Published here January, 2009.

Introduction | Book Structure 
What We Liked | Downside | Summary

Summary

Chapter 6 returns to a discussion of the four management perspectives as displayed in Figure 6. We think this chart neatly summarizes the purpose of this guide - the application of management of risk from strategic, program, project and operational viewpoints and the consequent interactions.

Figure 6: Inter-relationships between different organizational perspectives
Figure 6: Inter-relationships between different organizational perspectives[22]

The strategic perspective is concerned with ensuring overall business strategy, vitality and viability and sets the scene for the management of risk across the entire organization. The program management perspective is concerned with transforming business strategy into new ways of working that represent significant changes that deliver measurable benefits to the organization. It sets the scene for the management of risk within the program and the projects that form part of the program.

The project perspective is concerned with delivering predefined outputs to an appropriate level of quality, and with potential benefits, within an agreed time, cost and scope constraints. It sets the scene for the management of risk within the project. The operational perspective maintains a view of the people, processes, and technologies that support ongoing business-as-usual or business service delivery activities of the organization. It is concerned with maintaining appropriate levels of services to existing and new customers and sets the scene for the management of risk within particular operational (service delivery) areas. These are all in relation to customer expectations whether those customers are internal to the organization (e.g. the human resources department), or external.[23]

What ever else, Management of Risk: Guidance for Practitioners provides a valuable source of practical information in the application of program and project risk management. It also provides insight into the much broader perspective of the whole organization for all those at whatever level in the hierarchy that, one way or another, are involved with projects.

R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI

Downside  Downside

22. Ibid, Figure 6.1, p66
23. Ibid, p65-79
 
Home | Issacons | PM Glossary | Papers & Books | Max's Musings
Guest Articles | Contact Info | Search My Site | Site Map | Top of Page