Summary
Project business – project-based companies in particular – denotes the
activities that deliver projects for customers. Project business is no longer
purely about delivering required projects on time: it is now about systematically
creating a disciplined way of prioritizing effort and resolving
trade-offs, working concurrently on all aspects of the project in multifunctional
teams, and much more. This chapter has described some
basic concepts of the project business, namely: project-based company,
project team, project team building and project team member. Four of
the key factors are:
• The project-based company is an organization in which the majority
of products are made against bespoke designs for customers – i.e. the
company’s mode of production is dominated by projects. Production
in project-based companies takes place through project teams.
• The project team is a group of people working together for a common
goal – i.e. for project delivery. Knowledge sharing, problem solving
and decision making are some of the main activities of a project team.
Project teams typically enjoy a considerable amount of autonomy
within the limits set.
• Project team building is the process of taking a collection of individuals
with different needs, background and expertise, and transforming
them into an integrated and effective work unit. Projects comprise
individuals with different competences, and different experience from
other projects.
• An individual becomes a project team member by interacting with other
people. In this book, the concept of ‘project team member’ primarily
means a knowledge worker, whose skills and expertise are the
foundation of successful project implementation