On Successful Completion of This Module, You Should Be Able to:

Project management text books have rarely considered the broader systems view of project management until recently. It is now common for project managers to be encouraged to step backwards and understand the internal and external environment in which the project is being managed. There are many issues that could affect the project outcomes, and many of them are not visible when the project is being commenced. Situations will undoubtedly arise that will affect the inputs to the project management processes and in turn, affect the outputs or outcomes in some way. If the project manager has a broader, more flexible perspective on the project, such changes in the project environment are unlikely to threaten the success of the project.

Chapter 2 in the text by Gardiner covers the systems view of project management quite well for our purposes, so there is little need to cover the same material again in the study module. Selected reading 2.1: Nicholas 2004 is a chapter from a different project management textbook and provides another point of view on systems theory and how it applies to the management of projects.

We also examine in more detail how projects fit into their organisational context. From a strategic point of view, we look at how project objectives must align with the objectives of other parts of the same system, and how good principles of governance require project managers to act responsibly in the interests of the major stakeholders.

Selected reading 2.2: Williams & Parr 2004 and selected reading 2.3: Williams & Parr 2004 are from a text on enterprise program management, and provide a good overview of how projects fit into the overall context of the organisation.