Project management uses different methodologies. They are based on the concept of project management through a group of standard processes, reflect a significant correction of the methodology towards interactive techniques, offer a step-by-step approach that starts with the simplest of things and ends with as sophisticated techniques as it may be required for a particular project, including document templates. To implement different types of projects, a set of different procedures, documents and technologies are used, most suitable for a particular type of project. This article discusses some of the international standards for project management. International standards play an important role in the world economy.
Project management is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria. Management used different standardsto achieve goals and criteria. For example, ISO 10006:2003, guidelines for quality management projects, was released in the fall of 2003. This standard is creating the next wave in our understanding of project managing processes. But how does ISO 10006 compare to the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge? What are the comparisons between these two sets of guidelines? What is their importance to ongoing project management? What are the implications for the management of all projects? What are the strategies required to implement ISO 10006 and how it being applied in organizations?
ISO 10006 provides guidance on the quality of project management processes. Because it’s a guidance document, ISO 10006 is to be used for registration purposes. It’s intended to create and maintain process and product quality in projects, therefore requiring a systematic approach that ensures:
- Stated and implied customers needs are understood and met
- Interested stakeholders needs are understood and evaluated
- Quality policy is incorporated into the organization’s management. [1]
The new standards provide guidance on quality issues which impact projects. They are very clear about setting strategic objectives and driving results through tactical plans and continued improvements. Project management expertise is critical for any organization struggling with continual improvement compliance issues.
PMBOK describes the sum of knowledge generally accepted within the project management arena. Its overall purpose is to provide a common language for discussing the project management profession.
Comparing the ISO 10006 Standard and PMBOK, there is much discussion as to whether a project should follow PMBOK, ISO 10006 guidelines or both.
ISO is a unique process consisting of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective conforming to specific requirements including constraints of time, cost and resources.
PMBOK is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.
Interpretation: The ISO 10006 definition of a project, although correct, is rather wordy. The definition from PMBOK is more concise and to the point. Temporary, according to PMBOK, means there must be a start and finish date to the project. All projects must have a defined end result. The ISO 10006 definition doesn’t include this end result. Rather, it focuses on the process of getting to it.
ISO has a characteristics of a project:
- Unique, nonrepetitive phases consisting of processes and activities;
- Some degree of risk and uncertainty;
- Expected to deliver specified (minimum) quality results within pre-determined parameters;
- Planned start and finish dates, within clearly specified cost and resource constraints;
- May be of a long duration and subject to changing internal and external influences over time; PMBOK:
- Performed by people;
- Constrained by limited resources;
- Planned, executed and controlled; [2]
Again, PMBOK provides a more succinct definition. All projects are planned, executed and controlled. Otherwise, how can one know whether or not they’re on track? All projects are performed by people. How else will anything get done? All projects are constrained by limited resources. It’s the nature of all projects that they will always want more time, money and/or people. ISO 10006 defines a project as including nonrepetitive phases. However, this isn’t always the case on a project. At times, phases may be repeated, but the end result may be unique. Again, the PMBOK definition is better suited to defining the project. The ISO definition suggests a project should deliver minimum quality results. The PMBOK guide states a project should deliver all expected quality deliverables as defined in the scope of the project.
A quality planof ISO:
- Document specifying which procedures and associated resources shall be applied to a specific project, product, process or contract
A quality planof PMBOK:
- Identifies which quality standards are relevant to the project and determines how to satisfy them
- Describes how the project management team will implement its quality policy
Interpretation: The definitions, although stated differently, are similar. The quality policy and standards are stated generally and each project must identify which of these are applicable. Then they must incorporate these standards into their project plan. They must know whether they are managing their project according to the quality policy that has been established.
ISO provides nine major steps to consider for the strategic process including customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision-making and mutually beneficial supplier relationship.
PMOBK provides detail in the project quality management section including project stakeholders, key general management skills, organizational structure, administrative closure and project procurement management.
ISO 10006 emphasizes the need for projects to be strategically aligned. Projects that aren’t somehow linked to a departmental or organizational strategy risk failure. They won’t be perceived as necessary. Senior management have to oversee projects to ensure success. They do this by providing support, approvals, etc. and must understand what they need to do to ensure project success.
Customer focus on projects is crucial for success. The project process is interrelated to other processes within the organization. All work is a process. In deciding which projects should remain and which should be eliminated, sound decision-making processes must be used.
PMBOK includes a section on project quality management. It details the need for projects to include quality standards and to put in place specific activities that will ensure standards are being met. It describes and identifies the various stakeholders, including the customers, who are impacted by the project. It discusses Matrix management, including the need for management to provide project resources to ensure success.
PMBOK guidelines in the quality management area are clear and easy to follow. They ensure the project is managed with quality, following established quality policy and standards for the organization. Both PMBOK and ISO 10006 are clear on the importance of the customer, although PMBOK does a better job describing the need to identify the customer, determine their needs and manage their requirements throughout the project. ISO 10006 discusses the need for continual project improvement, and this is also included in PMBOK as a part of the close-out project evaluation. Neither discusses nor recommends how this knowledge should be captured and how it can be transferred to others.
ISO 10006:2003 is not a guide to "project management" itself. Guidance on quality in project management processes is discussed in this International Standard. Guidance on quality in a project's product- related processes, and on the "process approach", is covered in ISO 9004. A new "Project Management - Guide to project Management" ISO 21500 has been published in September 2012.
The second half of the 90-ies of the XX century. It was marked by the final recognition of project management as a profession. An important component of this recognition was the standardization of project management by various organizations and countries with parallel certification according to the standards of those who were engaged in project management. So, in the 90s, such standards as PMBOK, P2M, PRINCE2, ICB appeared and a number of other project management standards, which were usually published by national project management associations taking into account the specifics of the business environment of a specific state. [3]
At the same time PMBOK project management standard, first published in 1996 thanks to PMI (Institute for Project Management, USA), has been considered and is considered the most thorough and widely used by the majority of project management professionals. Bill Duncan, the father of PMBOK and its main developer, notes that PMBOK is the fundamental standard for all types of projects where PRICE2 or Agile (a popular project management technique, especially IT) is not able to compete with PMBOK, because Represent particular techniques for specific types of specific types of projects.
In 2006, the British Institute for Standardization (member of the International Organization for Standardization, ISO) initiated the creation of a single, international standard for project management, as a result of many debates around the need to create a universal document that would compile the best world practices in project management. ISO did not hesitate to respond to such a proposal, creating for the development of the standard ISO / PC 236 working group, which included representatives of 31 countries. The group was led by Jim Annecy, who in 1999 took an active part in the adoption of PMBOK as the national standard for US project management, and the main development team consisted of PMI representatives.
As a result, the new project management standard appeared before the world community in September 2012
With pressure on business for faster and cheaper results, a new ISO standard for good practice in project management will increase efficiency and maximize the effect of investments.
ISO 21500:2012, Guidance on project management, can be used by any type of organization, including public, private or community organizations, and for any type of project, irrespective of complexity, size and duration.
Project management is now big business. According to the Anderson Economic Group study commissioned by the Project Management Institute, over 24.4 million employees were participating in projects in 11 major economies in 2006. By 2016, this demand will exist to support 32.6 million employees in the same countries. [4]
ISO 21500 provides high-level description of concepts and processes that are considered to form good practice in project management. New project managers as well as experienced managers will be able to use the project management guidance in this standard to improve project success and achieve business results.
Miles Shepherd, Chair of the ISO project committee that developed the new standard, states: “ISO 21500 enables people in any organization to understand how the discipline fits into a business environment. It is also intended to be used as a basic guide, aimed at the informed reader without an in-depth knowledge of project management.”
Additional benefits of ISO 21500 include:
- Encourage transfer of knowledge between projects and organizations for improved project delivery
- Facilitate efficient tendering processes through the use of consistent project management terminology
- Enable the flexibility of project management employees and their ability to work on international projects
- Provide universal project management principles and processes
Karl Best, Secretary of the project committee, comments: “In an increasingly global economy project managers need guidance to help them understand the basic principles of managing projects. ISO 21500 can help those involved in projects improve the success of a wide variety of project types.” [5]
In November 2014, the national standard in the field of project management of ST RK ISO 21500-2014 “The project management manual” was enacted in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The importance of this step can not be overestimated, because up to this point there was no regulatory regulation of the project management in the Republic of Kazakhstan, except for the UNE standards, which extended to research and innovation projects.
National standard ST RK ISO 21500-2014 is developed on the basis of a similar international standard and is identical to it.
In the development of the international standard ISO 21500: 2012, experts from 31 countries of the world took part, 5 more countries acted as observers in this process. That is, in the broadest sense, the entire world project community is involved in the development of the international standard.
In turn, the main source of ideas for the development of the international standard ISO 21500: 2012 was the provisions of the most well-known in the field of project management of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge - PMI PMBOK Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge). As is known, this guide contains a detailed description of the design tool, in one degree or another inevitably used at project management, irrespective of its characteristics.
Thus, ISO 21500: 2012 has incorporated the process approach and partly the tools described in PMBOK Guide, and the involvement of a wide range of countries in the development of the standard ensured the concentration of the best practice in project management in it.
At the same time, with all the strengths of PMBOK® Guide, according to a number of experts, ISO 21500: 2012, is simpler in understanding and practical, which distinguishes it from the base.
Another progressive feature of the international standard is that it separately identifies such an independent subject area of project management as "Stakeholders". A similar subject area (area of knowledge) in the 4th edition of the PMBOK Guide did not exist. The significance of this innovation lies in the fact that in the absence of coherence and due understanding between the stakeholders of the project, its systematic implementation is likely to be unattainable.
The plus of the ISO 21500 standard is the fact that, being part of the ISO standards system, it is well harmonized with other ISO system standards, such as ISO 10007: 2003-Quality Management Systems. Configuration Management Guide, ISO 31000: 2009-Risk Management. Principles and guidance, ISO 10006: 2003-Quality management systems, Quality management manual in projects, etc.
This mutual consistency of the ISO system standards will facilitate the implementation of the ST RK ISO 21500-2014 standard at enterprises already using, for example, the ISO 9000 series of quality management standards.
Fixed in the national standard ST RK ISO 21500-2014 process approach allows you to structure the project in detail and monitor the progress of its implementation, which in many ways predetermines the planned implementation of the project.
Detailed regulation in the national standard of management processes will allow Kazakhstani organizations to apply this standard without much difficulty, both as a basis for direct implementation of projects, and as a professional methodological base for developing their own corporate standards.
The use of common terminology and approaches enshrined in ST RK ISO 21500-2014 will contribute to a better, uniform understanding of project management by all stakeholders and project participants, which in turn will contribute to the eradication of disagreements caused by different understanding and interpretation of the project approach and the soonest possible achievement of project objectives.
In addition, joining the international standard means that Kazakhstan's project managers will "speak the same language" with the world's project community.
Conclusion. ISO 21500: 2012 is the first project management standard that was issued by International Standartization Organization committee. Prior to this, the development of standards related to project management was handled by other ISO committees taking into account their areas of specialization. The most famous of the previously published is the ISO 10006 Quality Management - Guidelines for quality in project management, first published in 1997, and then in the second edition - in 2003 with the changed name - Quality management systems - Guidelines for quality management in projects. In the 1997 edition of the standard, the basic PMI standard, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, was used as a basis. But since the ISO 10006 standard was developed by quality specialists, not project management, the document turned out to be very general and is not actually used in the practice of project management. In the 2003 version of the standard, developers emphasize that ISO 10006: 2003 is not a direct guide to "project management".
Thus, as a result of the review of information project management standards, it was possible to establish that in all of them one of the central groups of processes is the processes of risk management and project quality. Moreover, most of the considered standards are of an intersectoral nature.
The world of project management gives every small company a chance to become big, and a big company to become more efficient. Successful projects are a chance for Kazakhstan as a state to gain the respect of its citizens and to move from a developing country to a developed one.
References
- Crosby P.B., Quality is Free. - New York: New American Library, 1979. – 134
- Humphrey W.S., Characterizing the Software Process. A maturity Framework. Software Engineering Institute, 1987. – 23
- Paulk M.C., The Capability Maturity Model: Guidelines for Improving the Software Process. Mass.: Addison- Wesley Pub. Co., 1995. – 82
- CMMI® for Development, Version 1.3 / Software Engineering Institute, 2010. –sei.cmu.edu/reports/10tr033.pdf (Retrieved: 03.04.2017).
- What is PRINCE2? / Office of Government Commerce, UK – prince2.com/what-is-prince2 (Retrieved: 20.04.2017).