144 Owen and Burstein
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Knowledge (PMBOK) covering the following:
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Controlling
- Closing
The project management methodology at Engineering Consulting XYZ is an
evolutionary process broken into three stages: proposal stage (initiation), project stage
(planning and execution), and finalization stage (closing). The controlling phase under-
pins the process with regular key review points. In addition, progress is monitored on
a monthly basis. As part of the development and retention, staff project managers and
team members are put through a project management course as well as other appropriate
development courses.
As a consulting and project management company, Engineering Consulting XYZ
has realized the importance of knowledge management; it tries not to reinvent the wheel
on new projects. As part of its knowledge management strategy, a knowledge manage-
ment system was purchased and implemented, and communities of practice were set up.
Both of these were in the very early stages during the reviewed projects.
CASE DESCRIPTION
Engineering Consulting XYZ participated in an alliance project, with a major public
client, where all alliance partners were encouraged to focus on agreed-upon project
objectives. The role of Engineering Consulting XYZ was to provide the detailed design
component of the project, with the deliverables being the design, documentation, and
specifications. This case study looks only at Engineering Consulting XYZ’s component,
and does not take into account other alliance activities. The two phases of the project
were treated as two separate projects by Engineering Consulting XYZ with separate
deliverables, and as such, have been analyzed as separate projects. At its peak, the
project consisted of 30 project team members, with a core of between 15 and 20 members
(including the project director and project manager). Of the core project team, eight
(including the project manager) worked on both projects.
For the first project, Engineering Consulting XYZ, along with other alliance
partners, won an excellence award in their category of industry as
- new knowledge that furthered the knowledge base of the profession was devel-
oped; - new process knowledge was developed; and
- existing knowledge was enhanced and transferred via documented reports.
This case study analyzes and describes how knowledge was captured, managed,
and reused in these two projects. In addition, the role that social networks play in the
project(s) will be analyzed.