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Optimising an Organisation’s Programme and Project Management across Continents

Author: Van Heerden, Christiaan
Supervisor: Professor Pieter Steyn
Date: March 2009

Kinesis, a subsidiary company within the MultiKin Holdings1 group of companies, operates strategic business units globally as one entity, each owning proprietary rights of a specific leading technology or service in the group, while also having access to the global portfolio of technologies and services, giving rise to the cross continental projects that are not achieving objectives on scope, cost and schedule.

This study envisaged optimization of project management practices on cross continental projects aimed at improving efficiency in service provision to internal and external clients along the full supply chain of an organisation to achieve improved scope, cost and schedule objectives, not just in theory but in practice for Kinesis as well as similar and academic organisations.

The research problem formulated for research within the ambit of this dissertation reads as follows: “The effective management of cross continental programmes and projects in Kinesis, is being adversely affected by various factors resulting in long lead times, scope creep and un-optimised budgets”.

The research question, which formed the apex of the research, reads as follows: “How can the adverse effect of factors complicating the effective management of cross continental programmes and projects in Kinesis be mitigated?”

Case study research was conducted in the social world in a theoretical nature

following quantitative and qualitative research matting as paradigms, making use of literature study and non-probability purposive sampling, through positivistic and phenomenological survey methodologies to identify causes and solutions.

Critical evaluation of the global operating strategy and practices of Kinesis, against relevant literature on strategic and operational project management considerations, relating to competencies and core capabilities, facilitated identification of the primary problem as being the result of ineffective change and integration management during the acquisition and integration of new proprietary owned technologies and services into the Kinesis global technology and service supply portfolio, that creates a void in the knowledge base.

The formulated problem in Kinesis as follows: “ The Primary cause for poor performance, cost overruns and schedule overruns in cross continental programmes and projects in Kinesis can be attributed to poor change management at integration and supply of technology and services through the global network creating a gap in the knowledge base”.

The deficiency of the current technology and service supply knowledge base lies in that it does not integrate the knowledge, exposure and experience that proprietary technology and service owners have gained in terms of project anagement, into a global continuous improvement knowledge base for projects. To render improvement effective and efficient a formal Innovative Continuous Improvement Project Office must be considered for Kinesis.