According to some researchers (Owen, Connor and Linger, 2012), internationally, there is a growing concern that governments have lost policy capacity, particularly around implementation and delivery. The above researchers argued that today's projects simultaneously facilitate organisational change, and this dual agenda has allowed project management to extend from the traditional industry sectors of construction and engineering to other non-traditional sectors, such as banking and legal processes. The extension of project management practices into all areas of government and business represents the key challenges to the theory, practise, and application of project management.
Complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity characterize policy development because the issues are difficult to define, with many interdependencies, no clear solutions; they often involve changing the behaviour of individuals and there may be a lack of knowledge, skills, or expertise about the given situation (Rittel & Webber, 1973, cited by Owen, Connor & Linger (2012). This makes policy implementation difficult, because the risks are hard to define and measure, the stakeholders broad and varied, and the implementation processes and structures are complex. To successfully manage these complex processes involves working across department boundaries and engaging with stakeholders and community groups. Involving such a diverse range of stakeholders adds to the complexity, as each has a different agenda and viewpoint (Head, 2010).
If policy development and implementation is considered a project, classical project management assumes that everything in these policy processes can be controlled (Owen, 2010). This approach does not adequately deal with the complex nature of government policy processes, because project management processes do not adequately acknowledge or incorporate the human, contextual, and emergent elements of such projects and therefore do not equip practitioners to deal adequately with the socio-technical complexities and change (Young, Owen & Connor 2011). Thus, project management needs to be conceptualised more broadly in order to incorporate a range of outputs with inherent complexity and rethink the assumptions that underpin project management practices.
Owen, Connor and Linger (2012) cite Shergold (2006) who argued that repeated, consistent, and systematic failures in policy implementation have led governments to focus on ways to
[1] The author acknowledges that this newsletter has been written based primarily on a paper by Owen, Connor., & Linger, (2012), titled: Project management as a tool of policy implementation, which was presented at PMI® Research and Education Conference, Limerick, Munster, Ireland.
strengthen their ability to effectively implement policy. The above researchers conceptualised policy development and implementation as a project and extended project management practices to manage such complex projects. They introduced the concept of knowledge-based practices (KBPs) as a way of understanding project practices that are deployed to deal with complexity, and intrinsic and emergent issues. The above researchers also set out to address the specific question: Can project management contribute to building government policy development and implementation capability?
We are all aware of the phrase “Change is constant” and there is no denying it. When conflating change with project management, there's fierce debate over who is best equipped to manage it: project managers or change managers. Some insist that project managers are the ideal agents of change because they can maintain technical and rational stability in the face of disruption. Others believe that a dedicated change manager is necessary because that person views change through the lens of behavioural science and with high levels of interpersonal skills, astuteness, and sensitivity.
It is difficult to state who is right but change definitely presents an opportunity for a fruitful collaboration between project managers and change managers. Change managers and project managers can peacefully co-exist and help their teams understand what it takes to genuinely embrace change by inter-alia, creating clear lines of work; sharing responsibility and supporting cohesion.
According to PMI's latest Pulse of the Profession,® Organizations and their teams will have to adapt quickly, if they want to maintain their competitive advantage. To grow their project management capabilities, organizations are prioritizing: Technical skills (68%); Leadership skills (65%); Customer-centricity (59%); Business skills (58%); and Digital skills (50%).
The Table below reflects the results of a global PMI survey of 3,060 project professionals, 358 senior executives and 554 project management office directors/directors of project management in 2019 to determine what will make them succeed in the complex changing environment. The majority (53%) of organizations are embracing a change-ready culture and the executive leaders believe these factors are most important to achieve project success in the future. Organizational agility is on top of the list of factors which will contribute to project success
Factors most important for project success
| Organizational Agility | 35% |
| Choosing the right Technology to invest in | 32% |
| Securing the relevant Skills | 31 |
| CEO Leadership | 29% |
| Ability to close the Gap between Strategy and Execution | 28% |
| Creating a culture of constant change | 25% |
| A well-functioning Project Management Office | 22% |
| Forming relevant Partnerships | 22% |
| Adequate Funding | 21% |
| Becoming less Risk-averse and embracing change | 20% |
Source: Fast Forward: PMI 2020
It can be concluded thatProject Management has developed in an evolutionary manner from a technical endeavour, with objectives expressed in terms of physical artefacts, to a socio-technical process that can deliver artefacts, organisational change, and/or knowledge.
Companies need to re-imagine and re-invent (innovate) since the organizations that develop the technologies, systems, products, services, and customer experiences that change the game will shape the future of the project economy.
PMI research suggests that this ‘always-on’ innovation push will be a given in the years to come: Three in four project leaders say their organizations will invest more to promote project management innovation over the next 10 years, and in an era of nonstop disruption, companies will see the value of game-changing ideas delivered through projects. Organizations must invest in building a culture—and project teams— that can turn cutting-edge ideas into reality.
References
Fast Forward: PMI'S 2020 'Pulse of the Profession' Reveals How Teams Are Adapting to Change (2020). PM Network, 34(3), 16–17.
Head, B.W. (2010). How can the public sector resolve complex issues? Strategies for
steering, administering, and coping. Asia Pacific Journal of Business Administration.
Owen, J. (2010). The role of knowledge-based practices in the effective management and delivery of information systems development. Unpublished Dissertation Faculty of Information Technology Monash University Melbourne Australia.
Owen, J., Connor, J., & Linger, H. (2012). Project management as a tool of policy implementation. Paper presented at PMI® Research and Education Conference, Limerick, Munster, Ireland. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Young, M., Owen. J., & Connor, J. (2011). Whole of enterprise portfolio management: A case study of NSW Government and Sydney Water Corporation. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (4)3, 412–435.
