While the focus of project management may rely heavily on ensuring the correct technologies are deployed at the correct time, managing people as well as technology is equally important.
Carol Rogers, associate partner at IBM, points out that project management is becoming an increasingly important part of the day-to-day business environment, with the many business functions being handled on a project basis.
She explains that the human resources component of project management is the one aspect that is vital to the success of any project, and even more important when it comes to managing projects that have a broader impact across the enterprise.
“Enterprise project management (EPM) can encompass cultural changes within affected departments and integrating change management into the project management system can have a dramatic impact on the success or failure of a specific project,” she says.
She adds that the problem facing many companies at present is that in the current environment of cost-cutting, the first elements of a project to be cut are the change management and stakeholder management, raising the risks of project failure.
Stakeholder management is especially critical in EPM as these can come from many different parts of the business, and should communication fail between the various stakeholders, it could, at best, delay the successful completion of a specific project.
Stakeholder management as a part of EPM is also key, as the deployment of various projects needs to be staggered if it impacts multiple departments.
Charles Dalton, head of division for business tactics at Consequent, points out that finding the right people to man the EPM function can also be a challenge, as there is a distinct difference between the type of person that fits the classical project manager role and those that would be suitable for heading up an enterprise project office.
“The best archetype that I can think of to match the requirements from a head of EPM would be the classical general manager. Not only does this person have to have a grasp of a number of projects, all running concurrently, but they would also have to have the broadest view of the entire company. This would encompass not only a strategic understanding of the business, but also a keen grasp of the operational complexities of the business,” comments Dalton.
You can't go into an organisation that has a more relaxed culture and set prescriptive rules for how things should be managed.
Andre Engelbrecht, services executive for project services, Business Connexion
Andre Engelbrecht, services executive for project services at Business Connexion, points out that while the operational view of the organisation is key to making EPM deliver on its promise, a strategic understanding of the focus of the organisation is equally important.
How EPM is actually delivered depends significantly on the culture of the organisation, he adds. “If there is a strongly entrenched corporate culture within an organisation, then the scope of implementation for EPM is more limited than if there is a more loosely defined corporate culture.
“You can't go into an organisation that has a more relaxed culture and set prescriptive rules for how things should be managed,” he comments. “This is a recipe for resistance from within the organisation, as the strategy for ensuring the successful completion of projects would be in direct opposition to the normal way of doing business.”
The key to ensuring EPM has the desired effect is not simply a combination of technology and good processes. Without a keen eye on the human element, projects are just as likely to fail as if they weren't planned properly to start with.
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