The Next Steps for Sustainable Business

Introduction: This expert report on project management was commissioned by the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry to address general issues about the nature, purpose and application of project management, as well as specific questions about programme management and risk management. Traditional project management provides a set of processes, procedures and tools for managing projects on time, within budget and to the required specifications. These common processes are valuable for identifying the bodies of knowledge and detailed procedures required to set up and execute projects. However, traditional project management has been criticized in recent years for neglecting to consider the ‘strategic’ activities and decisions undertaken during the front-end planning stage of projects, which play a vital role in defining the need for a project and determining whether the goal is achieved. Traditional project management assumes that a one-size-fits-all approach – a simple, predictable and standardized model – is applicable to all types of projects. Recent research has emphasized the need for project management to be ‘adaptive’ and flexible to address the complexities, uncertainties and challenges surrounding each project. There are clearly no magical project management cures, and no single predictable strategy will be applicable to all large, complex, high-risk projects. But many infrastructure projects in the UK now recognize the need for solutions that are designed to deal with the specific challenges involved in planning and executing large, complex projects. Taken together, the strategic and adaptive approaches to project management identified in this report offer a more effective way of planning and managing large, complex projects.

Introduction: This study guide is designed to provide an overview of the key elements, important historical context and current debates in the field of Quality Management. It aims to give a coherent view of the underlying principles of quality management, and how these relate to practical application in a range of organizations. The tools and techniques which support the principles are not covered in detail in this guide, More information on these can be found in the companion guide: “Six Sigma: Principles and Practices” also available at Bookboon.com. The guide starts with a development of the theory in each area and then provides a contex tualisation which considers what the theory might mean for organizational practice. Due to the complexity of many of the issues addressed, it is possible to write much more on any single topic, but I have tried to cover most of the key points in order to provide a foundation, and further literature linked from the text allows the reader to investigate any topic in more depth if they wish. Finally, at the end of each chapter there are a number of questions for you to develop your thinking in the area.