Page 46 - Global Project Management Handbook

2-8 STATE OF THE ART OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

from public authorities, a change in scope by the customer, cancellations from suppliers,
an unexpected media response, a demotivated project team, and so on.
The formal communication structures of a project enable its self-reference. Project
management methods, such as the work breakdown structure, the milestone plan, and the
project environment analysis, can support the communication in the project. The possibil-
ity of change in a project depends on its relationship to relevant environments. Only when
the functionality of the (relative) project autonomy is recognized and therefore the interven-
tions of the permanent organization of the project-oriented organization are limited is there
a possibility of self-reference.
In order to promote change in a project, reflections and metacommunications, that is,
communications about communications, are necessary. Time, space, and the correspond-
ing know-how are all necessary for reflection. In a cyclic process, the structures necessary
for the performance of a project are formed, questioned, and possibly adapted according to
the new requirements.
Self-referencing processes in a project or interventions from project environments can
lead to continuous or discontinuous changes in a project. Continuous changes in projects
are considered in project controlling. Continuous changes in projects take the form of
adaptations in the project structures, such as new project slogans, new formations of rela-
tionships to relevant environments, new definitions of project roles, new demands on the
project team members, new planning of the scope and the project schedule, and so on.
A discontinuous development in a project comes about when a change in the project
identity takes place. This can result from a substantial deviation from the project objec-
tives. A project discontinuity can take the form of a project crisis, a project change, or a
structurally determined change in the project identity.

Process-Oriented Project Management. Method-oriented project management focus-
es on the project management methods. The use of methods for planning and controlling
project scope, project schedule, project resources, and project costs is understood as proj-
ect management. The success of project management is assessed on the basis of the
method application. Competence for the application of the project management methods
is achieved through training. There is a supposition that good knowledge of methods
ensures good project management.
Roland Gareis’ Project and Program Management defines project management as a
business process of the project-oriented company and focuses on its subprocesses. The

project management personnel require competencies for managing the subprocesses proj-
ect start, continuous project coordination, project controlling, and project close-down and
possibly resolving a project discontinuity. The success of project management is assessed
on the basis of the professional performance of these processes, not on the basis of a proj-
ect handbook that meets all formal demands. In so doing, the relationships among the
subprocesses also must be considered and optimized.
For performance of the individual project management subprocesses, the correspond-
ing project management methods are used. The importance of the methods does not get
lost. Definition of the subprocesses of project management adds an integration level for
ensuring the professional application of project management methods. Producing an opti-
mal project schedule cannot be an objective in itself, but it must be an overall integrative
objective to start the project in an optimal way.
Management of project objectives, management of the project schedule, management
of the project cost planning, and so on cannot be accepted as project management
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processes because only an integrated consideration of all methods of project management
can lead to optimal results. The management of project plans as “processes” cannot ensure
a holistic management.