Table Of Content

There is a need to reconstruct project management, both as a scientific cross-discipli- nary research domain and as a practical area of application. Peter Morris’s book helps our thinking enormously regarding both these needs. The structure and content of Part 1 skilfully introduces the theoretical and practical components that constitute the field. In outlining its history, Peter builds a solid foundation for exploring its elements: systems, integration, efficiency, effectiveness, performance, requirements, ‘solu- tioneering’, contracting, procurement, risk and opportunities, value and benefits, people. New perspectives are meanwhile introduced: agility, competences and capa- bilities, governance and the sponsor, the front-end, technology, sustainability, innova- tion, partnering, context, philosophy. The final part is ground-breaking in its future projection of project management (mop/p3m). Mankind faces many challenges, be they ecological, demographic, violence or other. Peter’s book explores possible interac- tions between project management and these futures. No other book is the same. Karlos Artto Professor of Project Business Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland *** Bravo! Reconstructing Project Management is a tour de force on the philosophy, methods and practices of project and program management; a feast of PM lore, knowledge and insight. Peter Morris’ long and incredibly productive career has uniquely straddled project management research, teaching, practice, and consulting on some of the most important projects and biggest companies of the last few decades. Reconstructing Project Management provides the most complete and well-integrated coverage of the evolu- tion of project management written to date. But, more importantly, Morris has extracted a wealth of insights from his broad and deep knowledge and experience regarding the shortcomings of conventional project management in addressing the daunting challenges that currently face managers of projects worldwide, and the even greater ones that the next generation of project managers must face. This book is a must-read for teachers, students and reflective practitioners of the art and craft of project management. Raymond E. Levitt Kumagai Professor of Engineering Director, Stanford Global Projects Center University of Stanford, California, USA *** Peter Morris’ writings have influenced and informed the world of project management for over 40 years, not least his powerful idea of ‘The Management of Projects’: the thesis that management should be responsible for the development and delivery of the whole project and that managing the front-end of projects is key to projects’ success. Reconstructing Project Management continues his thought leadership. It starts with an absorbing history of project management. It then addresses the discipline’s constituent parts, whether related to processes, tools, people or context. Finally, it re-assembles these parts in ways that can add value given tomorrow’s business and social needs. This book has something for everyone – facts, ideas, concepts and theories that will be of interest to students, practitioners and managers alike. Through whatever lens you are looking at project management, whether past, present or future, you will almost certainly find the answer in this book. Mike Brown Director of Project and Programme Management, Rolls-Royce plc, Derby, UK *** In Reconstructing Project Management Peter Morris demonstrates a profound understanding of the nature of the discipline, its complexity and its component parts. The analysis is both broad and deep. After chronicling the growth of modern project management, he deconstructs it into its component parts. He then recombines those elements to address today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges. As a practitioner, I often witness project managers becoming so consumed in delivery that we forget the need to generate value. Peter reminds us of this need, within a contemporary context. His book challenges us to consider the rapidly changing environment we face in the 21st century. Fewer resources, less water, more carbon, a rapidly changing climate – the management of projects can only get tougher, and more important. For anyone involved in thinking about projects, whether as deliverers, teachers or researchers, this book will fascinate and challenge in equal measure. Robbie Burns Regional Director for Network Rail's Western and Wales Region, Infrastructure Projects Directorate *** This book begins by showing how our conception of project management evolved to what we today recognise as the project management body of knowledge. Professor Morris then deconstructs that body of knowledge and challenges the reader to think. Is project management merely a tactical approachto delivery or is it an organising principle with a distinctive philosophy? Should it have a role in corporate management or is it only about meeting project targets given to the p.m.team? Peter Morris demonstrates that seeing the discipline as the ‘management of projects’ provides a completely new approach. Reconstructing Project Management is designed for the purist, the academic, the project practitioner and the project organisation in equal measure. It is at times a challenging read – a some of what it says may clash with traditional thinking – but as an aid to developing the profession and as food for the mind, it is a must-read. Paul Hodgkins PM@Siemens, Programme Executive – UK and North West Europe *** This book is a must for all those who would like to ‘awaken their dreams’ or ‘realise their vision’ or ‘concretise their abstract ideas’. It covers the entire gamut of project management in a lucid manner. Part 1, ‘Constructing Project Management’, covers the discipline’s history from ancient times to today showing that projects and their management have always been at mankind’s centre. In Part 2, ‘Deconstructing Project Management’, Peter covers exceedingly well the complexity of the subject, simplifying and integrating the various conceptual elements relevant to the broad discipline of managing projects. Peter then does a marvel- lous job in Part 3, ‘Reconstructing Project Management’, unravelling the challenges in the 21st century as well as the opportunities opening up for us. The art and science of project management is enunciated here in a way that can be grasped by all those wishing to manage change in our society. Adesh Jain, New Delhi, India President, Project Management Associates (PMA-India) and President, International Project Management Association, 2005 *** Reconstructing Project Management starts with a fascinating and highly readable history of the study and practice of managing projects. Starting with early efforts by the Pentagon to codify and structure its approach to projects in the 1960s, Professor Morris puts many of the landmark studies of project delivery approaches in perspec- tive. He then proceeds to rebuild the readers’ understanding of project management in a new way. If you are a serious student of project management, you will find Morris’s ‘reconstruction’ provocative and thought-provoking, whether you agree with every aspect or not. His critique of the literature and our efforts to date is devastating and his plea for more disciplined critical thinking is spot-on. Reading this book will be enjoyable to anyone interested in the broad field of managing work through projects and is required reading for those interested in contributing to the discipline. Ed Merrow Founder and CEO, Independent Project Analysis, Inc. Ashburn, Virginia, USA *** Reconstructing Project Management is a tour de force! Peter Morris describes the past, present and future of project management! The big picture! The world of project management, not only as it is but as it ought to be! This is one of the best books on project management that I have ever read. I believe Reconstructing Project Manage- ment will be recognized as one of the seminal books of the 21st Century on modern project management. Every thinking professional in the field should read it; every serious library must contain a copy. This book confirms Peter’s place as THE world’s leading critical thinker on the increasingly important topic of managing projects. David L. Pells Managing Editor, PM World Journal, Houston, Texas, USA *** Scholarship is the word that comes to mind reading this truly comprehensive and impressively thorough volume. This is a book about and for the project management profession. It is rigorously researched and extremely readable. It challenges you to think, the need for which in project management has probably never been greater. Despite its scholarly nature, it is completely practical and covers an intriguing past, a diverse present, and a pragmatic future. The role of universities in providing the profession with such thinking should be fully acknowledged. Knowledge of this kind is extraordinarily valuable. Two lifetimes are reflected in the book. One is the long gestation of the discipline which, with its new ‘construction’, is now helping mankind address major challenges. The other is the professional lifetime of Peter Morris, who has dedicated much effort in practice and in education to establishing the principles of the effective management of projects. Tom Taylor President, Association for Project Management, UK *** Peter Morris has been a critical commentator on, and an important contributor to, project management for over 40 years. In this important, summative book he draws upon his in-depth knowledge of the field to describe and reflect upon its emergence, both as a practical discipline and as a domain of academic study. His analysis is rich, compelling and robust. It highlights project management’s inherent strengths and its current weaknesses, proposing ways in which it could be restructured to better fill its roles in society, today and in the future. The book makes observations and provides recommendations that will be provocative to many practitioners and academics, yet its proposals are profound and needed, and should be actionable by everyone who is concerned, whether directly or indirectly, with the effective management of projects. Dr. Brian Hobbs, Project Management Chair at the University of Quebec at Montreal, and recipient of PMI’s Research Achievement Award for 2012 Reconstructing Project Management Peter W.G. Morris Professor of Construction and Project Management University College London A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition first published 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Registered office: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial offices: 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK 2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300, USA For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. 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It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Morris, Peter W. G. Reconstructing project management / Peter W.G. Morris, professor of construction and project management, The Barlett, University College London. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-65907-6 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Project management. I. Title. T56.8.M725 2014 658.4'04–dc23 2012037674 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Set in 10/12 pt Sabon by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited Cover design by Steve Thompson 1 2013 Contents Figures xiii Tables xv About the Author xvii Preface xix Introduction 1 Structure and Thesis of the Book 2 Take-Aways 5 References and Endnotes 6 PART 1 CONSTRUCTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT 7 Chapter 1 Introduction to Part 1 9 Historical Method 9 Bespeaking Relevant Knowledge 10 References and Endnotes 11 Chapter 2 Project Management before it was Invented 12 Pre-History: Projects and Society 12 Early Attempts at Formal Project Integration 19 World War II and the Manhattan Project 22 References and Endnotes 24 Chapter 3 Systems Project Management 27 USAF Integration: The Formal Recognition of Project Management 27 Schriever and the Atlas Program 30 Polaris 33 PERT and CPM 34 Construction 35 The Harvard Business Review Introduces the Project Manager! 36 McNamara and the Bureaucracy of Systems 36 Apollo: Configuration Management and Project Leadership 37 viii Contents DoD Bureaucratisation 41 Externalities 43 Energy and Commodities Projects 46 Nuclear Power 46 The Extractive Industries 48 References and Endnotes 49 Chapter 4 The Project Management Knowledge Base 52 The PMBOK® Guide 52 Theoretical Underpinnings 55 ‘The Management of Projects’ 60 ‘The Management of Projects’ Paradigm versus ‘Execution Delivery’ 61 The APM, IPMA, and Japanese BOKs 61 Quality Management 65 New Product Development: Lessons from Toyota 65 Academic Engagement 67 References and Endnotes 70 Chapter 5 Developing Project Management 75 IMEC: ‘Large Engineering Projects’ 75 Contracting and Procurement 76 Partnering and the new Procurement Environment 78 Risks and Opportunities 81 Flyvbjerg et al.: Transportation Projects and Optimism Bias 81 BOT/PFI 82 Value and Benefits 83 Health, Safety, and Environment 84 Defence Projects 86 Software Projects and Standish 86 Technology and Requirements Management 88 Agile Project Management 90 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 91 Critical Chain 92 Program Management 93 Developing Enterprise-Wide p.m. Capability: The US Department of Energy (DoE)/NRC Study 94 References and Endnotes 95 Chapter 6 Enterprise-Wide Project Management (EWPM) 99 Strategy and Governance 99 PMOs 100 Best Practice Guidelines and Maturity 100 Critical Management 102 Learning and Development 104 Project Management as a Career Track 105 References and Endnotes 105 Contents ix Chapter 7 The Development of Project Management: Summary 108 PART 2 DECONSTRUCTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT 113 Chapter 8 Introduction to Part 2 115 The Domain 115 Deconstructing Deconstruction 116 Approaching the Management of Projects 117 Developing Projects 120 References and Endnotes 121 Chapter 9 Control 123 Scope Management 123 Scheduling 128 Estimating 135 Budgeting 138 Cost Management 139 Performance Management (Earned Value) 140 References and Endnotes 142 Chapter 10 Organisation 145 Roles and Responsibilities 145 Structure 149 Structural Forms 152 Contingency Theory and Organisation Design 156 Project Management Contingency: Getting the Fit 157 References and Endnotes 157 Chapter 11 Governance and Strategy 160 Governance 160 Strategy 161 References and Endnotes 165 Chapter 12 Managing the Emerging Project Definition 167 Requirements Management 168 Solutions Development 170 References and Endnotes 174 Chapter 13 Procurement and the Project’s Commercial Management 176 Acquisition and Contracting Strategy 177 Partnering and Alliancing 179 Procurement 181 Contract Administration 182 References and Endnotes 184 x Contents Chapter 14 Adding Value, Controlling Risk, Delivering Quality, Safely and Securely 186 Building Value, Achieving Benefits 186 Risk and Opportunity Management 190 Quality Management 192 Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) 194 References and Endnotes 195 Chapter 15 People 198 Leadership 199 Teams 201 Stakeholder Management 203 Culture 203 Individuals’ Skills and Behaviours 205 References and Endnotes 210 Chapter 16 Level 3: The Institutional Context 214 PMOs 215 Functions of the PMO 215 Clearing the Decks for Reconstruction 224 References and Endnotes 226 PART 3 RECONSTRUCTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT 229 Chapter 17 Introduction to Part 3 231 A Discipline 231 A Knowledge Domain 232 Foundations for the Future 233 References and Endnotes 233 Chapter 18 The Character of our PM Knowledge 234 Terminology 234 Ontology 236 Epistemology and Theories of Project Management 237 Methodology 240 The Character of the Field’s Substantive Knowledge 244 References and Endnotes 249 Chapter 19 Managing Context 252 Independent (or Semi-Independent) Variables 253 Dependent Variables 254 References and Endnotes 256 Chapter 20 Ethos: Building Sponsor Value 257 Questions of Purpose 257 Effectiveness 258