The recent increase in international projects has resulted in higher risk along with difficulties in control and coordination. Effective project management can therefore be seen as being essential to the success of projects. The purpose of this paper is to understand how a large multinational company currently handles these issues. This paper conducts a case study that will look at the relationship between contingencies and their effects on project risk management. The findings show that although project risk management handles contingencies in standard projects it still requires improvement within complex projects. Therefore, based on research into agile project management a concept is proposed as an alternative for the case company to select project management method.

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Abstract in English / Software project management has been less effective as a result of being focused on resource management and the completion of projects within allocated resources and other confines. There has not been much focus on improving software project management quality through improved decision-making, software project management standards and methodologies, hence the focus of this study to explore the possibility of using data analytics with project management standards and methodologies to improve software project management quality. The main question to be addressed in this study is: Can data analytics use in software project management improve decision-making and project management quality? This study, therefore, explores and provides insight on data analytics use, by means of a survey that was completed by software project managers. A questionnaire was used to collect data from software project managers. The gathered data was captured and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and the analysed data was used for validity testing, while the reliability of the measurement items was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha. A hypothesis was used to evaluate the effect of data analytics use on software project management quality. The research made use of the positivist research method. The study established that data analytics has not yet been widely adopted by software project managers and organisations alike, as both the project managers and organisations have not done enough to promote the training in, and the adoption of data analytics. The research also established that data analytics can improve software project management quality through improved decision-making and in complementing software project management standards. The study findings will be beneficial to software project managers, researchers and organisations as it reveals the factors that are necessary to effectively use data analytics in software project management, as well as highlighting how data analytics improves software project management quality / School of Computing / M.Sc. (Computing)

<p>AbstractPurposeTo study which and how project management methodologies are applied in consulting firmsApproachThe study begins by reviewing literature on Traditional Project Management (TPM) andAgile Project Management (APM) methodologies ending with characteristics of the twomethodologies that identify a project as applying one methodology or another. The literaturethen reviews the nature of consulting firms emphasising on elements such as the professional,professional services and professional service firms before reviewing how projects areimplemented in consulting firms. A case study design is adopted and semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers-Ghana staff. Patterns from theinterviews are identified and compared with the characteristics of both Traditional and Agileproject management before drawing conclusions on which methodologies are applied andhow they are applied. Since APM is presumed to deal with problems of TPM in complexenvironments, challenges in applying TPM in consulting firms are assessed and the extent towhich APM responds to those challenges are also discussed.FindingsThe findings indicate that TPM is applied in consulting firms mainly for structured projects,whilst APM methods are also applied for some structured projects but very much forunstructured and ‘executory’ projects. APM also deals with some challenges of TPM butthose which are organisation related are not solved by applying APM methods.Research limitationThe limited number of people interviewed for this research is one key issue that limitsgeneralization to all consulting firms. However, it is hoped that this work serves as a basis forfurther research in this field.Practical implicationsThe study shows that whilst TPM will continuously be applied in consulting firms due to thenature of some projects, APM can also be applied to the benefit of consulting projects that areunstructured and ‘executory’. Therefore consulting firms do not need to ‘force’ structure intoall projects.Paper typeMasters Thesis – Research paperKeywordsTraditional project management, agile project management, consulting firms, professional,professional service, professional service firms</p>

AbstractPurposeTo study which and how project management methodologies are applied in consulting firmsApproachThe study begins by reviewing literature on Traditional Project Management (TPM) andAgile Project Management (APM) methodologies ending with characteristics of the twomethodologies that identify a project as applying one methodology or another. The literaturethen reviews the nature of consulting firms emphasising on elements such as the professional,professional services and professional service firms before reviewing how projects areimplemented in consulting firms. A case study design is adopted and semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers-Ghana staff. Patterns from theinterviews are identified and compared with the characteristics of both Traditional and Agileproject management before drawing conclusions on which methodologies are applied andhow they are applied. Since APM is presumed to deal with problems of TPM in complexenvironments, challenges in applying TPM in consulting firms are assessed and the extent towhich APM responds to those challenges are also discussed.FindingsThe findings indicate that TPM is applied in consulting firms mainly for structured projects,whilst APM methods are also applied for some structured projects but very much forunstructured and ‘executory’ projects. APM also deals with some challenges of TPM butthose which are organisation related are not solved by applying APM methods.Research limitationThe limited number of people interviewed for this research is one key issue that limitsgeneralization to all consulting firms. However, it is hoped that this work serves as a basis forfurther research in this field.Practical implicationsThe study shows that whilst TPM will continuously be applied in consulting firms due to thenature of some projects, APM can also be applied to the benefit of consulting projects that areunstructured and ‘executory’. Therefore consulting firms do not need to ‘force’ structure intoall projects.Paper typeMasters Thesis – Research paperKeywordsTraditional project management, agile project management, consulting firms, professional,professional service, professional service firms

Nowadays, the nature of the projects has changed to be unique, uncertain, ambiguous,complex and innovative. It becomes hard to plan in advance the project progress, asdeviations from plans and unpredictable changes occur more frequently. This can bespecifically observed in the software development industry which needs to constantlymeet customers’ rapidly changed requirements. Traditionally, software projects aredeveloped through a plan-driven approach which emphasizes an overall project plan andcontrol process in terms of project management. Recently, this has been challenged byagile approach that focuses on flexibility to quickly meet changing requirements, andthese new agile methods provoked huge interest and got more and more popular andwidely applied especially in IT industry. However, the popularity does not mean theagile methods have advantage over traditional plan-based project management methods.In fact, both methods have own advantages and disadvantages and cannot be fullyreplaced by each other. Therefore, it becomes important and necessary for companymanagement to know how to select a suitable method for the new software developmentproject to get the maximum benefits.The purpose of this study is to describe different project management methods(traditional plan-driven and agile methods) and their various consequences for themanagement of software-development projects. Additionally, a more practical purposeis to suggest on what grounds a choice between methods may be made. Morespecifically, this research aims to provide the possible solution on how to selecttraditional plan-driven or agile project management method for managing a newsoftware development project. The research conducted a qualitative study in a casecompany of IT industry through several semi-structured interviews and questionnaireswith experienced and knowledgeable employees. It started with the analysis andcomparison of traditional and agile project management methods’ characteristics andapplication domains based on two specific examples (PROPS and Scrum) selected fromtraditional and agile project management methods respectively, in order to identify a setof preliminary outstanding characteristics which could be used to help IT company tochoose project management methods for new software development projects. Theempirical data obtained from interviews of case company was investigated to verifythese characteristics based on the literature review, and further adjusted thecharacteristics identification. After going through the whole research process, finallyresearchers identified the most suitable characteristics that were important both intheory and practice to examine on what ground a software development company needsto base the selection of project management methods. These suitable characteristics are:Project Complexity, Communication, Competencies and Requirements, in order to helpselect the best management way for the specific project.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2017-08-04T17:10:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Iasmim Cruz Ribeiro.pdf: 2001402 bytes, checksum: c7aaec9bc7e2617778a537f7fc4add1c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-04T17:10:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Iasmim Cruz Ribeiro.pdf: 2001402 bytes, checksum: c7aaec9bc7e2617778a537f7fc4add1c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-02 / A new composite of surgical governance methods, tools and mechanisms to meet as new needs of the modern world (Levitt, 2011). IT, technologies, technology, the growth of the Internet and collaborative information technologies (IT), ie Web 2.0 technologies. A new reality has a great base and participation of human resources (HR), being able to self-manage and to be creative (McDonald, 2011). In this context, the following research question is asked: "What are the individual competencies of human resources without a 2.0 project management paradigm in the area of Information Technology?". With the objective of analyzing how it presented itself as individual competences of the human resources without paradigm of GP 2.0 in the area of IT. For that, the qualitative method with focus group and individual interviews was used to answer as five propositions raised in this study. We conclude that the more volatile environment, in changes, caused the GP to undergo changes to meet as needs. Collaborative technology directly influences the current administration as well as the influence of human resources that create an internet and methods. It still exists in the literature, as raised throughout the part in the lab, project management 2.0 has already been under development in the practical field for years. Much of the competency identified not GP 1.0 remains unchanged and other competencies gain new forms. Through the exploratory study has been lifted a list of competencies contained in our sets of competencies, communication, interpersonal and business and project management 2.0 business. This study contributed as research areas of HR competencies and project management, with an exploratory research of HR competencies in GP 2.0. It was also sought to contribute to the practical field, that is, to the notions of process distribution in the processes of recruitment and maintenance of the human resources that work in contemporary projects, through the evaluation framework of competencies. / Um novo composto de métodos, ferramentas e mecanismos de governança surgiu para atender as novas necessidades do mundo moderno (Levitt, 2011). Apresenta-se, portanto, o gerenciamento de projetos contemporâneo com essas novas tendências devido a globalização, o crescimento da internet e as inserções das tecnologias de informação (TI) colaborativas, ou seja, das tecnologias da Web 2.0. Nesta nova realidade tem-se uma maior cooperação e participação dos recursos humanos (RH), sendo que esses se destacam por, cada vez mais, serem capazes de se autogerenciar e de serem criativos (McDonald, 2011). Neste contexto, busca-se responder a seguinte questão de pesquisa “Quais são as competências individuais no paradigma de gerenciamento de projetos 2.0 na área de Tecnologia da Informação?”. Com o objetivo de analisar como se apresentam as competências individuais no paradigma de GP 2.0 na área de TI. Para tanto foi utilizado o método qualitativo com realização de grupo focal e de entrevistas individuais para responder as cinco proposições levantadas neste estudo. Conclui-se que o ambiente mais volátil, em constantes mudanças, fez com que o GP sofresse mudanças para atender as necessidades. A tecnologia colaborativa influencia diretamente na gestão atual, bem como influencia os recursos humanos que cresceram com a internet e os métodos ágeis. Embora ainda recente na literatura, como levantado ao longo da parte exploratória neste trabalho, o gerenciamento de projetos 2.0 já está em desenvolvimento no campo prático há anos. Boa parte das competências identificadas no GP 1.0 permanece inalterada e outras competências ganham novas formas. Através do estudo exploratório foi levantada uma lista das habilidades contidas nos conjuntos de competências pessoais, de comunicação, interpessoal e de negócio e negócio do gerenciamento de projetos 2.0. Este estudo contribuiu com as áreas de pesquisa de competências de RH e de gerenciamento de projetos, com uma pesquisa exploratória das competências de RH no GP 2.0. Buscou-se contribuir também com o âmbito prático, ou seja, com as organizações no que tange as avaliações de competências nos processos de recrutamento e na manutenção dos recursos humanos que atuam nos projetos contemporâneos, através do framework avaliativo de competências.

Background: During the last decades there has been a rapid increase in the desire of being more flexible and responsive, which has paved the way for Agile Project Management – APM. As a consequence of implementing APM into environments previously defined as traditional, it has opened up a discussion of merging APM with Traditional Project Management – TPM. This combination of methodologies is referred to as Hybrid Project Management – HPM, whose aim is to leverage benefits from both APM and TPM. Purpose: Prior research has failed to keep up with this trend. Those that have shed light on this phenomenon have failed to realize the differences between IT and non-IT sectors. With this in mind, and the call for including managers’ perspective on HPM, this study has investigated project managers’ experiences and perceptions of factors that influence hybrid project success in physical product development. In order to address this purpose this study has also investigated how project managers perceive project success. This was done since one must first determine what constitutes project success in order to identify what factors that could bear a potential influence on it. Method: From an interpretivist philosophical standpoint this, exploratory and inductive, study has been carried out through semi-structured interviews with experienced project managers within HPM. Inspired by Grounded Theory, this study has employed purposive sampling and analyzed the data through a grounded analysis technique. Conclusion: This research has successfully identified a range of various factors that influence hybrid projects’ success. Based upon this, a model exhibiting the factors influencing hybrid projects in physical product development could be constructed, as well as a model depicting how project managers perceive hybrid project success. It was found that there is a constant tension between the TPM and APM when merging the two. Instead of identifying one way to optimize the hybrid project, it is more or less about managing this balance between APM and TPM practices. It was also found that project success is a dynamic and subjective concept, rather than the static and additive concept that is often illustrated by contemporary research.

This paper is a degree project on the C-level, 15 points at University West, Department of Business and IT dept. Informatics. This study is about agile methodology and its impact on IT projects. Requirements management is a process within an IT project, where customer has certain requirements that must be met by an IT system. The difference between the traditional and agile development is in the requirements management process and it can cause problems in a project. Requirements change during IT projects and to manage requirements, agile principles apply. Specification and planning in the waterfall model is time consuming. Working agile means to have close contact with the client. This minimizes the risk of project failure. With agile methods, functions can be developed at a faster rate and the customer receives prompt delivery. There are currently several different methods for systems development and project management. Some are based on research, others are new and some have been around a long time in the IT world. This work has identified customer involvement; Risk Reduction and Delivery which contribute to several projects fail under traditional systems. Agile methods are flexible, agile and welcome change and the customer will be able to steer the project. Agile methods have however provided the opportunity for developers to more quickly deliver functionality to the customer. / Detta arbete är ett examensarbete på C-nivå, 15 poäng vid Högskolan Väst, Institutionen för ekonomi och IT avd. informatik. Denna studie handlar om agila metodiken och dess inverkan på IT-projekt. Kravhantering är en process inom ett IT-projekt, där kund har vissa krav som måste uppfyllas av ett IT-system. Skillnaden mellan det traditionella och agila utvecklingsmetoder ligger i kravhantering process och det kan orsaka problem i ett projekt. Krav förändras under IT-projekt och för att hantera kraven bör agila principer tillämpas. Kravspecifikation och planering inom vattenfallsmodellen är tidskrävande. Att jobba agilt innebär att ha nära kontakt med beställaren. Därmed minimerar det risken för projektets misslyckande. Med agila metoder, kan funktionerna utvecklas i en snabbare takt och kunden får snabb leverans. Det finns idag flera olika metoder för systemutveckling och projektledning. Vissa är baserade på forskning, andra är nya och vissa har funnits en lång tid i IT-världen. Arbetet har identifierat kundinvolvering, Riskreducering och Leveranstid vilka bidra till att flera projekt misslyckas under traditionell systemutveckling. Agila metoder är flexibla, smidiga och välkomnar förändring och kunden kommer att kunna styra projektet. Agila metoder har däremot gett möjlighet för utvecklarna att på ett snabbare sätt leverera funktioner till kunden.