Part I of this book is a stepping-stone to elucidate the concept of Organizational Project Management (OPM). It discusses a central connection between OPM and the organization – the strategy. Organizations use strategy to integrate their project management activities in an effective, responsive, and sustainable manner. To explore and deepen these ties between the organization, its strategy and OPM, Part I gathers and blends the views of well-known scholars who have studied these relationships through different lenses for many years. These authors used a multidisciplinary approach, building their knowledge on the shoulders of eminent academics and their theoretical research in the field and by using empirical studies and mixed-methods approaches to develop a better understanding of OPM.
Part I begins with a chapter on “The Nature of Organizational Project Management through the Lens of Integration,” by Nathalie Drouin, Ralf Müller, and Shankar Sankaran. From an ontological perspective, OPM is defined as “the integration of all project management-related activities throughout the organizational hierarchy or network.” Using the lens of integration, OPM is recognized as a mechanism that integrates, combines, and embeds project management activities strategically and effectively within the organization.
Chapter 2 is “The Business of Projects in and across Organizations,” by Miia Martinsuo, Rami Sariola, and Lauri Vuorinen. Based on three empirical studies, this chapter outlines the business of projects through the decisions that occur in the different phases of a project’s lifecycle. It challenges project sponsors to “do the right things” in delivery project contexts, and shows how various stakeholders engage with the project network. It suggests that OPM promotes cooperation and communication between stakeholders, and takes into account their evolving needs in critical business decisions over the project’s lifecycle.
It is followed by Chapter 3, on “Strategic OPM: Why Companies Need to Adopt a Strategic Approach to Project Management,” by Vered Holzmann, Aaron Shenhar, and Joca Stefanovic. Using a three-dimensional strategic project management maturity model, these authors hypothesize that additional focus on strategic aspects of projects will contribute greatly to the improvement of project business performance. They suggest that OPM should be built in accordance with this premise, predicting that OPM will become more strategic in the future and help projects to focus on achieving business results in addition to the traditional efficiency delivery goals.
Chapter 4 by Kam Jugdev on “Strengthening the Connections between Strategy and Organizational Project Management” introduces the reader to selected concepts in strategy by four scholars: Grant, Porter, Barney, and Mintzberg, and highlights their key contributions. It also highlights the limitations of the Project Management Institute’s perspective on OPM, proposing that OPM is a tangible and intangible resource and a vehicle for developing sustainable competitive advantage.
The last chapter of Part I is Chapter 5 on “Project Portfolio Management: A Dynamic Capability and Strategic Asset” by Catherine P. Killen and Nathalie Drouin, which shows how dynamic capabilities are developed in organizations and how they can create and sustain competitive advantage by enabling organizations to reconfigure resources in response to change. It highlights that project portfolio management (PPM) as a dynamic capability is also a strategic asset of OPM to implement changes and sustainable competitive advantage in organizations. In sum, it proposes that dynamic OPM is enabled through PPM – and therefore when acting as a dynamic capability, PPM is a strategic asset for OPM.
We hope you will enjoy reading this first part of the book and gain a better understanding of OPM viewed through the lens of organizational strategy.
