An investigation into the impact and use of project management methodologies in organisations in Ireland

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the implementation of a project management methodology on organisations, specifically in relation to the impact on the project manager, the project team and the organisation as a whole and to determine whether using a project management methodology can help project managers and organisations to better manage software projects. Five organisations in Ireland participated in the study and one project manager from each organisation was interviewed. The size of the organisations, the level of experience of the project managers interviewed and the methodology implemented varied. Differences as well as similarities across the organisations were identified. While the findings show that implementing and using a project management methodology is not without its difficulties, the benefits identified far outweigh the drawbacks. The study finds that it is not important what methodology is used as long as a methodology is used. However, there are benefits that can be realised by using an industry standard methodology as opposed to an internally developed methodology. The results also suggest that adapting an industry-recognised methodology to fit with the business processes can have a positive impact on the flexibility of the methodology. The findings of the study propose that by implementing and using an project management methodology, organisations gain a uniform approach to project management, have better control of projects, increased visibility on their progress, improvements in the success rates of projects and a means of comparing projects using specific measurements, with potential implications for practice.