Development and Customization of PRINCE2 and UK Railway Industry - Research Proposal Example

Running Head: PRINCE2 and UK Railway Industry Research Proposal – Evaluation, Development and Customization of PRINCE2 and UK Railway Industry ’s Name] [Institution’s Name] List of Contents Abstract Introduction Research Question Brief Review of Literature Aims and Objective of Research Need and Significance of Study Research Methodology Sources for Data Collection Abstract The paper proposes a qualitative research approach to examine the evolution, development and customization of project management methodology PRINCE2 in reference to the UK railway industry. PRINCE2 is widely implemented method of project management having implications almost in all the fields and sectors. The proposed research aims to specifically study the implications of this methodology in the railway sector. The proposed research study focuses on the UK railway industry and with the help of secondary analysis of data and in-depth interviews of the field professionals, the study will strive to unfold different aspects of the issue. Introduction Projects IN Controlled Environment - Prince2 is a product that is accepted as a world class standardized project management method. It is a preplanned move towards the project management that explicitly explains the methods of managing the project, developing the resources for the project and establishing the connection and interfaces between staff, project and its environment (Bentley, 2005). The significance of PRINCE2 as a methodology of project has been accepted in different sectors and industry and at present many of the companies operating in different sectors of UK economy have adopted the principles and guidelines demonstrated by PRINCE2 to manage their projects effectively (Fox and Wilkinson, 2007). However, it is found the use and adoptability of this method is not very common in the UK railway industry and there are few companies operating in the UK railway sector that are using PRINCE2 for the management of their operations and projects. The review of the existing literature also shows that there is little research work done so far to identify the significance of PRINCE2 to specifically for the railway industry due to which the existing literature does not provides deep understanding regarding the scope and implications of PRINCE2 in the railway sector. Thus, in order to fill this wide gap found in the literature, the proposed research study aims to evaluate the significance of PRINCE2 for the railway industry and also tends to study the process of development and customization of this software package in connection with the railway industry. The proposed dissertation aims to study the UK railway industry and the possible role that PRICE2 can play for the industry. In this regard, the proposed research will employ a qualitative research approach and with the help of data and information collected from different primary and secondary sources, the research study will unfold certain aspects of project management methodology PRINCE 2 implications and scope in UK railway industry. Research Question The proposed dissertation is intended to search for the answer of following research questions: 1. What is the scope of PRINCE2 project management methodology in the UK railway sector? 2. What are the potential benefits and limitations of PRINCE2 methodology in reference to the railway sector? 3. What are the appropriate ways of developing and customizing PRINCE2 in the UK railway sector? Brief Review of Literature Projects IN Controlled Environment - Prince2 is a product that is accepted as a world class standardized project management method. It is a preplanned move towards the project management that explicitly explains the methods of managing the project, developing the resources for the project and establishing the connection and interfaces between staff, project and its environment (Fox and Wilkinson, 2007). PRINCE was established in 1989 by CCTA (the central Computer and Telecommunications Agency), which renamed the OGC (the Office of Government Commerce). It is originally based on PROMPT, a project management method created by Simpact System Ltd in 1975 (Janssen, 2006). PRINCE2 (Project IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for successful project management. It is a genuine customary used comprehensively by the UK Government and is generally recognized and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. The 2 indicates that it is an updated version of the methodology from 1996 and 2005. (Gabor et al, 2006) It mutually transmits the reserves, expertise, technology and ideas to accomplish business intentions. However, PRINCE2 do not deals with all of the features of project, such as network planning and supporting software packages, social and communication skills, which could be an advantage of the method (Bradley, 2005). This method is all about people; it should be used in mixture consistence and also in correct technical or social behavior which needed to efficiently manage business. It is a great way to start a project and every manager should use this methodology as a foundation for their business management approach (Cadle and Yeates, 2007). Many projects and business utilized the abilities and services of peripheral suppliers functioning in conjunction with internal resources, to increase their capability to bring booming projects. PRINCE2 provides them a system that ties together these resources and allow the group to incorporate and work simultaneously efficiently on a project (Nelson and Hopkins, 2006). Aims and Objective of Research The main objective of the proposed research study is supposed to be the evaluation of adoptability and the development and customization of PRINCE2 in UK railway industry. In this regard, the research study will strive to have deep understanding of all the issues and aspects associated with the research topic to have complete familiarity with the background of the study. Thus, the main research objectives of the proposed research are as follow: To understand the importance and significance of PRINCE to project management methodology for different sectors and industries of economy To study the present state of adoptability of PRINCE2 in different sectors of UK economy To identify the potential benefits and problems that the railway industry can receive after adopting PRINCE2 To study the present trend of implementation and adoptability of PRINCE2 in UK railway industry To point out the main reasons behind the underutilization of PRINCE2 in UK railway industry To evaluate the significance of PRINCE2 methodology for the UK railway industry To unfold different aspects of development and customization of PRINCE2 in UK railway industry Need and Significance of Study PRINCE2 is an important method of project management that is now widely used in different sectors of UK economy to ain certain competitive advantages. It is widely believed that PRINCE2 can help the companies operating in different sectors to effectively manage, plan and run their business projects. The adoptability of PRINCE2 project management methodology is expected to bring certain level of improvement in the performance level of the companies (Nelson and Hopkins, 2006). In UK, this method is being adopted by the companies in different sectors, however, there are little evidences found about the usage of this methodology in the railway sector. There are several research studies conduct to identify the potential benefits and problems of PRINCE2 for different sectors like IT, architecture etc, however, there is no research work done so far to identify the importance and implication issues of PRINCE2 for the railway industry. As discussed above, PRINCE2 has the potential to influence the growth and development of any sector or industry. Thus, it is very important to study the scope of this method in connection to different industries including the railway. The topic possesses great scope and importance and it is not yet being explored in any of the earlier research work. Thus, in order to fill this gap found in the literature, the proposed research will strive to unfold all the important aspects of the issue to provide a deep understanding of the problems attached with this matter. There is great significance of the proposed study as well because the subject area of the proposed study is very important but unexplored so far. The outcome of the research study is not only expected to be a valuable contribution to the existing literature around the topic, but it will also help the related organizations and people to gain a deep understanding of several issues and aspects of the subject matter. This understanding can help them in fostering the trend of adoptability of PRINCE2 in the railway industry that in turn, is expected to bring some level of change in the performance level of the industry. There are several advantages of this methodology. For example, this method is sovereign of the functioning field such as IT software development, marketing, building and construction, and change management. It provides a stratum over the authorities that are needed in the project because it delineates a flexible project language that suits multidiscipline project teams; consequently, the method associates the gap between IT and business. The method deals with public areas and services such as training, consultancy, and tools which can be acquired from a number of autonomous traders, the PRINCE2 method is applicable in both mega and small projects, the focal point of the method on any business result in term of the standard time, cost, quality, and intentionally parameters time. The method assimilates change management by exception approaches. Despite these advantages, there are certain weaknesses of this methodology as well. It is only a way to know that how to manage the resources and skill that works just like only a frame work and governance mechanisms but not shows how to actually engage and supervise individual workers. It categorizes the points in a business or project where threat consideration is needed to transpire but it doesn’t describe the intention to assume one. It is a weakness of PRINCE2 that it is designed for the ICT industry but it can’t be liable in heavy industries such as construction industry. But there are some weaknesses in its practitioners which cause it failure, a number of business which deals with PRINCE 2 sloppily picking and prefer from the methodology thus deteriorating to tolerate by its major concepts. It is not very dexterous, it doesn’t provides unambiguous management of necessity investigation, it is an implementation methodology, which can guide to projects being adopted on false grounds, and in that way without doubt it fails. The industries and business like automobiles, construction and IT often prefer those management which can be delineated as a consistent set of project management observes, these sectors imagine that such approach will bring considerable prospective for improving project presentation. PRINCE 2 can be applied in any industry it provides a common terminology and approach, prince2 easily put together with particular models of industries, it spotlights to all of the parties of project The above review of the literature is very brief but the actual dissertation will present an insightful analysis and deep understanding of all the issues related with the topic of the dissertation. Research Methodology The proposed dissertation will employ a qualitative research approach to attain the key objectives of the research and the data will collected through different secondary as well as primary sources for conducting the research study. Qualitative research “is a field of inquiry that crosscuts disciplines and subject matters” (Becker and Howard, 1996). The qualitative researchers are most of the times aimed at having deep understanding of different issues, human behaviours and the reasons and factors governing the human behaviours. In other words the qualitative research strived to find the answers of why and how rather than just where when and what. While looking at the objectives of the proposed research, it is found that the qualitative research can serve best to attain these goals because the aims to the study is to present an analysis of the situation rather coming up with some statistical data and figures. Thus, the qualitative research approach seems more appropriate for the study. As identified by Berg (1989), there are many ways of conducting a qualitative research including “case study, literature review, natural experiment, participant observation, interviews based, and secondary analysis of data or combination of these.” The researcher can selected from these methods according to the suitability with the research objectives. As the research study is aimed at analyzing and evaluating the development and customization of PRINCE2 in the UK railway industry, it is found that the most appropriate method for conducting this research would be “secondary analysis of data and in-depth interviews” that are among the significant methods of conducting qualitative research. The secondary analysis of data allows to conduct the review and analysis of the secondary data and to have a critical look at the existing researches and documents related with the topic. Miles and Huberman (1994) explain that the secondary analysis of data basically helps to “reanalyze the data that is already compiled by other researchers and organizations to meet the requirements of their own study or data base”. Interviews are also widely recognized and conducted to collect detailed understanding of an issue from the perspective of the involved professionals (Yin, 1994). Thus, the dissertation employs qualitative research methods including “secondary analysis of data and in-depth interviews” for attaining the key objectives of the research. Sources for Data Collection For conducting the proposed research study, information and data would be collected from different primary and secondary resources. The primary sources of information would be the in depth interviews of the experienced professions attached with the UK railway industry. There will be total 15 interviews of the professionals would be conducted using a structured questionnaire. The business directory of UK railway industry will be accessed to draw a list of top 20 companies operating in the UK railway sector. The information about these companies will be acquired to contact the key professionals and attempt would be made to arrange interviews of the operations managers of these companies. The letters would be sent to these 20 companies so that if some of them should not respond favourably, still it would be possible to conduct the interviews of 15 professionals of the field. The secondary sources of information include different journals, magazines, books, social magazines, documents and some informative web portals. The official sites of some of the companies using PRINCE2 will also be accessed to acquire information regarding the effects of using this methodology for the management of their projects. Furthermore, the websites of different companies operating in the UK railway sector will also be accessed to find out their correct approaches for the management of their projects. Some of the proposed secondary references are as follow: 1. Becker, Howard S. (1996), the epistemology of qualitative research. University of Chicago Press, 1996 2. Berg, B. (1989), Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, third edition Allyn and Bacon, Boston 3. Colin Bentley (2005). Practical PRINCE2. The Stationery Office, 2005 4. Charles Fox, Jayne Wilkinson (2007). Van Haren Publishing. 5. Peter Janssen (2006). Project management volgens Prince 2. Pearson Education, 2006 6. Gabor Vis van Heemst, Van Haren Publishing, Hans Fredriksz, Jan van Bon, Mike Pieper (2006). Project Management Based on Prince2. Van Haren Publishing, 2006 7. Colin Bentley (2002). PRINCE 2: a practical handbook. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002 8. Ken Bradley (2005). Passing the PRINCE2 Examinations. Association of Project Managers (Great Britain). London: The Stationery Office, 2005 9. J. Thomas Wren (1995). The leaders companion: insights on leadership through the ages. Free Press, 1995 10. Colin Bentley (2005). Prince 2 revealed: including how to use Prince 2 for small projects. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005 11. Andy Murray, OGC - Office of Government Commerce, Mike Ward (2007). Improving project performance using the PRINCE2 maturity model (P2MM). London: The Stationery Office, 2007 12. Gerard Blokdijk (2008). Prince2 100 Success Secrets - The Missing Foundation and Practitioner Exam Training, Certification and Project Management Guide. Lulu.com, 2008 13. James Cadle, Donald Yeates (2007). Project Management for Information Systems. Prentice Hall, 2007 14. Richard Jones (2007). Project management survival: a practical guide to leading, managing & delivering challenging projects. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2007 15. Jan Van Bon, Van Haren Publishing, itSMF - the IT Service Management Forum, Tieneke Verheijen(2006). Frameworks for IT Management. London:Van Haren Publishing, 2006 16. Charles E. Nelson, Eugene Hopkins (2006). Managing quality in architecture: a handbook for creators of the built environment. Architectural Press, 2006 17. Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing. 18. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE References Becker, Howard S. (1996), the epistemology of qualitative research. University of Chicago Press, 1996 Berg, B. (1989), Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, third edition Allyn and Bacon, Boston Colin Bentley (2005). Practical PRINCE2. The Stationery Office, 2005 Charles Fox, Jayne Wilkinson (2007). Van Haren Publishing. Charles E. Nelson, Eugene Hopkins (2006). Managing quality in architecture: a handbook for creators of the built environment. Architectural Press, 2006 Gabor Vis van Heemst, Van Haren Publishing, Hans Fredriksz, Jan van Bon, Mike Pieper (2006). Project Management Based on Prince2. Van Haren Publishing, 2006 James Cadle, Donald Yeates (2007). Project Management for Information Systems. Prentice Hall, 2007 Ken Bradley (2005). Passing the PRINCE2 Examinations. Association of Project Managers (Great Britain). London: The Stationery Office, 2005 Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE Peter Janssen (2006). Project management volgens Prince 2. Pearson Education, 2006 Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing Read More