Project Management Techniques Used In the Aviation Industry - Research Proposal Example

Project Management of the of the Introduction Over the last few decades there has been a noticeable growth in the number of sectors which are employing different kinds of traditional and innovative project management methods. The aviation industry is one such industry which has seen a tremendous resurgence of new project management techniques and policies in the last few years. The project management systems in the aviation industry are complex and dynamic processes which involve many distinct, introductive and fresh concepts which are introduced in various types of projects in the sector according to the emerging requirements of the industry, companies and customer groups. Since, the investment and capital expenditures involved in the aviation industry projects are very high, therefore, the success of the projects need to be guaranteed and ensured so that the investments do not go into vain. The stakes of the investors, companies, governments and all other stakeholders of this sector are high in the projects of the industry which makes it necessary for the project managers to function in the most compliant, effective and efficient manner. Since, the aviation industry functions on domestic as well as global platforms, therefore, the projects involved in this sector have high value and the expectations of a wide range of global citizens and stakeholders are intricately associated with each of the projects. Research objectives & Background of the research This research work is conducted with the aim of comparing the project management techniques as employed by the commercial aviation projects and government funded aviation projects. This is done by identifying the similarities and differences between the project management techniques as employed in the aviation sector projects based on whether these projects are commercial projects or state controlled projects. Thus, the main research objective formulated for the study is to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the government- controlled aviation industry projects and the privately controlled aviation industry projects from different aspects. The secondary research questions are also formulated to support the findings of the primary research questions. The secondary research questions as designed for the study are given as follows: What are the similarities between the government controlled and the commercial aviation projects? What are the differences between the government controlled and the commercial aviation projects? Are the state controlled aviation industry projects more efficient at employing project management techniques as compared to the commercial or privately owned projects or vice versa? Which of the two entities have been more adept at employing effective and consistent project management techniques in different aviation industry projects? How does the employment of innovative projector management technique impact the success of both state controlled and privately controlled aviation industry projects? Literature review A project is an endeavor which aims at converting a potential idea into reality is that it can be implemented for achieving the idea in the practical scenario. This may involve any quantifiable or tangible product, intangible services, techniques, and outcomes or results. As per the views of Nokeas (2007), the process of project management involves the application of skills, techniques and knowledge for the execution of projects in a result bearing and effective manner (Nokeas, 2007). The project management skills of an organization reflects the strategic competency level of the same and enables the company to tie the outcomes of the project in question to the pre decided business and corporate objectives and goals. The achievement of the project outcomes help an organization or an industry to also achieve the main objectives and thus, decide the sustainability and success and play a major role in fulfilling the competitive needs of the industry and excelling requirements in the industry of operations. The traditional project management techniques are developed on the theories of the two primary forefathers of project management who are Henry Gantt and Henry Fayol. The five management functions theory related to the management of projects as developed by Henry Fayol acts as the basic theory of project management in both commercial and private project initiatives. This theory forms the foundation for linking the body of knowledge to the project management activities as relevant for the project and the programs included in it. The Gantt Chart developed by Henry Gantt as a key planning and controlling method is widely sued for developing the project plan along with milestones, deliverables and time periods so that the project activities can be implemented and reviewed by following this technique. Cox (2008) suggests that the main participants of a project decide the success or failure of any project whether it is funded and controlled by the state governments or by the private and commercial enterprises (Cox, 2008). The key participants in the project management systems constitute a project team. The project team includes the set of individuals who work together with a common objective of steering the project in the desirable direction and delivering the pre defined project outcomes. A project team encompasses people who play critical roles in delivering the project. The project members can be classified as the individuals who can provide value to the project, the individuals who possess the skills and talents necessary for delivering the project and those individuals who are the key decision makers in the project management process. According to Flouris and Lock (2009), the efficiency of the project teams or the project participants are important determinants in the process of any kind of project management in the aviation sector. The level of skills required and the capabilities of each of the project team members and the project management team as a whole unit are decided by considering different factors associated with the specific project like the scale, complexity, investment, requirements, specifications, project deliverables, impacts and objectives of the project. Thus, the key decisions related to the selection of project management team are to be taken by the most efficient senior management members of any organization or the government which is driving the project (Flouris and Lock, 2009). The decisions involved in forming a project management team is extremely crucial in capital and investment intensive sectors like the construction industry or the aviation industry because the project team acts as the main platform on which the entire course of the project is developed later on. The aviation industry is a young and dynamic industry. Aviation involves the practical art and aspects of aeronautics in which the design, production, development, use and operation of aircrafts including heavier than air, specialized and light weight aircrafts are included (Hamilton, 2004. The aviation industry has developed many improved methods of project management and working so as to ensure that the needs of the large projects involved in this sector are adequately addressed. There may be a wide array of aviation industry projects including the development and implementation of the fair competition policies, projects on emissions and environmental effect reduction, expansion and up gradation of the aviation facilities, projects related to re-engineering and development of the aircraft and safety inspection and implementation of software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) across different segments of the aviation authority systems, all of which need the employment of innovative project management techniques (Figure 1). Figure 1: Aviation industry project examples (Source: Cheng-Lung, 2010) The complexity and size of projects in the aviation industry is huge which makes it necessary for the entities functioning in this segment to employ the most efficient, effective and feasible project management techniques. Whether it is government funded or private commercial projects, all types of projects started in the aviation industry have to take up contemporary innovative project management techniques so as to ensure that the projects are conducted in the most beneficial and value reaping manner for the companies, the industry itself and for all the associated stakeholder groups. Since, the projects in the aviation sector are highly critical, involve high investments and are generally of long duration so risk management and project contingency management are crucial factors that are to be considered in the processes, irrespective of the projects being powered by the state governments or the private enterprises in the sector. Research methodology Research methodology establishes a framework for executing a particular research study. There are various parameters included within research methodology. Research studies can be differentiated into two main segments such as qualitative and quantitative research study. Qualitative research study is associated with gathering opinions or views of experts. These views are then thoroughly analyzed in order to arrive at a final conclusion. Qualitative research study does not require any form of statistical analysis. Data collected are interpreted by researcher so as to accomplish set research aims and objectives. On the other hand, in many research paper there is a high need for market related information. This kind of information is firstly accessed from the market and then statistically analyzed to deliver appropriate research outcome. Quantitative research is conducted through questionnaire survey, structured interviews, etc. There are research studies which can be exhibited only through acquiring information related to market trend (Hennink, Hutter and Bailey, 2010). Researcher’s interpretation skills are least required during quantitative study. This is simply because data collected is analyzed using statistical techniques in order to deliver final results. Research methodology also comprises of data collection tools. There are two forms of data collection tools like primary and secondary data collection measures. Primary data collection mechanism is closely knitted with gathering current market information. On the contrary, secondary data collection measure is all about accessing previous articles, book, magazines, etc. Nature of a research study determines which of the following data collection tools shall be most suitable. There are other factors too associated with selecting right data collection mechanism. For instance, in many research studies time consuming methods are avoided. This eventually leads to selecting least time consuming method which can deliver required research result. Primary data collection techniques are basically more time consuming compared to secondary data collection tools (Thomas, 2003). The objective of a research study should be well aligned with choice of data collection mechanism. This particular research study is centered towards project management differences which are observed between government and commercial business. These differences could be well portrayed through accessing wide array of secondary sources. Quantitative research procedure shall not be applicable for this research study because market information related to government or commercial business cannot be easily explored. It would be difficult and time consuming for researcher to gather required information from market. Qualitative research study would require least time and would outline specific research outcomes. For this research paper, qualitative study will indicate collecting information from articles, newspapers, magazines, books, websites, etc., where experts have provided their opinions on project management methods. These are secondary sources of information and would prove to be effective for this research study. Quality sources would be accessed in this research study so as to outline project management differences between these two sectors. Interpretation skills of researcher will be required after collecting data from qualitative sources. This form of data interpretation would be unbiased and shall be inclined towards meeting research aim. Ethical measures would be retained throughout the research study and no data or information being acquired shall be exploited. Findings and analysis It can be identified from the analysis of the collected data that the project management techniques used in the aviation industry are much distinct and more complex as compared to the general project management techniques. Since, the industry is based on technology and is driven by the advancements and innovations in technology; therefore, both the commercial and government project ventures have to be managed in a technology oriented and skilful manner. The need for specialized people is inherent to the project teams of this industry. The projects in the aviation sector are carried out in diverse environments where in the works are generally conducted in a regulated and controlled workplaces with all kinds of modern facilities and technologies. The basic project management function in the aviation sector is developed on the grounded application and judgment along with technical skills and expertise. The project management processes of both the commercial and government owned projects in the aviation sector include the key functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, motivating, leading, controlling and reviewing the project activities (Gibbs-Smith, 2003). Though the project management teams are similar for both commercial and state controlled projects in the aviation sector, the governance structure in the state owned projects of the aviation industry is simpler and involves lesser number of entities like sponsors, directors, committee members and decision makers all of whom work in close collaboration with the project manager to steer the project in the proper way. In contrast, the commercial ventures involve more complex governance structures of project management. Risk management remains a key function involved in the project management process of the projects carried out in the aviation industry. The commercial enterprises seem to be lagging behind the state authorities in this phase of project management because, in spite of the high level of influence of the commercial aviation comparison on the regulatory environment, the final call related to regulation and policy formulation belongs to the government authorities. The regulatory policies and redundancies act as major threats and risks for projects in the aviation sector. As such, the government backed projects remain comparatively lesser risky that the commercial aviation projects. Safety remains a key determinant for the success of a project in the aviation industry. As such, both the government entities and the private entities have to ensure taking up the most impactful safety assuring processes and techniques in their ventures. Safety policies including red book policy, development of Aviation Safety Technical Teams (ASTT), Fire Aviation Safety Teams (FAST), accident investigations and program reviews are some of the key strategies that are used by the commercial enterprises in the aviation projects (Cleland and Gareis, 2006). In contrast, the safety assurance and monitoring systems followed in the government backed projects are lesser organized and also the tools died for monitoring the project safety levels are limited as compared to that of the commercial aviation projects. The interests and influence of the stakeholders are relatively higher in the commercial aviation projects in comparison to the government owned aviation projects because the commercial projects are linked to a wider group of stakeholders to whom the project managers remain accountable. Thus, the success of the project in commercial ventures in the aviation sector is dependent on a wider and more diverse range of factors which also increase the complexity and requirements of project management in these endeavors (Figure 2). Figure 2: The influence level of stakeholders on aviation industry projects (Source: Lock and Flouris, 2010). Conclusion Thus, it can be identified that in recent times, the commercial aviation industry projects have been more successful as compared to the government controlled or state funded aviation projects. The reason for this can be found out to be the capability of the private enterprises to access better technology and invest more into the projects. In comparison to the state authorities, the commercial enterprises of the aviation sectors seem to be more influential and powerful in terms of investments, influencing policies and regulations and also in terms of employing the most efficient physical and human resources into the project. Also, the commercial enterprises are found to be much more adept at receiving project tenders, influencing project selection and sanctioning through corporate lobbying prowess and in navigating the industry towards a more sustainable and competitive future. References Cheng-Lung, W. (2010). Airline Operations and Delay Management: Insights from Airline Economics, Networks and Strategic Schedule Planning. Journal of Airport Management, Vol. 4(4), pp.100-102. Cleland, D. I. & Gareis, L. (2006). Global Project Management Handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Cox, L. A. (2008). What’s wrong with Risk Matrices? Risk Analysis, Vol. 28(2), pp.89-90. Flouris, T. G. & Lock, D. (2009). Aviation Project Management. London: Ashgate. Gibbs-Smith, C. H., (2003). Aviation. London: NMSO. Hamilton, A. (2004). Handbook of Project Management Procedures. New Jersey: TTL Publishing Ltd. Hennink, M., Hutter, I. and Bailey, A. (2010). Qualitative research methods. London: SAGE. Lock, D. & Flouris, T. G. (2010). Managing Aviation Projects from Concept to Completion. London: Ashgate. Nokeas, S. (2007). The Definitive Guide to Project Management, 2nd Ed. London: Financial Times / Prentice Hall. Thomas, M. (2003). Blending qualitative and quantitative research methods in theses and dissertations. London: Corwin Press. Read More