Share this
Mister Wong
Digg
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Hear this text
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
Acknowledging the successes of the IT sectorProject Management South Africa (PMSA) is an autonomous professional association serving the project management industry in various ways. PMSA members represent all the industries in which project management and its related disciplines are practised, and PMSA delivers value to these members through initiatives, representation and products that respond to one or more of PMSA’s five strategic themes, which are:
* Practice;
* Information;
* Certification;
* Reputation; and
* Operational sustainability.
PMSA chief executive officer Taryn van Olden unpacks the “Information” component of the association’s strategic focus and highlights recent examples of how PMSA puts its information dissemination imperative into action:
PUBLICATIONS
PMSA-endorsed or -produced publications come in various forms. The magazine you are holding right now is an example of PMSA’s commitment to broadening the range and scope of available knowledge as project management continues to grow in South Africa. By partnering with Cape Media and endorsing The Project Manager magazine, PMSA has the opportunity to add to the channels of information for its members, and take its message to an ever growing audience of potential members.
Since 2002, PMSA has produced an alternate-monthly member magazine that highlights the achievements of its individual and corporate members, reflects the trends, challenges and available resources in the project management world, and illustrates the relevance of PMSA for this emerging profession.
Since the early 2000s, PMSA has also produced conferences every second year which bring a vast amount of knowledge and learning under one roof.
One of the lasting outcomes of these conferences is the published conference proceedings that package the content of the conference not only for the benefit of the delegates but for PMSA’s entire membership base.
By applying a formal academic paper review process, PMSA conferences also attract an audience of researchers who are delving into specific topics around project management.
By having their peer-reviewed papers published in the conference proceedings, academics and postgraduate students are able to receive financial support for their research, from the National Research Fund.
In 2009, PMSA saw the need to develop a publishing policy to contextualise its role in terms of the generation, identification, gathering and dissemination of local knowledge, and to grow its range of publications. This encourages authors to submit their work to PMSA for peer review and endorsement by a credible industry association.
In addition to the established and ongoing magazines and conference proceedings, such work would include research and themed reports; books and manuscripts; case studies; white papers and position papers.
PMSA thus invites submissions from stakeholder groups, including but not limited to researchers, academics, students, registered education and training providers, members, industry product or service providers, government representatives and individuals or companies with a vested interest in project management.
The primary intent of the submitting party must be the sharing of information and contribution to the broadening of knowledge in project management.
The Prosperus Report
In 2009, PMSA endorsed the work done by two of South Africa’s researchers in information technology (IT) project management.
After extensively surveying the state of project management maturity in IT departments of a number of companies, Professor Les Labuschagne, director of the Unisa School of Computing and Dr Carl Marnewick, head of Department of Business Information Technology at the University of Johannesburg, produced The Prosperus Report.
After following a peer-review process, PMSA endorsed this comprehensive and insightful report into its range of publications.
The Prosperus Report was launched officially at the PMSA Western Cape Regional Conference in November 2009 and is available electronically to all PMSA members. Other interested parties may purchase the report by contacting the PMSA National Office via e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
About The Prosperus Report
The success rate of IT projects remains questionable, as do the benefits that an organisation receives from investing in project management capability.
The 2006 CHAOS Report states that only one in three IT projects is a success and contributes to the overall success of an organisation.
A similar study was conducted in South Africa to determine IT project management maturity of organisations as well as the success rate of IT projects. Through an extensive survey of over 200 respondents, it was found that 27% of projects failed, 36% were challenged and 37% were considered a success.
The average perceived maturity of organisations was found to be 2.97, while the actual maturity was calculated as 3.61. No correlation could be found between success rate and maturity of project management.
The results show that project outcome is influenced by direction, people and processes. Direction and people are key to the success of a project, while a lack of people and processes leads to failure.
People therefore form the crux of successful projects.
The two main areas of concern remain project quality management and project risk management.
Both areas have improved in maturity since The 2003 Prosperus Report, but remain the most immature of the nine knowledge areas.
Project time management and project integration management are the two most mature knowledge areas.
By highlighting the areas of concern, organisations can put measures in place to improve these areas to ensure a better IT project success rate.
From the findings, the following recommendations are made:
1. Organisations must provide clear guidance on how to measure the outcome of an IT project.
2. Small projects should not be underestimated. The same attention and focus must be applied to the management of small projects as to large projects.
3. Alignment between business objectives and projects is crucial. Poor alignment can lead to wasted effort and resources despite completing a project within the triple constraints.
4. A good relationship between customer and project team is fundamental to project success. Projects require a collaborative environment and not an adversarial one.
The benefit of this research is that it provides a comparative report in relation to the United States’ CHAOS Chronicles. By having a better understanding of IT project management within the South African context, organisations can benchmark themselves to determine performance as well as areas that require improvement.
Good project management practices, particularly in the IT sector, are essential for any growing economy.
CONFERENCES
For several years, PMSA has been producing conferences that bring together local and international thought leaders in project management and create an intensive two- or three-day opportunity for members and interested parties to gain knowledge, network with peers and – through conference exhibitors – be exposed to the latest products and services developed to assist modern project managers.
Each conference programme is developed carefully to have relevance to project management practitioners in different industries with different project-related focus areas.
What began as a schedule of national conferences held every second year, has grown to include regional conferences produced by PMSA branches in major centres in the alternate year.
PMSA’s KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng branches have each produced conferences in recent years, and 2009 saw the first such event to be held in the Western Cape.
In November, PMSA’s Western Cape Branch and KPMG’s Cape Town IT Advisory department collaborated to deliver a two-day event that attracted close to 100 delegates.
With this event barely over, the PMSA National Office is in the planning stages of the 2010 National Project Management Conference, with the theme: “Reasons to be Proud”, which acknowledges the incredible work done by project managers to deliver on the infrastructure and related projects around the hosting of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.
It will also unpack project successes, failures, lessons learned and lessons for the future.
The conference management team is in negotiations to deliver a lineup of high-profile speakers who will contribute to the theme through the sharing of their knowledge and experience.
Look out for the Call for Papers and other important information on the PMSA website (www.pmisa.org.za).
In the interim, book out the dates 6, 7 and 8 September 2010 for an essential project management learning experience.
Western Cape Regional Conference 2009: “Plan, Motivate, Deliver. A Salute to the Relevance of Project Management”
Perfect Cape Town weather provided the ideal backdrop for the recent PMSA Western Cape Regional Conference held at KPMG’s Foreshore offices on 18 and 19 November 2009.
Delegates from the Cape area and other provinces gathered to enjoy a packed programme of engaging speakers.
Among the topics explored over the two days were:
* Benefits realisation as an integral part of project delivery;
* Executive project management and the role of the project manager in ensuring executive accountability;
* Case studies including the Cape Town International Airport upgrade project; design challenges to the Green Point Stadium, implementation of portfolio management/project success criteria at petrochemicals companies respectively;
* Softer project management skills such as managing conflict on project teams; and
* A new perspective on the project management office.
Visit www.pmisa.org.za for more information
