Page 380 - Global Project Management Handbook

MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT-ORIENTED COMPANY 18-21

project-oriented company consists of the basic hardware solution and the operating sys-
tems. The demands made by a project-oriented company on a system platform comply
with the needs of conventional organizations. However, a specific demand is made in that
the system platform needs to be flexible in order to be able to comply with the dynamics
of the project-oriented company. Problems may occur, for example, should IT incompati-
bilities arise when cooperating with other project-oriented companies.
In order to avoid this risk, the design of the system platform should consider the use
of open standards and flexible, easily scalable components. Thus the system platform can
be adapted relatively easily to new demands. Web-based applications based on wide-
spread standards and that can use Web browsers as universal user interfaces simplify
cooperation between companies.
An efficient IT network is an essential prerequisite for efficient communication of the
project-oriented company. The network architectures for data communication can be
depicted in a layer model (Fig. 18.9). An opening takes place from the inside to the outside
and requires the use of various technologies.
During implementation of the IT network, a sufficiently dimensioned, flexible, and
easily extendible network architecture should be aimed at, for example, by using flexible
cabling and a wireless local-area network (LAN). This offers members of a project orga-
nization an efficient network connection irrespective of their location.
By providing employees with notebooks, the flexibility of the IT network can be used.
Project contributors therefore can work both at their workstations and at the customer’s
site. The use of software for project management and project portfolio management, as
well as groupware and project portals, is specific to project-oriented companies.
Project management software supports project planning and control. The standard
software supports the planning and control of project scope, project schedule, project
resources, and project costs. The tasks of designing the project organization and the project
environment relations essentially cannot be performed using the project management
software. Standard products available in the market are, for example, MS Project,
Primavera Project Planner, Super Project, Project Scheduler, Open Plan, and SAP PS.
Additions to the project management software are offered, on the one hand, in the form
of graphics software, for example, Graneda or WBS Chart Pro, and, on the other hand, in
the form of software for supporting special project management tasks.

Internet
Intranet
WAN

LAN

FIGURE 18.9 Layer model of the network architec-
tures. (From Grimm R, Kozok B, Lafos F.
Kommunikationsinfrastruktur, Berlin : Springer Verlag,
2001 p. 199.)