Cambridge Handbook of Organizational Project Management


Book Description

In recent years, organizational project management (OPM) has emerged as a field focused on how project, program and portfolio management practices strategically help firms realize organizational goals. There is a compelling need to address the totality of project-related work at the organizational level, providing a view of organizations as a network of projects to be coordinated among themselves, integrated by the more permanent organization, and to move away from a focus on individual projects. This comprehensive volume provides views from a wide range of international scholars researching OPM at a cross-disciplinary level. It covers concepts, theories and practices from disciplines allied to management, such as strategic management, organization sciences and behavioural science. It will be a valuable read for scholars and practitioners alike, who are looking to enrich their understanding of OPM and further investigate this new phenomenon.




The Business Side of Learning Design and Technologies


Book Description

The Business Side of Learning Design and Technologies provides a ready reference with actionable tools and techniques for recognizing the impact of learning design/technology decisions at the project, business unit, and organizational levels. Written for early- and mid-career learning designers and developers as well as students and researchers in instructional/learning design and technology programs, this volume focuses on the business issues underlying the selection, design, implementation, and evaluation of learning opportunities. Using scholarly and practitioner research, interviews with Learning and Development thought leaders, and the author’s own experience, readers will learn how to speak the language of business to demonstrate the value of learning design and technologies.




Organization Development Fundamentals


Book Description

In a tumultuous global business environment, change is a constant. Organizations are affected by many factors from the local economy to global competition. To be successful they must do more than react to changes, they need to be proactive. Organization Development Fundamentals provides a starting point for those interested in learning more about taking this proactive approach. The authors explore the many facets of organization development and change management, including the theories, models, and steps necessary to complete the process. This is a perfect resource for professionals who are just starting out in the OD field or who want to brush-up on the basics. After reading this book, you will be able to: Define organization development and change management. Implement a change effort. Understand the competencies required of successful change agents. Recognize and solve ethical dilemmas related to change.




Success and Failure of IS/IT Projects


Book Description

This book examines the link between change and project management and how creating a closer alignment between these two methodologies can yield greater benefits and mitigate elements of failure of information systems (IS) projects. This study explores the underlying challenges and practicalities of closer integration of the two disciplines and asserts that such a successful change goes beyond the simple training of project managers in the practitioner context. Instead, it requires organizations to conceptualize the necessary challenges to realize the potential benefits of this recommended integrated approach. The integration of both project and change management has been advocated in existing research, but the challenges of moving from a current position of separate methodologies, different standards bodies and in some cases totally separate organizational structures, is a step change for many organizations. Change initiatives where good change management practices are implemented, can increase the probability of successful organizational change. The tasks of leading and sustaining change can be complex and often entail the interplay of multiple factors involving action by people at every level of the business. This book offers a guide that identifies the barriers and major challenges that may arise in the development of the closer integration of change and project management. With a better understanding of these issues, organizations can avoid such pitfalls when establishing their own integrated approach.




Control Your ERP Destiny


Book Description

The history of implementing ERP systems has shown that leaving the fate of your Enterprise Resource Planning project in the hands of software consultants and vendors may only create a false sense of security. While the help of consultants is usually required, they are not all-knowing, have a limited ability to control the keys to project success, and are often the beneficiaries of cost overruns. When it comes to software vendors, their sales people will be long gone when it comes time to go-live with the new system. This book presents comprehensive strategies and techniques that enable organizations to take charge of their Enterprise Resource Planning projects to drive success. It is a guide to making informed decisions during each project phase. The author describes how to become less dependent on outside consultants, mitigate project risks, and significantly reduce system implementation costs. Just as important are strategies and methods for the project team and key stakeholders to identify business improvement opportunities within your organization and redesign processes to achieve the project benefits. The book also contains many tips to create internal project ownership, select ERP software, manage service providers, transfer software knowledge, develop implementation strategies, and establish a realistic schedule and budget. It also addresses the various system deployment options, emerging technology trends, and the implications from a software selection, implementation and on-going support standpoint. This edition updated: November 2023 For those who prefer audiobooks, this version is also available on Google Play. Click "Switch To Audiobook" on this ebook homepage. Reviews "You owe it to your company and yourself to read this book. If you do so, you will sharply increase your odds for success and spend a lot less money. Steve has done the ERP industry a big service." - Thomas F. Wallace, early ERP pioneer, author, and Distinguished Fellow at The Ohio State University Center for Operational Excellence. "There really aren't many "must-read" ERP books in the 30 year (or so) history of ERP, but you can add this book to the must-read list. The book fits nicely into what I call the Center of Excellence movement - the push by ERP customers to gain more value out of their ERP investments and endure less headaches. The book is a combination of hard-won advice, cautionary tales, and a bit of a manifesto for not placing blind trust in third party consultancies." - Jon Reed, SAP/ERP Market Analyst. "I love this book." - R. Ray Wang. CEO and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, a founding partner of the Altimeter Group and thought leader on enterprise digital transformation. "If the Project Management Institute (PMI) had a certification program in ERP Management, this would be the only textbook needed." - Andy Klee, President, Klee Associates, ERPtips.com (SAP), and JDEtips.com (Oracle Enterprise One).




The Next Evolution - Enhancing and Unifying Project and Change Management


Book Description

Change management is an approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations to a desired future state. In a project management context, change management may refer to a project management process wherein changes to the scope of a project are formally introduced and approved. or the definition of change management defined on this page Theories about how organizations change draw on many disciplines, from psychology and behavioral science, through to engineering and systems thinking. The underlying principle is that change does not happen in isolation - it impacts the whole organization (system) around it, and all the people touched by it. In order to manage change successfully, it is therefore necessary to attend to the wider impacts of the changes. As well as considering the tangible impacts of change, it's important to consider the personal impact on those affected, and their journey towards working and behaving in new ways to support the change. Contents: List of Figures 6 1 Change Management 7 1.1 Introduction 7 1.2 Reasons for Change 7 1.2 Origins of Change Management 9 2 Concepts of Change Management 13 2.1 Lewin's Change Theory 13 2.2 Chin & Benne's "Effecting Changes in Human System" 13 2.3 Bullock and Batten's Phases of Planned Change 14 2.4 Beckhard and Harris change formula 16 2.5 7-S Model 16 The Change Process 18 3.1 Initiating a Top-Down Change 18 3.2 Initiating a Bottom-Up Change 20 4 Change Management Projects 31 4.1 External and internal influences 31 4.2 Change strategies and approaches 34 4.3 Examples of failed change management projects 37 4.4 Pitfalls in a change management project 39 4.4 Bringing Change to Success 45 5 Conclusion - The 4C-Toolbox of Change Management 49




The Unified Process Construction Phase


Book Description

Is the Unified Process the be all and end all standard for developing object-oriented component-based software? This book focuses on the design and implementation skeletal versions of systems for purposes of testing early in the life cycle for quality control.




The Future of Life: A Unified Theory of Evolution


Book Description

The Future of Life: A Unified Theory of Evolution represents the first comprehensive formulation of the hypothesis that evolution is the unifying force underlying the dynamics of all processes in the universe- both organic and inorganic. In essence by combining information, decision, network and quantum theory, it is demonstrated that an overarching evolutionry process shapes the spectrum of life and all phenomena in the universe, beyond Darwin's original biological theory.




Proceedings of the International Conference Theory and Applications in the Knowledge Economy TAKE 2017


Book Description

Foreword A famous Portuguese Poet once said around one hundred years ago; “before I was born all the words that should save the Humanity had already been written.., the only thing that was missing was to save Humanity.” Fast forward to the 21st century services led and knowledge based economy, and we have myriads of theoretical study about the decisive assets – namely intangibles. Those analysis are made in several perspectives, namely Human Resources, Knowledge Management, Intellectual Capital, and also many sectorial perspectiveslike Trade, Economics, Logistics, Social Policy etc. However, today the question about the applicability of all these studies remains unsolved. So, it like, many of the words that will save the Knowledge Economy have already been written, all we need is to save the Knowledge Economy…Or is it not? The idea behind TAKE Conference was to provide a multidisciplinary forum in which those multiple perspectives will come together. We believe it is a fruitful operation and we intend to continue the exercise in the future. The problem of the relation between theory and practice in the knowledge economy is getting more important and not lessimportant with the development of the BRICS and other nations. TAKE main question will be one of the problems of the 21st century. Following the promising start of TAKE 2016 in Aveiro, Portugal, TAKE 2017 was organized by the Faculty of Economics of Zagreb University, around Prof. Blazenka Knezevic. I would like to thank her and her team for the massive effort in putting TAKE 2017 together. It will be a very nice and memorable conference. I would like also to thank the 5 keynotes, the special sessions and workshop organizes, the authors of the 60 papers and 5 posters, the stream leaders, the reviewers and the sponsors for the efforts. And to the 90 participants from 20 countries: Austria, Bosnia‐Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Netherlands, Mexico, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States. A special word to Prof. Gaby Neumann from Wildau who organized the Proceedings. Let us make TAKE 2017 a great occasion and help save the knowledge economy a bit. Eduardo Tomé, Conference Chair Zagreb, July 2017