Communication is frequently identified in the literature as a major factor impacting Information Technology (IT) project failure. The importance of communication is amplified in buyer - seller relationships through the long-term impact of project failures on the future business of IT vendors with their customers. The formal communication between IT project sponsors from buyer firms and project managers from IT vendor firms within business to business markets is investigated through this study. Typical communication patterns between project sponsor and manager in high and low performing projects are identified. The antecedents of these patterns are assessed and the effectiveness of project sponsor - manager communication investigated. A multi-method approach is used with a quantitative analysis of a worldwide survey with 200 responses, followed by a qualitative analysis of three interviews with pairs of project sponsor and manager, each pair from the same project. Results show that project sponsors expect more analytic and verbal communication from project managers. A model shows the development from frequent informal communication to formal communication between project managers and sponsors. A second model shows how communication in high performing projects is determined by the level of collaboration between project managers and sponsors, as well as the degree of structure in project execution. Effectiveness of project sponsor and manager communication is found to be decreased through written statements about recent achievements, and increased through face-to-face meetings of the parties. A series of recommendations is provided to improve project sponsor - manager communication.

The development of the Agile Movement, whatever the area of application or discipline, comes from the famous “faster, cheaper, better" maxim. As such, the agile manufacturing paradigm rests on four principles: response to change and uncertainty, supplying highly customized products, synthesis of diverse technologies, and intra-enterprise and inter-enterprise integration. For the reader interested in agile project management applications, response to changes, and transformations and its impact on managing projects, this book is a must-read. Various insights are covered, including: how to master complexity and changes in projects, economy, and society; how interaction between the project management team and project owners can influence risk management; how to move beyond the traditional mechanistic project management approach; how to include agile principles into an improved Logical Framework Analysis structure; what the impact is of agile principles on project management organizations what kind of innovative project management practice supports agile principles; and much more.

Asking tough questions about the current state of project management, The 12 Pillars of Project Excellence: A Lean Approach to Improving Project Results provides groundbreaking techniques to achieve excellence in project leadership that can result in six sigma type results or failure-free projects. It unveils novel solutions and breakthrough concepts—including project culture analysis, the five powers of project leadership, the power of visualizationTM, the science of simplicityTM, dynamic risk leadership, and dynamic project failures analysis—to help you chart the most efficient path to the pinnacle of project leadership. Winner of a 2013 Axiom Business Book Award The author provides the cutting-edge methods based on decades of personal practical experience, valuable lessons learned, and authoritative insights gained from leading over 300 projects to successful conclusions. Complete with powerful tools for organizational- and self-assessment on the accompanying CD, this book will not only transform your approach to project management, but will also provide you with the tools to develop effective leaders and consistently achieve exceptional business results. Some Praise for the Book: ... a highly pragmatic guide to project management. ... lays out the way of thinking that underpins success... a book that everyone could benefit from. —Mikel J. Harry, Ph.D., co-creator of Six Sigma provides the most significant contribution for leaders to mitigate project risks, assure sustainable growth, and guarantee survival... . —Carlos Alberto Briganti, general manager of Eaton Europe and Japan, 2001-2003; vice president of Eaton South America 2004-2007 ... one of the BEST books I have ever read on project leadership. —John Salazar, CIO Department of Work Force Solutions; former CIO of Department of Taxation & Revenue, State of New Mexico ... a comprehensive guide that will assist any business leader within an organization to consistently achieve excellent business results! A ‘must buy’—get it now! —Billy Billimoria, director, customer applications, BAE Systems; program director, Lockheed Martin; project engineer, Space Shuttle and Support Equipment Design

The objective of the Project Management Office (PMO) focused on contributing to competitive advantage and adding value to an organization and its customers to achieve desired organizational performance. Learn how outsourcing PMO functions can help your organization operate more efficiently than your competitors, and provide your customers with more value with this detailed study and guide. This study explains how PMOs operate and why more companies are outsourcing these functions to improve organizational performance. Learn the risks and drivers involved with outsourcing PMO functions as well as the benefit of doing it right. Relying on both a global quantitative and qualitative approach, the author conducts numerous case studies across different industries. The case studies involve • The financial retail industry in India; • The energy and power industry in the United States; • The manufacturing industry in the United States; • The mining industry in South Africa. Results from both quantitative qualitative examination of these case studies, along with surveys, show that outsourcing functions has a positive impact on organizational performance.

THE WILEY GUIDE TO Project Organization & Project Management Competencies A guide to the human factors in project management: knowledge, learning, and maturity THE WILEY GUIDES TO THE MANAGEMENT OF PROJECTS address critical, need-to-know information that will help professionals successfully manage projects in most businesses and help students learn the best practices of the industry. They contain not only well-known and widely used basic project management practices but also the newest and most cutting-edge concepts in the broader theory and practice of managing projects. This third volume in the series covers a range of organizational and people-based topics that are occupying the project management world today. The essence of project management represents a “people” challenge—the ability to appreciate and effectively employ the competencies of all those who are associated with the project development and delivery process. This book explains how you can more successfully manage a project from inception through delivery by learning how to handle critical issues around structure, teams, leadership, power and negotiation, and the whole area of competencies. The expert contributors also include chapters on global project management knowledge and standards, the role of project management associations around the world, project management maturity models, and other key topics. Complete your understanding of project management with these other books in The Wiley Guides to the Management of Projects series: The Wiley Guide to Project Control The Wiley Guide to Project, Program & Portfolio Management The Wiley Guide to Project Technology, Supply Chain & Procurement Management

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Product Focused Software Process Improvement, PROFES 2005, held in Oulu, Finland in June 2005. The 44 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected and constitute a balanced mix of academic and industrial aspects. The papers are organized in topical sections on software process improvement, software quality, mobile and wireless applications, requirements engineering, industrial experiences, process analysis, process modeling, SPI methods and tools, experimental software engineering, validation and verification, agile methods, and measurement.