Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project Management MSC 337-A 1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2 Annotated Bibliography: Project Management Al-Subhi Al-Harbi M., K. (2001). Application of the AHP in project management. International Journal of Project Management, 19, 19-27. Retrieved from http://140.118.5.28/OM_Notes/[1]%202001Application%20of%20the%20AHP%20in%20project%20management.pdf This article discusses the use of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a decision-aiding method developed by Saaty, as the tool for use in project management. The writer of the article, Kamal M. Al-Subhi Al-Harbi, from the Department of Construction Engineering and Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, argues that AHP uses the prequalification criteria where a list of descending order of contractors is made and priority is given to the best suited to perform the project. The main agenda of the article is to demonstrate that AHP is a viable tool for decision making in project management. In his comprehensive analysis the author documents on the abilities of AHP to structurally disseminate contractors and obtain a single contractor who can best perform a project. The author explores the framework and assigns tags to each stage while also analyzing the Process. In addition, he defines the role of each step in the process and determines the importance making potent decisions. The author begins by conducting an analysis of the multiple criteria decision analysis and identify the importance of proper decision making on a project. Being an expert in project management, the author recommends the utilization of tools in decision making since the ability to make sound decisions determines the success of a project. The author progressively develops a step by step analysis of applying AHP that begins with the definition of the problem and determination of the goals of a project. The author’s review PROJECT MANAGEMENT 3 of this process is illustrative as he utilizes a pairwise comparison table for AHP preferences to inform on the application of AHP. The inclusion of the group decision making segment differentiates the article and makes it a great resource. The author illustrates how AHP allows group decision making and how members can apply their expertise, knowledge, and value to substantially break down an issue into the hierarchy and solve the problem. Intently, the author identifies brainstorming and sharing ideas as attributes that lead to a complete representation and understanding of issues. The recommendations offered by the author on group decision making using AHP and the Expert choice software makes it easy to utilize the hierarchy. The recommendations are instrumental in achieving efficiency while applying the tool. They also contain an expert opinion on the best way to use the AHP tool. The article plays a critical role in elaborating the AHP method of decision making. In the course of the text, the authors manage to demonstrate the application of AHP in project management and contribute extensively to data on the uses and application of AHP. Through the article, one understands additional information on the implementation of AHP through the Expert choice professional software which is primarily designed for implementing AHP. In addition to the data on the use of AHP, the authors provide a detailed critique of the application of AHP. In the critique, they identify the strengths of the process and also document the gaps present while using the process and how to address them. The article is a valuable addition to research on project management as it comprehensively tests and analyses one of the best approaches to decision making. Decision making is a crucial factor that defines numerous project activities. It is essential PROJECT MANAGEMENT 4 to make proper decisions in a timely manner. The author realizes this role and works towards devising an evidence-based approach that can strategically assist project managers to make proper decisions fast. The author identifies and analyses an important tool that can improve efficiency in project management. His expert opinion informs prospective project managers on the relevant knowledge and skills to acquire and how to utilize them in a practical situation. Awwal, I. M. (2014). Importance of Strategic Aspect in Project Management: A Literature Critique. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 3, 4, 96-99. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.666.6573&rep=rep1&type=pdf This article discusses the critical arguments about the success of a project and how these arguments can be used to make sure a project meets the set objectives. The writer, Mofizul Islam Awwal from MIP School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Italy reveals that project success is made possible through competitive advantage that has been derived from the projects strategic objectives. The article also discusses the role of stakeholders in measuring project success. In this detailed critique, the author provides key information on management of projects and the need to align the project with its objectives. The author elaborates on the role of stakeholders and the importance of accounting for their perception while measuring the success of a project. The critique gathers information from works of different authors in a bid to elaborate on project success and the factors that contribute to it and those that hamper success. The author is keen on the relationship between efficiency and effectiveness of project PROJECT MANAGEMENT 5 management and project success and establishes that the definition of success using this criterion is plausible since different projects occur in different natures and complexity. One of the unique features of the critique is its analysis of the different definitions of project success. This analysis informs on the scope of project success and why each project should have its own definition of success. Also, the author reviews different sources to identify the need for a project to have potent objectives and how these assure effective project management. The relationship between a project and business strategy is also exploited with the author noting that new and creative strategies occur from properly relating these concepts. In their exploration of stakeholders, authors identify that the relationship between project success and stakeholders is critical and managers should ensure they take into account their needs and requirements. Further, the author looks into the classes of stakeholders and their specific input into the success of a project. An in-depth review leads the author to a conclusion that the behaviour of internal stakeholders can immensely affect project success. Thus, the author identifies two factors that can make a project successful. Ideally, if the project satisfies customers by allowing them to have a full utilization of the outcome then it is successful. Also, they note that project success can be achieved through the process of collaboration. Banking on the collaboration, the author denotes that it should be differentiated from communication and for collaboration to occur, there has to be a clear mission for project members. This analysis of collaboration is essential as it identifies stakeholders such as senior management and their perception of success. The critique then recommends aligning the project with the objectives and perception of senior management as the success of the project highly depends on their support. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 6 The author makes a solid contribution to the spectrum of project management an also documents critical issues that can appropriately advance project management. Their exploration of the topic is key and their detailed critique adds much to the topic. While project success is a goal for every manager, few manage to fully achieve this fete. This author offers a well-researched framework for achieving project success. Even though the author fails to utilized illustrations, he successfully integrates the use of examples into his work. The article is well structured and categorically aligned to appropriately deliver key information on the subject topic. The choice of this source is based on the credibility of the article as it is peer reviewed and the author has written several articles on project management in refereed international journals. Also, the critique gathers its data from experts on project management and hence facilitates a proper understanding of project management. Cicmil, S., Williams, T., Thoams, J. & Hodgson D. (2006). Rethinking Project Management: Researching the actuality of projects. International Journal of Project Management, 24, 675–686. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/6176525/Cicmil_et_al_IJPM_Actual ity.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1525376448&Sig nature=p3ifEhq5pw1Qh%2FqG1IFXapCtR7g%3D&response-contentdisposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DRethinking_project_management_researchin.pd f This article explains the benefits of addressing the actuality of a project in order to improve project management. According to the writers of the article, the success of PROJECT MANAGEMENT 7 project management does not necessarily fall on research about the use of traditional project management practices. The article shows how project actuality can contribute to better outcomes in project management. The author explicitly elaborates the critical nature of knowledge that could be created about the actuality of projects and how this understanding contributes to knowhow on project environments and improvement of practice. The author analyses data from 55 sources in an attempt to shed more light on the assumptions behind research models in project management. In this process, the authors expound the boundaries of research on project management and provide new insight into the actuality of projects. The article’s success in achieving its primary aims can be attributed to the use of factual tables in elaboration and advancement of the argument. The authors include a table from a research on project management and extensively analyses it to realize how it contributes to project actuality. In the process, the authors inform on how different aspects of a project add up to the success of a project and how different factors are denoted in the development of project management. Further, the authors use secondary data to elaborate on the considerations on project actuality research and the theories that primarily originate from these inferences. The contribution of the authors to the knowledge on project management research is vast as they add critical facts on the methodological foundations of project actuality research. The authors use information from secondary sources to relate co-authorship and pragmatic research with the nature of actuality research in project management. They note that this research approach has several features such as encouraging the participants and the researcher to think more critically about the research topic which make it PROJECT MANAGEMENT 8 appropriate for project management. The author then analyses the influence of these developments in the project management field and notes that the research examines the project management information resource and the set best practice established by practitioners. This article can be exemplified by its inclusion of some illustrations on project actuality research. In this segment, the authors illustrate how they address different issues raised on the topic of project actuality by other authors and speakers. In this illustration, the author’s illustrate the tenets of research complexity as an aspect of project actuality and project management education and development. Through this illustration, one understands the actuality of failures of complex projects. The authors conclude by recommending a way forward for literature on project management. They recommend that methodological research should include an in-depth analysis of what is, why it is as it is and what activities are encouraged or discouraged by this focus and how it came to be. This sheds more light on research and its impacts on project management. The authors provide a needed study that defines the boundaries of research in project management. Through various categorizations, this study expounds further on approaches to research and how they are applicable to project management. This source is resourceful in conducting a research in the project management sector as it broadens the field and queries important aspects within the domain. Besides, the authors are experts in the sector with many papers on traditional project management research. Also, the authors analyse a wide range of data on the sector hence making the paper very informative. With the credibility of the article out of question, one realizes that the PROJECT MANAGEMENT 9 information present in the study informs advances the topic and spectrum of project management. Pich, M. T., Loch, C. H. & De Meyer A. (2002). On Uncertainty, Ambiguity, and Complexity in Project Management. Management Science. 48, (8), 1008-1023. Retrieved from http://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4506&context=lkcsb_research In this article, the writers who are renowned scholars in the project management present the challenges of project management in an era where there is adequacy of information. They assert that project management can be uncertain, ambiguous and complex. The article discusses how a project manager can utilize the adequacy of information in order to come up with the right strategies for project management. The authors identify three fundamental project management strategies that should be applied by a project manager. These strategies include instructionism, learning, and selectionism. The authors are elaborate on how modern methods fit into the three fundamental strategies of project management. The text is rich in approaches that can help project managers to judge the adequacy of available project information, choose an appropriate combination of strategies and set a supporting project infrastructure. In the study, project infrastructure includes planning, coordination, and incentives as well as monitoring. The article alienates the features of existing project management strategies and how they add up to the idea of uncertainty. They note that these strategies fail to inform project managers which model to choose and when. Lack of this knowledge causes a myriad of failures in practice such as budget and schedule overruns, compromised performance and missed opportunities. Further, the authors provide an informative overview of previously PROJECT MANAGEMENT 10 identified strategies. They argue that task scheduling and risk management represent an instructionist approach which can be identified through prespecifying and trigger actions based on signals. However, this strategy is functional as long as information on the state of the world is adequate. On the other hand, when information is inadequate a combination of the strategies of learning and selectionism is recommended by the authors. They define the boundaries of the learning strategy to be the capacity to conduct new and original planning in the middle of a project and the selectionist’s strategy to be the pursuit of multiple candidate solutions until the best can be identified. The authors pose two arguments that define their contribution to the project management domain. The first discussion majors on the sequential decision theory and understands a project as a “payoff function that depends on the state of the world and a chosen network of actions.” Secondly, the authors present a model that provides conceptual understanding that allows a project team to judge information adequacy at the outset. These models inform the project managers on what to expect and allows them to make decisions early concerning project management strategy and all aspects of project infrastructure. The authors disseminate project management to be critical steps of planning, execution, and monitoring of project activities. Therefore, the authors conjure a potent model that banks on consistency, accounting of influence factors, development of project policies, and how to consider re-planning. This model discusses the three strategies of project management as the authors comprehensively illustrate strategies to use inadequacy and PROJECT MANAGEMENT 11 inadequacy. In retrospect, the authors include a table that provides info on the different strategies and a matrix of comparison that identifies the capability of each strategy. This article’s contribution is enormous as it alienates the need to make assumptions while devising strategies. The authors adequately formulate a means of selecting an approach and encourage project managers to uphold correct evaluation techniques in strategy selection. The authors offer a valuable resource that documents their proper understanding of the topic and their ability to model a proper selection matrix. The article is a guide to project strategy selection and is influential to both prospective and practicing project managers. The fact that the conclusions are drawn from a well-structured argument makes this resource helpful to the body of knowledge on project management. Pollack, J. (2007). The changing paradigms of project management. International Journal of Project Management, 25, 266-274. Retrieved from https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/4844/1/2007002462.pdf In this article, Julien Pollack from the University of Technology, Sydney, discusses the hard and soft paradigms in project management. The writer argues that while the hard paradigms are more linked to project management, there has been a changing trend in which the soft paradigm is becoming accepted. The article presents a way in which the paradigms are applied in the field and it suggests a way in which the application of the soft paradigm can be improved. Pollack is keen on linking the development of soft paradigms to project management. The article examines secondary data on project management which highly relates to hard paradigms and tries to understand the PROJECT MANAGEMENT 12 underlying progress of soft paradigms. The author notes that this discussion is partially inspired by the impact that these tendencies of thought and action have on the development of comparable fields. The objectives of the article are to substantiate the influence of hard paradigms on project management through its literature. Also, the author identifies the specific ways in which hard and soft paradigms are influencing the field of project management. In doing this, the author contributes astutely to the development of the theoretical basis of project management. Through the author, one understands the boundaries of hard and soft paradigms as he uses the figurative illustration of the interrelationship between the attributes of the hard and soft paradigms. Through this illustration, the differences between hard and soft can be identified with the former being positivists and the latter being interpretive. The text contains an analysis of the philosophical basis of project management through an examination of secondary data. One of the major realizations of the author is the fact that existing literature has developed project management in line with realist tendencies of the hard paradigm. These tendency emphasizes objectivity and focusses on reductionist techniques and control. Further, the author also identifies that existing literature describes project management literature as a machine that functions when orders are fully executed according to plan. Thus organization of projects also takes a hard paradigm. The author goes ahead to examine the perspective on people and participation and definition and stability of goals in relation to the paradigms and finds out that both are inclined to the hard element. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 13 Besides the hard perspective, the author is keen on developing a discussion on the theoretical disquiet and undercurrents of the soft paradigm. Pollack relates this perspective to people and participation and notes that in the soft approach the project manager is a facilitator rather than an expert. These enable one to draw the inference that the soft paradigm encourages the participation while hard perspective banks on following orders. According to literature presented by the author the following orders approach has been commonly used and is linked to low levels of participation and hence project failure. Also, Pollack notes that setting goals using the soft paradigm which allows the goals to change during the life of the project allows the project manager to consistently reinterpret the whole project process in terms of project structuring, reviewing and redefining goals throughout the project. This realization by the author shows that defining goals at the start of the project and assuming they are stable is an unreliable way of project management. Pollack provides keen insights on the different aspects of project management. While most project managers bank on hard paradigms supported by the wide literature, soft approaches are also plausible and potent enough. Through the well-researched data presented by the author, one can properly relate soft approaches in different aspects of project management. The resource contributes widely to the aspects of thoughts to consider in project management and challenges the conventional understanding of project management. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 14 Ward, S. & Chapman, C. (2003). Transforming project risk management into project uncertainty Management. International Journal of Project Management, 21. 97–105. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0098/9b7a36e5422b473b8ab01f5cffee9712159a.pdf In this article, Stephen Ward and Chris Chapman from the School of Management, University of Southampton, Highfield, argue that project risk management processes do little to the overall improvement of project management and project performance. The article discusses how these project risk management processes can be utilized and changed so that they induce a project management uncertainty. The authors present the argument that a focus on uncertainty rather than risk will enable proper project risk management which will ensure an identification of additional factors such as opportunity management. The paper address a major concern in project management known as Project Risk Management. It identifies the current scope of risk management and notes its shortcomings and the implications of this limitation. The paper begins by identifying the source of the issue and how it has been interpreted in the project management domain. By defining risk, the authors attempt to disseminate the myths associated with the word and clarify its meaning. The authors begin pondering on uncertainty management in a bid to find a balance between opportunity and threat management. This balance is attained by identifying and managing all the sources of uncertainty which play a key role in the shaping of perceptions of threats and opportunities. The authors use a detailed approach to document the scope of uncertainty and hence facilitate the understanding of uncertainty in project management. The authors centre their argument on secondary data and exploration of the topic and identify PROJECT MANAGEMENT 15 variability associated with estimates as a definitive aspect of uncertainty. Also, Ward and Chapman identify several other uncertainty areas such as those about design and logistics, basics of estimates, objectives and priorities and fundamental relationships between project parties. Consequently, the authors recommend a revision of the terminology ‘risk’ as they term the present use of the term as ambiguous. Thus, they denote that the first step to project risk management is the acceptance of the word uncertainty rather than risk. After these considerations, the author isolates the fact that “risk then evolves to become the implications of uncertainty about the level of project performance”. The process of uncertainty management proceeds to encompass an exposure and investigation on variability. The authors then progressively define the process of uncertainty management which addresses all sources of uncertainty. They elaborate that uncertainty management or project risk management has to address all sources of risks and basing the discussion on the literal meaning of risk derails the process of project management. The paper underlines the contribution of effective risk management to project success and efficiency. The main weakness of current project risk management is the event-based understanding which limits the inclusion of key areas of project uncertainty. The authors offer recommendations to effective project uncertainty management such as a focus on the proper recording of data, emphasis on the understanding of root uncertainties facilitated by frameworks, keen interests in quantitative approaches and formulation of methods for articulating and comparing performance objectives. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 16 The authors play a critical role in the definition of project risk management. They reconstruct the understanding of project risk management by providing a categorically and well-expounded paper. The paper’s ability to deconstruct the current understanding of risk management and construction of a new spectrum makes this paper a crucial resource in project risk management. The expansion of uncertainty management is elaborate and progressive hence informing a prospective project manager in the appropriate manner of conducting project risk management. The recommendations offered advance the topic of risk management and opportunity utilization and also enable efficiency in project management. The source is highly valuable to a project manager as it promotes competence, efficiency and proper management of different aspects of a project. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 17 References Al-Subhi Al-Harbi M., K. (2001). Application of the AHP in project management. International Journal of Project Management, 19, 19-27. Awwal, I. M. (2014). Importance of Strategic Aspect in Project Management: A Literature Critique. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 3, 4, 96-99. Cicmil, S., Williams, T., Thoams, J. & Hodgson D. (2006). Rethinking Project Management: Researching the actuality of projects. International Journal of Project Management, 24, 675–686. Pich, M. T., Loch, C. H. & De Meyer A. (2002). On Uncertainty, Ambiguity, and Complexity in Project Management. Management Science. 48, (8), 1008-1023. Pollack, J. (2007) The changing paradigms of project management. International Journal of Project Management, 25, 266-274. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 18 Ward, S. & Chapman, C. (2003). Transforming project risk management into project uncertainty management. International Journal of Project Management, 21. 97–105.
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