An engineering management framework for information technology projects in South Africa

Globally, the art and the science of project management (PM) have contributed in no small measure to the advances in the delivery of Information Technology (IT) based solutions. In South Africa, it has been shown that IT projects are currently, generally performed in a basic, but rapidly maturing, project management environment. In order for the organization (or project environment) to mature, certain processes must first be institutionalised. These processes are identifiable by inspection of the standards that relate to PM in general (and to IT PM in particular) and by excluding the activities that relate to specific technologies and products. The remaining processes should therefore be applied to most (if not all) IT projects in SA most (if not all) of the time. These processes were identified and used to iteratively create a Project Management Framework that assists its target market in the following ways: • Simplify and facilitate project managers' access to a common set of PM processes and tools; • Promote the usage of best practices for PM for all projects, both simple and complex; • Increase the level of assured competence project managers bring to PM endeavours; • Establish a commonality of process and standardization of terminology within PM; and • Provide a common method of project progress tracking across the enterprise. The baseline version of this Framework is presented as a web tool, based on a body of research consisting of (1) the PMBOK® Guide processes, (2) some CMMISM process areas and (3) other authoritative, non-conflicting resources. The PMBOK® Guide is tailored for a sector, time and place, resulting in a unique approach to project management. This approach aims to benefit a community and open a new focus area for research within the profession. The target market for this product are those enterprises that are seeing the need for the benefits outlined above or who realise that the first step towards process improvement is a focus on project management. These range from organizations now commencing on the project management path to those who consider “management by projects” to be a strategic option for the organizational design of the company. The case study sites where the product has been implemented include banking / retail operation, a large mining company and a financial services consultancy.Prof. L. Pretorius Prof. J.H.C. Pretoriu