CEM201: An Introduction to Project Management
CEM201: An Introduction to Project Management
The purpose of this assignment is to appraise critically the commonly accepted codifications of project management. The adopted approach should follow the interpretation of organisational metaphors as originally offered by Morgan (2006), summarised in the attached paper by Green (1996). The task is to examine the discipline of project management from five different metaphorical perspectives. The assignment is essentially literature-based. Each perspective should be illustrated by sources from within the project management literature which exemplify the relevant metaphor. For example, the first perspective might usefully be that of the machine, making suitable use of literature sources to illustrate examples of machine-type thinking amongst the advocates of project management. The task here would be to search out sources which equate successful project management to efficient project delivery in terms of time, cost and quality. Literature sources could include selected journal papers, but might also usefully include book chapters and more popular articles in the professional press. As a further example, the second perspective might view project management through the lens of the organic metaphor, suitably illustrated with literature sources which emphasise the way in which projects are subject to external influences. When viewed from this perspective, project management is more about responsiveness to external change than the delivery of narrowly-construed efficiency. It is worth re-emphasising that for the purposes of this assignment you are only required to select five metaphorical perspectives from the eight described by Green (1996). A maximum of 600 words should be devoted to each perspective, leaving perhaps 800 words for a summarising discussion. The assignment should be concluded by a brief statement outlining the advantages of viewing project management from different perspectives for the practising professional.
The assignment is designed to encourage a more critical orientation towards the discipline. References Green, S. D. (1996) A metaphorical analysis of client organisations and the briefing process, Construction Management and Economics, 14(2), 155-164 (attached). Morgan, G. (2006) Images of Organization, Sage, London. ISBN 1-4129-3979-8. Please note that the second reference is included primarily for completeness rather than as an essential source.
