1. Commonalities & Differences In Project Management Around the World
ISGI-Groupe ESC Lille: 3rd International Workshop August 25-29, 2003
Commonalities & Differences In Project Management Around the World
A Survey of Project Categories and Life Cycles
Russell D. Archibald
& Vladimir Voropaev
Archibald & Voropaev

2. Purpose of This Survey To encourage global agreement on:
Definition of basic project categories & sub-categories in common use for essentially all types of projects
Identification & definition of life cycles in use for each project category
To identify differences in these areas so that these can be understood and minimized

3. Presentation Outline A Global Vision: PM Practices
Systematic Model of Project Management
Proposed Project Categories/Sub-Categories
Life Cycles for Various Categories
Survey Questionnaire and Conduct
Next Steps

4. 1. A Vision of Global Project Management Practices
Widely used set of concepts, methods, systems and tools
High degree of uniformity and understanding across economic, cultural & political boundaries
Enabling broad collaboration with minimum conflict
Interchangeable managers & specialists

5. 2. Systematic Model of Project Management
The following figure is from Voropaev et al, “Systematic Model of Project Management,” presented at the 17th IPMA World Congress 2003 in Moscow

7. This Survey Focuses On:
Managed Objects: Projects and Programs
Life cycle phases of projects

8. Projects:
Are the common denominator for all aspects of project management
Exist in many sizes & types
Produce many different products & results

9. Required Analytical Framework
Systematic grouping into defined categories and sub-categories
Many possible classification schemes
Most practical scheme reflects the products of the projects at the first levels of classification

10. 3. Proposed Major Categories of Projects
Aerospace/Defense
Business & Organizational Change Projects
Communication Systems Projects
Event Projects
Facilities Projects
Information Systems
International Development
Media & Entertainment
Product/Service Development
Research & Dev.

11. Other Major Categories May Be Required
See Table 1 in the paper
Survey will determine how practical and complete these recommended categories are
Further breakdown is obviously required
A few examples follow

12. Examples Project Categories:
Each having similar life cycle phases and a unique project management process
Examples
1. Aerospace/Defense Projects
1.1 Defense systems
1.2 Space
1.3 Military operations
New weapon system; major system upgrade.
Satellite development/launch; space station mod.
Task force invasion
2. Business & Organization Change Projects
2.1 Acquisition/Merger
2.2 Management process improvement
2.3 New business venture
2.4 Organization re-structuring
2.5 Legal proceeding
Acquire and integrate competing company.
Major improvement in project management.
Form and launch new company.
Consolidate divisions and downsize company.
Major litigation case.
3. Communication Systems Projects
3.1 Network communications systems
3.2 Switching communications systems
Microwave communications network.
3rd generation wireless communication system.
4. Event Projects
4.1 International events
4.2 National events
2004 Summer Olympics; 2006 World Cup Match.
2005 U. S. Super Bowl; 2004 Political Conventions.
5. Facilities Projects
5.1 Facility decommissioning
5.2 Facility demolition
5.3 Facility maintenance and modification
5.4 Facility design/procurement/construction
Civil
Energy
Environmental
High rise
Industrial
Commercial
Residential
Ships
Closure of nuclear power station.
Demolition of high rise building.
Process plant maintenance turnaround.
Conversion of plant for new products/markets.
Flood control dam; highway interchange.
New gas-fired power generation plant; pipeline.
Chemical waste cleanup.
40 story office building.
New manufacturing plant.
New shopping center; office building.
New housing sub-division.
New tanker, container, or passenger ship
6. Information Systems (Software) Projects
New project management information system. (Information system hardware is considered to be in the product development category.)
7. International Development Projects
7.1 Agriculture/rural development
7.2 Education
7.3 Health
7.4 Nutrition
7.5 Population
7.6 Small-scale enterprise
7.7 Infrastructure: energy (oil, gas, coal, power generation and distribution), industrial, telecommunications, transportation, urbanization, water supply and sewage, irrigation)
People and process intensive projects
in developing countries funded by The World Bank, regional development banks, US AID, UNIDO, other UN, and government agencies; and
Capital/civil works intensive projects—
often somewhat different from 5. Facility Projects as they may include, as part of the project, creating an organizational entity to operate and maintain the facility, and lending agencies impose their project life cycle and reporting requirements.
8. Media & Entertainment Projects
8.1 Motion picture
8.2 TV segment
8.2 Live play or music event
New motion picture (film or digital).
New TV episode.
New opera premiere.
9. Product and Service Development Projects
9.1 Information technology hardware
9.2 Industrial product/process
9.3 Consumer product/process
9.4 Pharmaceutical product/process
9.5 Service (financial, other)
New desk-top computer.
New earth-moving machine.
New automobile, new food product.
New cholesterol-lowering drug.
New life insurance/annuity offering.
10. Research and Development Projects
10.1 Environmental
10.2 Industrial
10.3 Economic development
10.4 Medical
10.5 Scientific
Measure changes in the ozone layer.
How to reduce pollutant emission.
Determine best crop for sub-Sahara Africa.
Test new treatment for breast cancer.
Determine the possibility of life on Mars.
11. Other Categories?

13. Sub-Categories Are Required
One example:
Business & Organization Change Projects:
Acquisition/merger
Management process improvement
New business venture
Organization re-structuring
Legal proceeding
Other: ?

14. Example: Category 5. Facilities Projects
Subcategories:
Facility decommissioning
Facility demolition
Facility maintenance & modification
Facility design/procure/construct 1.Civil 2.Energy 3.Environmental 4.Industrial 5.Commercial 6.Residential 7.Ships 8.Other:
Other: ?

15. Categories Are Not Mutually Exclusive
Programs and large projects usually involve more than one category or sub-category
These projects are placed in their predominate category
Must “Mega” projects be treated separately? Probably: yes

16. Classifying Within Categories & Sub-Categories
Project size
Project complexity
External or internal customer
Degree of customer involvement
Levels of risk
Other:

17. Classifying Within Categories (Cont’d)
Major & minor projects
Mega projects: not categorizable
Stand-alone versus create supporting infrastructure
Standard versus transitional
Other: ?

18. Commonalities & Differences: A Framework for Analysis
Define appropriate project categories and sub-categories
Identify life cycles within each of these
Identify PM practices & tools in use by life cycle phase within various regions or countries

19. 4. Life Cycles: Searching for Common Processes
Life cycle definition enables:
All involved persons to understand the processes to be used
Capture of best experience
Assignment of responsibilities
Repetition of success
Important starting point in our search for common processes

20. Generic Life Cycle Phases
General agreement on four generic life cycle phases:
Concept
Definition
Execution
Closeout
However these are too broad for our purposes

21. Designing Life Cycles: Phases and Decision Points
Three basic design parameters:
Number and definitions of phases/sub-phases
Whether sequential or overlapping, once-through or re-cycling, predictive or adaptive
Number and placement of decision points (approvals, go/kill, go/hold, go back)

22. Basic Life Cycle Model Types
Predictive
Most common
Generic, waterfall, other
Adaptive/heuristic
Incremental build
Short-term cycles
Evolutionary

23. Life Cycle Models Differ by Category
Different project categories (and sub-categories) often require very different life cycle designs
Incomplete literature search produced list shown in Table 2 of our paper

24. Examples of Predictive Life Cycles
Generic/Standard:
Concept, definition, execution, closeout
Waterfall:
Generic with overlapping, more detailed phases
Cyclical (when number is known)
Spiral

25. Examples of Adaptive Life Cycle Models
Adaptive Software Development/ASD:
Component based, iterative time-boxed cycles, risk-driven, change tolerant
Extreme Programming/XP:
Programming in pairs, teams include managers & users, each team codes & tests, fluid cost & schedule
SCRUM:
Iterative 30 day sprints, short daily meetings (scrums), several small teams
Source: Desaulniers & Anderson 2002

26. Extreme Programming/XP
“A cooperative style of software development promises to deliver better applications — on time and on budget.”
PC Magazine, Feb. 25, 2003 p. 68
For helpful links, see “Extreme Programming Resources” at

27. NASA “Process Based Mission Assurance Program Life Cycle”
Program Management
Concept Development
Acquisition
Hardware Design
Software Design
Manufacturing
Pre-Operations Integration & Test
Operations

28. Information Systems Life Cycle Examples
Desaulniers & Anderson 2002:
Predictive (waterfall, prototyping, rapid application development/RAD, incremental build)
Adaptive (ASD, XP, SCRUM)
Whitten 1995:
Code and fix, waterfall, incremental, interative

29. Product & Service Development Life Cycle Examples
Cooper & Kleinschmidt 1993:
Stage-Gate Process Model
Thamhain 2000:
Phase-Gate Model
Murphy 1989:
Pharmaceutical Model

30. Stage-Gate Model

31. 5. Global Survey: Project Categories & Sub-Categories
Purpose: To determine:
If such a concept is used & if so how common it is around the world
Whether the recommended categories are used or useful
What additions or changes are needed
What are the common practices in further classification within sub-categories

32. Global Survey: Project Life Cycles Within Categories
Purpose: To determine for each category/sub-category within each country:
Which of the listed life cycles are in use
Whether other life cycles are used, & if so their names and references
How the life cycle models are used and the benefits they produce

33. Conducting the Survey
The questionnaire is available on-line at
Completed questionnaires are to be completed on-line prior to November 1st, 2003

34. Project Categories Survey
Enter These Codes for Each Item in Table 1:
U – Universally accepted and used
W – Widely accepted and used
A – Accepted and used by some
R – Rarely accepted and used
N – Never accepted or used
ALT – Alternative term used as noted

35. Project Categories Survey (Cont’d)
Questions:
Useful to have an agreed list of project categories? Why?
What other classification systems are in use?
What subordinate classifications are used?

36. Project Life Cycle Survey Codes – Each Category
SEQ – Sequential
WF – Waterfall Model
PAR – Parallel
CYC – Cyclical
Spir – Spiral
INCR - Incremental
ITER – Iterative
ADAP – Adaptive
GATE – Stage-Gate
CFIX – Code and fix
Spec – Special (describe)

37. Project Life Cycle Survey - Other Information
Number of life cycle phases
Number of decision points
Additional comments
….for each project category listed in Table 2 plus any that have been added by the respondent

38. Project Life Cycle Survey
Questions:
Useful to have an agreed list of project life cycle types? Why?
List any other life cycle models or type that you know are in use, with descriptions or references.
Any other comments or suggestions

39. Promoting the Survey
ISGI Workshop participants are invited to respond — and encourage their colleagues to do the same
The survey is being publicized through appropriate PM associations around the world — primarily using the Internet and Web

40. Inducements To Complete the Survey
Respondents will receive a complete copy of the survey report
Their names will be listed in the report (if desired)
They will have the satisfaction of having contributed to the advancement of the project management profession

41. 6. Next Steps Survey conduct: June — October
Compilation of results and preparation of the survey report: Sept.— December
Release of final report:
December 31, 2003
Presentation of results at the 18th IPMA World Congress in Budapest June 2004

42. Download this paper & complete the on-line survey questionnaire at:
The site, paper & questionnaire are available in English & Spanish

43. Volunteers Welcome!
We would like to have a survey leader within each country to promote the widest possible participation
Please contact us:
Russ Archibald:
Vladimir Voropaev:

44. Your Feedback Is Requested!
ISGI-Groupe ESC Lille: 3rd International Workshop August 25-29, 2003
Your Feedback Is Requested!
Thank you for listening
Please complete the on-line survey questionnaire prior to November 1st
Please give us your comments or suggestions on the survey
Is this worth all the effort?
Archibald & Voropaev