Assembling The Project Compendium

Meiers, Penny (2009). Assembling The Project Compendium. Student dissertation for The Open University module M801 MSc in Software Development Research Dissertation.

Please note that this student dissertation is made available in the format that it was submitted for examination, thus the author has not been able to correct errors and/or departures from academic standards in areas such as referencing.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.000160ae

Abstract

Projects have a history of failure with many going over budget, finishing beyond expected completion dates or not meeting requirements. A successful project is generally referred to as a project that satisfies budget, schedule, scope and customer expectations. To reduce project failure there has been a movement towards using project methodologies accompanied by their tools, templates and instruments or what this dissertation refers to as project compendium components. Components help to facilitate the transfer of knowledge however much important knowledge is based on feeling and insights which cannot be captured by components. Further, face to face communication is often viewed as the best means of knowledge transfer although it is not always viable for dispersed teams. The question arises - “Which project compendium components are perceived to contribute most towards project success in the minds of project managers (PMs)?” The research involved analysing data from seventy-nine surveys completed by software and information technology (IT) PMs. The results showed that all components were thought to add value to project success providing they are used appropriately. Specifications, business briefs and project initiation documents were perceived to be most necessary and benefit realisation plans were thought to be the least necessary. Achievement of business objectives and delivery of business benefits were thought by more people to be highly relevant to project success compared with a project being on–budget, on-time and to scope. Many interviewees thought that high quality components can be used to effectively manage project knowledge as they help to ensure transparency, availability and accessibility of information. For components to be most effective, it was viewed that they need to be used in conjunction with socialisation or personal exchange of knowledge and used in an environment where knowledge sharing is fostered. Collaborative software tools were thought to further aid management of components.