Does Project Management in Australia Differ from Project Management in China - Research Paper Example

Project Management Name Institution Professor Course Date Research Topic: Does project management in Australia differ from project management in China? Background project management have over time become increasingly significant in the current business environment as companies expand their operations into new markets and countries with the aim of increasing their market share while at the same time trying to reduce the associated costs by make use of more efficient resources which can be derived from other countries. The literature on project management has over time evolved considerable over the years in that a large amount of research have been carried out into the various concepts of project management (Kwak and Anbari 2009, Turner 2010 and Wintera et al 2006). As the project management field matures practically and theoretically it calls for an increased level of interaction between people from a number of countries and also an interaction between the different cultures. A project is termed as a series of tasks and activities that tend to have a specific objective that needs to be completed based on certain specifications in that it have some defined start dates, end dates as well as the funding limits. Project management have over time been proven to be among one of the most effective methods when it comes to delivering products within schedule, cost and also in consideration of the resource constraints. With time the importance of project management tend to increase with time as organizations makes use of projects as tools of collecting revenue and also as a way of improving their operational processes and also in implementing their strategic plans. Aim The main aim of this research is to find out if project management in Australia differs from project management in China. Objectives The main goal of the research is to determine if there exist any differences between project management in Australia and in China. Project management is commonly defined as the process of initiating, planning, executing, controlling and finally closing some work so as to achieve certain specific goals and at the same time meet some stated success criteria. Thus, the main objective of the study is to offer a comprehensive review of literature and other industry practices that relates to project management in Australia and China so as to detect any differences that may exist. In essence, the study will seek to achieve the following objectives. i. Offer a comprehensive review of sources that relates to project management in Australia and in China ii. Outline the main process of project management iii. To review the practices and researches in relation to project management in Australia and China iv. Outline the conceptual framework that ensures effective project management. Design A number of activities will be undertaken throughout the course of the research project and this will include searching and reviewing of literature related to project management in China and in Australia. After the sources are reviewed the most appropriate ones will be selected and used as the main sources of the information to be used in the research. They will assist in arriving at a conclusion on the how the concept of project management differs in Australia and in China and this will be essential in writing up a well researched paper that can be used as a reference in the field of project management. The information derived from the research will also assist in adding up to the already existing knowledge on project management. Methodology The research problem will be tackled through the use of a number of available literatures on project management in China and in Australia. Based on available literature the project management in Australia tends to have a more formalized planning process and this means that they ten to stick more to the already pre-agreed planning (Gajendran et al 2012). Project management in China in the other hand tends to play less attention when it comes to planning. This means that they tend to execute the projects quickly and this means that they learn by doing this means that they tend to adopt a trial and error approach. Consequently, the Chinese tend to act more effectively and dynamically when it comes to the execution stage of the project. The Australian therefore spend a considerable amount of time in planning and all this is done with the aim of foreseeing and also trying to prevent any errors as well as any unnecessary mistakes that may occur later on when executing the project (Wiewiora et al 2013). Project management in Australia and china also differs when it comes to quality and cost management. When it comes to project management, the Chinese tend to be more focused on tracking cost for them to be competitive and this eventually means that they sacrifices on quality. In regard to speed and scheduling, the Chinese project management practices tend to have a hierarchical governance structure and a fast decision making process. The Australians tend to pay close attention to the benefits and cost and thus they tend to focus more on quality. The Australians tend to have a cooperative structure this eventually makes the decision making process longer. Project management in China and Australia also differs in terms of risk management. The Chinese in essence have a higher risk appetite and this is as a result of their entrepreneurial spirit but at the same time their risk management in not in any way formalized. The Australians tends to be more risk averse when it comes to project management this means that they spend a considerable amount of their time in trying to identify the various risks in advance and in doing so they usually take a more formalized system (Kerzner 2000). Project management in Australia and China also differs in terms of the scope management as well as the project promises. In respect to these aspects the Chinese in most instances tend to be flexible when it comes to the achievement of the outlined project goals and the goals tend to be subject to any kind of changes and more so when the project is being executed (Lu & Wang 2004). The Australians on the other hand teds to stick and follow the stated project goals as outlined during the project initiation. This means that project management in Australia tends to follow a more formalized and agreed upon scope. Project management in China and Australia also differs in terms of communication when the project is being undertaken. The Chinese tend to portray a larger power distance and this implies that the one communication is not usual in the hierarchical structure. The concept of project management in Australia seems to be a complete contrast in that the Australian tends to have a totally different approach in that they tend to have and adhere to a transparent communication system and this means that the communication is open to all the members involved in the project (Hofstede 2000). Despite the differences that exists between project management in China and Australia there are some similarities in that project management in other countries follows the same process this means that project ,management takes place through four major phases which includes the initiation phase, planning, execution as well as the closure (PMI 2004). In regard to this concept project management in China and Australia have set objectives to achieve, defined end dates which the project need to meet and have limited resources and funding and at the same time project management have a unique feature in that they have high levels of uncertainty. Milestones and budget The research will be done within a period that does not exceed three weeks and all available and needed materials and sources will be reviewed. No huge costs will be incurred since the required sources are readily available in the library. Possible outcomes and limitations The possible outcome of the research is that it will offer a comprehensive literature on project management in Australia and China and states how it differs. Based on the research project management in Australia and China tends to differ a great deal. This will be of great importance in that it will provide relevant and applicable knowledge in the field of project management. Project management in Australia and China also differs when it comes to quality and cost management in that the Chinese tend to be more focused on tracking cost for them to be competitive while the Australians tend to pay close attention to the benefits and cost. Project management in China and Australia also differs in terms of risk management. The Chinese in essence have a higher risk appetite while the Australians tends to be more risk averse when it comes to project management. Project management in Australia and China also differs in terms of the scope management as well as the project promises. In respect to these aspects the Chinese in most instances tend to be flexible when it comes to the achievement of the outlined project goals and the goals tend to e subject to any kind of changes and more so when the project is being executed. The Australians on the other hand tends to stick and follow the stated project goals as outlined during the project initiation. Project management in China and Australia also differs in terms of communication when the project is being undertaken. The Chinese tend to portray a larger power distance and this implies that the one communication is not usual in the hierarchical structure. The concept of project management in Australia seems to be a complete contrast in that the Australian tends to have a totally different approach in that they tend to have and adhere to a transparent communication system. Despite the differences that exists between project management in China and Australia there are some similarities in that project management in other countries follows the same process this means that project management takes place through four major phases which includes the initiation phase, planning, execution as well as the closure. A major limitation of this study is that it has used a number of resources from Australia and China and thus the conclusion made may be weak in the long run. In this regard, future research needs to deal with a great number of resources. This will be essential in informing and coming up with a concise and undisputable conclusion on how project management in Australia differs from project management in China. Another limitation is that one data collection method was used in the study. As a matter of fact, future research needs to make use of more than one data collection method. By doing so, the results arrived at will be credible in that they data will be collected through various means. In this regard future research should make use of questionnaires. References Andersen, E 2003, ‘Understanding your Project Organization character’, Project Management Journal vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 4-11. Gajendran, T, Brewer, G, Dainty, A & Runeson, G 2012, ‘A conceptual approach to studying the organizational culture of construction projects’, Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 1–26. Hofstede, G 2000, Culture’s consequences: comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Kerzner, H 2000, Applied Project Management, Wiley, New York. Kwak, Y & Anbari, F 2009, ‘Analyzing project management research: Perspectives from top management journals’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 435–446. Lu, Y & Wang, S 2004, ‘Project Management in China’, Southeast Asia Construction issue sept/oct, pp. 158-163. PMI Standards Committee 2004, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Project Management Institute, New-town Square, PA. Turner, J 2010, ‘Evolution of project management research as evidenced by papers published in the International Journal of Project Management’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1–6. Wiewiora, A, Trigunarsyah, B, Murphy, G & Coffey, V 2013, ‘Organizational culture and willingness to share knowledge: A competing values perspective in Australian context’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 31, no. 8, pp. 1163–1174. Wintera, M, Smith, C, Morris, P & Cicmil, S 2006, ‘Directions for future research in project management: The main findings of a UK government-funded research network’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 638–64. Read More