Study Guide for Level D and Basic Certificate (GPM)
E-Book, Englisch, 404 Seiten, E-Book
Reihe: Haufe Fachbuch
ISBN: 978-3-648-16628-4
Verlag: Haufe
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Wasserzeichen (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
The IPMA® (International Project Management Association) defines global standards for professional project management. The three competence areas of the current standard ICB4.0 (Individual Competence Baseline) Perspective (context), People (personal and social) and Practice (methods and technical) provide the certification framework for project managers. The competence-based approach of IPMA® enables the transfer into practice and goes beyond the pure knowledge acquisition of other certifications solely based on tools and methods. In this way, the transfer to everyday project management can be managed successfully.
Contents:
- Project context: how projects are embedded in companies, what legal regulations need to be considered, the role of organizational culture in project implementation
- People in the project: personal and social skills for project managers, how to design projects with people for people
- Methods and techniques: from requirements analysis to performance, resource, time and cost planning through to project controlling and project closure
All topics are explained for both classical (plan-based) and agile project management and how to combine these two approaches (hybrid).
New in the 2nd edition:
- Modernized German standard of the current ICB 4 (valid from 01.01.2024)
- Coverage of agile and hybrid project management
- Continuous project examples as an aid for writing the Level D report
Autoren/Hrsg.
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Weitere Infos & Material
1.1 CE Strategy (4.3.1)
Projects and a company’s strategy are intricately linked. This is why the first competence element of ICB4 (GPM 2016) and the first chapter of this book deal with the subject of Strategy. A company’s strategy is defined as its long-term market approach, which is aligned with its corporate objectives. The corporate strategy facilitates differentiation from competitors and emphasizes the company’s unique focus. It is divided into individual strategic objectives, which are implemented in the form of projects. 1.1.1 Mission, Vision and Strategy
Ideally, the mission describes the present, while the vision outlines a desired, ideal future state derived from the mission. The strategy is the long-term pathway (3–5 years) toward realizing the mission, while also taking the vision into consideration. Mission ? «Assignment or purpose of a company or organization to a certain action or to achieve a goal. Deals with the question: What are we here for? What is our mission?« (Motzel) The mission of a company constitutes its foundation. It describes its raison d’être and its purpose as a mandate to achieve its vision. The mission answers fundamental questions such as: Why does this company exist, what drives it in the long term and why does it make sense to maintain our company? What is its value proposition for the environment and clients? Without a conscious mission, vision and strategy become arbitrary. Vision ? «A vividly described vision/desire for the future, serves as an orientation for all actions and decisions. It should create a positively motivated state and provide a direction with which the people of the organization can identify.« (Motzel) The vision focuses on the future and answers the question of where the company/organization aspires to go. It specifies the ideal state to be achieved in the future. The core messages of a well-formulated vision address the following questions: Who do we want to be? What do we want to have done? What clients/stakeholders problems do we want to have solved? Where do we want our company/organization to be in the future (5–10 years)? The first step in strategic management is to define the mission. It describes the current state until altered by the company. Based on this, the company formulates its vision, depicting a specific state that the company aspires to achieve in the future. Both should provide orientation and direction. When mission and vision are aligned, they motivate employees and channel the company’s direction and activities toward a unified purpose. Fig. 1: Connection between a company’s mission, vision and strategy Strategy [Ger. Strategie] ? «Fundamental, long-term and documented behavior (combination of measures) that is planned to achieve the vision on the basis of the mission.« (Motzel) A company’s projects should follow and align with its strategy. If projects diverge from the strategic management elements of an organization, this can lead to what is termed «value-destroying complexity«. A company’s strategic management is responsible for aligning strategic objectives with the projects to be implemented. Examples: If an automotive company that has only produced cars now also wants to produce motorcycles, according to the company’s strategy, either this project must be canceled or the strategy must be modified to accommodate this new direction. If a pacifist consulting firm receives a contract from an arms manufacturer, the organization should make a conscious decision to either accept or reject the contract. Before submitting a project to the portfolio board for approval (see Ch. 1.2.3 Projects, Programs and Portfolios), the client should assess the alignment between the project objectives and the corporate strategy by asking the following questions: Are the success factors (see Ch. 1.1.2 Standard Success Factors of a Project) of this project supported by the company’s strategy? Can the business case (see Ch. 1.1.3 Business Case) be aligned with the company’s strategy? Which factors of the project context (see Ch. 3.3.7.1 Project Context Analysis) have their origin in the company’s strategy? Are there any contradictions between the environmental factors and the strategy? It is the responsibility of both the client and the portfolio management to ensure that each new project supports the company’s vision. This is crucial to prevent execution of projects that do not contribute to the company’s overall success. 1.1.2 Standard Success Factors of a Project
Based on studies conducted by GPM (2007), the factors outlined in Fig. 2 are responsible for the success of projects. These factors are not universally present in companies. For example, it is not always possible to find qualified project staff who can contribute to the company’s success. In the author’s experience, these factors have remained consistent to date. Fig. 2: Standard success factors The client and project manager should possess a thorough understanding of these standard success factors and assess their presence in their own company. If not, the project context must be adapted accordingly (e.g. enhancing the qualifications of the project staff) and the project plan must be adapted accordingly (e.g. setting up a comprehensive communication system in the case of a conflict-ridden organizational project). In addition, it is the project manager’s responsibility to define further critical success factors (CSF) in collaboration with the client and to integrate them into the project design (see Ch. 3.3.2 Project Design (4.5.1)). 1.1.3 Business Case
The business case is created by the client during the initialization phase. It formulates the rationale for undertaking the project, or alternatively, why it would be impractical (in which case the project is not started). The business case must therefore always be intricately linked to the corporate strategy. Business Case ? «Business transaction with proof of the eligibility, objectives, benefits, and economic efficiency or profitability of a project. This proof is usually developed during project definition, continuously reviewed during project selection, and evaluated at the end of the project. The business case is based on the company or business unit strategy and project selection and includes the success and long-term consequences of a project.« (Motzel) Fig. 3: Business case form The business case always refers to the economic motivation for carrying out a project. This can be either the implementation of a strategic objective (as a basis for possible future sales) or the need for a specified change (external or internal) in the company, justified by legal or organizational requirements (so-called mandatory projects). Examples: Development of a new material or technology that can be used to open up new business areas or attract new clients in the future (additional sales); Merging two purchasing areas in order to exploit cost effects (internal change); Process or system adjustments to comply with new/changed laws, e.g. GDPR (external change). 1.1.4 Benefit-Cost Analysis
A benefit-cost analysis assists the client in identifying and qualitatively evaluating alternatives: Should we implement software A or B? Should we develop a component ourselves or buy it in? Should we relocate our production from Germany to country A or to country B? In contrast to a list of pros and cons, the decision criteria are not only listed, but also evaluated and weighted. The list of criteria in the benefit-cost analysis can include both economic and non-economic factors. It serves as the basis for a non-monetary decision based on several differently weighted factors. Fig. 4: Example of a benefit-cost analysis for the selection of new CRM software (Customer Relationship Management) The effectiveness of a benefit-cost analysis depends on whether it contains the relevant criteria and reflects the perspective of key stakeholders. The relevant criteria must be evaluated either within the project team or by the person commissioning the analysis. The stakeholder analysis (see Ch. 3.3.7 Stakeholders (4.5.12)) is commonly employed for communication planning, which is usually only applied in the detailed planning phase. In connection with the benefit-cost analysis, it may be useful to prepare an initial version of the stakeholder analysis during the initialization phase. This approach allows stakeholders to contribute their perspectives to the benefit-cost analysis at an early stage of the project and at the same enabling the project team and manager to better assess their expectations and concerns. In connection with the business case, the benefit-cost analysis servers as a vital tool for defining the scope and objectives of the project. The corporate strategy should in turn be considered in the criteria and weighting...
