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introduction projects? to manage change internal & external bidding, delivery & support two types
Introductiontop
This Volume of The Guidepost describes accepted good practice for the management of Bids and Projects. It has three Core Processes: Manage a Bid, Manage Projects and Support Work. The detail of these Core Processes is based on the principles of PRINCE2TM, a Project Management method which is in widespread use around the world.
PRINCE2TM itself only addresses the management of Projects. However most Projects have their origins in a Proposal or a Bid, and so they may (or should?) have many common Products and Sub-processes. To achieve greater consistency between the Core Processes in this Volume (Bids and Projects), the principles of PRINCE2TM have been extended to include managing Bids, while common Sub-processes (e.g. Issue - and Change - Management), have been grouped into the third Core Process - Support Work.
PRINCE2TM was developed for the government of the United Kingdom, which owns the rights to it. Information about PRINCE2TM may be found at this website.
Projects?top
A Project is an undertaking or a scheme to implement some sort of objective, and is characterised by the creation of a temporary team or framework to undertake it. Once a Project is completed or abandoned, the team will be dispersed or reassigned, and the framework will be dismantled.
To manage organisational changetop
Setting up a Project is a highly effective way of managing organisational change - for example corporate strategy can be implemented as a continuing series (or Programme) of Projects. The formation of temporary teams makes good use of resources, and creates a pool of flexible expertise.
This approach is called Project-Based Management (PBM). Typically it is applied to the non-routine operations of an organisation. It is less common for PBM to be applied to routine corporate operations.
Internal and external Projectstop
Organisations undertake Projects:
- internally: for their own purposes
- externally: for some other organisation or Customer.
In the first case the organisation will be seeking to make an investment or Change in its own operations, while in the second case the objective will be investment or Change for a Customer.
In both cases the sponsors of an initiative must make a Bid to persuade corporate decision makers that the Project should go ahead, and to obtain a Budget for the work. Whether the Project is internal or external, it must be sold to those who will make the decision.
For clarity, the emphasis of the Core Process Manage a Bid is on making a sale to an external Customer, but with minor qualifications the same process applies to the management of a Bid for internal Customers - End Users. When using this Volume in connection with internal Bids you should bear in mind that:
- the Customer will be an internal department instead of a separate organisation
- for internal Bids the Opportunity Manager will be an Initiative Manager instead of a Salesperson
- the emphasis of a Process Step will depend on the context, so for example Qualify Opportunity and Bid / No-bid decision may have a different emphasis for an internal Bid.
The description of Manage a Bid will identify any important issues or choices that may arise, so if you follow its simple rules, you should find no difficulty in applying it to develop successful Proposals for internal Projects.
Bidding, Delivery, and Supporttop
Normal business disciplines should be applied to every initiative. First there should be a Proposal. This is produced by following the Core Process Manage a Bid. The Proposal should state the requirement the Project is to meet, offer a solution, detail the Budget, and set out a Plan for implementation and delivery. Producing and delivering the Proposal is the objective of a Bid.
If a Bid is successful, and the Proposal is agreed, then implementation can start. This involves managing the Delivery, to meet the requirement, by expending the Budget to develop and deliver the solution, according to the Plan. This is the subject of the Core Process Manage Projects.
The work of producing a Bid and executing a Project requires a number of common support activities including: the negotiation of Contracts, the management of Risk and Change, and the production of regular financial reports. These support activities are described in the Core Process Support Work.
Two types of Projecttop
So here we have two types of Project: the first is to prepare and submit a Proposal, and the second is to develop and implement what was proposed. This leads to important differences of execution. However, in both cases the management need is the same, and so it makes sense to manage them in the same way.
This might lead to confusion - for example a Bid requires the production of two Plans: one for the Bid and the other for the ensuing Project. In this Volume, to distinguish between the two types of Project, we use the terms Bid Project and Delivery Project where confusion could arise. For example the Plan for a Bid Project is called a Bid Plan, while that for a Delivery Project is called a Project Plan or Delivery Plan. Otherwise we will simply say: "Bid", or "Project".
Some Product Profiles and Product Templates may be used in either situation. In such cases the term "Bid/Project" will be used to indicate that the item is common to both.