Knowledge Matters

Understanding knowledge relationships

Images of Projects

Images of ProjectsI’ve almost finished my PhD and hope to submit it in April. One of the things I’ve been doing is updating my literature review. I’ve included in the review Images of Projects by Mark Winter and Tony Szcepanek, which is published by Gower. Already my book is dog-eared and has lots of margin scribbles and highlights.

‘Images of Projects’ builds on Gareth Morgan’s book'Images of Organization' , which was first published in 1986. It also draws on Peter Checkland’s 1981 book 'Systems Thinking, Systems Practice'. ‘Images of Projects’ is not a how to book or a recipe for success. Rather it suggests alternative ways of thinking about projects, and to a lesser degree programs and portfolios of projects. Winter and Szcepanek suggest seven lenses:

Stakeholder Relationship Management

Stakeholder Relationship Management I wanted 'Stakeholder Relationship Management' by Doctor Lynda Bourne because I have read her PhD thesis from cover to cover, and I have attended one her workshops. In particular I wanted something to back-up the workshop.

The book presents Doctor Bourne’s thesis in a more accessible format. It introduces and builds on her idea of the Stakeholder Circle®, both as a tool and a methodology. In Doctor Bourne’s own words:

“The Stakeholder Circle® is based on the premise that a project can only exist with the informed consent of its stakeholder community. This community comprises individuals and groups, each with a different potential to influence the project’s outcome."

Tools for Complex Projects

Tools for Complex ProjectsI bought "Tools for Complex Projects " because I saw a brochure advertising it and an associated course, which seemed to deal with network analysis in a project management environment. Unfortunately it didn't, but I don't regret buying the book. In fact it has been one of the most interesting and enlightening books on project management that I have bought in a long time.

The book is organised into two sections. The first section has a theoretical bent and deals with complexity. Typically project complexity is defined in terms of scale, cost, and risk, but Remington and Pollack classify projects as structurally complex, technically complex, directionally complex, and/or temporarily complex. I found this classification both interesting and useful: so useful in fact that I decided to use it in my PhD, and it's something I'll blog about in the near future. The second section provides some tools and methods to deal with the different types of complexity. I've scribbled notes all over the book, which is an indication of its usefulness to me.

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