The objectives of project management can be summarized as the end results that are to be achieved from a project. What must be understood is that, from a literal perspective, the term “objectives” can be defined as the driving force which pushes an individual or group towards a set of defined goals.
Taking this particular definition into consideration, objectives in project management can thus be defined as a series of goals by which a project manager or a project team will attempt to reach via their work strategies or strategic positioning resulting in the advancement of their agenda (Street & Daniels, 2010). Another way of looking at project management objectives is to see it from a perspective where a set of particular results need to be accomplished by the project manager or team.
This can come in the form of increasing the level of productivity in assembly lines through the use of Six Sigma processes or new technologies which increase the efficiency and effectiveness of an assembly line. Other examples of project management objectives come in the of figuring out new and innovative ways of decreasing the cost of labor through the use of outsourcing, implementing new methods of environmental and work safety compliance as well as reducing a company’s overhead through the use of new resource strategies
(Street & Daniels, 2010). Based on these examples it can be seen that objectives in project management can be described as the end result brought about from the completion of a project. It must be noted though that objectives are not immovable sets of goals that need to be followed exactly, rather the unique aspect of project management objectives lies in the fact that they can be modified depending on the end goals of a particular project and the various influences and changes that occurs within a business environment.
One example of this can be seen in the project management objective of developing a new chicken based product that will sell well within the targeted demographics in the company’s various restaurants. If there are issues related to the availability of local and international suppliers regarding the necessary chicken parts then the project management objectives will subsequently adjust due to the provided information and attempt to modify itself to proceed in another direction (Andersen, 2010).
What must be understood is that businesses do not operate within a vacuum wherein decisions on specific operations within a particular project don’t undergo eventual changes due to market forces. As markets and the factors that influence them change so too do the objectives that drive a specific project.
Failure to properly adjust a project’s objectives can lead to disastrous consequences for a company due to possible ramifications in terms of time and resources lost in supporting an objective that didn’t take into consideration changing market events (Andersen, 2010). One example of this can be seen in Microsoft’s ill fated attempt at penetrating g into the music player industry with their new product the “Zoon”.
This particular device was meant as a response to Apple’s growing dominance of the portable music player industry yet as evidenced by the failure of the Zoon it was obvious that Microsoft didn’t take into consideration the sheer amount of market influence already possessed by Apple which would make almost any attempt at penetrating the same market an utter and complete disaster.
Other companies ranging from Hp to Dell have had similar experiences with a host of other experimental products and as such can be considered evidence of the necessity of adjusting project management objectives based on an examination of outside information and changing as necessary.
Why is it so essential in developing information systems?
Information systems can be described as the interface between people, organizations and technology enabling the business to accomplish a specific task or action (Willcocks & Whitley, 2009). One example of an information system are the various applications and websites utilized by Amazon in selling products, accepting client payments through credit card processing applications, contacting their warehouses and shipping bought products to the correct addresses indicated by their consumers.
While this is only a one example of the plethora of information systems out there what must be understood is that information systems act as methods of integration for a company helping to streamline specific processes so that they can be controlled, influenced and improved when necessary (Willcocks & Whitley, 2009).
Developing proper information systems is an essential aspect for a company for without it a company will be unable to properly deal with the buying, selling and the utilization of resources across various locations in the country. Due to the varied and often complicated nature of company operations it becomes a necessity to streamline and integrate product delivery processes, methods of operation, customer service and various other operational capacities.
A company cannot just simply develop and market a product without taking into consideration how best to allocate specific resources in determining where a product needs to go, which branch needs it most, how will product returns be processed and how HR services will deal with salaries for the myriad employees within a company.
A company requires an efficient and up-to-date information system in order to integrate the factors mentioned into an efficient and effective operational strategy so as to better serve its clients. The larger a company get the more hectic and haphazard its operations tend to become, especially in instances where its operations are located in different countries (Saunders, 2007).
Organizations need to understand how to properly allocate resources to specific international locations, how suppliers can be contacted, what are the limits of production on a daily basis and how will each branch location contact each other (Saunders, 2007). In other words information systems can be classified as solutions to identified problems or necessary methods of integration.
What must be understood is that while managers and CEOs are great at coming up with specific solutions to problems they are lost when it comes to implementing these particular solutions when they require computer programming as one of the factors behind the implementation. Information systems and information system specialists bridge this gap by being able to integrate the ideas of managers and CEOs into viable technological applications that can be implemented on a company wide basis (Al-Abdul-Gader, 1999).
For example, if a company is currently having problems with its archaic method of form based ordering in order to get products from the warehouse to consumers a manager or CEO would think to implement a faster and better means of getting orders to warehouses without having to rely on someone physically going there and handing them the orders. They would of course think to apply a computer based system for this particular solution and this is where information systems come in.
An information system in this particular situation becomes an applied solution where it is developed in order to help a company resolve a particular problem. On the other hand if the company was to expand and have a more diverse array of products and factories further development of the initial information systems becomes necessary in order to adapt to the growing needs of the company.
It is based on this that it can be seen that information systems act as a necessary method of process integration which enables a company to do its job better and as such it is essential to have it within a company.
Reference List
Al-Abdul-Gader, A. H. (1999). Managing Computer Based Information Systems inDeveloping Countries : A Cultural Perspective. IGI Global.
Andersen, E. (2010). Are we getting any better? Comparing project management in the years 2000 and 2008. Project Management Journal, 41(4), 4-16.
Saunders, C. (2007). Information Systems in Developing Countries. MIS Quarterly, 31(2), iii-vi.
Street, J. N., & Daniels, R. L. (2010). Reducing Risk of Unacceptable Project Performance: A Demonstration Case Analysis. Cost Engineering, 52(12), 10-19.
Willcocks, L., & Whitley, E. A. (2009). Developing the Information and Knowledge Agenda in Information Systems: Insights From Philosophy. Information Society, 25(3), 190-197.