Project approach in modern business. Project approach in public administration Introduction of the project approach

Managers sometimes simply do not have enough time to think about what place the project management method occupies in their practical activities. Meanwhile, this question is very serious. Firstly, the project management paradigm is increasingly gaining methodological significance in the context of the overall management system of a modern company. Secondly, knowledge, skills and abilities in this area are increasingly included in the standard set of competencies of managers not only at the top, but increasingly at middle and even lower levels of management.

History of the method

The principles of historicism and dialectics, used to assess the development of management methods, allow us to more deeply analyze the ongoing changes in the level of organization and the effectiveness of management mechanisms. In Soviet universities, economics majors taught the theory of political economy as one of the basic courses. In many ways, this discipline represented an apologetics for the socialist way of managing. However, this course also had advantages. This knowledge expanded the horizon of vision of the future specialist both from the perspective of the history of the development of management methods and from the point of view of their capabilities in reality.

The training course revealed the signs, principles and stages of socio-economic formations through which society passes in its development. The position that each social system has its own dominant type of relations and basic method of production management, in my opinion, has not yet lost its value. The diagram presented below demonstrates the main milestones in the development of industrial relations in the world and the corresponding qualitative changes in management.

Model of the development of industrial relations from the beginning of the development of bourgeois society to the present day

It is known that projects as a means of implementing large-scale unique tasks have existed since time immemorial. Let us remember, for example, the wonders of the world. The pyramids of Cheops in Egypt were obviously built using the design method. Another question is which method of management was dominant during historical development. The spiral model shown above shows how development has progressed in recent centuries.

1. The bourgeois revolutions of the 18th-19th centuries finally put an end to the craft type of production in Europe and laid the foundation for a gradual transition from a functional method of management to a process one. Process management began to develop most actively in the world in the 20th century. This was the first qualitative leap in the modern history of industrial relations, allowing for a revolution in management methodology.
2. Since the late 40s of the last century, a new methodology has emerged in the USA, which is called the project management method. Currently, this method has far from exhausted its potential. Moreover, management of this type develops together with the process method.

The formational approach to assessing history has largely lost its relevance. We can say that we are now living in a transitional stage to an information society, and it is permissible to imagine some kind of correspondence between the dominant management methods and the form of the social order. In pre-industrial society, functions predominated. In the industrial format, process principles dominate. In the post-industrial structure, there is an active transition from processes to projects.

Basis of the design method

The essence and concept of the project management paradigm, as for previous methods, is best revealed through understanding the type of task being implemented, the composition of the performers’ operations and the form of interaction between them. If handicraft was characterized as the production of a standard product by a single performer, factory production was performed for specialized functions by workers of various professions. Mass industrial production began to be characterized by chains of interconnected work, rather than functions performed by different employees.

Post-industrial companies are gradually becoming not only more flexible, each client and each product is increasingly becoming unique. Thus, both business development and the business processes themselves are gaining new features, for which the project method looks more natural. But what does the concept of a design task consist of and how to manage it? We will consider the definition of the project through positions expressed in official international and Russian sources.

Official Project Definitions

As an alternative to the cyclical tasks that represent business processes, by projects I understand management means of solving unique problems, the results of which are achieved under conditions of constraints. In the sense of the concept under consideration, tasks are digitized, specific project goals. The concept itself is based on the main features of the project, which we need to analyze.

1. The presence of specific project goals arising from a specific higher-level strategy.
2. The uniqueness and uniqueness of the design task.
3. A set of restrictions (temporal, financial, etc.) under which a project is implemented that has a beginning and an end.

Managing constraints in a design implementation is particularly important to the success of a unique problem. It is important for the company management and project manager to know what limiting factors they will have to face during its implementation. A visual aid such as the “design triangle” or “constraint triangle” is well suited for these purposes.

Project Constraint Triangle Diagram

Project implementation is based on the acceptance of two main types of constraints: financial and time. These two characteristics of the project contribute to filling the unique task with planned content and proper quality (state 1), but are not exclusive conditions for the success of the project. At the same time, it is difficult to reduce their influence on achieving a full result (2). It is more likely that when budgets are cut and/or time is reduced, content and/or quality will also be cut (2a). The project triangle, at the same time, allows you to realize in time that an increase in content or an increase in quality inevitably leads to an expansion of the budget and duration boundaries (3).

The essence and principles of the design method

The essence of the project method is to present the problem being solved as unique, in special organizational and methodological forms of managing it, called project management. Project management involves the application of knowledge, methods, certain skills and technological solutions in the implementation of tasks of the type under consideration in order to achieve or even exceed the stated expectations of project participants. Project management is also an area of ​​scientific knowledge that allows one to determine the goals of an activity and organize the work of a group of people so that the intended result is achieved as a result of its implementation.

Project management cycle diagram

The development of project management occurs in a cyclical spiral, the development of which we can observe in the diagram shown above. All national and global experience of managers applying the principles of the project approach is collected and summarized. General approaches to the methodology and its development are developed, the best solutions are selected and adapted for dissemination in practical application. The activities of international associations have been built on this basis and generally accepted project management standards have been developed. Current associations and standards are listed below.

List of international associations and standards in the field of PM

Recently, due to the active integration of the project approach into businesses in various sectors of the economy, the so-called “project-oriented management” has become widespread and developed. This type of management is typical for project-oriented companies operating in construction, consulting, IT development, etc. However, companies traditionally associated with mass production, for example, in the provision of services, production of vehicles, computer equipment, passing through new stages of development, are increasingly using the project approach. Let's consider the principles of this method:

• the principle of focus and connection with basic business strategies;
• the principle of competition between projects and resources;
• the principle of economic efficiency of achieved results;
• the principle of consistency and complexity;
• the principle of hierarchy of tasks performed;
• the principle of a matrix approach to planning and organization;
• the principle of openness to study and development of implementation experience;
• “Best practice” principle;
• the principle of balancing the responsibility imposed and the powers granted;
• principle of flexibility.

Components of a project approach system

The approach under consideration is based on the question of the success of achieving the stated goal. Success is determined by three factors: formulating the right goals and competently setting tasks, effective project management, and balanced technical and resource support. The algorithm, the composition of concepts, terms and documents that define the main components of the project are arranged in the appropriate diagram given below.

Main components of the design system

The large stages shown in the diagram (three columns) allow you step by step to identify management objects, build a project team and organize its work, set up and launch project management processes on a regular basis. The central link of the model is the project manager as a key management role and function for solving a unique problem. The phases of the project life cycle correlate a different algorithm for understanding the project in connection with its beginning, execution and completion, considering the stages:

• concepts;
• development;
• implementation;
• completion.

Project management processes are structured in international and national standards. They are divided into five groups, the main of which is the group of execution organization processes. At the moment when the PM already has a plan for milestones, a work schedule, and a budget plan for the project, he boldly begins to implement it. Tasks are set for the performers, contracts are agreed upon and signed, and the project team begins to work at full capacity. The algorithm for the sequence of processes, their duration and intensity is presented to your attention in the diagram below.

Scheme of the sequence and duration of project management processes

The second group in terms of intensity and duration are planning processes. Having begun almost simultaneously with the initiation procedures, planning quickly picks up a powerful pace. After the start of the active execution phase, planning is regularly reproduced for the purpose of adjustment, which is quite natural for the project method. A project plan is a comprehensive document that includes the following components.

1. Milestone plan.
2. Calendar plan.
3. Project budget.
4. Responsibility matrix.
5. Personnel plan.
6. Supply plan.
7. Communication plan.
8. Project risk mitigation plan.

Relatively short initiation processes aim to ensure recognition of the need for the project, define it as an object of management and organize the start of the project. Control processes help PMs monitor and regularly report on work progress, reschedule and adjust the project in a timely manner if necessary. Work on the project ends with the processes of its closure. They allow for the ethical closure of relationships with participants, archiving of documentation and, in addition, provide a basis for the development of the project system.

In this article, we examined the main points related to the emergence, content and current state of development of the project management method in business. This approach, having undeniable advantages, is promising and will continue to develop. In any case, improving mastery of it has long been among the key development tasks not only of PMs, but also of all managers who intend to make a career and achieve success in commercial organizations anywhere in the world.

I. Theoretical aspects of organizing project activities in a modern school.

Concept and approaches to classification of project activities

Initially, ideas about project activity arose in work activity, namely in architecture and construction, engineering, and later - in areas where the aspect of transformation, effective practical action came to the fore, and, as a rule, limited by a relatively specific deadline. Today the word "project" is used. The word “project” (literally translated from Latin - thrown forward) is interpreted in dictionaries as “a plan, plan, text or drawing of something that precedes its creation.”

Inextricably linked with the concept of a project is such a concept as the project method, the basis of which is the concept of a project, that is, the result that can be obtained by solving a particular gap or problem. Due to the great popularity of this method, many definitions of it can be found in the specialized literature. However, they all boil down to the approval of an educational project - a joint educational-cognitive, creative or gaming activity of partner students, which has a common goal and agreed upon methods aimed at achieving a common result in solving a problem that is significant for student projects.

The project method, as a source of development in the field of education and a type of professional pedagogical activity, has been formed over a fairly long period. More than three hundred years ago, the great Czech thinker, founder of theoretical pedagogy J.A. Komensky expressed the idea of ​​​​introducing a research incentive into the teacher’s activities, which would act as one of the criteria for the success of teaching. He wrote: “People should be taught most importantly that they should not draw knowledge from books, but observe the sky and earth themselves, oaks, beeches, i.e. so that they explore and understand the objects themselves, and not only remember other people’s observations and explanations.”

As professional pedagogical consciousness develops, design moves from the field of pedagogical practice to the field of theory. In the first third of the 20th century, representatives of various fields of knowledge contributed to the development of scientific and methodological support for project activities. Among them are such famous scientists as J. Dewey, K. Popper, G. Simon, V.H. Kilpatrick and many others.

Today, concepts such as project-based learning, the project method, and project activities are often confused. It is necessary to be able to distinguish between these concepts. Their distinction is very arbitrary, but it allows us to show the multifaceted nature of the educational process. Project-based learning can be considered as a didactic system, and the project method - as a component of the system, as a pedagogical technology, which provides not only for the integration of knowledge, but also for the application of updated knowledge and the acquisition of new ones. The project method allows students to actively express themselves in the system of social relations, contributes to the formation of a new social position, allows them to acquire skills in planning and organizing their activities, discover and realize creative abilities, and develop individuality. Currently, the project method is becoming an integrated component of the modern education system. Thus, we can say that the project method is included in the concept of project-based learning.

It is also necessary to understand the concept of project activity. There are several approaches to defining this concept.

So, according to K.N. Watering, design (project activity) is necessarily a practical activity. It is regulated to a much lesser extent by the teacher, i.e. in it, new methods of activity are not acquired, but are transformed into means of solving a practical problem.

Also, project activity can be considered as a form of educational and cognitive activity of students, consisting in the motivational achievement of a consciously set goal. Project activity ensures the unity and continuity of various aspects of learning and is a means of developing the personality of the subject of the study.

A project can be considered as a form of organizing joint activities of people.

Project activities also mean any socially significant organized activity of students, which is based on their individual interests and preferences, aimed at achieving a real, personally significant, achievable goal, having a plan and criteria for evaluating the result, supported by the culture of students’ activities, traditions, values, and mastered norms. and samples. .

So, we can say that project activity is innovative in a modern school, and implies independent, practical activity of students, which is aimed at solving educational problems, in which the teacher acts as an assistant and consultant. The result of the project activity must be some kind of layout, presentation, essay, work with maps, etc.

When studying project activities, special attention should be paid to studying the goals and objectives. When studying the definition of project activities, the goals are identified, which are reflected in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 - Goals of project activities

1. Formation of universal educational actions of students through:	- Mastering the social roles necessary for project activities; - Aspects of personal development relevant for this type of activity: the ability to learn, readiness for independent actions and actions, determination; - Mastering the scientific picture of the world, understanding the role and importance of science in the life of society; - Development of communication competence;
2. Mastery of product-oriented activities by students through consistent mastery	- The main stages characteristic of project work; - Methods for mastering a specific user of project products; - Technology for analyzing the innovative potential of a product before the start of its creation.
3.Development of creative abilities and innovative thinking of students on the basis of:	- Subject and meta-subject, scientific and polyscientific content; - Knowledge of techniques and methods of project activities, creative search for solutions to structured and unstructured problems.
4. Communication and cooperation of students with groups of classmates and teachers.

Based on the goals of the project activity, it solves a number of important pedagogical tasks:

· Teaches you to apply basic knowledge and skills learned in class to find and solve a variety of social, family and personal problems;

· Stimulates the independent cognitive activity of children when they look for ways to solve the problem posed to them, mastering new information and new methods of activity;

· Allows you to consider complex objects from the point of view of several sciences, which blurs the boundaries between school subjects, shows students the relationship between various phenomena, bringing the educational process closer to real life situations;

· Attracts children to socially significant, creative and transformative activities, which ensure the formation of various social competencies, many personal qualities, and professional interests.

Along with the goals and objectives of project activities, principles are also identified that are a condition for the successful management of students’ project activities.

Principles of project activity:

- accessibility - engaging in design and research activities involves mastering material beyond the scope of the school textbook, and this often happens at a high level of difficulty;

Naturalness - the research topic that the student undertakes should not be far-fetched. It should be interesting and real, and therefore really doable. Naturalness lies in the fact that the student will be able to explore the topic independently, without the daily and constant help of an adult, when the child himself can “touch” the problem, feel the possibilities of solving it, become a discoverer without the prompting and guidance of the teacher;

- visibility, or experimentation - the principle allows the student to go beyond just the contemplative side of the perception of objects and phenomena and experiment with those objects, materials, things that he studies as a researcher;

Meaningfulness - in order for the knowledge gained during the project to become truly personal values ​​of the student, they must be recognized and comprehended, and all his activities during the work must be subordinated to the search for a unified field of values ​​within the framework of the problem. It is the process of comprehension that gives the student awareness of the action he is performing and forms the ability to perform logical mental operations, the ability to transfer existing knowledge to a new situation;

- cultural conformity is the cultivation in the student of a culture of adherence to scientific traditions, scientific research, taking into account the relevance and originality of approaches to solving a scientific problem;

Self-activity - a student can master the progress of his project work only if it is based on his own experience. Choosing his own subject activity allows the student to independently analyze the results and consequences of his activities, which leads to the emergence of new plans and ideas, which are further specified and implemented in new research.

The principle of amateur activity is the most important of all the above principles, since it is amateur activity that is the main indicator of a student’s understanding of the problem he is studying and the formation of his ideological position. It is the principle of amateur activity that is reinforced by the principles of accessibility, naturalness, and experimentation, thanks to which successful management of project activities occurs.

It is also important to highlight the factors of project activity, which include:

• increasing student motivation when solving problems;
• shifting the emphasis from an instrumental approach in solving problems to a technological one;
• developing a sense of responsibility;
• creating conditions for collaborative relationships between teacher and student.

Increased motivation and development of creative abilities occur due to the presence of a key feature in project activities - independent choice. The development of creative abilities and a shift in emphasis from an instrumental approach to a technological one occurs due to the need for a meaningful choice of tools and activity planning to achieve a better result. The formation of a sense of responsibility occurs subconsciously: the student seeks to prove, first of all, to himself that he made the right choice. It should be noted that the desire to assert oneself is the main factor in the effectiveness of project activities. When solving practical problems, a collaborative relationship with the teacher naturally arises, since for both this task is of meaningful interest and stimulates the desire for an effective solution. This is especially evident in those tasks that the student himself was able to formulate.

The variety of content and methods of organizing schoolchildren’s project activities has necessitated the emergence of various classifications. First of all, they distinguish:

· Educational projects - provide for independent educational activities of schoolchildren to master and apply new information in practice within the framework of one or more disciplines being studied. Performed under the guidance of a teacher.

· Social projects are complex in nature, i.e. are associated with various areas of activity that go beyond academic disciplines. They can be carried out on the basis of the existing educational and creative resources of children not only at school, but also in other organizations, out-of-school associations, and are aimed at improving and transforming the environment.

The division into educational and social projects is very arbitrary, because within the framework of academic disciplines, projects with a high social orientation can be developed and implemented.

Table 1.2 presents the division of projects into certain types in accordance with the most significant characteristics.

Table 1.2 - Classification of projects

№	Sign	Types of projects
	Creativity level	· Performing · Constructive · Creative
	Content	· Mono-subject · Inter-subject · Extracurricular
	Kind of activity	· Research · Information · Gaming · Practice-oriented
	Nature of contacts between project participants	· Intraclass (members of the primary team) · Intraschool (participants of the educational institution) · Regional · International
	Quantitative composition of performers	· Individual · Group · Collective
	Age composition of performers	· Same age · Multi-age
	Execution Duration	· Mini-project (several lessons) · Quarter · Semi-annual · Annual · Multi-year
	Execution Base	· School · Extracurricular (society, parole)
	Purpose	· Educational · Personal (family) · Public · Industrial

There are other classifications of projects: classification of projects most often used in teaching geography (Appendix 1).

It is obvious that all the characteristics of projects are closely interrelated, their classification is very conditional. One project can be characterized using different features, and each teacher can identify the features that are most characteristic of the organization and implementation of their project by students.

“Of all the challenges NASA faced in sending man to the moon, control was perhaps the most challenging.”

— Roger Launis, NASA historian

Throughout history, humanity has accumulated an impressive list of successfully implemented complex projects. From building the Pyramids of Giza to sending a man to the moon, the most daring human endeavors required the coordinated work of thousands of people. And this implies a complex project management system.

And although only a few of us will be faced with tasks of this scale, most readers of this blog will encounter project management in one way or another. According to PMI estimates, by 2020 there will be - and many other professionals often have to manage mini-projects, at least on a personal level.

In simple terms, Project Management is the management and organization of everything that is needed to achieve a goal - on time and within budget, of course. Whether it's developing new software, running a marketing campaign, or landing humans on Mars, project management allows you to achieve success.

All projects are different. There is no perfect project management system that is suitable for every type of project. There is also no system that would suit every manager and be convenient for all team members. However, during the existence of project management, many effective approaches, methods and standards have been created that can be adopted. Today we will talk about the most popular of them.

The approaches developed are very different from each other. They differ in areas of application, detail, self-sufficiency and formalization. In the title, we called them “methods” for convenience, but in fact, the article presents standards, concepts, methods and frameworks that are used in project management. The purpose of this article is to give the broadest overview of existing approaches in project management.

In this article we will look at:

• Classic project management
• Agile
• Scrum
• Lean
• Kanban
• SixSigma
• PRINCE2

And before we look at specific methods, let's answer the obvious question - “Why do we need project management systems and methods at all?”– let’s look, of course, briefly at the history of project management and define the basic terms of project management.

Why "project management"?

The names of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin will forever go down in history as symbols of one of mankind's greatest achievements - the landing of man on the moon. However, the major contributors to this event were the 400,000 NASA employees and the 20,000 companies and universities who worked together on the Apollo mission.

In 1961, John Kennedy set the task of landing a man on the Earth's satellite and returning him back - despite the fact that at that time NASA sent a man into space for only 15 minutes. Such an ambitious goal required an incredible amount of resources, cooperation, innovation and planning.

According to NASA's book Managing the Moon Program, the main problem was not " what to do?", and in that “ how to do so much in such a short time? According to Dr. Max Faget, head of engineering at the Johnson Space Center (The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, JSC), then NASA had no idea how to fit all the necessary actions into 10 years. Therefore, the first step was to “break the project into manageable stages.”

It was then important to accelerate each individual phase and ensure that the teams and companies working in each phase communicated effectively with each other and delivered results on time. This task was entrusted to Dr. George E. Muller, who managed every part of the Apollo project, from the White House to the supplier of the smallest part. To make it easier to control the project, he decided to break the project into 5 areas: Program Control, Systems Engineering, Testing, Reliability and Quality, and Flight Operations. The Apollo program control diagram is shown in Figure 1.

This 5-step system - called the "GEM Phases" after Dr. Mueller's initials - was designed "to focus on testing the product, and designing it to be tested," as Mueller himself notes. Program Control determined what needed to be done, managed budgets and requirements, and managed the interrelationships of program elements. The Systems Engineering area was responsible for developing new devices and components, Testing was responsible for ensuring that these new items worked, Reliability and Quality checked the developed items to ensure compliance with requirements and standards, and Flight Operations was responsible for ensuring that these the nodes will work during the flight.

Many were initially skeptical about the method proposed by Muller, but in the end he managed to convince the program members of the need to follow this algorithm. This system has shown its effectiveness - the project was completed successfully, and, one might even say, triumphantly, ahead of the stated deadlines. This was only possible by breaking down a large-scale project into manageable, repeatable steps, allowing many individual companies and specialists to work at the same pace. This is how project management proved its effectiveness in the Space Race.

A Brief History of Project Management

Project management was not invented by NASA or Dr. Mueller. The Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China are products of project management from prehistoric eras. Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of how these projects were implemented and managed, and current project management is divorced from the knowledge of past centuries.

The most obvious way to implement a project is to break it down into phases or individual tasks. Like a culinary recipe - you buy the ingredients, mix them correctly, cook and serve. The simplest project management tool is a checklist of actions that need to be taken to achieve a goal. Simple and effective.

However, if you are a chef and you are preparing not one dish, but several, for example, a salad (the preparation of which consists of 3 stages) and a dessert (which only needs to be served), then you will need a tool that allows you to track the time spent on each of them. items and the time when they should be ready. And here one of the first modern project management tools comes to the rescue: the Gantt chart, presented on Figure 2.

Invented independently by K O Role of Korol Adamecki and Henry L. Gantt in the early 20th century, the Gantt chart shows a project schedule based on the end and completion dates of tasks. Tasks, their durations and relationships are entered into it, and then the critical path is calculated - the longest chain of interrelated tasks that determine the duration of the project. The relationships between the beginning and end of different tasks are very important - you can't serve soup to your guests until you've cooked it, can you?

So, a typical project is very similar to a project of preparing and serving dinner, only it has many more tasks, relationships, deadlines and types of resources. For projects with tight deadlines, the Gantt chart helps decide when it is best to start certain tasks in order to reduce implementation time. And for projects with strong resource constraints, the Gantt chart provides the opportunity to build a diagram in the form of an event-driven process chain for resource planning.

Different projects require different levels of control. For example, if you publish a series of articles in , then strict deadlines are not so important. Much more important is a clear process in which it is possible to structure each article, make an outline of each of them, get feedback, make edits, finish the article, proofread and publish. Instead of managing time and resources, you manage the process.

For such projects, Agile project management methods and related approaches such as Lean, Kanban and others are better suited. There are also methods that allow you to manage both work flow, time, and resources - 6 Sigma and Scrum.

Popular project management systems

Throughout the history of project management, many different project management methods have been created to suit almost any need. Even if you are not going to send a man to the moon and do not have the same amount of resources, you will still find a suitable tool for you. The main thing is to understand what is most important for your project - deadlines, resources, compliance with the process, or several factors at once - and then choose a project management method focused on achieving this indicator.

Before we look at the most popular methods, let's define some key terms.

Basic terms of project management

Agile: A flexible iterative-incremental approach to project and product management, focused on the dynamic formation of requirements and ensuring their implementation as a result of constant interaction within self-organizing working groups consisting of specialists in various fields. There are many methods based on Agile ideas, the most popular of which are Scrum and Kanban.

Critical path: A continuous sequence of work and events from the initial to the final event, requiring the greatest amount of time to complete it.

Event chain of processes (EPC diagram): a diagram showing the sequence of project work implementation based on the availability and workload of resources

Time reserve: The amount of time that the start of work can be delayed without affecting the overall duration of the project. Thus, work on the critical path will have a float of zero.

Milestone (control point,milestone): A key event, marking, for example, the end of a stage. On a Gantt chart, a task with a duration of zero is indicated.

Project manager (project manager,projectmanagerP.M. ): Project team leader responsible for project management (planning, implementation and closure of the project).

Resources: Elements necessary for the implementation of the project. Resources include time, equipment, materials, employees, etc.

Sprint (Sprint): An iteration (work cycle) in Scrum, lasting from a week to a month, during which a working version of a product or an element of it that is of value to the customer is created.

“Classical” or “traditional” project management: The most widely used method of project management, based on the so-called “Waterfall” or cascade cycle, in which the task is transferred sequentially through stages resembling a flow.

Classic project management

The most obvious way to make your project more manageable is to break the process of its execution into sequential stages. It is on this linear structure that traditional project management is based. In this sense, it resembles a computer game - you cannot move to the next level without completing the previous one. The workflow diagram is shown in Figure 3.

This approach is focused on projects in which there are strict restrictions on the sequence of tasks. For example, building a house - you cannot build walls without a foundation.

Typically there are 5 stages of classic project management, but additional stages can be added if the project requires it.

5 stages of traditional management:

Stage 1. Initiation. The project manager and team define the project requirements. At this stage, meetings and brainstorming sessions are often held to determine what the project product should be.

Stage 2. Planning. At this stage, the team decides how it will achieve the goal set in the previous stage. At this stage, the team clarifies and details the goals and results of the project, as well as the scope of work for it. Based on this information, the team creates a schedule and budget, assesses risks and identifies stakeholders.

Stage 3. Development. This stage is not implemented for all projects; as a rule, it is part of the planning phase. In the development phase, characteristic of technology projects, the configuration of the future project and/or product and the technical means of achieving it are determined. For example, in IT projects, a programming language is selected at this stage. ( In domestic practice, this phase is usually not distinguished, and the term “development” is not used - approx. trans.)

Stage 4. Implementation and testing. At this phase, the actual main work on the project occurs - writing code, erecting a building, and the like. Following the developed plans, the content of the project, defined earlier, begins to be created, and control is carried out according to the selected metrics. In the second part of this phase, the product is tested, it is checked for compliance with the requirements of the Customer and interested parties. The testing part identifies and corrects product shortcomings.

Stage 5. Monitoring and completion of the project. Depending on the project, this phase may consist of a simple transfer of project results to the Customer, or a long process of interaction with clients to improve the project and increase their satisfaction, and support the project results. The latter applies to projects in the field of customer service and software.

What is described above is the basis on which various project management methods are built. Different projects require different phases of implementation - some require three phases, others much more. Sometimes the so-called “iterative waterfall” is used, in which each stage is a subproject, during which tasks are implemented in fixed iterations. But the essence remains the same - the project is divided into stages that are executed in a strictly defined sequence.

Due to the fact that classical project management is strictly tied to the execution time of tasks, usually predetermined at the planning stage, calendar and network planning tools are excellent for implementing projects within this approach. The most common tool for scheduling and network planning is the previously mentioned Gantt chart. There are many tools for building it - from simple spreadsheets like Excel and Smartsheet to professional software packages like Microsoft Project and Primavera.

Strengths of classical project management

Today it is often said that the classic waterfall approach is outdated, but it does not think of losing ground. The big advantage of this approach is that it requires the Customer and the company management to determine what they want to receive already at the first stage of the project. Early inclusion brings a certain stability to the project, and planning allows you to streamline the implementation of the project. In addition, this approach involves performance monitoring and testing, which is absolutely necessary for real projects of various sizes.

Potentially, the classical approach allows you to avoid stress due to the presence of spare time at each stage, built in in case of any complications and risks. In addition, with a properly executed planning phase, the project manager always knows what resources he has. Even if this estimate is not always accurate.

Weaknesses of classical project management

The main weakness of classical project management is intolerance to change. The management of Toyota, famous for creating such systems as Lean and Kanban, is often criticized for the fact that they apply the classical approach to developing software for their company, and precisely for the lack of flexibility.

The mainstay of the classical approach now is construction and engineering projects, in which the content of the project remains virtually unchanged throughout the entire project. But if in your project resources and time are not key constraints, and the content of the project is subject to change, perhaps you should take a closer look at other project management systems.

Agile

As mentioned earlier, not all projects can be structured in such a way as to be implemented using the classic project approach. Returning to our example with the chef: preparing one dish fits perfectly with the “waterfall” approach, but preparing and serving a four-course dinner on time will be almost impossible if you have to wait until one dish is finished each time to start preparing another.

And this is where Agile comes into play - a family of flexible iterative-incremental methods for project and product management. According to this approach, the project is not divided into sequential phases, but into small subprojects, which are then “assembled” into a finished product. The operating diagram is shown in Figure 5.

Thus, initiation and top-level planning are carried out for the entire project, and subsequent stages: development, testing and others are carried out for each mini-project separately. This allows you to transfer the results of these mini-projects, the so-called increments, faster, and when starting a new subproject (iteration), you can make changes to it without high costs and impact on the rest of the project.

Despite the fact that Agile has come into fashion relatively recently, the idea of ​​iterative development is not new. (about the history of the appearanceAgile can be read – approx.). The family of flexible methodologies received its current name in 2001 with the publication of the Agile Manifesto, which established the core values ​​and principles of flexible software development, which are based on teamwork and adaptation, even “love” for change.

Agile itself is not a project management method. It is rather a set of ideas and principles of how projects should be implemented. Already on the basis of these principles and best practices, individual flexible methods or, as they are sometimes called, frameworks, have been developed: Scrum, Kanban, Crystal, and many others. These methods may be quite different from each other, but they follow the same principles.

StrengthsAgile

The most important advantage of Agile is its flexibility and adaptability. It can adapt to almost any conditions and processes of the organization. This is what determines its current popularity and how many systems for various fields have been created based on it.

One of the Agile principles is: “Reacting to change is more important than following a plan.” This quick and relatively painless response to change is why many large companies are looking to make their processes more flexible. In addition, Agile is great for open-ended projects, such as launching a service or blog.

Agile's domain is the development of new, innovative products. In such product development projects there is a high degree of uncertainty, and information about the product is revealed as the project progresses. In such conditions, it becomes impossible to implement a “waterfall” project - there is no information for planning.

Weak sidesAgile

Unlike PRINCE2 and PMBOK, Agile is neither a methodology nor a standard. Agile is a set of principles and values. The weakness is that each team will have to independently create its own management system, guided by Agile principles. This is a complex and lengthy process that will require changes throughout the organization, from procedures to core values. This is a thorny path and not all organizations can do it.

This path will require from the leader of change not only knowledge and perseverance, but also serious administrative resources, as well as costs. Fortunately, there are ready-made sets of practices that make Agile transformation of an organization easier. Such sets include the Scrum framework, the Kanban method and many others - Crystal, LeSS, SAFe, Nexus.

Scrum

Created in 1986, the Agile framework is considered the most structured of the Agile family. Created in 1986, it combines elements of the classical process and the ideas of an agile approach to project management. The result was a very balanced combination of flexibility and structure.

Following the precepts of Agile, Scrum breaks the project into parts that can be immediately used by the Customer to obtain value, called product backlog. And despite the fact that “product backlog” is a fairly correct translation and is used in professional literature, in Russian practice simply “backlog” is most often used. Then these parts are prioritized by the Product Owner - the Customer's representative on the team. The most important “pieces” are the first to be selected for execution in a Sprint - this is what iterations in Scrum are called, lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. At the end of the Sprint, the Customer is presented with a working increment of the product - those very important “pieces” that can already be used. For example, a website with part of the functionality or a program that is already working, albeit partially. After this, the project team begins the next Sprint. The duration of the Sprint is fixed, but the team chooses it independently at the beginning of the project, based on the project and its own performance.

To ensure that the project meets the Customer's requirements, which tend to change over time, before the start of each Sprint, the unfulfilled project content is re-evaluated and changes are made to it. Everyone participates in this process - the project team, the Scrum Master (Scrum Master, project team leader) and the Product Owner. And responsibility for this process lies with everyone.

As already mentioned, the Product Owner is the Customer’s representative in the project, or represents all clients of the future project if there is no Customer. To do this, he must thoroughly know their needs and way of thinking, as well as understand the product and its manufacturing technology. The Scrum Master is designed to help project participants better understand and accept the values, principles and norms of Scrum practice. He is a leader and mediator between the outside world and the team. His task is to ensure that no one interferes with the team’s ability to independently and comfortably work on the assigned tasks. The team is responsible for ensuring that at the end of the sprint all the necessary tasks are completed and deliveries are completed.

The basic structure of Scrum processes revolves around 5 main meetings: backlog alignment, Sprint planning, daily stand-up meetings, Sprint wrap-up and Sprint retrospective.

For many, Scrum may seem difficult to implement - a new process, new roles, a lot of delegation and a completely new organizational structure. But it is a flexible yet structured approach to project implementation, which, unlike the vague and general principles of Agile, will not allow work to go in the wrong direction.

StrengthsScrum

Scrum was developed for projects that require "quick wins" combined with tolerance for change. In addition, this framework is suitable for situations where not all team members have sufficient experience in the area in which the project is being implemented - constant communication between team members allows the lack of experience or qualifications of some employees to benefit from information and help from colleagues.

The online TV channel Netflix is ​​an excellent example of fast delivery of results. The resource website is updated every two weeks thanks to Scrum, which not only allows you to work at high speed, but also accumulates user experience and makes it possible to identify the most important things for clients.

During each iteration, developers add and test new site features and remove those that were not used by customers. According to the Netflix team, the main benefit of Scrum is that it allows you to “fail fast.” Instead of taking a long time and at great expense to prepare a large release, Scrum biweekly deliveries are small in size. They are easy to track and, if something goes wrong, correct quickly.

Weak sidesScrum

Scrum is very demanding of the project team. It should be small (5-9 people) and cross-functional - that is, team members should have more than one competency necessary to implement the project. For example, a software developer must have knowledge of testing and business analytics. This is done so that part of the team does not “stand idle” at different stages of the project, and also so that employees can help and replace each other.

In addition, team members must be “team players”, actively take responsibility and be able to organize themselves. Finding such a mature team is very difficult!

Scrum is not suitable for all teams and organizations also because the proposed process may not be suitable for developing a specific product - for example, an industrial machine or building a building.

Lean

Agile tells us to break down work into small, manageable packages, but it doesn't tell us how to manage the development of that package. Scrum offers us its processes and procedures. Lean, in turn, adds a workflow diagram to the Agile principles to ensure that each iteration is completed with the same quality.

In Lean, as in Scrum, work is broken down into small delivery packages that are implemented separately and independently. But in Lean, there is a workflow for developing each delivery package, with steps similar to those created for Project Apollo. As in classical project management, these can be the stages of planning, development, production, testing and delivery - or any other stages necessary for the high-quality implementation of projects.

Lean phases and their flexibility allow you to be sure that every part of the project is implemented as required. Lean does not have clear boundaries of stages, as Scrum does not have Sprint boundaries. In addition, unlike classical project management, Lean allows you to perform several tasks in parallel at different stages, which increases flexibility and increases the speed of project execution.

Like Agile, Lean is more of a concept, a way of thinking, rather than something set in stone. Using Lean ideas, you can independently create a system that meets your project management requirements.

StrengthsLean

If you like the ideas of Agile, but the project requires very consistent quality and precise execution, Lean provides a set of tools to meet these requirements. Lean combines flexibility and structure like Scrum, but in a slightly different way.

Weak sidesLean

Not every part of the project requires equally detailed and meticulous study and attention. But Lean assumes exactly this approach to each task and stage. This is the main disadvantage of using Lean for large and heterogeneous projects.

Also, unlike Scrum, Lean does not offer a clear workflow for implementing “pieces” of the project, which contributes to the extension of the project timeline. This problem can be solved with effective leadership and clear communication - the main thing to remember is this.

Kanban

Lean looks a little abstract on its own, but when combined with Kanban it becomes much easier to use to build your own project management system. Created by Toyota engineer Taiichi Ono in 1953, Kanban is very similar to an industrial production flowchart. At the input to this process, a piece of metal enters, and at the output, a finished part is obtained. Also in Kanban, an increment of a product is passed forward from stage to stage, and at the end there is a ready-to-deliver item.

In addition, the creator of Kanban was inspired by supermarkets, namely their principle - “keep on the shelves only what the customer needs.” Therefore, Kanban allows you to leave an unfinished task at one of the stages if its priority has changed and there are other urgent tasks. An unedited article for a blog, a post without a publication date, or a piece of code for a feature that may not be included in the product are all normal for Kanban work.

Kanban is much less strict than Scrum - it does not limit the time of sprints, there are no roles, with the exception of the product owner. Kanban even allows a team member to manage multiple tasks at once, which Scrum does not allow. Also, meetings on the status of the project are not regulated in any way - you can do it at your convenience, or you can not do it at all.

To work with Kanban, you need to define the stages of the workflow. In Kanban, they are depicted as columns, and tasks are represented by special cards. The card moves through stages, like a part in a factory moving from machine to machine, and at each stage the completion rate becomes higher. As a result, we receive a product element ready for delivery to the customer. A board with columns and cards can be either real or electronic - even here Kanban does not impose any restrictions on users.

Your own Kanban system can be as flexible as you want it to be - in many ways, Kanban is a visualization of the idea of ​​Agile. But Kanban has 4 pillars on which the entire system rests:

1. Cards: For each task, an individual card is created in which all the necessary information about the task is entered. Thus, all the necessary information about the task is always at hand.
2. Limit on the number of tasks per stage: The number of cards at one stage is strictly regulated. Thanks to this, it becomes immediately clear when a “jam” occurs in the flow of operations, which is promptly eliminated.
3. Continuous flow: Tasks from the backlog are added to the flow in order of priority. So the work never stops.
4. Continuous improvement (Kaizen)kaizen)): The concept of continuous improvement emerged in Japan at the end of the 20th century. Its essence is the constant analysis of the production process and the search for ways to improve productivity.

StrengthsKanban

Like Scrum, Kanban is well suited for fairly cohesive teams with good communication. But unlike Scrum, Kanban does not have strict deadlines, which is good for motivated and experienced teams.

When set up and managed correctly, Kanban can greatly benefit a project team. Accurate calculation of the workload on the team, correct placement of restrictions and concentration on continuous improvement - all this allows Kanban to seriously save resources and meet deadlines and budgets. And all this combined with flexibility.

Weak sidesKanban

You can often hear that Kanban, unlike Scrum, allows you to work with almost any team. But it is not so. Kanban is best suited for teams whose members' skills overlap with each other. In this way, they can help each other overcome difficulties in solving problems. Without this, Kanban will not be as effective as it could be. Also, as already mentioned, Kanban is better suited in cases where there are no hard deadlines. For tight deadlines, the classic approach or Scrum is better.

6 Sigma (Six Sigma)

Motorola, along with Toyota, also contributed to the development of global project management. The company's engineer Bill Smith created the concept of 6 Sigma in 1986. This is a more structured version of Lean than Kanban, which adds more planning to save resources, improve quality, and reduce the number of defects and problems.

The ultimate goal of the project is customer satisfaction with the quality of the product, which can be achieved through a continuous process of improvement of all aspects of the project, based on a thorough analysis of indicators. The 6 Sigma concept pays special attention to eliminating emerging problems.

A 5-step process known as DMEDI has been proposed for this:

• Definition (Define): The first stage is very similar to the early stages of other project management systems. It determines the content of the project, collects information about the prerequisites of the project, and sets goals.
• Measurement (Measure): 6 Sigma is focused on collecting and analyzing quantitative data about a project. At this stage, it is determined what indicators will determine the success of the project and what data needs to be collected and analyzed.
• Study (Explore): During the research stage, the project manager decides how the team can achieve its goals and meet all requirements on time and within budget. At this stage, it is very important for the project manager to think outside the box when solving problems that arise.
• Development (Develop): At this stage, plans and decisions made at previous stages are implemented. It is important to understand that at this stage you need a detailed plan that describes all the actions necessary to achieve your goals. Also at this stage the progress of the project is measured.
• Control (Control): Key stage in the 6 Sigma methodology. Its main task is long-term improvement of project implementation processes. This stage requires careful documentation of lessons learned, analysis of collected data, and application of acquired knowledge both in projects and throughout the company as a whole.

6 Sigma is very similar to Kanban, only with established stages of task implementation - planning, goal setting and quality testing. Most likely, there will be significantly more team meetings when using 6 Sigma than when using Kanban, but the project implementation process is more structured and it is more difficult for the team to go astray. And, like Kanban, 6 Sigma can be relatively easily adapted to the needs of a specific company or team. A strict requirement is only careful measurement and control of project indicators at the implementation stages - without this, continuous long-term improvement of project implementation processes is impossible.

Strengths of 6 Sigma

The 6 Sigma concept provides a clear framework for project implementation and continuous process improvement. By defining goals, then carefully analyzing and revising them, you gain quantitative data to better understand the project and make better decisions. Although collecting, analyzing data and drawing lessons may take some time, it will improve and optimize project implementation processes and thus save resources in the future.

6 Sigma is suitable for difficult projects that involve many new and complex activities. This approach allows you to implement project elements, learn from mistakes and improve quality in the future.

Weaknesses of 6 Sigma

The problem with 6 Sigma is that although the main declared goal is to reduce costs and increase efficiency, customer satisfaction often comes to the fore. Given some differences in goals at different stages of a project, teams often end up with confusion about priorities, and this is not easy to avoid.

In addition, the main leitmotif of 6 Sigma is: “Everything can always be done even better.” This can demotivate employees who do not feel satisfied with their work. In addition, if the project is a one-off project and the company does not plan to implement similar projects in the future, all the costs of analysis and learning lessons may be in vain.

PRINCE2

NASA is not the only government organization that has contributed to the development of project management. The British Government has long appreciated the effectiveness of project management, and in 1989 the British PRINCE2 methodology was created. The name comes from the acronym " PR ojects IN C controlled E environments version 2 ”, which translates to “Projects in a controlled environment version 2”. Unlike agile methods, PRINCE2 does not take an iterative approach to a project. If PRINCE2 is compared with other products, it can be compared to a hybrid of the classical approach to project management and the focus on quality from 6 Sigma.

The PRINCE2 methodology, unlike, for example, the PMBOK body of knowledge, does not contain:

• Specialized aspects of project management, such as industry specific ones;
• Specific project management practices and tools, such as Gantt chart, WBS, etc.

PRINCE2 focuses on the management aspects of the project, expressed in 7 principles, 7 processes and 7 project themes.

• 7 principles define the general rules of project management according to PRINCE2, define the basis of the methodology;
• 7 processes define the steps to progress through the project cycle;
• 7 topics - aspects that are monitored to achieve project success.

At the beginning of a project, PRINCE2 asks us to define 3 main aspects of the project:

• Business aspect (Will this project bring benefits?)
• Consumer aspect (What product is needed, what will we do?)
• Resource aspect (Do we have enough to achieve our goal?)

PRINCE2 has a more clearly defined project team structure than most project management approaches. This is due to the fact that PRINCE2 is focused on large-scale government projects and large organizations.

According to PRINCE2, each team member has a clear role in each of the 7 processes:

• Start of the project (Starting upa project): During this process, a project manager is appointed and overall product performance requirements are determined. The Project Manager, whose primary focus is attention to detail, reports to the Project Steering Committee, which is responsible for the overall management of the project. It is the Steering Committee that ensures that the project stays on track and is ultimately responsible for the success of the project.
• Project Initiationa project): During this process, the project manager writes a “Project Initiation Document,” which contains a phased plan for the project. The stages can last different amounts of time, but, as in the classical approach, they follow strictly one after another.
• Project management (Directing a project): This process allows the Steering Committee to take overall responsibility for the success of the project without getting bogged down in details that are within the scope of the project manager.
• Stage Controlling a stage): During the implementation of the project, even under ideal conditions, certain changes will be made. The Stage Control process implements one of the PRINCE2 principles - the principle of management by exception. It is the responsibility of the project manager to monitor deviations from the planned parameters of the project in terms of timing, content, budget, etc. during the implementation stage. If these deviations exceed the authority given to the project manager by the Steering Committee (in PRINCE2 terminology - tolerances), the project manager is obliged to inform the Steering Committee and propose ways out of the situation.
• Product creation management (Managing Product Delivery): The product creation management process is the interaction between the project manager and the team manager to create one of the project products. The project manager's responsibilities in this process include delegating authority to create the product to the team manager and accepting the created product.
• Stage Boundary Management (Managing a stage boundary): During this process, the project manager provides the Steering Committee with all the necessary information to evaluate the results of the completed stage and make a decision on moving to the next stage.
• Completion of the project (Closinga project): One of the differences between PRINCE2 is that the process of completing a project is not separated into a separate stage or stage, as in the classical approach, but is carried out as part of the final stage of product creation. The purpose of the process is to confirm that the project's product has been accepted or the project can no longer provide anything useful.

PRINCE2 can be adapted for projects of any size and any subject area. The methodology offers specific recommendations for changing the project life cycle, role model and set of mandatory documents in accordance with the needs of the project.

Strengths of PRINCE2

• Adaptability to the characteristics of the organization;
• Availability of a clear description of roles and distribution of responsibilities;
• Focus on project products;
• Certain levels of management;
• Focus on economic feasibility;
• Sequence of design work;
• Emphasis on capturing experience and continuous improvement.

Weaknesses of PRINCE2

• Lack of industry practices;
• Lack of specific tools for working in the project.

The best project management system... for you!

Project management is a science, but it's not an exact science. There are no unshakable foundations or universal solutions in this area. If you manage to find a method that is ideal for your project, consider yourself very lucky, because most less fortunate managers have to put in the effort to create and configure their own project management systems. These systems can be made up of elements of existing systems or even created entirely from scratch, as was the case with the Apollo mission. The main thing is to use something that will give you at least some structure and will allow you to remember what is important for your project.

How to get an international Agile certificate

For those who want to gain a systematic understanding of Agile, understand the advantages and disadvantages of a flexible approach to projects and products, find areas of best application of Agile and receive the international ICAgile Certified Professional certificate - our training

We will concentrate on just one topic: “The project approach in modern business,” since the entire topic of managing a project organization is extremely extensive so that it can be covered in one not too voluminous article. Such a formulation makes it possible to give discussions a practical focus and at the same time stimulates a conceptual approach to problems, the solution of which significantly affects the development of project activities.

Features of project activity management

The term “project management” refers to a relatively small range of technological subjects. However, such an interpretation significantly narrows the problem and does not allow solving important practical issues.

“Project business” is used as a generic term to refer to business activities based on a project-oriented approach. This includes systems integration, film and video shooting, software development, insurance activities, exhibition organization, etc.

The electronicization of business and commerce requires a new look at the problem of project management. In short, the point is that it’s time to move from project management to supporting project activities as the most important component of business.

“Projectivization” of business. In modern business, there are a number of global trends that allow us to talk about its “projectivization,” i.e., an increase in the share and importance of activities related to the implementation of projects. The most important among them are:

• transition from regulation and concentration to coordination and distribution;
• shortening the life cycle of products and services, especially development and launch periods;
• personalization of supply and demand, products and services.

In general, we can talk about a change in the paradigm (basic model) of business: it is beginning to be viewed as a set of interrelated projects. This approach allows us to adequately reflect another feature of modern business, when flexible behavior in a changing external environment becomes the main strategic competitive advantage. In such conditions, a departure from rigid organizational structures and management technologies is inevitable.

These trends are especially evident in business related to the Internet. Moreover, we can say that this particular area will serve as the main consumer of new information systems for project management.

The main conclusion is that in the near future we should expect a change in the approach to building information systems for the project business, taking into account its features, based on modern system architecture, highly scalable and affordable.

Features of the project business. Nowadays it is common to talk about the crisis of traditional ERP systems. However, it would be more correct to state the crisis of the general models of organization and business management, for the support of which such systems were created. In relation to project business, the problem becomes particularly acute due to some of its features:

• the intellectually intensive nature of the subject area of ​​most projects;
• small share in projects of economic activities related to material assets;
• strong dependence of project success on external conditions, primarily customer behavior;
• increased risks, including the risk of violation of deadlines and budget, termination or suspension of the project, unsuccessful implementation;
• increased quality requirements that are constructive, i.e. objectively verifiable;
• a high degree of individualization “for the client” and the importance of organizing “close” work with him;
• a high probability of the emergence of new, previously unfulfilled work, for which the methodology, technology and management system are created “on the fly”;
• high requirements for the qualifications of managers and performers, their high cost;
• the critical importance of a corporate office system that supports communications and the knowledge base;
• the special nature of budgeting, planning, control and accounting;
• great unevenness in the receipt of orders, making it difficult to manage human resources;
• geographic remoteness of the client;
• the presence of several performers and their geographical distribution.

It should be noted that the problem of human resources (both managers and specialists) in all its aspects is of paramount importance for the project business.

Project activity management. The project management system must satisfy the following basic requirements:

• focus on supporting decision-making, primarily related to the use of resources and the development of new products and services;
• effective human resource management system;
• a flexible planning and accounting system that allows for regular restructuring of projects in accordance with changes in conditions and achieved results;
• developed office system (communications, knowledge bases, back office);
• effective support for distributed activities;
• monitoring and maintaining relationships with clients and partners.

Project approach to doing business

Let's consider conceptual, practically oriented approaches to the project way of doing business.

Challenge of time. The “projectivization” of modern business raises the question of modernizing traditional project management.

Examples

• Classical strategic planning and classical project management have much in common in the methodology, which is “inventory” in nature and consists of a detailed schedule of activities and work for many years in advance. Now classical strategic planning is experiencing a serious crisis. The main reason for this is insufficient consideration of a fundamental factor – environmental variability. Strategic plans have always been drawn up on the assumption of a stationary nature of the external environment with some regular trend. The only question was about the accuracy of forecasting deviations. However, now the priority comes to the task of creating adaptive mechanisms at the strategic level, i.e. mechanisms for early identification of opportunities/threats and their use/neutralization. Accordingly, the approach to investment analysis is changing - a gradual abandonment of smooth models in favor of models with a variable structure.
• The implementation of integrated ERP systems is a good example of a project that does not quite fit into the traditional framework of a project approach. Indeed, before work begins, it is often unknown what needs to be done in the area of ​​streamlining business processes and organizational changes. Therefore, detailed planning is carried out only for the next stage based on the results of the previous one, taking into account the changing realities of the external and internal environment. Thus, we can talk about projects that are largely adaptive in nature.
• E-business development projects are extreme examples of projects implemented under conditions of maximum environmental uncertainty. It is noteworthy that even the proposed trading technologies cannot be accurately assessed in terms of their attractiveness to potential clients. In other words, projects for creating e-business systems are totally adaptive, when decisions about the structure and composition of the project have to be revised several times a year. On top of everything else, the race factor is added here in conditions of fierce competition and fear of being late.

The project as a tool for creating products. This is the most common type of project. A certain alienable product is created to order, which the customer uses at his own discretion. Examples of such products include programs, design solutions, buildings, etc. Traditionally, special attention has been paid to design technology, and therefore to systems such as CASE, CAD, etc.

Examples

• A software company operating in Russia has increased its staff from 50 to 250 people over the past year due to an increase in the number of custom developments. To improve productivity, the company purchased Rational's integrated CASE technology. According to calculations, this should have cut the software creation time in half. In fact, the order fulfillment cycle has not changed significantly. Moreover, it was necessary to hire and train additional employees, managers and business analysts, as well as involve third parties. At the same time, support costs increased significantly, and due to the geographical distribution of the company's offices, development teams and clients, communication problems arose.
• Over the course of decades, AvtoVAZ has invested millions of dollars in the automation of design and technological work.
• A major Russian rocket manufacturer believes that if it were given $50 million to purchase an integrated CAD/CAM system like Boeing's, it would quickly become the world leader in its segment.

The project as a market product. The project can be considered as an independent market product, representing an organizational and technological complex. In fact, we are talking about the fact that the entire range of issues related to the implementation of the project is developed for the customer.

Examples

• A telecommunications company in Boston (USA) received an order to deploy a regional integrated data transmission system worth approximately $300 million. This company turned to a specialized consulting firm to develop an organizational structure, technology and procedures for managing work, resources and quality, accounting, compiling work schedule, etc. Moreover, the consulting firm displayed its developments in some automated system for supporting project activities, and after the launch of the project, it began to support it.
• A large Russian ministry has decided to modernize its information infrastructure. The technical architecture was developed, the stages of the project were carefully thought out, money was allocated, and performers were selected. But it soon became clear that the program was uncontrollable. It turned out that it was almost impossible to carry out a coordinated change in work plans and technical solutions, as well as change the composition of performers, within a reasonable time frame. The volume of design documentation received by the parent organization grew exponentially. The worst thing, however, was that no one could accurately estimate the amount of work done and the degree of approach to the desired result. At the same time, formal reports on the work done were received regularly.

Project as a business tool. If a project is understood as a form of doing business in trade and services, then the transaction is formalized as a project to which appropriate management and accounting methods are applicable.

Examples

• The rapidly growing multinational company conducts the following activities:

1. development and implementation of programs to promote existing and new brand name products;
2. packaging and delivery of 300 thousand items of goods from more than 3,500 manufacturers;
3. development and production of goods according to custom specifications.

Customers have very strict requirements for meeting planned deadlines, which is why the company must be able to predict and clearly monitor the processes of manufacturing and delivering goods within specified target periods. At the same time, a significant problem is cost management, i.e., assessing the economic efficiency of each individual order and controlling the costs of each transaction, including the cost of procurement, manufacturing, freight and transportation.

When choosing a new ERP system, management realized that the company's core activities can most adequately be represented as a set of parallel, interconnected projects. This choice was significantly influenced by the presence in the system of a developed project management module, which, in combination with finance, production management and logistics modules, made it possible to track the cost and progress of each order.

• The largest insurance company uses a modern project management system to process them in the form of both individual transactions (including transactions with individuals) and entire insurance programs. As a result, the possibility of integral business management is achieved, including planning and control of specific activities, assessment of costs and income by programs, products, transactions, business units, target segments and agents.
• A large Russian distribution company supplies the market with world-class clothing and footwear. The collection is updated every season. An order for the manufacture and supply of goods is prepared and placed one year in advance. The company has an extensive network of regional partners involved in order formation. The company pays great attention to marketing activities. In the process of implementing a new ERP system, the company set the task of identifying the project structure of its activities using such decomposition features as product group, seasonality and partners. For example, for each product group, projects for the preparation and execution of consolidated orders are identified, followed by a breakdown by season and partner.

Integration of methodologies and standardization. Currently, there are many specialized methodologies developed through the efforts of leading consulting and computer firms. However, “projectivization” and “electronization” of business pose an urgent challenge of integrating these methodologies.

Examples

• The rapid development of e-business forces us to take a fresh look at methodological issues due to the following circumstances:

• change in the essence of the tasks under consideration;
• the need to integrate special methodologies due to the complex nature of the problems;
• the need to create “new competence” through the merging of heterogeneous competencies embodied in “computer” and “consulting” methodologies.

There are methodologies that naturally gravitate towards each other. For example, the CALS methodology is the basis for constructing a product life cycle model. At the same time, it provides a platform for building a total TQM quality system. Closely related to these methodologies are workflow work flow models, formal means of modeling business processes, and methods for constructing corporate data warehouses. Within the framework of these methodologies, various types of standards are being developed. And all this is directly related to project activities.

Project as a conceptual unit of knowledge. Knowledge management is of fundamental importance for project-oriented activities, since the main capital of such organizations is corporate experience in solving problems of a certain class. The project seems to be a convenient unit of knowledge organization, in which the essential components of knowledge are present in a coherent form: statement of the problem, result, methods of achievement.

Examples

• The vast majority of Russian machine-building enterprises do not have any coherent and detailed description of the process of selecting, creating and putting into production a new product. This is a common disease in both the civilian and military industries.
• Over the past ten years, AvtoVAZ has lost hundreds of leading specialists - middle managers. Essentially, we can talk about the loss of the potential to create new car models. A similar situation has developed at other large mechanical engineering enterprises, where in fact only loosely connected “tops” and “roots” remain: the tops dry out and the roots rot, and all this leads to a general collapse.
• In any large organization there are several different types of projects. For example, in a software company, projects for custom development, adaptation of an existing support program, etc. can coexist. At any machine-building enterprise, projects for the development and modernization of products, the development of new equipment, the reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure, etc. are necessarily carried out.

Programmatic approach. Formally, a program is defined as a set of interrelated projects. However, for practical application this definition turns out to be not very constructive.

Examples

• In the late 60s, the US government launched a program to create very large-scale integrated circuits (VLSI), which gave a powerful acceleration to the development of microelectronics. The successful experience of its implementation was used in other US federal programs, so-called strategic initiatives in various industries. In Russia, the problem of restructuring in the broad sense of the word: public administration, industries, enterprises is extremely acute.

Project as a quality assurance tool. Within the framework of the project approach, quality can be defined as obtaining the required result under given restrictions on resources and deadlines.

Examples

• There are numerous examples of the so-called “implementation” of ERP systems, when the system has been installed, but is not used or does not produce the required result. In the United States, there have been cases of lawsuits against consulting companies that implemented ERP systems in recipient companies, after which the latter went bankrupt.
• For each specific project, it is relatively easy to develop a set of quality assurance measures. The use of the entire complex of quality management measures and procedures usually leads to an increase in the cost of the project by 15-30%. At the same time, failure to manage quality altogether can lead to project failure.
• The 1C company has declared ensuring the quality of implementation projects as a strategic goal of working with partners, allowing it to maintain a strong competitive position.

Project organization and administrative structure. No matter how much we talk about divisional, matrix and other schemes for building an organizational structure, in Russia the functional structure still dominates with all its grimaces towards project-oriented management of companies.

Examples

• A Russian consulting firm has adopted a business development program related to the implementation of a fully functional integrated ERP system. It is planned to launch two large projects within a year (with an implementation period of up to one and a half years), as well as several small and medium-sized projects (with an implementation period of 3-6 months). When implementing the program, it is expected to maintain the existing functional structure, focused on solving specific problems in the field of management consulting, software development, and system integration. Management of each specific implementation project and its implementation is expected to be carried out through the heads of functional departments. Because of this, a team engaged in any project consists of a project manager, the general director, and executives, heads of functional departments. The result is a very expensive pleasure: the CEO ceases to be involved in strategy and the company as a whole, and department heads play the role of simple task switchers, who also introduce distortions.
• A Russian multi-industry company has created a successfully functioning system of internal cost accounting and remuneration based on the real economic results of the activities of business units. In accordance with modern trends, the company is considering the possibility of introducing a project approach. Managers see the main problem in changing the financial and accounting structure and principles of management accounting: business units should be replaced by projects, with which plans, budgets and results will be associated in the new structure.

A new level of relations between participants. Traditionally, projects are considered in the context of the “customer-executor” relationship. In modern conditions, many (as many as tens) partner organizations are involved in their implementation.

Examples

• A publishing house with large information resources is considering the possibility of creating a trading platform for a group of vertical markets. Already at the stage of developing a business plan, it suddenly became clear that it was necessary to involve a large number of participants in the work (see table). Moreover, each company wants to participate in the project not only as a contractor (subcontractor), but also as an investor, counting on the investment attractiveness of the project. Thus, the project identifies a group of partners who claim some participation in project management. This situation reflects the general trend towards establishing long-term partnerships related to the implementation of projects.
• An analysis of the experience of successful development of companies that organize electronic trading platforms shows that one of the main success factors is the careful selection of partners who are able to work without conflicts of interest. At the same time, there is a tendency to absorb partners as the business develops.

Approximate composition of participants in the creation of an online trading platform

Kind of activity	Functions in the project
Consulting firm	Development of an e-business development strategy
Information and marketing agency	Development of a marketing program
Consulting firm	Development of trading technologies
Software company	Software selection/development
Internet Service Provider	Website hosting
Recruitment agency	Selection of management team
System integrator	Development of technical architecture, supply and deployment of equipment
The educational center	Training of users (brokers) and implementation of software for access to the trading system
Commercial Bank	Maintaining accounts of trade participants and crediting transactions
Processing center	Carrying out settlements for transactions
Insurance Company	Commercial Risk Insurance
Freight forwarding company	Sales of supplies under concluded transactions
Investment brokerage company	Preparation of a prospectus and carrying out the issue of shares of the management company

Project Manager. The illusion is created that with the introduction of new business management technologies, the severity of the personnel problem is decreasing. This fully applies to project activities, when specific people – managers and performers – are no longer seen behind plans, methodologies, and procedures.

Examples

• Many Western companies have a rule: a new project is considered provided that there is a real opportunity to select a suitable project manager. Often the conditions are even stricter: the project is considered only if there is a suitable person who can act as its leader. The natural explanation is this: every business must have an “engine”.
• In most Russian companies, the project manager is a nominal figure, appointed according to the principle: “It’s impossible without a project manager.” At the same time, the project manager does not have freedom of action, since he must coordinate all his intentions with the general director of the company (the real manager of the budget) and the heads of functional departments (the real managers of human resources). Since budgeting often does not work as a real management tool in a company, the project budget is drawn up rather formally. In such conditions, there is simply no need to talk about delegation of authority and responsibility to the project manager.

Project-oriented CIS. The term “project management” is traditionally associated with network graphics and desktop applications such as MS Project. Using such tools, you can describe certain individual aspects. However, in modern conditions, it is relevant to develop comprehensive models of project activity and methods for its description.
Taking into account the trend of “projectivization” of business, it can be assumed that support for project activities should become a central element of the corporate information system. This marks a departure from the “ERP-centrism” that has prevailed until now.

Examples

• Integrated ERP systems, such as Axapta, have a more or less developed project management module, usually focused on solving problems of project accounting and control. As a rule, the ability to use popular desktop project management systems is supported at the export-import level.
• Powerful systems for supporting project activities are appearing on the market, implemented in modern web architecture, for example, Maconomy. They contain knowledge management capabilities, detailed role development, and many other useful functions that are missing in the design modules of ERP systems.

Thus, the electronicization of business and commerce requires a new look at the problem of project management. We are talking about the need to move from project management to supporting project activities as the most important component of business.

We will concentrate on just one topic: “The project approach in modern business”, since the entire topic of managing a project organization is extremely extensive so that it can be covered in one not too voluminous article. Such a formulation makes it possible to give discussions a practical focus and at the same time stimulates a conceptual approach to problems, the solution of which significantly affects the development of project activities.

Features of project activity management

The term project management refers to a relatively small range of technological subjects. However, such an interpretation significantly narrows the problem and does not allow solving important practical issues. Project business is used as a generic term to refer to business activities based on a project-oriented approach. This includes systems integration, film and video shooting, software development, insurance activities, exhibition organization, etc.

The electronicization of business and commerce requires a new look at the problem of project management. In short, the point is that it’s time to move from project management to supporting project activities as the most important component of business.

“Projectivization” of business

In modern business, there are a number of global trends that allow us to talk about its “projectivization,” i.e., an increase in the share and importance of activities related to the implementation of projects. The most important among them are:

• transition from regulation and concentration to coordination and distribution;
• shortening the life cycle of products and services, especially development and launch periods;
• personalization of supply and demand, products and services.

In general, we can talk about a change in the paradigm (basic model) of business: it is beginning to be viewed as a set of interrelated projects. The project approach allows us to adequately reflect another feature of modern business, when flexible behavior in a changing external environment becomes the main strategic competitive advantage. In such conditions, a departure from rigid organizational structures and management technologies is inevitable.

These trends are especially evident in business related to the Internet. Moreover, we can say that this particular area will serve as the main consumer of new information systems for project management.

The main conclusion is that in the near future we should expect a change in the approach to building information systems for the project business, taking into account its features, based on modern system architecture, highly scalable and affordable.

Features of the project business

Nowadays it is common to talk about the crisis of traditional ERP systems. However, it would be more correct to state the crisis of the general models of organization and business management, for the support of which such systems were created. In relation to the project business, the problem becomes particularly acute due to some of its features.

Features of the project business:

• the intellectually intensive nature of the subject area of ​​most projects;
• small share in projects of economic activities related to material assets;
• strong dependence of project success on external conditions, primarily customer behavior;
• increased risks, including the risk of violation of deadlines and budget, termination or suspension of the project, unsuccessful implementation;
• increased quality requirements that are constructive, i.e. objectively verifiable;
• high degree of individualization “to the client” and the importance of organizing “close” work with him;
• a high probability of the emergence of new, previously unfulfilled work, for which the methodology, technology and management system are created “on the fly”;
• high requirements for the qualifications of managers and performers, their high cost;
• the critical importance of a corporate office system that supports communications and the knowledge base;
• the special nature of budgeting, planning, control and accounting;
• great unevenness in the receipt of orders, making it difficult to manage human resources;
• geographic remoteness of the client;
• the presence of several performers and their geographical distribution.

It should be noted that the problem of human resources (both managers and specialists) in all its aspects is of paramount importance for the project business.

Project activity management

The project management system must satisfy the following basic requirements:

• focus on supporting decision-making, primarily related to the use of resources and the development of new products and services;
• effective human resource management system;
• a flexible planning and accounting system that allows for regular restructuring of projects in accordance with changes in conditions and achieved results;
• developed office system (communications, knowledge bases, back office);
• effective support for distributed activities;
• monitoring and maintaining relationships with clients and partners.

Project approach to doing business

Let's consider conceptual, practically oriented approaches to the project way of doing business.

Challenge of time

The “projectivization” of modern business raises the question of modernizing traditional project management.

Examples

1. Classical strategic planning and classical project management have much in common in the methodology, which is of an “inventory” nature and consists of a detailed schedule of activities and work for many years to come. Now classical strategic planning is experiencing a serious crisis. The main reason for this is insufficient consideration of the fundamental factor of environmental variability. Strategic plans have always been drawn up on the assumption of a stationary nature of the external environment with some regular trend. The only question was about the accuracy of forecasting deviations. However, now the priority comes to the task of creating adaptive mechanisms at the strategic level, i.e. mechanisms for early identification of opportunities/threats and their use/neutralization. Accordingly, the project approach to investment analysis is changing: a gradual abandonment of smooth models in favor of models with a variable structure.
2. The implementation of integrated ERP systems is a good example of a project that does not quite fit into the traditional framework of a project approach. Indeed, before work begins, it is often unknown what needs to be done in the area of ​​streamlining business processes and organizational changes. Therefore, detailed planning is carried out only for the next stage based on the results of the previous one, taking into account the changing realities of the external and internal environment. Thus, we can talk about projects that are largely adaptive in nature.
3. E-business development projects are extreme examples of projects implemented under conditions of maximum environmental uncertainty. It is noteworthy that even the proposed trading technologies cannot be accurately assessed in terms of their attractiveness to potential clients. In other words, projects for creating e-business systems are totally adaptive, when decisions about the structure and composition of the project have to be revised several times a year. On top of everything else, the race factor is added here in conditions of fierce competition and fear of being late.

Project as a product creation tool

This is the most common type of project. A certain alienable product is created to order, which the customer uses at his own discretion. Examples of such products include programs, design solutions, buildings, etc. Traditionally, special attention has been paid to design technology, and therefore to systems such as CASE, CAD, etc.

Examples

1. A software company operating in Russia has increased its staff from 50 to 250 people over the past year due to an increase in the number of custom developments. To improve productivity, the company purchased Rational's integrated CASE technology. According to calculations, this should have cut the software creation time in half. In fact, the order fulfillment cycle has not changed significantly. Moreover, it was necessary to hire and train additional employees » managers and business analysts, as well as involve third parties. At the same time, support costs increased significantly, and due to the geographical distribution of the company's offices, development teams and clients, communication problems arose.
2. Over the course of decades, AvtoVAZ has invested millions of dollars in the automation of design and technological work.
3. A major Russian rocket manufacturer believes that if it were given $50 million to purchase an integrated CAD/CAM system like Boeing's, it would quickly become the world leader in its segment.

Project as a market product

The project can be considered as an independent market product, representing an organizational and technological complex. In fact, we are talking about the fact that the entire range of issues related to the implementation of the project is developed for the customer.

Examples

1. A telecommunications company in Boston (USA) received an order to deploy a regional integrated data transmission system worth approximately $300 million. This company turned to a specialized consulting firm to develop an organizational structure, technology and procedures for managing work, resources and quality, accounting, compiling work schedule, etc. Moreover, the consulting firm displayed its developments in some automated system for supporting project activities, and after the launch of the project, it began to support it.
2. A large Russian ministry has decided to modernize its information infrastructure. The technical architecture was developed, the stages of the project were carefully thought out, money was allocated, and performers were selected. But it soon became clear that the program was uncontrollable. It turned out that it was almost impossible to carry out a coordinated change in work plans and technical solutions, as well as change the composition of performers, within a reasonable time frame. The volume of design documentation received by the parent organization grew exponentially. The worst thing, however, was that no one could accurately estimate the amount of work done and the degree of approach to the desired result. At the same time, formal reports on the work done were received regularly.

Project as a business tool

If a project is understood as a form of doing business in trade and services, then the transaction is formalized as a project to which appropriate management and accounting methods are applicable.

Examples

1. The rapidly growing multinational company conducts the following activities:
   • development and implementation of programs to promote existing and new brand name products;
   • packaging and delivery of 300 thousand items of goods from more than 3,500 manufacturers;
   • development and production of goods according to custom specifications.

   Customers have very strict requirements for meeting planned deadlines, which is why the company must be able to predict and clearly monitor the processes of manufacturing and delivering goods within specified target periods. At the same time, a significant problem is cost management, i.e., assessing the economic efficiency of each individual order and controlling the costs of each transaction, including the cost of procurement, manufacturing, freight and transportation.
   When choosing a new ERP system, management realized that the company's core activities can most adequately be represented as a set of parallel, interconnected projects. This choice was significantly influenced by the presence in the system of a developed project management module, which, in combination with finance, production management and logistics modules, made it possible to track the cost and progress of each order.

2. The largest insurance company uses a modern project management system to process them in the form of both individual transactions (including transactions with individuals) and entire insurance programs. As a result, the possibility of integral business management is achieved, including planning and control of specific activities, assessment of costs and income by programs, products, transactions, business units, target segments and agents.
3. A large Russian distribution company supplies the market with world-class clothing and footwear. The collection is updated every season. An order for the manufacture and supply of goods is prepared and placed one year in advance. The company has an extensive network of regional partners involved in order formation. The company pays great attention to marketing activities. In the process of implementing a new ERP system, the company set the task of identifying the project structure of its activities using such decomposition features as product group, seasonality and partners. For example, for each product group, projects for the preparation and execution of consolidated orders are identified, followed by a breakdown by season and partner.

Integration of methodologies and standardization

Currently, there are many specialized methodologies developed through the efforts of leading consulting and computer firms. However, the “projectivization” and “electronization” of business pose an acute challenge to the integration of these methodologies.

Examples

1. The rapid development of e-business forces us to take a fresh look at methodological issues due to the following circumstances:
   • change in the essence of the tasks under consideration;
   • the need to integrate special methodologies due to the complex nature of the problems;
   • the need to create “new competence” through the merging of heterogeneous competencies embodied in “computer” and “consulting” methodologies.
2. There are methodologies that naturally gravitate towards each other. For example, the CALS methodology is the basis for constructing a product life cycle model. At the same time, it provides a platform for building a total quality system. Closely related to these methodologies are workflow work flow models, formal means of modeling business processes, and methods for constructing corporate data warehouses. Within the framework of these methodologies, various types of standards are being developed. And all this is directly related to project activities.

Project as a conceptual unit of knowledge

Knowledge management is of fundamental importance for project-oriented activities, since the main capital of such organizations is corporate experience in solving problems of a certain class. The project seems to be a convenient unit of knowledge organization, in which the essential components of knowledge are present in a coherent form: statement of the problem, result, methods of achievement.

Examples

1. The vast majority of Russian machine-building enterprises do not have any coherent and detailed description of the process of selecting, creating and putting into production a new product. This is a common disease in both the civilian and military industries.
2. Over the past ten years, AvtoVAZ has lost hundreds of leading specialists and middle managers. Essentially, we can talk about the loss of the potential to create new car models. A similar situation has developed at other large mechanical engineering enterprises, where in fact only loosely connected “tops” and “roots” remain: the tops dry out and the roots rot, and all this leads to a general collapse.
3. In any large organization there are several different types of projects. For example, in a software company, projects for custom development, adaptation of an existing support program, etc. can coexist. At any machine-building enterprise, projects for the development and modernization of products, the development of new equipment, the reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure, etc. are necessarily carried out.

Software approach

Formally, a program is defined as a set of interrelated projects. However, for practical application this definition turns out to be not very constructive.

Examples

1. In the late 60s, the US government launched a program to create very large-scale integrated circuits (VLSI), which gave a powerful acceleration to the development of microelectronics. The successful experience of its implementation was used in other US federal programs, so-called strategic initiatives, in various industries.
2. In Russia, the problem of restructuring in the broad sense of the word: public administration, industries, enterprises is extremely acute.

Project as a quality assurance tool

Within the framework of the project approach, quality can be defined as obtaining the required result under given restrictions on resources and deadlines.

Examples

1. There are numerous examples of the so-called “implementation”? ERP systems, when the system has been installed but is not used or does not produce the required result. In the United States, there have been cases of lawsuits against consulting companies that implemented ERP systems in recipient companies, after which the latter went bankrupt.
2. For each specific project, it is relatively easy to develop a set of quality assurance measures. The use of the entire complex of quality management measures and procedures usually leads to an increase in the cost of the project by 15–30%. At the same time, failure to manage quality altogether can lead to project failure.
3. The 1C company has declared ensuring the quality of implementation projects as a strategic goal of working with partners, allowing it to maintain a strong competitive position.

Project organization and administrative structure

No matter how much we talk about divisional, matrix and other schemes for building an organizational structure, in Russia the functional structure still dominates with all its grimaces towards project-oriented management of companies.

Examples

1. A Russian consulting firm has adopted a business development program related to the implementation of a fully functional integrated ERP system. It is planned to launch two large projects within a year (with an implementation period of up to one and a half years), as well as several small and medium-sized projects (with an implementation period of 3-6 months). When implementing the program, it is expected to maintain the existing functional structure, focused on solving specific problems in the field of management consulting, software development, and system integration. Management of each specific implementation project and its implementation is expected to be carried out through the heads of functional departments. Because of this, a team engaged in any project consists of a project manager - general director and executives - heads of functional departments. The result is a very expensive pleasure: the CEO ceases to be involved in strategy and the company as a whole, and department heads play the role of simple task switchers, who also introduce distortions.
2. A Russian multi-industry company has created a successfully functioning system of internal cost accounting and remuneration based on the real economic results of the activities of business units. In accordance with modern trends, the company is considering the possibility of introducing a project approach. Managers see the main problem in changing the financial and accounting structure and principles of management accounting: business units should be replaced by projects, with which plans, budgets and results will be associated in the new structure.

A new level of relations between participants

Traditionally, projects are viewed in the context of the customer-performer relationship. In modern conditions, many (as many as tens) partner organizations are involved in their implementation.

Examples

1. A publishing house with large information resources is considering the possibility of creating a trading platform for a group of vertical markets. Already at the stage of developing a business plan, it suddenly became clear that it was necessary to involve a large number of participants in the work (see table). Moreover, each company wants to participate in the project not only as a contractor (subcontractor), but also as an investor, counting on the investment attractiveness of the project. Thus, the project identifies a group of partners who claim some participation in project management. This situation reflects the general trend towards establishing long-term partnerships related to the implementation of projects.
2. An analysis of the experience of successful development of companies that organize electronic trading platforms shows that one of the main success factors is the careful selection of partners who can work without conflicts of interest. At the same time, there is a tendency to absorb partners as the business develops.

Approximate composition of participants in the creation of an online trading platform

Kind of activity	Functions in the project
Consulting firm	Development of an e-business development strategy
Information and marketing agency	Development of a marketing program
Consulting firm	Development of trading technologies
Software company	Software selection/development
Internet Service Provider	Website hosting
Recruitment agency	Selection of management team
System integrator	Development of technical architecture, supply and deployment of equipment
The educational center	Training of users (brokers) and implementation of software for access to the trading system
Commercial Bank	Maintaining accounts of trade participants and crediting transactions
Processing center	Carrying out settlements for transactions
Insurance Company	Commercial Risk Insurance
Freight forwarding company	Sales of supplies under concluded transactions
Investment brokerage company	Preparation of a prospectus and carrying out the issue of shares of the management company

Project Manager

The illusion is created that with the introduction of new business management technologies, the severity of the personnel problem is decreasing. This fully applies to project activities, when specific people, managers and performers are no longer seen behind plans, methodologies, and procedures.

Examples

1. Many Western companies have a rule: a new project is considered provided that there is a real opportunity to select a suitable project manager. Often the conditions are even stricter: the project is considered only if there is a suitable person who can act as its leader. The natural explanation is this: every business must have an “engine”.
2. In most Russian companies, the project manager is a nominal figure, appointed according to the principle: “It’s impossible without a project manager.” At the same time, the project manager does not have freedom of action, since he must coordinate all his intentions with the general director of the company (the real manager of the budget) and the heads of functional departments (the real managers of human resources). Since budgeting often does not work as a real management tool in a company, the project budget is drawn up rather formally. In such conditions, there is simply no need to talk about delegation of authority and responsibility to the project manager.

Project-oriented CIS

The term "project management" is traditionally associated with network graphics and desktop applications such as . Using such tools, you can describe certain individual aspects. However, in modern conditions, it is relevant to develop comprehensive models of project activity and methods for its description.

Taking into account the trend of “projectivization” of business, it can be assumed that support for project activities should become a central element of the corporate information system. This marks a departure from the “ERP-centrism” that has prevailed until now.

Examples

1. Integrated ERP systems, such as Axapta, have a more or less developed project management module, usually focused on solving problems of project accounting and control. As a rule, the ability to use popular desktop project management systems is supported at the export-import level.
2. Powerful systems for supporting project activities are appearing on the market, implemented in modern web architecture, for example, Maconomy. They contain knowledge management capabilities, detailed role development, and many other useful functions that are missing in the design modules of ERP systems.

Thus, the electronicization of business and commerce requires a new look at the problem of project management. We are talking about the need to move from project management to supporting project activities as the most important component of business.

Victor Biryukov, Vladimir Drozhzhinov

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