Natalie Lamb and the APM Project Management Qualification: Why do project management?

Members of my team recently attended a course on project management so I borrowed the APM Project Management Qualification Study Guide (2014) to give myself a bit of an insight into project management and how it links into PhDs or other similar research. This post is part of a series of posts I have produced to better split project management into a few easily digestible sections. 

Project management methodology

• The procedural framework within which the project can operate
• Can consist of public project management methodologies or methods within an organisation
• Includes: individual roles, the product, process/framework that need to be followed, documentation templates (e.g. for the project management plan, risk log and product specifications), tools that can be deployed (e.g. software)
• Advantages
• Provides a link to organisational governance
• Requires thought about how to project fits with the organisation
• All projects completed in the same way improving: consistency, continuity, communication, clarity and capability

The advantages of project management

• It makes projects consistent, with consistent processes and approaches
• Risk is reduced and opportunities are maximised because of consistent processes and experienced project managers
• Risks can be managed proactively and with enough time to consider these risks

The disadvantages of project management

• May need to recognise that the programme manager is the sponsor, particularly if they are part of a larger programme structure
• The programme will usually install its own governance arrangements on projects, which the project manager would have to conform to
• Project manager may not be trained on the specific method used to govern the programme
• Reliant on managerial meetings to co-ordinate tasks with other project managers
• Project manager may feel distant from the customer because the products are delivered to the client through the programme, which can cause misinterpretation and confusion 

Glossary

• APM = Association for Project Management
• Project Manager = managers the project so it follows the project management plan
• Project = an enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim
• Project Management Plan = The procedural framework within which the project can operate

References

• Association for Project Management (2014), APM Project Management Qualification Study Guide, Association for Project Management, Buckinghamshire.