among various projects. Along with projects’ conflicts grew more serious as a result of degrees of difficulties and revenues depended upon different projects. So the balance problem between projects should be handled rightly and interested assignment should be solved correctly, as well as make sure all projects should be achieved perfectly in order to realize the maximization of enterprise’s total profits.
(5)organize various projects’ supporting system and various projects’ monitoring system
Generally project is a mission of complicated technique. Owing to the change of outside conditions and the limitations of inside resources, in the implement process of various projects, there must be various kinds of problems. In order to insure the successfully completing of projects, it is essential to provide support to project management, which included business support and administration support. In addition, any projects even had been seriously analyzed and prepared in advance, there may be unavoidable accidental situations during the achieving process. So the special organization is demanded to control and monitor the project implementing. The project management and monitoring system usually includes business monitoring and financial monitoring.
3.2 Traditional enterprise multi-project management framework and its problems#p#分页标题#e#
The framework of enterprises that is based on multi-project management mainly depends on possible measures and relevant rights of obtaining necessary resources during the implementation of various projects. Different organizations differ in characteristics which will have different impacts on the implementation of the projects. Traditional enterprise multi-project management framework is generally divided into 3 kinds the enterprise multi-project management organization led by function sector, by project sector and by matrix mode.
3.2.1 Framework led by function sector
Enterprise multi-project management organization led by function sector means the framework established on function organization mode. When adopting this organization to manage projects, the management team does not define organizations. Therefore, the affairs of the project can only be talked over among the level of principles from the function sector.
The shortage of the structure of this management is:
(1)The general manager should face a lot of operational department .at the same time ,he should also concern the team who responsible for temporary program ,but often emergency .consider all of this ,capability of top executive maybe go beyond the effective management .If increase the integrate supervise department within this progress or increase the administrative level may course distorting and attenuation .The effectiveness and the result of the management should also be devalued .especially when number of program increased ,so many department team ,complex operation relations between all of these departments make top executive tired of coordinating, which made stratagem of enterprise cannot be constitute and implement effectively.
(2) Pay not enough attention to the team. In this structure, there is not a proper management team. Top executive always concern more about the individual progress than the whole team. The coordinator of this program could hardly to build his authority. As a routine functional management department have more right to evaluate the achievement. Which hardly to stimulate the spirit and can’t manage the team effectively.
(3)Tending to be sight limitation
Function sector focuses on self-development rather than trying to understand the needs of other sectors. The temporary team only targets on completing their original project goals instead of looking into the latest environmental changes that are taking effects on the orientation, nature and content of the project. The lack in communication and the difficulties in coordination between departments, teams and the both are posting danger doing harm to the achievement of the project objective, either big or small, obvious or invisible.
(4) Doing no good to train talents with comprehensive quality
Have been working long time in function sector, the staffs tend to limit their sight in their professional field and own department affairs and failed to understand the company’s project and to learn comprehensive knowledge. Thus it is hard for the enterprise to train management talents with comprehensive quality over time.#p#分页标题#e#
3.2.2 To adopt framework led by project sector
Led by the project sector, the enterprise multi-project management framework is also known as linear organization or project-oriented organization. The project manager is in charge of resource allocation and project management. The framework has got shortcomings ….
(1) Resource idle and relocate
Each project team will set all kinds of post and purchases various resource according to their needs. Thus each team will has its own professional group, management team and sets of equipments for researching, manufacturing and marketing. That will cause posts and equipments overlapped among different project teams. The more projects they launched, the more rate of overlap they will have. The Independence of each project may make such certain barriers against the borrowing and flow of resource which turn the resource relocation into resource idled, And that results in a low effect of the total resource collocation of a company.
(2) Disadvantage factors in promoting the company in technical level
In personnel training, the project-based organization is contrary to the functional-based organization, even though the project-based organization, compared with the latter, is conducive to the growth of integrated talents, but not conducive to the upgrading of the technical level of professionals. There are two reasons as follows:
First, different professionals scattered among various project teams,. They are lack of mutual exchange and learning. Second, it is difficult to get the same type of professionals together to resolve the major technical issues and technical problems, which cause difficulties in breakthrough techniques and personal slow-growing.
(3) Lack of a sense of stability among team members
The team which is organized on the base of same task will be dissolved at the end of the task. Their one-off character determined high fluidity of human resource and low stability among the team members. The Lack of stability may directly influence the cohesion and working capability of the team and the company may not achieve the optimal productive efficiency.
3.2.3 Matrix organizational structure
According to the degree of the project manager’s power, the organizational structure of multi-project management for enterprises is divided into three categories: weak matrix, balanced matrix, strong matrix.
(1) weak matrix
The project organization is composed of functional personnel from the functional departments. In this way, each project will be overseen by its corresponding project organization. However, no specific project manager was assigned to the project under weak matrix. Even if there is a project manager, his role is no more than a project coordinator or overseer, rather than a project administrator(functional manager).
As far as project management is concerned, weak matrix organization is better than functional structure. But due to weak project character, the project team report directly and solely to their respective managers in the functional departments. When there is a conflict between different functional department, due to the vacancy of a certain authoritative manager, the project team and the functional team may tend to argue the case from their own department’s interest.#p#分页标题#e#
The principal of functional department is bound to make transverse negotiation and cooperation in accordance with their interests, however, negotiation in itself can have an impact on production efficiency of enterprise. So it can easily get into a “strange circle”, namely by the means of damaging the enterprise’s production efficiency, it can ensure high effectiveness. With regard to this mechanism, we look forward to optimized things “ A beard well lathered is half shaved” can happen, but enterprises always are driven to this strange circle deeply, and cannot help themselves. For example, they try to coordinate internal relationship by sending files or holding meetings. In case it cannot attain their prospective projects, they would coordinate the worse relationship by same method. Thus the officialism has formed by directing documents with documents or carrying out meeting in a conference. Although wasting much time, energy and resources, the problem is still existed.
3.2.4 (3) The rights and responsibilities of a project manager conflict to each other
If the project manager must be responsible for the overall performance of the project,
He should have the right to mobilize variety of organizational resources necessary in the process of project implementation and get support from all functional department. However, under the matrix model of multi-project management in practice, the project managers are often deprived of proper authority. Be influenced by Deep-rooted traditional hierarchy histological structure, the authority of matrix organization still exists in the unit functions ,then the position of project manager is lower than department manager. project manager is hard to direct and coordinate every department to sever for the whole project when benefit conflict between project department and functional department, and it’s harder to get understand and cooperation from them.
3.3 Multi-project management fits to IT enterprises
Any design of management frameworks in general is targeting on the desired effects of “ best integrated as a whole than the summation of the parts”, the same principle as getting a number bigger than two by one plus one. So is that of the multi-project management framework. Enterprises with multi-project management framework should also establish scientific and rational frameworks so as to allocate limited resources and yield twice the result with half the effort. In this sense, the design of multi-project management framework of IT enterprises is similar to that of common enterprises in principle. However, due to multiple projects of the enterprise, the expansion in scale and increase in quantity of projects are bringing more works in allocating human, financial and material resources. From this point, multi-project management in IT enterprises is beyond that of common enterprises.
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Chapter 4 the establishment of IT enterprise project management office#p#分页标题#e#
IT projects usually have three milestones. First it is on-line operation after passing the test by user, second is Initial inspection, third it is the final confirmation. The period for every milestone is different according to the size of the project. In terms of IT enterprises, there are two obvious signs to define "the ultimate success of a project.” First, the full contract price is recovered, which marks the company's own project objectives had been met, second no user’s complain happens in a recent year or if any , it has been solved in a short time, which also marks the user's project objectives are achieved. However, it is not that easy to reach those two objectives. The main reason is that the project's life cycle is too long, and in the present management of the enterprise the department in charge of the project from beginning to end can not only keep an eye on a project. The sales department may not pay attention to the contract carrying out by the technology department until it is time to recover the contract money. The project team in the Technology department may be dissolved after finishing the necessary technical work under the contract. So there are still many things needing dealing with. If there is not specialized organization to do these things, a good project will fall to bad. Project management office is this specialized organization with its function to manage every project good or bad.
Project management office as the name suggests means a office which manages a project. Its main function is to follow, supervise and report all the key activities and coordinate the relation between the departments from the beginning to the ending of the project. It also carries out the function of the sales, technology, quality and financial department with the aim to assure the final success of the project. A project management office can be a real presence or a virtual "office”. It can exist any level of the three levels organization or exist the three levels at the same time.
Level 1: Project control office. This is a typical office to deal with the big and complicated project (eg: establishing a nation-wide wireless communication net). This office only pay attention to big project which is complicated too and needs to divided into many courses, can also be called multiple sub-projects which then be generalized into a comprehensive plan schedule. A big and complicated project needs several project managers to be in charge of a separate sub-project independently. All the resources demands and related cost should be generalized into the comprehensive plan schedule. A general project manager is responsible for generalizing all the resources demands and cost in order to assure the completion of this big project and achieve the made targets.
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Chapter 5 Construction of Multi-project Management Information System for IT Enterprises
5.1 Function of Multi-project Management Information System
Accurate and timely information is the basis for project decisions, however if relying on single source of information, decisions are likely to be unreliable and the project will taking on certain risks. Decisions are very important resources for project managers while they are often unable to grasp complete, accurate and timely information to ensure the success of projects. It is an efficient means and method to construct a Project Management Information System (PMIS) for the needs of information for project decision-making.#p#分页标题#e#
Normally, project managers would not communicate sufficiently about the project progress status with their upper managers or other functional departments. Project managers think they are responsible for the project and have the right to deal with project issues, while other functional departments are often not willing or have no time to provide relative information, hence often results in project delays, budget overspend, inferior qualities and other adverse outcomes. Enterprises by using the Project Management Information System they could ensure every staff involved in the project obtain full and comprehensive project information to avoid lacking of information or miscommunication which led to the project unable to carry out normally.
Enterprise Multi-project Management information System as an important component of enterprise multi-project management platform should be a transmit and storage carrier of information flow and instruction stream and could transmit various kinds of management related information between relative departments and staffs according to certain process and standard criterion. At the same time provide full range of help for project management related staffs to make high-quality project management delivery items in every process of project managements. Specifically speaking, the main function of Multi-project Management Information System is as follows:
（1）Multi-project Management Information System puts all project related work into a unified process and platform to ensure timely, coherence and high-degree of sharing of the project-related information and through workflow to assist task assignments, progress monitor and resources coordination.
（2） Multi-project Management Information System solves the cross-region problem through a centralized platform for collaborative work and communication, any users including users inside and outside of the company could check real-time project data as long as connected with system via internet.
（3） Multi-project Management Information System could collect latest data scattered around construction sites to unified information platform to reflect real-time project specific progress in achieving monitor and management of overall projects scattered everywhere.
（4） Multi-project Management Information System could achieve unified management of project delivery files and process documents, and a unified criterion of project documents by provides all kinds of document templates.
(5) Multi-project Management Information System could upgrade the accuracy and efficiency for projects plan and management of project expenses by providing various project plan templates.
(6) Multi-project Management Information System reduces project risks maximally by combining with summarize of experience and risks in enterprise project management to provide full range of support of project management experience reference and risk control.
5.2 Design Principles of Multi-project Management Information System#p#分页标题#e#
To achieve design of an information system, first we have to understand the objectives of constructing the system. Constructing a Multi-project Management Information System needs to achieve several main goals as follows:
(1) To construct a unified process and information processing platform of Multi-project Management Information System
(2) To construct a cross-region platform for concentrated collaborative work and communication
(3) To Cover every phase of project management and achieve supports for every project managing process.
(4) A good compatibility with existing information system to ensure the value of original-investment
(5) To provide with time, budget, quality baseline and risk prediction for project teams
(6) To realize management and sharing of projects documents
(7) To release new quality standards to project teams
The design of a system must follows a series of principles, for an IT enterprise, the system design principle for Multi-project Management Information System are mainly as the following:
(1) Project-based
First, Multi-project Management Information System (PMIS) should be based on project which is the main difference with traditional Management Information System (MIS). Since Hewlett-Packard has successfully transformed into project-oriented company in 1999, now more and more enterprises are moving towards this direction for change mainly because the future development of most organizations depend on successful projects on new products and new services and these new products and new services are one of the main reasons to carry out institutional reform inside of organizations. Therefore, Multi-project Management Information System should take project as the core and meet the basic function of project management, such as progress of the project, contract management and resource costs management, etc.
23. Tiexin Cheng, Zhaopeng Xue, Multi-project Management Information System Based on Internet, China Project Management Resource Network: www.leadge.com. 2006.5
(2) Taking the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) of U.S. Project Management Institute (PMI) as a theoretical guidance, combing with enterprise’s own project management practices and project management needs.
PMBOK is the crystallization of project practice by numerous project management experts of the world. Taking PMBOK as the theoretical guidance and basis in constructing Project Management Information System could avoid detours in design and development works to get twice the result by half the effort. Only if combing with enterprises’ own project management feature could the system constructed vigorous, more practical and able to play their effectiveness quickly.
(3) Support Parallel and Distributed Processing
Since the function of project management usually across different functional departments, so an integrated PMIS requires using parallel and distributed processing. In this way, it could meet operation and need of project information for different departments. For example, while the project cost engineer is searching for project historical data and ready to offer, project management staffs may update project historical data at the same time.#p#分页标题#e#
(4) Open and Scalable
Some professional project management software, for example, Primavera Project Planner (P3) and Microsoft Project, etc is mainly used for progress plan management and are already quite mature and popular now. Hence, PMIS developed by users should be open to these software or systems, that is to say, these mature professional software could be well integrated to PMIS. Besides, since the one-piece nature and specificity of projects, requirements about the PMIS function by every project are different, so it requires the PMIS developed have a good scalability to meet users’ customized settings.
(5) Upgrade Available
For PMIS, upgradeability is its basic requirement since investment in constructing a PMIS needs to invest a large quantity of money and manpower and need to revise management and business processes of organizations if necessary. Hence, development of PMIS should meet long-term strategic requirement for organizations and also able to adapt to the ever changing external economic situation that could upgrade and maintain anytime according to requirement of enterprises.
(6) Able for Remote Access
Many projects, such as telecommunication projects are often quite far from the enterprise management headquarters and scattered in different places, even different countries and regions. Hence, it’s a must requirement of system development for system users who could remote access PMIS.
(7) Safe and Reliable
PMIS security is also a basic requirement cause project information are often related to business secret of enterprises and while the system meets the need to be open and able to remote access at the same time which certainly would affect the security of data. Nowadays, when computer virus and network hacker are popular, system security in particular should raise concerns and system must able to provide operator role to control access jurisdiction.
5.3 Implementation of Multi-project Management Information System
It’s a long-term effort process to realize Multi-project Management Information System inside of enterprises and enables it services really for enterprises, mainly through steps as follows:
(1) Ensure Target for Need and Resources Available
Analyze need of enterprises on project management and resources provided including manpower, capital, time and equipment, etc for the realization of Project Management System, establish specific goals to research and analyze its feasibility.
(2) Set up Project Team Leading by Senior Leaders
The realization of Multi-project Management Information System is related with optimization of the organization process and influences almost every departments and staffs inside enterprises. All should have strong leadership and unified ideological guidance would succeed be achieved, beside leaders, only by having professional excellent project teams could time, quality, cost and relationship between relative stakeholders be grasped to ensure the success of projects.#p#分页标题#e#
(3) Confirm the Realization Approach, Draw up Detailed Implementation Strategy and Plan
Project Information System mainly has three types of implementation approaches: one approach is brand new development. The advantage is able to completely fit for enterprises’ individual requirements, adjustment to organizations and processes could down to the smallest, however it has long development cycle and immature product which has certain risks; Second approach is to buy ripe software directly which greatly shortened the realization cycle but it requires enterprises to make more adjustment in process and organizing method aspect to meet the requirement of software; The last approach is the combination of ripe software products and individualized customization which is acceptable in both time and cost and also satisfies the individualization of enterprises. After confirming the realization approach and integrate with resource of enterprises to establish a specific implementation strategy and plan by project team.
(4) Adjust Organizing Approach
Before formally implement the Multi-project Management Information System, first should adjust the enterprises’ internal organizing approach, set up PMO and endow it with adequate responsibility and power, specific operation could be found in relative content of Chapter Three and Chapter Four.
(5) Optimize and Confirm about Project Management Process
This step is quite important for the successful realization of the system. Project team must conduct thorough research; comprehend responsibilities of every role of the project management and taking PMBOK as its guidance combining with enterprises’ own characteristics and ripe project management software characteristics to ensure a most efficient process system.
(6) Demand Analysis
Before the implementation of Multi-project Management Information System, the demand of multi-project management information system should be understood first, and in demand collection and analysis, problems needed to be concerned about are as follows:
a. What kind of information we in need of to establish our plans, organize and control our projects;
b. What information we share with other cooperators;
c. What kind of requirements about the working environment project managers and project participants have;
d. What kind of capability level of maturity model of project management we chose;
e. In the company, what kind of relevant information we need in other project teams;
f. What kind of information we need to adjust activities between every project;
g. What the cost is to own accurate, timely and relevant information;
h. Whether the information we have now is fit for our decisions;
i. How we could achieve project management experience in the share of every project;
j Through what approach could every stakeholder obtain project information and how to influence the project;
k. Weather there is any appropriate technical means and equipments to support the platform scheme which the system needs to achieve;#p#分页标题#e#
i. Whether investment devotion is within the budget.
(7) Design, development and realization
Conduct systematic design or individualized demand part design according to demand analysis results and carry out development, test and application. In order to get the system run steadily and efficiently, also need to procure plentiful hardware equipments according to the requirements of the system to equipments and net-constructing and carry out installation debug until every function and index meets the design requirements. Organizing test and check and accept finally.
(8) Promotion and Training for System Application and Personnel Role Setting and Access Authority Setting
System promotion and knowledge and application training should be carried out at the later period of system development. Let every member clear about their roles and responsibilities, and learn to grasp related functional operation method and business process. At the same time, set up daily system maintenance organizations to have a comprehensive system maintenance and management, input all initialization information and also distribute roles and authority for every staffs.
(9) Start Formally Application
Publish in advance Multi-project Management Information System, arrange a period of tryout and let everyone familiar with its operation and propose suggestions. After the system optimization, start the system formally.
（10）Application Summary and Continuous Improvement
24. When to Start Considering Project Management Information System. www.hc360.com, 2004.12
Multi-project Management Information System is a continuous developing and improving system. It requires staffs to sum up the usage condition of the system on a regular basis, establish improvement plan for next step according to summaries provided by staffs and implement step by step and get the system much handier. In this way, high grade and efficiency service could be provided by the system to maintain the enterprise a vigorous life.
Main functions and business processes the Multi-project Management Information System need to realize:
(1) System Management and Initialization
The main content of this function is to maintain the system and various initialization parameter, definition of functional process, all kinds of system related code database (for instance, definition of project type, project degree, project life cycle, project courses, project phase and project management knowledge domain, etc), role setting and management of users, update and release of project documents templates, setting of project management working process and setting of data interface of other related system (financial system, human resources, etc)
(2) Project Resource Management (Human Resource, Equipment Management and Setting)
Various resources are mainly used to maintain project implementation, and these resources including various manpower resources and equipment information needed by construction project team, construction equipments are, for instance, project managers, system analysts, system engineers, software development engineers, test engineers, hardware builder, network installation testing tool, computer equipment, test equipment, vehicles, etc. Every kind of resource information includes resource types, resource occupancy, unit cost, production capacity, description about current project and features and recent usage plan, etc. Data and information above could provide project management office and project manager with relevant resource information while the project office choosing project manager and resources, thus avoid resource conflict in multi-project implementation as much as possible; provide active coordination and setting to project resources, improve utilization of resources, promote skills and experience of staffs so as to ensure the project resources of enterprises could grow and expand continuously during the implementation of projects and ensure to provide high quality resources for the project management and implementation.#p#分页标题#e#
(3) Selection, Examination and Approval of the Project
Project related information are mainly provided by project initiator for example marketing staffs or salesperson and process of selection, examination and approval will be carried out by decision-making level. Projects passed through examination and approval process could be confirmed about the project level and enter the next process and the denied project will directly go into the end of processing. Project selection, examination and approval are mainly according to project scale, products maturity, technical difficulty, contract price, expected project duration, project risks, contracting methods, controllability of users needs, investment benefit analysis, etc, make comprehensive evaluation of the project, make decisions and assessments, so as to equip with reasonable resource in the following implementation and guarantee priority to other high level project in resource aspect. Projects passed the project examination and approval process could start processing immediately. PMO selects proper project manager and then project manager would conduct project approval and project team construction and overall planning.
(4) Project Overall Management
Project overall management and this knowledge field of project managing processing is corresponding, mainly including establishment of project charter, project initial scope explanations, project management plans, guide and manage project implementation, monitor project work, overall change control, project ending, and other sub-functions, etc.
(5) Project Scope Management
Including Scope planning, scope definition, make work breakdown structure (WBS), scope verification and scope control, etc.
(6) Project Time Management
Including activities definition, activities sequencing, activities resource estimation, activities duration estimation, work out schedule form and schedule control, etc.
(7) Project Cost Management
Including cost estimation cost budget and cost control and other functions.
(8) Project Quality Management
Including sub-functions like quality planning, implementing quality assurance and implementing quality control, etc.
(9) Project Human Resources Management
It includes human resource planning, project team set up, project team construction and project team management, etc.
(10) Project Communication Management
It includes communication planning, information releasing and performance reporting and other sub-function.
(11) Project Risk Management
It including Risk management planning, risk identification, qualitative risk analysis, quantitative risk analysis, risk dealing regulatory, risk monitoring and other sub-functions.
(12) Project Procurement Management
It includes procurement planning, contract work planning, inquiry, vendor selection, contract management, contract ending and other sub-functions.
(13) Project Problems Tracking Processing
In project management process, due to project managers’ authority and influence or lack of experience, many problems which would affect the project schedule could not be successfully resolved, and directly influence the overall schedule and cost control of the project For example, function of software products could not meet the need of users requirement or the existence of Bug need to push R&D to add new functions or amend Bug to publish new version; or equipments purchased may not arrive at time influencing the installation of the project. Project managers or relevant staffs could describe the problem in the system and initially define the relevant departments which could solve this problem, such as the R&D department or supply chain department, gradually upgrade to higher level department for general coordination until the problem is solved or have a final conclusion. PMO will evaluate, track the solution to the problem and the response of every departments so as to speed up the solution to problems to ensure the progress of the project. That’s also a fast problem solution mechanism through enterprise-wide knowledge-sharing resources.#p#分页标题#e#
（14）Project Management Body of Knowledge-Sharing and Case Base
It includes case submission, review, release and incentives.
(15) Post-project Evaluation
Post-project evaluation means after projects are put into operation or put into use after a certain time, to conduct an overall evaluation on the project operation, namely conduct systematic audit on actual cost and effectiveness of the project invested, conduct overall, scientific and comprehensive compare and examine to initial effect of the project decision-making and actual result of the final period, and conduct objective, scientific and impartial evaluation about the benefit and influence on financial, scientific, social and environmental aspect caused by construction project investment. Conducting post-project evaluation has an important effect on scientization of investment decision-making and investment control of the project: systematic post-project evaluation on the project is good for optimization control of investment project; conduct post-project evaluation is conducive to help improve project investment decision-makings to be more scientization in the future. Hence, according to the content classification and common approach and main evaluation index of post-project evaluation this module has the following functions: target evaluation, performance evaluation, cost-effectiveness evaluation, impact assessment, continuous assessment.
According to the post-evaluation approach and main evaluation index selected by users, the following index output of every item could be calculated:
(1) Main Index of Project Preparation and Implementation Phase of Post-assessment:
a. Rate of Change of Practical project decision-making (design) cycle
b. Fixed duration rate of completed projects
c. Changing rate of Actual construction cost
d. Practical construction qualification (excellent) rate
e. Practical investment sum rate of change
Through analysis of index this part, we could distinguish merits of the project implementation process, conduct comprehensive assessment on project team members and project managers and provide proper incentives so as to encourage project managers and project members to be more hard-working to improve management and implementation level in future project management and implementation work, and improve project income. Besides, through conducting evaluations to all kinds of project management techniques and estimation methods adopted in project implementation could improve and promote maturity model to improve and enhance project management capability of enterprises, improve project management process in order to optimize project management process constantly.
25. Post-project evaluation. NAEC www.cnaec.com.cn, 2005
(2) Main index of Post-project Evaluation in Project Operating Phase
a. Practical unit production capability investment
b. Practical number of years over production rate of change
c. Main products price (cost) change of rate#p#分页标题#e#
d. Actual sales profit change of rate
e. Actual investment return (profit tax) rate of change
f. Practical investment return (profit tax) annual rate of change
g. Practical net present value
h. Actual internal rate of yield
i. Actual investment payback period
j. Actual loan repayment period
Enterprise decision-makers could find out more reasonable and effective project investment decision-making means according to these data analysis. Lay a solid base for 留学生dissertationmore perfect investment decision-making and gain more investment profits in future projects.
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