Defining the Project Management System: Examples and Applications

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Defining the Project Management System: Examples and Applications

System Analysis and Design · Chapter 9: Project Management, Scheduling, and QualitySection 9.2 · lesson 61 of 697 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

The PMIS, PMBOK and PRINCE2, organizational structures, and the PMO.

  • Define a project management information system, and what it supports
  • Compare PMBOK and PRINCE2
  • Distinguish functional, matrix, and projectized structures
  • Explain the role of a project management office

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (939 words). Read along, or search it.

Project Management, Scheduling, and Quality

The Project Management System

A project does not run on a plan alone. It runs inside a larger project management system. This section looks at the four parts of that system. The information system that tracks a project, the methodology that shapes it, the structure that decides who has authority, and the office that keeps practices consistent.

More Than a Plan

4 Parts of the System Around a Project

Here are the four parts at a glance. A project management information system decides how the project is tracked. A methodology decides how the project is run. The organizational structure decides who has authority over it. And, often, a project management office keeps practices consistent across many projects at once.

The PMIS

One Shared, Up-to-Date Picture

A project management information system, or P M I S, is the combination of processes, data, and tools a team uses to plan, execute, monitor, and report on a project. It gives everyone on the project a shared, up-to-date picture of where things stand. Scheduling tracks tasks, dependencies, and deadlines across the timeline. Budgeting tracks planned versus actual costs, against the approved budget. Resource management tracks who is assigned to what, and how much of their time it takes. The risk log tracks identified risks, their likelihood and impact, and the planned responses. And status reporting summarizes progress for stakeholders who are not in the day-to-day work. Specific software products come later in the chapter. Here, the P M I S is a concept, independent of any one product.

2 Methodologies

PMBOK vs. PRINCE2

A methodology gives a team a shared set of processes and terminology. Two of the most widely used are P M BOK and PRINCE two. P M BOK is a knowledge-area framework, organized around process groups. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing. It comes from the Project Management Institute, and is widely used in North America. It is flexible. A team adapts its practices to the project at hand. PRINCE two is a process-based methodology, developed by the U K government, and widely used in the U K and Europe. It defines seven processes, and manages the work in stages, each with strict entry and exit criteria. It is more prescriptive, with defined roles, stages, and documents. So a company that wants every project run through the same tightly controlled, stage-gated process is a natural fit for PRINCE two.

Figure 2

Where Project Authority Sits

How much authority a project manager really has, often depends less on their title, than on the organization's structure. The common structures sit along a spectrum. At one end is a functional structure, where departments and their managers keep control. In the middle are matrix structures, described as weak, balanced, or strong, depending on which way authority leans. At the other end is a projectized structure, where the project manager has full authority over a dedicated team. Moving left to right, the project manager's authority increases.

3 Structures

Functional, Matrix, and Projectized

In a functional structure, authority sits with departments and their managers. The project manager has little to no formal authority, and often coordinates rather than directs. A project manager who has to ask each department head for permission, before assigning anyone's time, is working in a functional structure. In a matrix structure, authority is shared between functional managers and the project manager. How much the project manager gets depends on the matrix design. In a projectized structure, the project manager holds the authority, over a team dedicated to the project. A dedicated team that reports only to the project manager, for the whole project, is projectized.

The PMO

Standardizing How Projects Run

A project management office, or P M O, is a group that standardizes how projects are run, regardless of which department they belong to. Its level of control varies by type. A supportive P M O provides templates, best practices, and training, but does not control individual projects. A controlling P M O requires projects to follow specific frameworks or methodologies, and checks compliance. And a directive P M O manages projects directly, by supplying the project managers who run them. That is the key difference from a supportive P M O. It runs the projects, rather than simply offering help.

Putting It Together

One Company, Every Piece

Here is how the pieces fit together in one company. A mid-sized company uses a matrix structure day to day. But for a major system replacement, it gives the project manager full authority over a dedicated team, for the length of the project. That is a projectized arrangement, inside an otherwise matrix organization. A controlling P M O requires the project to follow the company's P M BOK-based process. And the project reports its status every week through the shared P M I S. That gives leadership a consistent view of this project, alongside every other project in the portfolio.

Key Terms

The Vocabulary of This Section

Let's lock in the key terms. A P M I S is the combination of processes, data, and tools used to plan, execute, monitor, and report on a project. P M BOK is a flexible, knowledge-area framework. PRINCE two is a more prescriptive, process-based methodology. In a functional structure, authority sits with departments. In a projectized structure, it sits with the project manager. In a matrix structure, authority is shared, and the matrix can be weak, balanced, or strong. And a P M O is a group that standardizes how projects are run across departments.

Key Takeaways

What to Carry Forward

To pull this together. A P M I S gives a project team a shared, up-to-date picture of the project. P M BOK is a flexible, adaptable framework. PRINCE two is more prescriptive, and stage-controlled. Functional, matrix, and projectized structures sit along a spectrum of how much authority a project manager holds. A matrix can be weak, balanced, or strong, depending on which side authority leans toward. And a P M O's control ranges from supportive, through controlling, to directive.

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About Defining the Project Management System: Examples and Applications

What is a project management information system?
A project management information system, or PMIS, is the combination of processes, data, and tools a team uses to plan, execute, monitor, and report on a project. It gives everyone a shared, up-to-date picture of progress. A PMIS typically supports scheduling, budgeting against planned costs, resource assignments, a risk log, and status reporting for stakeholders outside the day-to-day work.
What is the difference between PMBOK and PRINCE2?
PMBOK is a flexible framework from the Project Management Institute, organized around knowledge areas and process groups and widely used in North America. PRINCE2 is a more prescriptive, process-based methodology developed by the UK government and widely used in the UK and Europe. PRINCE2 defines seven processes and manages work in stages with strict entry and exit criteria, defined roles, and documents.
What is the difference between functional, matrix, and projectized organizations?
The three structures differ in how much authority a project manager holds. In a functional structure, department managers keep control and the project manager mostly coordinates. In a matrix structure, authority is shared, and the matrix can be weak, balanced, or strong. In a projectized structure, the project manager has full authority over a dedicated team that reports to them for the whole project.
What are the types of project management office?
A project management office, or PMO, standardizes how projects run across departments, and its control varies by type. A supportive PMO provides templates, best practices, and training without controlling projects. A controlling PMO requires projects to follow specific frameworks or methodologies and checks compliance. A directive PMO manages projects directly by supplying the project managers who run them.

About the System Analysis and Design course

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System Analysis and Design (Computer Science 390) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
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