| Articles » Process Management vs Project Management |
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Process Management vs Project Management |
| by Michael Stanleigh |
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| Confusion abounds in what are the differences and similarities between
process management and project management. There is a lot of literature
in project management circles that purports that we should be creating
organizations that are led by projects and project management and
forming Project Management Environments to support these. But there
are also circles that purport that all work is a process and that
we should be creating organizations that are led by process management
and, in turn, form Quality Management Environments for support. |
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| Before suggesting a settlement to this argument, let's discuss some
definitions. |
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| Definition of a Project: |
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The Project Management Institute's Body of Knowledge defines a Project as, "A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result." Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end date. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from similar products or services. By examining this definition we understand that projects are:
- Time-bound and have a customer.
- Have clear beginning and end states. These can be as short as
half a day or be as long as a number of years. Longer projects
are often broken down into phases or stages. Each one becoming
a project onto itself.
- Follow a specific cycle of Initiation, Definition, Planning,
Execution and Close
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| Definition of a Process: |
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By examining this definition we understand that processes are:
- On-going with no clearly defined beginning and end states.
- Customer driven.
- Repeatable.
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| All projects are managed. All processes should be continuously
analyzed for improvement or reengineering. |
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| Project Management Defined: |
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| Project Management is the application of knowledge and expertise
to the development of Project Scope and a Project Plan, which meets
or exceeds stakeholder requirements. |
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| Process Improvement Defined: |
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| Process Improvement is the examination of a business process in
order to better meet customer & quality requirements. |
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| Business Process Reengineering Defined: |
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| Business Process Reengineering is the fundamental re-thinking and
re-designing of a business process in order to exceed customer and
quality requirements. |
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| By examining the definition for project management it can be determined
that the management of a project is a process. The management of a
project follows a consistent series of steps that ensures it is successfully
managed and meets the project's customer requirements. However, the
process is not subject to an improvement process. If the project management
methodology (or process) is followed, it is assumed that the project
will successfully meet its defined deliverables. |
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| By examining the definition for business process improvement and
business process reengineering, you can see that all work is a process
and can be improved or reengineered in order to meet the continuously
changing needs of the customers (internal or external) for whom the
process has been designed. |
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| Through our work in Quality Management and Project Management we
have found that all work is a process. It can be flowcharted, measured
and improved. Organizations that are quality driven will map all of
their work processes. It then becomes easy to determine who does what
and when they have to do it, in order to ensure customer requirements
are met. These flowcharts can replace job descriptions. All employees
can examine the flowcharts and immediately determine where their job
fits into the work to be done. As well, they can easily see where
their work comes from and when they're finished, where their part
of the process then goes. |
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| Now, back to our earlier position. Project Management Circles suggest
that Project Management Offices (PMOs) should be put in place to oversee
projects, ensuring they are properly resourced and prioritized. PMOs
also help to lead the way towards the creation of a Project Management
Environment within the organization. |
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| More current approaches and albeit, there are few examples so far
as it is very leading edge in it's thinking, is to merge process management
with project management and create a Strategic Change Management Office.
It would oversee all process management (process improvement, reengineering,
benchmarking studies, ISO/QS 9000, Six Sigma Initiatives, etc.) with
project management. Because individuals are assigned to teams and
these teams are either involved in some form of process management
and/or project management, this Change Management Office will oversee
the link of these to the organization's strategic direction (established
through the process of Strategic Planning) and resourcing of these. |
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| In reviewing the definitions and literature, it becomes apparent that the correct thinking is that all work is a process and that projects fit into the framework of process management. Dr. Edwards Deming, Quality Management theorist, consultant and author once said, "If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you are doing". |
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| About the Author |
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| As President and CEO of Business Improvement Architects, Michael works with executives and senior managers around the world to help them improve operational effectiveness through strategic planning, leadership development, project management and quality management. He has been instrumental in helping his clients reduce waste and increase efficiencies and profits with his clear processes and quality approach. |
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| For more information about this article, please contact
bia™ at info@bia.ca. |
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| Michael Stanleigh is author of the global report: “2010 PMO Global Study: How a Project Management Office Can Improve Organizational Effectiveness”.
For more information about this report, please contact
bia™ at info@bia.ca. |
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| © Business Improvement Architects |
