Diploma thesis provides an overview of IT project management and its methodologies. It follows the goal of exploring the most widely used approaches. Special attention is devoted to recognize the position of IT project management between general management and technical computer perspectives. Chosen methods will be compared to identify common elements and differences.

The thesis analyzes problems of the project portfolio in DHL Express (Czech Republic) s.r.o. in years 2007 - 2009. It also includes situation analysis of project management in the company. There were used these methods for analyses: SWOT analysis, Pareto analysis and the tree of causal relationships. Based on these analyses was made some recommendations in this thesis, which should lead to elimination of identified problems in future.

The main objective of the thesis is to use several managerial tools in order to plan how to start a private Moroccan-Czech business in the Czech Republic. In order to achieve this goal, the main objective was subdivided in a set of partial goals. To start a business includes firstly to have an idea and to consider its viability through a feasibility study before planning its execution. Secondly, to support the startup process from the procedural point of view, it is reasonable to use project management since it revealed processes that are common to any project lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, control and closure. The application of these processes helps to create a structured action plan. In order to answer all questions, the thesis is divided in three steps. In the first one, project management is explained as well as its concepts and processes and application method. The second step describes the methodology of a startup business; and the third step is the achievement of the constructed methodology in a real business planning, that is monitored and evaluated continuously. The result of the thesis is a business idea verified as viable through a feasibility study. Then a business plan is prepared in order to detail the opportunity, strategy and financial expectations; this document is a key to find investors, funding or associates and should consider potential risks and how to avoid or solve them. When the financial and material requirements are met, the legal and administrative procedures as well as the company installation can start. The thesis also includes a time schedule and budget to every activity which have to be respected and continuously controlled during the business operation executing. However, some risks may appear during the project, and a good preparation and planning means keeping in mind the project's achievement.

The aim of the diploma thesis is analysis of problems related to service delivery at Interoute Communications Ltd. and proposal of changes by creating the project management structure according to PRINCE2, which is going to include a number of countermeasures against these problems. Theoretical and methodological part of this work is describing the basic characteristics of project and tools used under project management. Further focus is given to most popular project management methodologies with PRINCE2 as a priority. The analytical part is describing the process of service delivery and it's main problems, followed by the proposal of project management implementation into a process.

The theme of this thesis is controlling and its application in the management of large construction projects. The theoretical part defines controlling its functions and activities, and explores its application in the management of construction contracts on the basis of professional literature. The practical part describes and evaluates the application of controlling in specific construction company in managing the various phases of construction projects. Conclusion of the practical part contains a summary assessment of controlling construction projects, including proposed changes.

The theme of this Diploma thesis is an analysis of project management in advertising. The purpose of the thesis is to break down each department of the agency and to suggest adopting measures that could improve that existent system of project management and labour organisation. The first part of the Diploma thesis is focused on project management in theory. The key terms are defined using literature and official web sources. In the introduction to the practical part of the thesis the agency being analysed is introduced and subsequently the system of project management is presented. Measures that could lead to improving the existing conditions are recommended on the basis of ascertained data.

The Master's Thesis is dedicated to a topic of project management which is explored through the fashion brand Bazar Bar. The theoretical part is focused on definition necessary terms for the whole Thesis and it is occupied with connected fields of study: project management and brand marketing. In the practical part are the theoretical knowledge presented on the real brand called Bazar Bar. The Master's Thesis has set a target to analyse the real fashion brand operating on the Czech Market from two points of view: project management and brand marketing.

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is a relatively new method of scheduling. Whilst it has a number of advantages over traditional scheduling methods, it is still far from perfect. A literature review of the CCPM method, its shortcomings and suggestions for improvement is presented in this thesis. The review reveals that, in addition to other issues addressed, most researchers concentrate on the question of project and feeding buffer size. Issues concerning the resource buffer are ignored in the literature. This is a crucial gap in research, as resources are needed to perform tasks, and resource buffers protect the critical activities from the unavailability of resources. Although the original CCPM method treats resource buffers only as a notice or a ‘wake-up call’, the research in this thesis proposes to include resource buffers as time buffers with the assigned resources and cost. The research in this thesis provides a simulation methodology to answer the problem of resource buffer allocation and sizing. The simulation is performed on 3 projects, generated by RanGen software, each with the same characteristics of network order strength, resource strength and resource use. Three different buffer sizes and three different uncertainty levels are applied to the schedules. The analysis of simulation results demonstrates that no optimum resource buffer can be obtained for all projects in general. Each project, even with the same characteristics, behaves differently. Therefore the simulation methodology, developed and presented in the thesis, has to be applied to decide on the size of resource buffer in a specific project. The research outcomes demonstrate that resource buffers cannot be neglected and should be simulated using CCPM schedules, as they help to reduce the total project duration during execution. The decision whether to apply the resource buffer should also be based on financial analysis of the cost and benefits of inclusion.

Financial crises in East Asia, Russia, and Latin America have caused some to wonder if there is something inherently unstable about financial markets that thwarts their ability to allocate capital appropriate^- and ultimately causes these crises. I build a multi-period, industry-level credit model in which debt-financed entrepreneurs develop homogeneous projects with long gestation periods, sequential investment requirements, and no intermediate cash flows. Entrepreneurs accumulate private signals about terminal demand, and if the signals are bad enough, may decide to halt project development before completion. The prevalence of project suspensions aggregates information and permits the industry size to adjust to the true state of terminal demand. Debt contracts depend upon the pricing power of the creditor; these contracts impact the size of the industry and the timing of the information aggregation. When demand realisations are poor, some investors will be disappointed ex post; aggregate disappointment will depend upon how long the investment behaviour has carried on before suspensions occur, and how large the industry is. I interpret situations of substantial aggregate disappointment as a 'crisis'. Principal results relate to the impact of debt finance on the timing and likelihood of project suspensions. With all equity (self) financing, suspensions will typically be observed, but they may occur relatively late in the game. In contrast, debt finance may lead to very rapid suspensions, depending upon the tools allocated to the creditor. When creditors exercise monopoly control over credit allocation and pricing, profit-maximising creditors can and will force suspensions. This may involve reducing the entrepreneurs' equity contribution and / or subsidizing credit in order to ensure entrepreneurial participation. When credit markets are competitive, creditors lack the pricing power that can be used to structure credit policies that force early suspensions. As debt accumulates and the entrepreneurs' share of liquidation proceeds dwindles, entrepreneurs may not voluntarily suspend operations as this will lead to loss of private benefits. Therefore, there may be no suspensions observed in equilibrium. This problem will be particularly acute when the entrepreneurs' initial equit)' stake is small. / Business, Sauder School of / Finance, Division of / Graduate

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Broadly speaking, communication forms an integral component of everyone’s daily activities, be it on a personal level amongst family and friends, or in a professional environment. In many instances, the ability of project teams to communicate effectively and efficiently is taken for granted by project managers, which can result in projects being late or incomplete. However, the importance of Project Communications Management is evident in the fact that the Project Management Institute (PMI) dedicates a chapter to Project Communications Management in the PMBOK® Guide. The current research seeks to understand what effect communication has on a project, and how it can be successfully managed during a project. The research in the form of a case study investigated the state of communications within a project department, with the aim of identifying whether a lack of communication during a project is a contributing factor to projects being late or incorrect. The department in question is responsible for supplying the mining industry with critical conveyor drive equipment. The case study research was conducted utilizing the procedure outlined in the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®). The research found that certain areas in the department lacked the basic requirements for effective communications, and that a lack of communication between various stakeholders during a project could negatively influence the success of a project. These findings were compared to those of independent research by the PMI into global trends of project communications. The important aspects relating to Project Communication Management were discussed, and a workable solution to the problem was proposed. It was found that by implementing a communication plan in the department, and encouraging a culture of open and honest communications, the organization can expect to see an improvement in project success.