Ethical Conduct in Psychology Essay

Professional ethics is associated with doing what is right, both morally and legally. Although many professions are associated with a code of ethics, it is more relevant in the field of psychology. In psychology, this requires the practitioner to conduct himself or herself in accordance to several laid down moral principles. These principles attempt to promote honesty in teaching and practice of psychological science, and in executing their social responsibilities. The contribution of psychologists to the society is generally based on trust. The public trusts psychologists to use their scientific knowledge and services for the development of individuals and the society. The legal system trusts psychologists to offer specialized subject testimony without undue bias or favor. Client’s trusts psychologists to maintain confidentiality. However; the public trust in psychology to deliver is eroded when psychologists violate confidentiality or practice in areas outside their training and competency, or when they publish false results. When the conduct of a psychologist can be interpreted as a breach of ethics, the matter can be brought to the person’s attention through an informal resolution. When an informal resolution seems inappropriate, the ethical violation may be reported to committees on professional ethics. The role of ethics is more stressed in mental health and psychology, much more than in most other fields. This is mainly because the diagnosis and treatment of mental diseases is different from physical illnesses. The direct influence of the mental health professional or the psychologist in producing a desired treatment outcome independently, is considerably limited and much depends on the patient’s ability to cooperate with the treatment. As mental diseases are understood by the observation of behavioral pattern of Ethical Conduct in Psychology 4 an individual, technological intervention cannot aid these professionals, like that in physical health care, where blood tests and other sophisticated scan systems and analysis conclusively pin point the diseases which are then appropriately followed up for treatment. Specialists in other areas of medicine have benefited from the development in biological sciences, where disease progress mechanisms have been more detailed and specific. Mental health professionals including psychologists do not presently benefit from laboratory testing to confirm the presence or absence of psychopathology. This is mainly because, the underlying processes associated with mental disorders in still unknown. Mental health professionals cannot benefit by prescribing tests for genetic defects or brain lesions, for evaluating a mental disorder. Clinical psychologists depend on the observations of an individual’s behavior, personal experience and history to make diagnosis and treatment decisions. This intrusion into the life of a client, gives the psychologist immense data on the individual, which is intended to be used to improve the life of the client. Thus the methods used to seek data, the interpretation of the data, the susceptibility of the client as a result of revealing, the validity of the interpretation and conclusions reached, are all of immense importance to the client. The misuse or abuse of the client data can have serious consequences. Therefore, the treatment by psychologists is associated with safeguarding the information of the client, while using it beneficially for the client. There are situations when this confidentiality should be breached too. There are several ways in which the psychologists can interpret and use this data. The psychology practice thus throws up several situations for pondering; to think and decide, to separate the right from wrong. Thus psychology is involved with dilemmas and ethics. Ethical Conduct in Psychology 5 To ensure that psychologists stand up to the responsibilities and expectations associated with them, the American Psychologists Association (APA) has formulated its own ethics; the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. This APA Ethics Code provides guidelines to both, general ethical conduct and specific situational conduct. The code helps psychologists to face ethical problems and dilemmas. However, in the course of the practice of psychology, psychologists often come across complex ethical situations, for which reliance to APA ethics code alone, do not show the right way. Sometimes an ethical dilemma can have several solutions compatible with all ethics; however the most appropriate solution is selected by critical thinking. Sometimes by following one particular standard, psychologists may breach another standard. When making decisions associated with their profession, psychologists must consider all applicable laws and regulations of the psychology board, in addition to the Ethics Code. Psychologists can also look to guidelines that have been endorsed by other scientific or psychological communities, apart from their own conscience. When the ethical conduct is in confrontation with the law or regulations, then the psychologists must show their commitment to the laws, while taking steps to resolve the conflict, responsibly. Fischer suggested an eight-step model for decision making, based on critical thinking; which meets ethical standards for testing and assessments (Fischer, 2003).

Jazz and Poetry Essay

There are many different types of music in the world, and each one is different because of certain characteristics that help to make that genre stand apart from all the others. One of these genres is Jazz. Jazz is a type of music that was created mainly by black Americans during the early twentieth century, and is a combination of American and African tribal music. There are many different characteristics that set Jazz apart from every other kind of music, but there are three main distinctions; the first is its particular combination of rhythm, melody and harmony, second is the subtle differences that make every Jazz player almost instantly recognizable and finally is the way that Jazz players interact and react with their surroundings, they do not simply play a designated set of notes. The first characteristic that helps to make Jazz so different from other genres of music is the rhythm, melody and harmony. Not only do these apply to the music of the Jazz era though, these same rhythms can be found in some of the poetry of that time. One of the poems that demonstrates a particular rhyme is T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.† In this Eliot does not stick to a common rhyme scheme like some of the more simple poems. He does use end-rhyme, but it does not alternate for every line, sometimes there are two or three lines that have no rhyme between two lines that do. It is because of this unorthodox rhyme scheme that his poem relates to the seemingly random rhythms of Jazz music. Another poem that shows harmony similar to that of Jazz is â€Å"The Tropics in New York† by Claude McKay. In this he uses a simple end-rhyme scheme, and alternates with each line. But the way he has written the poem it seems to flow endlessly, not causing the mind to drift or to become confused. These are only two out of the thousands of poems that display the first characteristic of Jazz music. The next attribute of Jazz music is the subtle differences that musicians would put in that would make each player distinguishable from the next. One poet who demonstrated this quality greatly was Langston Hughes. Hughes was one of the most prolific and successful African-American poets of the 1920’s. In each one of his poems he would display his great pride for his heritage, as well as his displeasure with the oppression he witnessed. One of his poems that greatly illustrates this quality is â€Å"Refugee in America†.  In this poem he speaks of â€Å"sweet and wonderful words like Freedom†, and how he thinks about it every day. He goes on to say that there are words like Liberty that nearly make him cry. This shows his great resentment of the oppression of his race. Another one of his poems that shows his strong pride for his heritage is â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†. In this poem Hughes illustrates how his race has been around for thousands of years and has known rivers all across the globe. By this he is stating that his race has been everywhere and will continue to last, just as the rivers of the world. But that is not the last trait that spans across both the music and literature of that era. The final Jazz characteristic which can be found in literature from that time period is the way that the musicians would flow almost randomly throughout the music, reacting to the audience, as well as their band mates, and not simply playing a single, designated set of notes. One of the first examples that comes to mind is William Carlos Williams’ â€Å"The Great Figure†. This poem seems to make almost no sense, and have no reason for being written. It is the simple story of a fire truck going through the city on a rainy day. There were not too many styles of music, or literature, which produced poems as seemingly random, yet meaningful as the Jazz era. Another example of this is by the poet Hilda Doolittle, who is actually said to be the creator of the Imagist style of poetry. In Doolittle’s poem â€Å"Heat† she speaks of a wind that is coming through to cool down the heat. She says that the fruit will not all in thick air, and that the wind will cut the fruit down in its path. Like previously stated, the combination of rhythm and melody, the ability to distinguish between Jazz musicians and the seemingly random flow of music are only three attributes of Jazz. These is an entire list of things that can be said about Jazz that sets it apart from all other genres of music. But these three characteristic go to show how the Jazz music of the early twentieth century was very similar to the poetry and literature of that era.

Presentation: Barack Obama “Dreams from My Father”

Barack Obama – â€Å"Dreams From My Father-A Story of Race and Heritance† Today I want to introduce you United States President Barack Obama’s first memoir, dreams from my father. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career and republished in August 2004. Author: Since my book is an autobiography I won’t tell you everything about the author, I just will give some personal facts about him. Barack Obama was born in 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama Senior and Ann Dunham. In 1991, Obama graduated from Harvard Law School.While in law school he worked as a co-worker at the law firms of Sidley & Austin where he met his wife, Michelle, whom he married in 1992. Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters: Malia Ann and Natasha, known as Sasha. On November 4 2008, Obama won the presidency of the United States. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20, 2009. On October 8 of las t year, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Characters: Paternal Family The Obamas are members of the Luo, Kenya's third-largest ethnic group. Hussein Onyango Obama Barack Obama's paternal grandfather †¢Habiba Akumu Obama Barack Obama's paternal grandmother and the second wife of Hussein Onyango Obama †¢Barack Hussein Obama Senior He is the father of Barack Obama. Visited his son only for one single time. In his memoir, Barack calls him the Old Man. †¢ Kezia †¢Jane Her sister, Jane, is the ‘Auntie Jane' mentioned at the very start of Dreams from My Father when she telephoned President Obama to inform him that his father had been killed in a car accident. †¢Ruth NdesandjoBorn Ruth Nidesand, in US, Barack Obama Sr. ‘s third wife Maternal Family †¢Ann Dunham Mother of Barack Obama. His mother is open minded, idealistic, naive in one sense, world-wise in another. †¢Stanley Dunham is the grandfather of Barack Obama. Stanley and his wife Madelyn raised Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii. His grandparents love him unconditionally. He learns his grandfather's strengths and weaknesses, but never really comes to see him as the father figure he's seeking. †¢Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham Barack Obama's maternal grandmother. †¢Lolo SoetoroStepfather of Barack Obama, born in Indonesia, Obama speaks fondly of his step-father, and learns several life lessons from him, but unfortunately his mother's relationship with his step-father doesn't last. Plot: 1. Origins 2. Chicago 3. Kenya Epilogue Barack Obama, the current narrates a heart-rending story about his personal implications; tribulations in the American society, and his father’s roots. Ad 1. The story opens up in New York, where he hears that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has died in a car accident.Two years later after Baby Obama was born, his father won a scholarship to continue with studies at Harvard University . And so, Obama Senior left Hawaii, went to Harvard, separated from his small family and, was divorced by Ann. He completed his studies and returned to Kenya to take up a senior job at the department of national planning. Baby Obama never saw him until much later. As a young boy, his mother marries a man from Indonesia and they go to live there. His mother sends him back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents so he can attend a prestigious Hawaiian school, as one of only three black students there.Obama has one encounter with his father when he's ten in Hawaii. Obama is a little adored, a little overwhelmed by his father’s visit. Nevertheless his father doesn’t stay very long and leaves Obama with more questions than answers. Ad 2. Propelled by a desire to understand both the forces that shaped him and his father’s legacy, the book then moves on to moves to Chicago where he works as a community organizer. It's challenging work that is rarely rewarding, but Obam a gives it his all. Then a relative from Kenya, his aunt Jane, calls to tell him his father has died, but Obama's not quite sure how to feel about that or how to react.Several weeks later, his Kenyan half-sister, Auma, makes contact with him. Auma gives him a sneak peek into his father's life in Kenya. Obama is fascinated by the life Auma leads and wants to learn more about their father. Before he leaves community organizing to go to Harvard Law School, he makes arrangements to visit Auma in Kenya and TO TRACE THE ROOTS OF HIS FATHER. Ad 3. In Kenya, Obama discovers a family he didn't even know. His father had at least four wives, and Obama has a slew of brothers and sisters who are living in their father's shadow.Obama and Auma visit with one their grandfather's wives, â€Å"Granny. † She tells Obama's father story to him. The story: Because Onyango wanted his son to be provided as best as possible as for opening up a good future, his father received a scholarship in economi cs through a special program which offered Western educational opportunities to outstanding Kenyan students. Following Obama Sr. enrolled at the University of Hawaii where Obama Sr. married Ann Dunham, though she would not find out that her new husband was already married to a pregnant wife until much later.Ann quit her studies to care for the baby, while Obama Sr. completed his degree, leaving shortly thereafter to study at Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, Obama Sr. met an American-born teacher named Ruth who he married after divorcing from Barack’s mother. After a while Obama Sr. published a paper entitled â€Å"Problems Facing Our Socialism† harshly criticizing the concept for national planning. This conflict with President Kenyatta destroyed his career. Following he was fired from his job, was blacklisted in Kenya, and began to drink.He had a serious car accident, spent almost a year in the hospital, and by the time he visited his son in Hawaii, when Barack was ten years old. Obama Sr. ‘s life fell into drinking and poverty, from which he never recovered. Obama Sr. later lost both legs in another automobile collision, and subsequently lost his job. He died at the age of 46, in a third car crash in Nairobi. From then on, Obama realized that the man he thought to be a failure was in fact a hero in his village. His father was the first person to have gone to the US University from his village.Then, Obama forgave his father and decided to change his life basing on his father’s dreams. Themes: †¢Racism Throughout the whole book the main character is faced with Racism. From early childhood he had to struggle with students that teased him when he was playing with one of the three black kids. Even in Kenya, when he and some of his family members are at a restaurant, the waitress who is black, ignores their orders and doesn’t serve them after she has seen European tourists who are white. †¢Search for communi ty As a young adult, Obama set off in search of community and purpose, with the reat role models of the civil rights movement. The glory days of the civil rights movement were long gone when Obama gets an organizing job in a poor neighborhood on Chicago's South Side plagued by crumbling public housing, disappearing manufacturing jobs, and rising crime. The group's founder is a Jewish man who is not fully trusted by the community. At the same time Obama makes personal connections. He becomes close with the three middle-aged African-American women who are core to the organization, and develops a friendship with an eccentric, pot-smoking Catholic organizer.He looks out for Kyle, the teenage son of a volunteer who is in danger of getting into trouble. One of the most moving bits in the book where Obama tells the group he is headed off to Harvard Law School, and promises his friends in the neighborhood that he'll be back. †¢Search for family and identity Feeling out of place in high school, Obama gravitates toward the black kids and works to embrace an African-American culture that matches others' expectations of his appearance, but is different from his upbringing and background. A trip to Kenya before law school is an opportunity for discovery.Obama grew up with an idealized vision of his father, which both intimidated and inspired him. As he gets to know his African family, he finds out that his father's life was more complex and less perfect than the idealized image. In Kenya, Barack Junior finds a family that is loving, close, and welcoming but surrounded by problems — feuds, alcoholism, and poverty. The stories that Obama hears on his trip make things more complicated, not simpler. The stories provide context for the personality flaws, passions, that which are more meaningful, more admirable, and more forgivable, than a shallow but false idealized image. The Limits of â€Å"Organizing† After a series of infamous defeats, the persistence, sk ill and empathy of Obama's group begins to pay off. They organize cleanup for the housing project, job training for the neighborhood, mentoring for school kids. But in the end, during a public forum where the neighborhood people demand basic maintenance for public housing projects, the bureaucrats explain that the Housing Authority budget allows a asbestos removal, or basic repairs, but not both. So as you can see, one small person can’t change everything without reaching some limits.

Jourmal of Asian Pacific Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jourmal of Asian Pacific Communication - Essay Example How did the authors go about investigating the issue? The research questions were used to investigate the issues of study such as whether there are any significant differences in communication styles used by native speakers of American English and native speakers of East Asian languages in homogeneous groups and whether East Asian speakers of similar language proficiency exhibit the same communication patterns in heterogeneous and homogenous teams. In order to analyze the situation, various categories such as turns, words, overlaps, back channels and latching were used. What were the main findings? It was found that when working in homogenous groups, both cultural groups exhibits similar interaction and their participation was very similar. East Asians acquire shorter turns and Americans took longer turns; in addition, East Asians showed higher rates of latching compared to Americans. Make at least five (5) suggestions as to how this article might be improved. The article uses only a few variables to discuss the interactive approach, more variables can be used to provide a deep discussion on the communicative patterns. Additional study is needed to explore the cultural differences affecting the performance of groups. This study uses only a small sample data; a larger data sample would provide stronger results. If the article emphasis the decision making of students group in decision making, it will be more easily understandable for this study. Further study is needed to argue the reason of silencing result of non native speakers of mixed groups. Section-2- Self Reflection Assessment: Introduction: We had a MMH299 unit to explain about Business Communication. The objective of this unit is to expand knowledge of the nature of business communication, and provide the necessary tools and skills to help in improving the productivity in an organization. With participation in the unit, it was a completely different experience for me to gain knowledge about various aspe cts of business communication. It was, in fact, exciting to see that how an easy thing like communication was not simple at all as I have learned before. Communication is the part and parcel of our life. But I was ignorant of the wide areas of business communication. I have learned the theories of business communication through this unit. Business communication is very essential in an organization to improve the productivity and achieve the objectives. Tasks: We have undertaken various tasks on weekly in order to get a better overview of the topic. The task included explaining about the theory and History of Business Communication, workshop on Meetings Online and Technology, Teamwork, Oral and online presentations, Writing reports, Dealing with Conflict and Negotiation, providing a view on behavioral Protocols and Ethical Communication, Intercultural communication, emotion, Communication and Gender issues. Learning activities: The tasks started with the description of the theory and history of business communication. I have learned that the most significant thing in communication is to hear what is not being told. Communication theories were originated in twentieth century. Communication â€Å"is the very means by which we produce our personal relationships and professional experiences†

Retail marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Retail marketing - Essay Example They take small supplies from the suppliers and then sell them in an open market. They need to keep their eyes on every aspect of the market. In fact they are the real salesmen of the products. The normal buyer goes to the retailers for shopping. A normal buyer does not have access to the manufacturers or the suppliers. Simply, a retail shop is the last place in the chain of selling the products that is from the producer to the consumer. Before analyzing the marketing strategies to be adopted by retailers we need to understand what the retailers and public relationship actually are and what their functions are. This will make us capable enough to make some strategies for the retailers to achieve good PR coverage. RETAILERS Business dictionary defines retailers as â€Å"A business or person that sales goods to the consumers, as opposed to a wholesaler or supplier who normally sell their goods to another business†. A place where a retailer commences business is known as retail s tore or departmental store. A departmental store is defined as "The department store is characterized by a store with wide variety and deep assortment and good level of customer service. An example is the shopping center to attract consumers who value comfort, safety, quality, famous brands and greater variety of options in specialty stores. The variety stores are those that offer a wide variety of products and limited services and low prices. They sell similar products that could be found in department stores, but usually are not brands, or brands of self-standard of quality and service system is self service† (Kotler, 2000, p. 129) There are certain characteristics of retailers that make them different from producers and whole sellers. They are like they deal in different varieties of the products where as producers produce the products of their brand only. Retailers have a very limited and small percentage of total consumers and they try to satisfy consumers by providing di fferent types of the products and acting as a bridge between the producers and the consumers. Retailers establish and maintain a permanent contact with the consumers and they purchase as well as sell small quantities of the many products. Retailers perform different functions for different stake holders. They may include functions for the consumers, suppliers, and manufacturers. The main general functions include sale of goods and establishing a good relationship with the consumers. A retailer acts as a middle man between producers and the consumers. Moreover he acts as an advisor to both the supplier and the buyer. He also acts as a marketing agent for different companies as he attracts consumers by briefing them about different products. The functions that are specifically performed for the customers are provision of a good stock of different finished products and maintaining enough stock of the goods to fulfill desirable demand of the normal consumers. A retailer does not bind hi mself to sale the products of some specific producer he even sales products of two competitors. Hence he offers a variety of products to the consumers. Nowadays most of the retailers also offer free home delivery service and very few of them charge for such a service. In case of any fault or dissatisfaction from the products purchased, a retailer offers after sales

Analysis of Accounts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of Accounts - Case Study Example This report presents an analysis of Margate plc’s financial performance in the past five years while comparing it with industry peer, Herne Bay Ltd. In addition to this, the report also presents an analysis of cash flows of the company during the past 2 years and at the same time states how financial ratio analysis may not be effective enough for presenting an accurate and useful financial analysis for analysts and investors. At the end of the report, conclusion and recommendations are presented for High Deen plc as far as investment in Margate plc is concerned. Financial Ratio Analysis Based on the information provided in relation to the financial performance of Margate plc in 2012 and 2011, following is an analysis of it performance through selected financial ratios. The financial ratios presented below also take into consideration the ratios determined for the company for the financial years 2010, 2009 and 2008. In addition to this, for conducting a comparative analysis of the company with its competitor, ratios for Herne Bay Ltd have also been determined for the years 2012 and 2011. Return on Capital Employed The return on capital employed for Margate plc increased in 2011 due to significant increase in the revenues but then in 2012 with a decline in revenue, the ratio declined. On the other hand, one other reason for this decline is increase in the total capital employed by the company, which ultimately reduced this ratio. However, while comparing Margate plc’s return on capital employed with the Herne Bay Ltd’s ROCE, it can be observed that the company has almost maintained its position in relation to its competitor (Peterson & Fabozzi, 2012; Jiambalvo, 2010; Helfert, 2001). Ratio Margate plc Herne Bay Ltd

The Community Health Systems, Stress and Their Meanings Research Paper

The Community Health Systems, Stress and Their Meanings - Research Paper Example The employees realized that the due to the prevalent condition of the industry where reimbursements were waning and regulations were mounting, the Community Health Systems was facing financial complexity; yet they were not satisfied with the offer the company had proposed and believed that they should be paid better compensation. Jim Brentwood had said that they would conduct an informational picket on Thursday and after that, they would decide depending on the strike vote by the group of employees. He had added that although the employees did not wish to strike there was a strong possibility of one if the company did not collaborate with them. Mary Martin, on the other side, found it hard to believe that the employees would go for a strike because if they did so, they would be paid only half the amount that they would have earned for a week. The 2000 employees involved were at the bottom end of the company’s pay scale, and hence Mary Martin was confident that due to monetary constraints the employees would not vote in favor of a strike. Moreover, this group of employees included patient transporters, housekeeping and cafeteria workers, and the Community Health Systems was already thinking of outsourcing their dietary department to another firm, Thomson Healthcare Food Services; and hence even if the employees did go for a strike, the organization could carry on their cafeteria services without interruption. Instead of reconciling the existing differences and trying to arrive at a consensus agreement, both the sides were rigid in their stands and were not in a mood for negotiation. Generally, the outcome of a negotiation is reliant on the power relationship between the two sides. In this context, the employee union was not aware of the company’s plan to outsource their dietary requirements.

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 45

Journal - Essay Example Additionally, the title of the article depicts that the story given by Roosi has not yet been validated. This is because of the use of the phrase â€Å"woman says† (Watkins & Almasy 1). On the other hand, the contents of the article are well detailed and include quotations from Roosi and Richard Quest and statements from the Malaysian Airlines. The article has an embedded video with a slide show of the pictures taken by Roosi and her friend at the cockpit in 2011 with Hamid. The article employs a relatively formal language. It quotes the words â€Å"A Current Affair† and â€Å"Piers Morgan Live† to imply that the reader will categorize them as referring to television programs. The tone of the article is apathetic as there is little concern over the matter raised on the conduct of the Malaysian Airlines pilots and the article does not offer recommendations that may assist in averting such an incident in the future. Watkins, Tom, and Steve Almasy. "Jonti Roos says she flew in cockpit with missing pilot." CNN. CNN, 12  Feb.  2014. Web. 12  Mar.  2014.

An Investigation to Enhance the Vocational Competency of South Asian M Essay

An Investigation to Enhance the Vocational Competency of South Asian Migrant Workforce - Essay Example In order to give their best performance and excel in their work, they need to be competent enough to adjust themselves according to the trends, norms and practices prevalent in the Saudi Construction Industry Saudi culture. However, there are certain factors that decline the migrant workers’ performance at work, many of which can be attributed to the linguistic and behavioral differences between Saudi Arabian managers and engineers and the South Asian workers. This research will identify those factors, and suggest suitable strategies to eradicate them so that the South Asian migrant workers’ competence at work can be enhanced and their productivity be increased. Challenges that particularly need to be addressed are the determination of all factors that play a role in defining the migrant workers’ competence at work. Also, scaling of their competence is a big challenge for the researcher, for competence needs to be quantified in order to judge whether certain strategies have helped improve it or not. To study the ways to improve the skill, knowledge and motivation of the South Asian migrant workforce in the public sector of Saudi Construction Industry so as to enhance their productivity as well as the quality of work they produce. Quality of construction is one of the primary concerns in construction and development that is currently taking place all over the world. Particularly, countries like Saudi Arabia are known for rapid construction and development because of good Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The average annual GDP growth in Saudi Arabia between 1969 and 2009 was 5.06 percent (Trading Economics, 2010). The exaggerated construction and development rate in Saudi Arabia can be attributed to  the linguistic and behavioral differences between Saudi Arabian managers and engineers and the South Asian workers.

Designing and implemlenting an evaluation of the quality of yur Lab Report

Designing and implemlenting an evaluation of the quality of yur clinical teaching - Lab Report Example It is also worth noting that teacher evaluation exercises should focus on teaching practices rather than on individual teachers. To focus on professionalism in the teaching industry and in individual teachers, evaluations should consider the responsiveness and the involvement of others in such exercises. The key processes or stages in a teaching evaluation exercise include planning, preparation, observation, data collection, reporting, and follow-up. Notwithstanding the approaches used in teacher evaluation, these exercises should form an integral of the larger strategy education and teacher improvement. The other important part of teacher evaluation is its being dialogical rather than hierarchical. Teacher evaluation is not a preserve of the education industry; instead, other industries such as nursing also require teacher evaluation exercises as nurses require continual training and refresher course. Evaluation of clinical teaching with regards to student learning and competency is quite instrumental in giving teachers, administrators and employers of training programs an overview of the quality of the teaching and learning practices of those involved. However, that clinical teacher should also be evaluated makes it necessary for those concerned to design and implement various teaching evaluation policies and approaches. The design and the implementation of clinical teaching evaluation tools is thus quite a crucial undertaking in nursing and other types of clinical education. This paper designs and implements a nursing teaching evaluation for the employer, detailing the approaches used in the evaluation and changes suitable for improving future nursing teaching. Nursing Teaching Evaluation and Improvement There are several reasons for which the undertaken nursing teaching evaluation was conducted. First, nursing teaching evaluation helps employers and administrators to gauge the effectiveness of teaching personnel, thus contributing to informed and wise decis ion making in clinical educational institutions. One method by which the nursing teaching evaluation was done is the use of student evaluators. It is often recommended that administrators and employers assess the evaluation tools used on their reliability, relevance and validity. In this nursing practice evaluation, the development process and psychometric testing for clinical and educational evaluation of teaching were applied. Since the students were required to fill without feeling their time was being wasted, the evaluation instruments had to be relatively short. The instruments were quite useful in meeting the reasons for which evaluation is such an important part of nursing and nursing education. The first aim of the evaluation was to determine whether the educational interventions used are effective in assisting learners to achieve the expected outcomes. Just in the same way as students are constantly assessed to determine their progress, so should nursing teachers. A five-ev aluator program, which is a rather accurate and valid evaluation approach critical in the education of competent professional nurses, was used in the nursing teaching evaluation. The evaluators included educators, students, peers, administrators and heads of programs and/or departments such as pediatric, health, administration, medical-surgical, psychiatric. However,

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 15

Accounting - Essay Example There is an additional expenditure of packaging cost of $.9 per bottle and promotional expenditure amounting to $25,000. After taking into consideration all the inflows accordingly and deducting the outflows, the total profit amounts to $518,120. In alternative – 3, the approach is quite dynamic of giving a $3 worth of cooler free for every Shiraz bottle. Also, the selling price would be reduced to $12.95. This would increase the sales volume by 40% for 2 months and 7% for the later six months. On the whole, the sales would be 82980 bottles per year. However, as per unit profit is quite low, the profit receivable would also be very low at $136,472. Analysis: In the first year, there is a cash outflow of $8000+$18000+$15000 for Gazebo. In the second year, the payment for reception center of $250,000 has to be paid. The resulting inflows have been recorded accordingly. After estimating the cash flows thus for the ten years, we need to calculate the two normal methods of project evaluation, namely: NPVand IRR. The IRR is arrived at by matching the total outflows and inflows to a particular rate of return. By trial and error basis, we understand that the interest rate is between 9 and 10%. By interpolation, we arrive at the 9.51% rate of interest. Analysis: In the current situation, Chenin and Dessert Wine are quite profitable with $9 and $10 contribution per unit respectively. Here, the point to be noted is that the contribution per unit for Dessert Wine is more than that of Chenin. After deducting the fixed expenses from contribution of sales, we arrive at profit figures of $30,400 and $33,600. In the May offer, even though, the volume is more, the total profit earned is less in the case of Chenin because of its low contribution per unit. Hence, the company should not look into the proposal of halting dessert wine bottles by 600 and taking up 800 bottles order for

Investigatory Project Essay Example for Free

Investigatory Project Essay It is said that Lemon Grass is an excellent insect repellant. The ancients were familiar with this attribute. This action, bug repelling, does not carry the same punch that it did in the days of the Israelites. Egypt was fertile because it had good soil and lots of water. An abundance of water meant lots of insects, specifically mosquitoes. Mosquitoes carry malaria, which was bad news in the ancient world. The ancients burned lemon grass to keep the bugs away just as we do. However, they were worried about a little more than unsightly bump on the legs. Keeping bugs away was a life or death situation. Using coconut oil for the skin is healthy, the natural way. Tropical dwellers have known this fact for at least a millennium or two. Unlike superficial cosmetics formulated in labs of profit-hungry corporations, coconut oil contains absolutely nothing that will harm your precious skin, including the rest of your body. Related Study This essential oil proved to be one of the top performers in a comparative study of insect repellents published in July, 2002 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The two commercial sprays tested kept bugs away from 1 to 3 hours. The results of a 2004 California State Science Fair project show that lemongrass is 30 percent less effective than commercial preparations containing DEET, or diethylmetatoluamide, in repelling mosquitoes. Lemongrass, or cymbopogon ciatrus, may still be a suitable substitute for persons who cannot tolerate DEET. A study published on the CBS News website compares natural-based insect repellents against DEET products. According to the news network, natural products like lemon grass and citronella work by scent and must be reapplied more often than DEET-based products. On coconut oil as a skin friendly product, Leading biochemist Raymond Peat, Ph.D., has this to say. It is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that, and that it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities.

Factors in American Democracy

Factors in American Democracy American Democracy The seven key functions of interest groups. The interest groups are organizations that may be formed in reaction to certain issues either as a single event or threat that may later become institutionalized. They are private organizations that endeavor to influence public officials to respond the shared aspirations of their members without holding to political power. They stimulate interest in public affairs through members representation based on a criterion of shared beliefs rather than by geography. Interest groups provide useful data to governments and are a means through which political participation is attained hence they act as a check and balance. This is a fundamental role that manifest itself in politics, education, business etc. These Interest groups may be for profit while others are for non profit. One function of interest groups is to garner representation that may be political. They seek out memberships as more members more power hence attaining a position where election outcome is influenced. Therefore securing money for its cause is central and advantageous in order for it to sustain itself and be effective at lobbying and influence government policy. They have the responsibility of spreading information to the general public because they pose information that either the public or the policymakers may lack. This helps it to gain more followers and influence policy makers to take certain favorable actions. They have an inbuilt mechanism to change policy both in both private and public spheres. Interest groups do educate both their own constituents and the public and by this members are educated on the most recent developments on the issues at hand. With their developed expertise on a particular field or policy area they are normally called to testify before congress on their position concerning legislation (Aldrich, 1995). The two-party system today: is it in decline or in resurgence? Over the last three decades pundits have claimed that the American political parties are on the decline in the US politics. Their role has been reducing in the political process and it has been inferred that they are not a useful tool any more. The political action committee (PACs) has supplemented the political parties rendering them to be outdated. The view is reinforced with the idea that candidates are independent of political parties to get elected rendering the parties to be less significant. Parties do not make significant and purposeful stand on issues but are concerned with accommodating followers form the middle of the ideological spectrum rendering them irrelevant to progression of society. The party leaders do not make important decisions on presidential candidate as a result of party primaries and committees. The role of the party in educating and influencing the electorate has been overtaken by the mass electronic media. Democratic Party reformed the delegate selection process trough the 1968 convention that led to increase usage of the primaries leading to an increased youth, women and minorities representation. These reforms in the Democratic Party have made it to be reflective to the view of academicians and intellectuals at the expense of the working masses, unionist, elected officials etc who have the numbers. A large number of citizens are distrustful to the major parties viewing them as corrupt institutions that circumvent the issues at hand, have no ideas and follow public opinions rather than generate them. Nevertheless political parties still do play a crucial role in American politics (Reichley, 2000). The parties are transforming but not declining despite the political environment being more candidates centered than before. Today parties are better funded with permanent headq uarters. They are more capable to providing assistance to states and local party organizations due to the strengthened financial base. They have defined themselves as providers of expertise to the needy but they cannot themselves acquire it. They have shown unity during roll call votes in congress and after the 1968 convection the Democratic Party replaced the unit rule with system of proportionality. The Republican Party has given the national committees more control over presidential campaigns and urged state parties to encourage broader participation of all groups. Today both parties do provide training sessions for candidates on campaign planning, marketing, fund raising, volunteers and campaign scheduling. The two major political parties have demonstrated adaptability to change with time and respond to constitutes demand despite the cultural and structural forces that perpetuate the two party system showing little signs of relenting. The three types of third parties. The US electoral system works against a proliferation of political parties but minor parties and independents have still managed to run for office. Third parties are created for various reasons; a split within the republican and democratic parties often represents factions over policy issues. These splinter parties have been at the forefront in gaining popularity and the electorate college (Aldrich, 1995). Ideologically related parties and issue advocacy parties do cover both ends of the political continuum. These political parties are formed around single issues e.g. green energy. Voters normally vote for third parties because they are trying to send a message to the two big parties often with success. Both the two major parties have embraced reforms and programs that were often rejected when presented by third parties. Third parties in the long run do fail to maintain themselves at local and state levels due to skimming of their talent by the major parties. There members are always small to have any domineering influence plus lacking the financial resources to carry out effective campaigns. The two major parties consolidate their dominance of the political system through high profile campaigns and conventions subsidized by tax payer’s money. Nevertheless they have been successful at calling for attention to an otherwise ignored, misrepresented or surprised issues. They have over the years managed to get the major political parties to adopt the most important portion of third party platforms as theirs giving the far sighted voter a means of making tangible statements with greater impact on the direction of the country. They work to enhance the prospects and credibility of lesser know ideas and lesser known candidates to gain and solidify ballot access. There activity provides whoever wins off ice with a more latitude and public support in choosing new public policy approaches or solutions to existing or future problems or concerns (Schaffner, 2012). Elements of referendums, initiatives, and recalls. Many countries that are representative’s democracies permit three forms of political action providing limited direct democracy. These are initiative, referendum and recall. An initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed law, amendments or ordinance. It allows citizens to bypass their state legislature through placing proposed statutes or constitutional amendments on the ballot. In America twenty four states have adopted the initiative proceeds in their constitutions. Two types of initiatives exist. Direct initiatives are submitted to the legislature which may act on the proposal. This depends on the state hence the question may go to the ballot and if rejected a different proposal is submitted. For indirect process the legislature submits a competing measure that appears on the ballot together with the original proposal examples states of Nevada, Ohio and Massachusetts. In Utah and Wash ington proponents either chooses the direct or indirect method (Schaffner, 2012). A referendum is a direct method of voting where an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject an article proposal. This may lead to ratification of a new constitution, amendment, law or recall of an elected official. Legislative referendum is where the legislature refers a measure to the voters for approval. Popular referendum is a measure that appears on the ballot as a result of a voter petition. Legislative referendums are less controversial than citizen initiatives with high success rates. Popular referendum is a means that allow voters to approved or repeal an act of the legislature. Law passed that citizens do not approved for may lead to gathering of signatures to demand a popular vote. Advisory referendum is where the legislature and in some states the governor places a question on the ballot to asses voter opinion where the results are not binding. A recall is a procedure where voters remove an elected official from office through a direct vote when sufficient vot ers sign a petition. It allows citizens to remove from office a public official before the expiry of the term. Recall is apolitical device different from impeachment that is a legal device (Aldrich, 1995). Media Bias Professional who constitute Americas mainstream news media are mainly left oriented and democrats. They make it clear that they are giving their opinions and analysis of the news as they perceive it rather than being impartial and focus on research so as to represent relevant facts to the audience. A more useful way of measuring the news media political and ideological makeup is to examine what the professional in the industry believe about a wide array of social, ethical amend political issues. Bias manifests itself not in the form of outright lies but as a function of what reporters choose not to tell their audience. They omit factors so as to avoid contradicting the political narrative they wish to propagate. Some mangers in American newsrooms are so ideologically entrenched that there is a feeling and discussion that some of them have a difficult time reviewing a story that reflects negatively upon government or the administration. Politicians are a biased lot and they belong to political parties that champion policies and ideologies. Irrespective of their thought these ideologies are common since they do perceive their political conversations as politics. Journalist do also speak form a political position but the industry ethics and the objective of fairness do influence there profession that endeavors to do the right thing. This objective is met through fairness to those concerned with the news covered, completeness and accuracy. The American press is a unified voice with a distinct bias that generates a simplistic thinking that fits the needs of an ideological struggle. American media bias is as a result of journalist failure to reflect upon the meaning of the premise and assumptions that supports their practice because the mass media wanted to apply a narrative structure to ambiguous events in order to create a coherent and casual sense of events (Reichley, 2000). WORKS CITED: Aldrich, J. H. (1995). Why parties?: The origin and transformation of political parties in America. Chicago [u.a.: Univ. of Chicago Press. Reichley, A. J. (2000). The life of the parties: A history of American political parties. Lanham, Md [u.a.: Rowman Littlefield. Schaffner, B. F. (2012). Politics, parties, and elections in America. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Minimising IT Project Management Failure

Minimising IT Project Management Failure 2.0 REVIEW OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE The following sections will provide a critical review of the research work that had been undertaken. This information is relevant to the project and most importantly is associated with the project aims and objectives. A variety of sources were analysed in order to achieve a better understanding in some of the areas considered for this research project. 2.1 Project Management The fundamental aspect of this research is project management as it focuses on how IT project management failure can be minimised. There are numerous definitions of project management; one definition given by (The Project Management Institute, 2009) states; â€Å"The application of knowledge, skills, tools and technique to project activities to meet project requirements† According to (Lewis, 1995) however, project management is the planning, scheduling, and controlling of project activities to achieve project objectives. The first definition of project management focuses more on the soft skills of project management. The definition of soft skills given by the (Oxford Dictionary, 2010) is â€Å"Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and  harmoniously with other people† In comparison to Lewis this is more specific to what actually is required. Although Lewiss description is not invalid, it gives a more generalised approach to project management highlighting the fundamental points. These two definitions contain different characteristics that are important to project management but what both of these definitions have in common is completion of the project requirements or activities. To generalise project management is to apply certain personnel management skills and the application of knowledge, planning and scheduling to achieve a desired objective. 2.2 Project Methodologies and Frameworks Yardley (2002) identifies it is overwhelming why many IT projects fail. Yardley (2002) states that if something was to fail and keep on failing then at some point there would be gradual improvements to why failure occurs so often in the particular area. Gradual improvements should have been made from the lessons learnt from the failure of IT projects over a period of time. However this has not been the case as there have been many failures in IT, with the same problems reoccurring. For example, common reasons for IT failure given by (Computer Weekly, 2010) are; Commencing work too early Ambiguous contracts Inadequate estimation of work Breaking the contract Lack of engagement Al-Ahmed et al (2009) suggests that the IT industry is still young compared to other industries such as manufacturing but still attributes failure to the project management methodologies. Therefore the IT industry is still yet to formulate the needed operational standards and procedures. However as the following sections will clarify, there are â€Å"guidelines, frameworks, rules, methods† in place to counter such argument. These will be identified and critically evaluated in the following. With all these clarification in place it is overwhelming to understand the amount of failure in IT as stated by (Yardley, 2002). 2.2.1 Managing a project Lewis (2007) in his book, Fundamentals of Project Management, gave a generalised approach to what a project contains. At each relevant step, questions are to be asked by a project manager for them to consider. Lewis gives a brief indication on these steps that are considered for managing a project as illustrated below in Fig.1 Figure 1 above illustrates a general approach to project management which consists of six main areas. The illustration identifies how the project is to be started up, planned, controlled and how the project is to close. On this basis of managing a project can seem simple enough however the accomplishment of each area is a different matter, hence the number of failures within IT. Al Neimat (2005) identifies the reason for failure is due to project management processes and the aligning of IT within the organisational structure. This view is also agreed by (Al-Ahmad et al.,2009) as project management discipline in most organisations are minimal they do not have the infrastructure to provide; education, training, or management disciplines in order to allow projects to achieve successful completion. Both these authors views are correct to some extent; this is because the project management processes are not followed exactly. For example, the reasons for failure as previously mentioned by (Computer Weekly, 2010) states project work is commenced too early and highlighting some do not plan the project effectively. Al-Ahmad et al (2009) view is correct to some degree. This is because some companies may not have sufficient resources to provide training and education in project management. However (Archbold, 2008) states that over the past ten years there had been a rise in interest in project management. Archbold (2008) states the reason for the rise in interest is because there are more projects then there were ten years ago. Archbold (2008) goes on to state organisations are becoming more successful and growing very quickly and recognising that staffs are managing projects without having the project manager title. 2.2.2 Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) The PMBOK guide provides the fundamental framework which is an industry standard to managing a project. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) state the real use of the PMBOK guide is to provide companies how to manage project irrespective of the characteristics. It provides the minimum knowledge that is required of a manager in order for the manager to be effective. Stackpole (2010) agrees that the PMBOK is a standard but also goes on to say it defines what is to be best practice on most of the project most of the time. The PMBOK guide is created from individuals who are affiliated with the Project Management Institute (PMI). The members of the PMI meet every few years to update and input their intellectual knowledge into the PMBOK Guide. There have been a number of guides produced over the years with the latest version in 2008. The following sections are a brief description of the two subject areas of PMBOK which are project processes and knowledge areas adapted from (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). This is to provide managers an overview and critical review of these areas; Project Processes There are five main processes to the PMBOK that are used to manage projects. In comparison to the general guideline mentioned in 2.2.1 the PMBOK covers five out of the six areas already identified; Initiating The initiating process is where the project is defined, project sponsor is on board, project manager, the team and the requirements are identified. Planning Times scales are drawn up, scope of the project is defined in detail, risks and resources are also identified. Executing The team executes the work that needs to be done in order to achieve its objectives. The project manager in this process co-ordinate the activities within the project, some of these include managing the resources and contractors. Monitoring and Controlling Monitoring the situation and analysing what stage it should be against the project plan. The controlling of the project is achieved by comparing what the project has achieved against what was outlined in the project plan. If it not according to plan then corrective actions is taken to bring it back to target if not going according to plan. Closing Ensure all objectives are met and stakeholders are happy with a review for lessons learnt for future projects. Knowledge Areas Project managers should also be familiar with the following knowledge areas to be considered as a professional. Each knowledge area contains a set of project management processes (Abdomerovic, 2008). Knowledge Areais aimed at promoting and sharing with some of the best scholarly literature material and available tools in the management, executive education, organizational behaviour and organizational psychology fields (Delegate Management Services, 2010). Project Integration Management Integration ensures that the project is planned properly, executed and controlled. The project manager must co-ordinate and integrates each activity in order to achieve the objectives of the project. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agree with the definition given by (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) but also add the project manager must have overall vision of the project and must understand the technical as well as the human side of planning. Project Scope Management Schwalbe (2009) definition of project scope is to define in detail the scope or work required for the project, a view also shared by (Phillips, 2007; Nokes and Kelly, 2007). Phillips (2007) states the project manager and the project team must have clear vision of what is expected from the project. This is where one of the key components of project failure arises when people on the project team are not striving for the same goals, which includes the stakeholders of the project. However Phillips agrees with the PMBOK guide but also adds to create a scope, several inputs are required. The PMBOK Guide (2008) defines project scope management to include the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope management as identified, only focuses on the output of the project and what is required to achieve the project deliverables. It does not have any concerns as to the time it takes to achieve the objectives or how much it costs (Phillips, 2007). For example, The National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2) was to be developed to replace the previous system in 1997. However one of the underlying problems was as the project commenced it became clear the system size and project scope was bigger and more complex than originally thought. This eventually led to the delay of the system at a cost of  £38 million (www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk, 2010). PMBOK identifies there to be 5 areas of project scope which are: collecting the requirements, defining the scope, creating a Work break-down structure (WBS), verifying the scope and control or monitoring the scope. WBS is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller and more manageable tasks (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). Haugan (2002) gives a detailed explanation of WBS as follows; â€Å"A deliverable-orientated grouping of project elements that organises and defines the total work scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work† WBS allows the project manager to integrate each activity and prioritise certain tasks over others. An example of a WBS is given below in Fig. 2 Project Time Management A schedule is developed to achieve the objectives, estimating the time for each task, determining the critical path and then controlling the work actually does happen. There are a number of project management tools that could be used to manage time. OConchuir (2011) identifies the simplest form of time management would be to use Milestone List which illustrate when each stage is to be completed. OConchuir (2011) also identifies that The Gantt Chart to be a widely used tool to display the milestones in a visual format. Figure 3 illustrates a Gantt Chart. Marmel and Muir (2011) state the Gantt Chart was developed by Henry Gantt in 1910, however (Parviz and Anantatmula,2005; Schwalbe, 2009; www.ganttchartmac.com, 2011) state it was developed in 1917. Chiu (2010) does not specify a specific year, however states that it was developed during the First World War. Therefore it can be assumed it was produced in between the years of 1910 to 1918. The Gantt Chart is easy to understand, modify and is a simple way to depict progress status (Westcott, 2006). However as a planning tool, there are some notable limitations as described by (Springer, 2004). The limitations are that the chart is potentially subjective, interrelationships among the schedule activities are not depicted and no follow-on implications from schedule movement. Project Cost Management Schwalbe (2009) states project cost management includes the processes required to ensure that a project team completes a project within an approved budget. Schwalbe (2009) also states it is the project managers duty to satisfy stakeholders of the project as well as striving to reduce and control costs. It is here the costing of the project is calculated: this involves estimating the resources needed, staff and materials. As the project is conducted, costs are controlled and kept on track to make sure it is kept under or on budget. There have been many projects that have been completed but failed to meet the budget due to the project spiralling out of control. A notable IT project failure was the Wessex Regional Health Authoritys (WRHA) Regional Information Systems Plan (RSIP) in 1984. This project was an initiative to improve the provision of clinical and health services. It was to cost  £25.8 million and be completed in five years. However the project was not even completed and ab andoned with the eventual cost rising to  £43 million. The reason for this high increase was because of overspending, high cost of implementation and lack of funds (Chua, 2009). Project Quality Management Saladis and Kerzner (2009) identifies the main objective of quality management is customer satisfaction. However (Stackpole, 2010) states quality management is applied to the project and product. Although in essence both these authors are correct, as providing quality throughout the project and the products will provide customer satisfaction. Schwalbe (2009) argues project quality management is a difficult knowledge area to define. This is because there are many definitions to quality management and the definitions are still vague. Schwalbe (2009) also identifies some that experts base quality on â€Å"Conformance to requirements† which means project processes and products meeting written specification. In relation to these views of the authors (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) defines project quality management as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfil requirements. Below Fig. 4 is the PMBOK guides quality management process. The PMBOK Guide (2008) identifies managers have to grasp three aspects of quality management which includes processes and activities as shown in Fig. 4; 1) Plan Quality Schwalbe (2009) states in the planning aspect of quality it involves identifying the standards that are relevant to the projects and how to satisfy these standards. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agrees and identifies a few standards that can be used; ISO 9000/2000: The International Organisation of Standardisation (IOS) this is to provide a framework around which a quality management system can effectively be implemented www.bsi-emea.com, 2011. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agree and explain adhering to the processes approved by the IOS will produce a consistent output. Six Sigma: Pyzdek and Keller (2009) define six sigma as a rigorous, focused, highly effective implementation of proven quality principles and techniques. Its aim is to have virtually error-free business performance. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) state the methodology for meeting these performance levels is to follow a procedure referred to as DMAIC: define, measure, analyse, improve, control. Total Quality Management (TQM): a comprehensive and integrated way of managing any organisation to meet the needs of customers consistently and continuous improvement in every aspect of the organisations activities (Evans et al.,1996). It is an approach where everyone is responsible for quality. It is designed to enable an organisation to gain competitive advantage by striving to meet 100% customer satisfaction (Yardley, 2002) 2) Perform Quality Assurance The PMBOK Guide (2008) defines quality assurance as the process of regularly evaluating the overall performance of the project to ensure the project will satisfy quality standards. Francis and Horine (2003) agree and explain quality assurance involves making sure everything is done correctly and fulfils the requirements of the project. 3) Perform Quality Control Monitoring and recording the results to see if they meet the requirements (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). This is to be achieved by statistical process control and Pareto analysis as stated by (Barkley and Saylor, 2001) and identify that this an important factor of quality even though these tools are inspection based. For example in 1992 BAE Automated System was awarded a $175.6 million contract by the city of Denver to build an airport with an integrated baggage handling system for the new Denver International Airport (DIA). This system was supposed to route and deliver luggage in the airport using unmanned carts. However it was a catastrophic failure due to the following reasons as stated by (Chua, 2009); One of the reasons for failure was the sheer expanse of the DIA it was twice the size of Manhattan, New York. Overly ambitious, as it was asked to be built in one year, but was estimated to take four years. No experience of dealing with such a large project, Conflicts with contractors, Poor management of user expectation, Continuous changes. Eventual cost was close to $2 billion over budget and sixteen months behind schedule. This example stipulates the importance of having quality aspects imbedded into the project. The project should have followed some quality guidelines such as TQM where this approach identifies everyone responsible for the quality. Project Human Resource Management Identifying the personnel needed to do the job by giving their roles and responsibilities within the team, managing and motivating that team. Also the identification of key stakeholders within the project is made here. Project Communications Management Communication is vital to any project; (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) acknowledges that the communication knowledge area involves planning and disseminating information relevant to the project. Project Risk Management Kerzner (2009) defines risk management as the act or practise of dealing with risk. This includes planning for risk, identifying potential project risk, analysing and prioritising risk, developing risk response strategies and monitoring and controlling risks to determine how they have changed. Dinsmore et al (2010) agrees and makes a valid point identifying that all projects will have a certain element of risk. This is because no two projects are the same as some are characterized by the following: Uniqueness, Complexity, Change, Assumptions, Constraints, Dependencies and most importantly People. Project Procurement Management Determining which goods and services are necessary for the project and how they are to be acquired. The PMBOK provides a great platform for understand how to manage a project. The PMBOK is a framework that covers proven techniques and practices given by existing project managers. The framework is used in major organisation such as Fujitsu and Boeing Aircraft (Blokdijk, 2008). It is more associated as knowledge based framework as it identifies â€Å"What† the project might require rather than â€Å"How† to manage a project. It does not show in great detail exactly how to go about managing a project which is why it is mentioned also as a framework and more as a guideline. The reason for identifying the method as knowledge based is because every few years PMI meet to update and input their intellectual knowledge. This can be an advantage as members input the knowledge of successful proven practices needed to manage the life-cycle of a project. For each process it outlines which necessary tools and techniques are needed. The PMBOK however has its disadvantages; PMBOK poin ts out human resource management as important but fails to miss out the need to document the processes. The reason why it is a disadvantage is because by not documenting the process, it fails to provide information for anyone else to come into the project at a later date, or when re-evaluating the project at the end why such action was taken or needs to be taken. Another disadvantage is it provides minimal amount of coverage of various project management techniques such as WBS or Gantt Chart. Managers would therefore need to consult specialised texts to grasp the subject further. It is also complex for smaller projects and has to be adapted specifically to the industry area (www.theprojectmanagement.com, 2008). 2.2.3 PRINCE2 Methodology Hedeman et al (2010) identifies PRINCE2 as an acronym for PRoject IN Controlled Environments and is a structured method for managing projects. Hedeman et al (2010) also states that PRINCE2 is a de facto standard that is used by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and is widely recognised in the private sector. Van Bon and Verheijen (2006) also agree the PRINCE2 methodology as a de facto standard in the UK and widely used in the Netherlands and Australia. Lock (2007) identifies that the PRINCE2 methodology was at first intended for use on IT projects, however it has since emerged to be effective in any given project. PRINCE2 is a set of activities to achieve its business product with the organisation structure defining responsibilities to manage the project. PRINCE was established and launched in 1989 and was based on an earlier model called PROMPT; PRINCE took over from PROMT within Government projects. PRINCE2 was published in 1996 and is the trade mark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) PRINCE2 Process Model In the following section is a brief overview of the process model which has been summarised from the (Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2, Office of Government Commerce, 2002) The PRINCE2 Process model consists of a number of distinctive management processes. Graham (2010) states most people fall into the trap of following this model exactly as a standard approach. It is therefore in the best interest of the project manager not to blindly follow the exact approach stated in the model. Depending on the experience of the project manager and what the project needs elements of the model can be taken and applied to a particular project. Figure 5 shows the different levels of management; Directing a Project (DP) DP is aimed at the Project Board: the board manage and monitor the projects by reports and controls through a number of decision points. Key decision points are initiating the project on the right track, commitment of more resources after checking results and project closure. This process does not cover the day to day activities of the project manager. Starting up a Project (SU) A pre-project process designed to ensure the basic elements are in place. In this process the project team is assembled and a project brief is prepared. This process also brings out the Project Mandate which defines the reason for the project and what the outcome is to be. Initiating a Project (IP) The team decides whether it is feasible for them to proceed with the project and if feasible then a business Case is produced. Other key activities here are setting up project files, encouraging the Project Board to take ownership of the project, assembling the Project Initiation Document (PID), ensuring the investment and time required is considered wisely. Portman (2009) identifies different steps to this process in comparison to (Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2, Office of Government Commerce, 2002). Portman (2009) focuses more on the people aspect as it states that all parties are to be aware of the product that is to be delivered, at what time, and quality aspects. Also management and responsibilities are made clear. Both these texts identify valid points which will enable a project manager to clarify what is to happen at this stage. But raises questions as to why the people aspects are not covered or examples given as it only states a large portion of documentation in the Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2. It gives indication that theory and actual practise is different. Controlling a Stage (CS) The Project Manager monitors and controls the day to day activities and forms the core role of the Project Manager. Other key activities include authorising, gathering progress information, reviewing stages and reporting. Managing Product Delivery (MP) Ensure planned products are created and delivered by the project. The process makes sure that the work is being done, ensuring that products meet quality criterias set. It makes sure that the work on products allocated to the team is effectively authorised and agreed. Other key activities include assessing work progress and forecasts regularly, obtaining approval for the completed products. Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) This process dictates what should be done towards the end of the stage. The objectives for this process are to assure the Project Board that all deliverables have been completed for the current stage plan, provide information for the Project Board to asses on whether to continue with the project or not, provide enough information to approve the current stage and authorise the start of the next stage and record any lessons to be learned for later projects. Closing the Project (CP) Portman (2009) states this process are the activities required to close the project and release the project manager. The project could either be the actual project end or a premature end. Objectives here are to check to see if the PID objectives or aim have been met, confirm acceptance of the product, and make recommendation for future work. Resources are freed up for allocation to other activities and prepare end project report. Planning (PL) Planning is a repeatable process and plays an important role in other processes. A few are mentioned below: Planning for an Initiation Stage Planning for a Project Planning a Stage Producing an Exception Plan As previously stated PRINCE2 is the de facto standard for the UK Government and the reason for this is the attention to detail, documentation, business justification and emphasis on dividing the project into manageable and controllable stages (www.prince2.com, 2011). There are many documentation points which enable everyone to know what has happened and how they can improve for the future. Although this methodology may be unsuitable for smaller projects, elements of this methodology can be taken out such as area of control (Bentley, 2005) and implemented into managing a project. However, the question is that if this is such a widely used methodology and is the de facto standard used by the Government, then why are IT projects still failing? And why do IT projects really fail or is it just a widely used perception of IT always failing? These are some of the questions which are going to be explored as the literature review is conducted. Analysing PRINCE2, it is evident why managers and the UK Government use this methodology. This is because it allows the manager to build on experience and the manager to be proactive and not reactive (Harris, 2010). It ensures the project process is viable to senior management (Yardley, 2002). By identifying early warning signs of potential problems and allowing proactive measures to be taken to help alleviate them. The advantages and disadvantages are identified in Table 2. The key point to consider is some project managers fail to differentiate that this is a methodology and does not need to be followed exactly to each and every point, process or technique. Project managers become too inflexible and fixed on the idea that they have to follow each and every step which can make the project long and with unnecessary processes (Charvat, 2003). Another key point regarding PRINCE2 in comparison to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is the PRINCE2 misses the importance of th e need of soft skills (Charvat, 2003). PRINCE2 also misses out on areas such as human resources, leadership and management techniques, health and safety. This is different to the PMBOK which focuses on soft skills such as people management. There are numerous benefits for using a structured approach to managing a project. Below are the advantages and disadvantages given by (Office of Government Commerce (OGC), 2002) are; 2.2.4 Waterfall Methodology The waterfall method was developed by Winston W. Royce in the 1970 and is considered to be a traditional approach. This was one of the first formal approaches for information system analysis and design as stated by (Johns, 2002; Carkenord, 2009). The method is a process followed in a sequence where a task is completed before moving on to the next in a sequential manner. Figure 6 shows the waterfall methodology, (Rainardi, 2007) illustrates the approach of the waterfall when one task is completed after another. The advantages and disadvantages to the waterfall methodology according to Charvat (2003) are illustrated in Table 3 Although this is for a software development or information system methodology, the same approach can be applied to a project in completing one section and then moving on to the other. The waterfall however does not always reflect on how a project is undertaken and is rarely done in such a sequential manner. However as (Charvat, 2003) identifies, it does produce a phase by phase checkpoint. This will allow the project to stay on the right track in meeting its objectives. 2.2.5 Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) SSADM is a structured approach into the analysis and design of developing an Minimising IT Project Management Failure Minimising IT Project Management Failure 2.0 REVIEW OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE The following sections will provide a critical review of the research work that had been undertaken. This information is relevant to the project and most importantly is associated with the project aims and objectives. A variety of sources were analysed in order to achieve a better understanding in some of the areas considered for this research project. 2.1 Project Management The fundamental aspect of this research is project management as it focuses on how IT project management failure can be minimised. There are numerous definitions of project management; one definition given by (The Project Management Institute, 2009) states; â€Å"The application of knowledge, skills, tools and technique to project activities to meet project requirements† According to (Lewis, 1995) however, project management is the planning, scheduling, and controlling of project activities to achieve project objectives. The first definition of project management focuses more on the soft skills of project management. The definition of soft skills given by the (Oxford Dictionary, 2010) is â€Å"Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and  harmoniously with other people† In comparison to Lewis this is more specific to what actually is required. Although Lewiss description is not invalid, it gives a more generalised approach to project management highlighting the fundamental points. These two definitions contain different characteristics that are important to project management but what both of these definitions have in common is completion of the project requirements or activities. To generalise project management is to apply certain personnel management skills and the application of knowledge, planning and scheduling to achieve a desired objective. 2.2 Project Methodologies and Frameworks Yardley (2002) identifies it is overwhelming why many IT projects fail. Yardley (2002) states that if something was to fail and keep on failing then at some point there would be gradual improvements to why failure occurs so often in the particular area. Gradual improvements should have been made from the lessons learnt from the failure of IT projects over a period of time. However this has not been the case as there have been many failures in IT, with the same problems reoccurring. For example, common reasons for IT failure given by (Computer Weekly, 2010) are; Commencing work too early Ambiguous contracts Inadequate estimation of work Breaking the contract Lack of engagement Al-Ahmed et al (2009) suggests that the IT industry is still young compared to other industries such as manufacturing but still attributes failure to the project management methodologies. Therefore the IT industry is still yet to formulate the needed operational standards and procedures. However as the following sections will clarify, there are â€Å"guidelines, frameworks, rules, methods† in place to counter such argument. These will be identified and critically evaluated in the following. With all these clarification in place it is overwhelming to understand the amount of failure in IT as stated by (Yardley, 2002). 2.2.1 Managing a project Lewis (2007) in his book, Fundamentals of Project Management, gave a generalised approach to what a project contains. At each relevant step, questions are to be asked by a project manager for them to consider. Lewis gives a brief indication on these steps that are considered for managing a project as illustrated below in Fig.1 Figure 1 above illustrates a general approach to project management which consists of six main areas. The illustration identifies how the project is to be started up, planned, controlled and how the project is to close. On this basis of managing a project can seem simple enough however the accomplishment of each area is a different matter, hence the number of failures within IT. Al Neimat (2005) identifies the reason for failure is due to project management processes and the aligning of IT within the organisational structure. This view is also agreed by (Al-Ahmad et al.,2009) as project management discipline in most organisations are minimal they do not have the infrastructure to provide; education, training, or management disciplines in order to allow projects to achieve successful completion. Both these authors views are correct to some extent; this is because the project management processes are not followed exactly. For example, the reasons for failure as previously mentioned by (Computer Weekly, 2010) states project work is commenced too early and highlighting some do not plan the project effectively. Al-Ahmad et al (2009) view is correct to some degree. This is because some companies may not have sufficient resources to provide training and education in project management. However (Archbold, 2008) states that over the past ten years there had been a rise in interest in project management. Archbold (2008) states the reason for the rise in interest is because there are more projects then there were ten years ago. Archbold (2008) goes on to state organisations are becoming more successful and growing very quickly and recognising that staffs are managing projects without having the project manager title. 2.2.2 Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) The PMBOK guide provides the fundamental framework which is an industry standard to managing a project. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) state the real use of the PMBOK guide is to provide companies how to manage project irrespective of the characteristics. It provides the minimum knowledge that is required of a manager in order for the manager to be effective. Stackpole (2010) agrees that the PMBOK is a standard but also goes on to say it defines what is to be best practice on most of the project most of the time. The PMBOK guide is created from individuals who are affiliated with the Project Management Institute (PMI). The members of the PMI meet every few years to update and input their intellectual knowledge into the PMBOK Guide. There have been a number of guides produced over the years with the latest version in 2008. The following sections are a brief description of the two subject areas of PMBOK which are project processes and knowledge areas adapted from (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). This is to provide managers an overview and critical review of these areas; Project Processes There are five main processes to the PMBOK that are used to manage projects. In comparison to the general guideline mentioned in 2.2.1 the PMBOK covers five out of the six areas already identified; Initiating The initiating process is where the project is defined, project sponsor is on board, project manager, the team and the requirements are identified. Planning Times scales are drawn up, scope of the project is defined in detail, risks and resources are also identified. Executing The team executes the work that needs to be done in order to achieve its objectives. The project manager in this process co-ordinate the activities within the project, some of these include managing the resources and contractors. Monitoring and Controlling Monitoring the situation and analysing what stage it should be against the project plan. The controlling of the project is achieved by comparing what the project has achieved against what was outlined in the project plan. If it not according to plan then corrective actions is taken to bring it back to target if not going according to plan. Closing Ensure all objectives are met and stakeholders are happy with a review for lessons learnt for future projects. Knowledge Areas Project managers should also be familiar with the following knowledge areas to be considered as a professional. Each knowledge area contains a set of project management processes (Abdomerovic, 2008). Knowledge Areais aimed at promoting and sharing with some of the best scholarly literature material and available tools in the management, executive education, organizational behaviour and organizational psychology fields (Delegate Management Services, 2010). Project Integration Management Integration ensures that the project is planned properly, executed and controlled. The project manager must co-ordinate and integrates each activity in order to achieve the objectives of the project. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agree with the definition given by (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) but also add the project manager must have overall vision of the project and must understand the technical as well as the human side of planning. Project Scope Management Schwalbe (2009) definition of project scope is to define in detail the scope or work required for the project, a view also shared by (Phillips, 2007; Nokes and Kelly, 2007). Phillips (2007) states the project manager and the project team must have clear vision of what is expected from the project. This is where one of the key components of project failure arises when people on the project team are not striving for the same goals, which includes the stakeholders of the project. However Phillips agrees with the PMBOK guide but also adds to create a scope, several inputs are required. The PMBOK Guide (2008) defines project scope management to include the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope management as identified, only focuses on the output of the project and what is required to achieve the project deliverables. It does not have any concerns as to the time it takes to achieve the objectives or how much it costs (Phillips, 2007). For example, The National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2) was to be developed to replace the previous system in 1997. However one of the underlying problems was as the project commenced it became clear the system size and project scope was bigger and more complex than originally thought. This eventually led to the delay of the system at a cost of  £38 million (www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk, 2010). PMBOK identifies there to be 5 areas of project scope which are: collecting the requirements, defining the scope, creating a Work break-down structure (WBS), verifying the scope and control or monitoring the scope. WBS is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller and more manageable tasks (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). Haugan (2002) gives a detailed explanation of WBS as follows; â€Å"A deliverable-orientated grouping of project elements that organises and defines the total work scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work† WBS allows the project manager to integrate each activity and prioritise certain tasks over others. An example of a WBS is given below in Fig. 2 Project Time Management A schedule is developed to achieve the objectives, estimating the time for each task, determining the critical path and then controlling the work actually does happen. There are a number of project management tools that could be used to manage time. OConchuir (2011) identifies the simplest form of time management would be to use Milestone List which illustrate when each stage is to be completed. OConchuir (2011) also identifies that The Gantt Chart to be a widely used tool to display the milestones in a visual format. Figure 3 illustrates a Gantt Chart. Marmel and Muir (2011) state the Gantt Chart was developed by Henry Gantt in 1910, however (Parviz and Anantatmula,2005; Schwalbe, 2009; www.ganttchartmac.com, 2011) state it was developed in 1917. Chiu (2010) does not specify a specific year, however states that it was developed during the First World War. Therefore it can be assumed it was produced in between the years of 1910 to 1918. The Gantt Chart is easy to understand, modify and is a simple way to depict progress status (Westcott, 2006). However as a planning tool, there are some notable limitations as described by (Springer, 2004). The limitations are that the chart is potentially subjective, interrelationships among the schedule activities are not depicted and no follow-on implications from schedule movement. Project Cost Management Schwalbe (2009) states project cost management includes the processes required to ensure that a project team completes a project within an approved budget. Schwalbe (2009) also states it is the project managers duty to satisfy stakeholders of the project as well as striving to reduce and control costs. It is here the costing of the project is calculated: this involves estimating the resources needed, staff and materials. As the project is conducted, costs are controlled and kept on track to make sure it is kept under or on budget. There have been many projects that have been completed but failed to meet the budget due to the project spiralling out of control. A notable IT project failure was the Wessex Regional Health Authoritys (WRHA) Regional Information Systems Plan (RSIP) in 1984. This project was an initiative to improve the provision of clinical and health services. It was to cost  £25.8 million and be completed in five years. However the project was not even completed and ab andoned with the eventual cost rising to  £43 million. The reason for this high increase was because of overspending, high cost of implementation and lack of funds (Chua, 2009). Project Quality Management Saladis and Kerzner (2009) identifies the main objective of quality management is customer satisfaction. However (Stackpole, 2010) states quality management is applied to the project and product. Although in essence both these authors are correct, as providing quality throughout the project and the products will provide customer satisfaction. Schwalbe (2009) argues project quality management is a difficult knowledge area to define. This is because there are many definitions to quality management and the definitions are still vague. Schwalbe (2009) also identifies some that experts base quality on â€Å"Conformance to requirements† which means project processes and products meeting written specification. In relation to these views of the authors (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) defines project quality management as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfil requirements. Below Fig. 4 is the PMBOK guides quality management process. The PMBOK Guide (2008) identifies managers have to grasp three aspects of quality management which includes processes and activities as shown in Fig. 4; 1) Plan Quality Schwalbe (2009) states in the planning aspect of quality it involves identifying the standards that are relevant to the projects and how to satisfy these standards. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agrees and identifies a few standards that can be used; ISO 9000/2000: The International Organisation of Standardisation (IOS) this is to provide a framework around which a quality management system can effectively be implemented www.bsi-emea.com, 2011. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) agree and explain adhering to the processes approved by the IOS will produce a consistent output. Six Sigma: Pyzdek and Keller (2009) define six sigma as a rigorous, focused, highly effective implementation of proven quality principles and techniques. Its aim is to have virtually error-free business performance. Saladis and Kerzner (2009) state the methodology for meeting these performance levels is to follow a procedure referred to as DMAIC: define, measure, analyse, improve, control. Total Quality Management (TQM): a comprehensive and integrated way of managing any organisation to meet the needs of customers consistently and continuous improvement in every aspect of the organisations activities (Evans et al.,1996). It is an approach where everyone is responsible for quality. It is designed to enable an organisation to gain competitive advantage by striving to meet 100% customer satisfaction (Yardley, 2002) 2) Perform Quality Assurance The PMBOK Guide (2008) defines quality assurance as the process of regularly evaluating the overall performance of the project to ensure the project will satisfy quality standards. Francis and Horine (2003) agree and explain quality assurance involves making sure everything is done correctly and fulfils the requirements of the project. 3) Perform Quality Control Monitoring and recording the results to see if they meet the requirements (The PMBOK Guide, 2008). This is to be achieved by statistical process control and Pareto analysis as stated by (Barkley and Saylor, 2001) and identify that this an important factor of quality even though these tools are inspection based. For example in 1992 BAE Automated System was awarded a $175.6 million contract by the city of Denver to build an airport with an integrated baggage handling system for the new Denver International Airport (DIA). This system was supposed to route and deliver luggage in the airport using unmanned carts. However it was a catastrophic failure due to the following reasons as stated by (Chua, 2009); One of the reasons for failure was the sheer expanse of the DIA it was twice the size of Manhattan, New York. Overly ambitious, as it was asked to be built in one year, but was estimated to take four years. No experience of dealing with such a large project, Conflicts with contractors, Poor management of user expectation, Continuous changes. Eventual cost was close to $2 billion over budget and sixteen months behind schedule. This example stipulates the importance of having quality aspects imbedded into the project. The project should have followed some quality guidelines such as TQM where this approach identifies everyone responsible for the quality. Project Human Resource Management Identifying the personnel needed to do the job by giving their roles and responsibilities within the team, managing and motivating that team. Also the identification of key stakeholders within the project is made here. Project Communications Management Communication is vital to any project; (The PMBOK Guide, 2008) acknowledges that the communication knowledge area involves planning and disseminating information relevant to the project. Project Risk Management Kerzner (2009) defines risk management as the act or practise of dealing with risk. This includes planning for risk, identifying potential project risk, analysing and prioritising risk, developing risk response strategies and monitoring and controlling risks to determine how they have changed. Dinsmore et al (2010) agrees and makes a valid point identifying that all projects will have a certain element of risk. This is because no two projects are the same as some are characterized by the following: Uniqueness, Complexity, Change, Assumptions, Constraints, Dependencies and most importantly People. Project Procurement Management Determining which goods and services are necessary for the project and how they are to be acquired. The PMBOK provides a great platform for understand how to manage a project. The PMBOK is a framework that covers proven techniques and practices given by existing project managers. The framework is used in major organisation such as Fujitsu and Boeing Aircraft (Blokdijk, 2008). It is more associated as knowledge based framework as it identifies â€Å"What† the project might require rather than â€Å"How† to manage a project. It does not show in great detail exactly how to go about managing a project which is why it is mentioned also as a framework and more as a guideline. The reason for identifying the method as knowledge based is because every few years PMI meet to update and input their intellectual knowledge. This can be an advantage as members input the knowledge of successful proven practices needed to manage the life-cycle of a project. For each process it outlines which necessary tools and techniques are needed. The PMBOK however has its disadvantages; PMBOK poin ts out human resource management as important but fails to miss out the need to document the processes. The reason why it is a disadvantage is because by not documenting the process, it fails to provide information for anyone else to come into the project at a later date, or when re-evaluating the project at the end why such action was taken or needs to be taken. Another disadvantage is it provides minimal amount of coverage of various project management techniques such as WBS or Gantt Chart. Managers would therefore need to consult specialised texts to grasp the subject further. It is also complex for smaller projects and has to be adapted specifically to the industry area (www.theprojectmanagement.com, 2008). 2.2.3 PRINCE2 Methodology Hedeman et al (2010) identifies PRINCE2 as an acronym for PRoject IN Controlled Environments and is a structured method for managing projects. Hedeman et al (2010) also states that PRINCE2 is a de facto standard that is used by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and is widely recognised in the private sector. Van Bon and Verheijen (2006) also agree the PRINCE2 methodology as a de facto standard in the UK and widely used in the Netherlands and Australia. Lock (2007) identifies that the PRINCE2 methodology was at first intended for use on IT projects, however it has since emerged to be effective in any given project. PRINCE2 is a set of activities to achieve its business product with the organisation structure defining responsibilities to manage the project. PRINCE was established and launched in 1989 and was based on an earlier model called PROMPT; PRINCE took over from PROMT within Government projects. PRINCE2 was published in 1996 and is the trade mark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) PRINCE2 Process Model In the following section is a brief overview of the process model which has been summarised from the (Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2, Office of Government Commerce, 2002) The PRINCE2 Process model consists of a number of distinctive management processes. Graham (2010) states most people fall into the trap of following this model exactly as a standard approach. It is therefore in the best interest of the project manager not to blindly follow the exact approach stated in the model. Depending on the experience of the project manager and what the project needs elements of the model can be taken and applied to a particular project. Figure 5 shows the different levels of management; Directing a Project (DP) DP is aimed at the Project Board: the board manage and monitor the projects by reports and controls through a number of decision points. Key decision points are initiating the project on the right track, commitment of more resources after checking results and project closure. This process does not cover the day to day activities of the project manager. Starting up a Project (SU) A pre-project process designed to ensure the basic elements are in place. In this process the project team is assembled and a project brief is prepared. This process also brings out the Project Mandate which defines the reason for the project and what the outcome is to be. Initiating a Project (IP) The team decides whether it is feasible for them to proceed with the project and if feasible then a business Case is produced. Other key activities here are setting up project files, encouraging the Project Board to take ownership of the project, assembling the Project Initiation Document (PID), ensuring the investment and time required is considered wisely. Portman (2009) identifies different steps to this process in comparison to (Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2, Office of Government Commerce, 2002). Portman (2009) focuses more on the people aspect as it states that all parties are to be aware of the product that is to be delivered, at what time, and quality aspects. Also management and responsibilities are made clear. Both these texts identify valid points which will enable a project manager to clarify what is to happen at this stage. But raises questions as to why the people aspects are not covered or examples given as it only states a large portion of documentation in the Managing Successful Project with PRINCE2. It gives indication that theory and actual practise is different. Controlling a Stage (CS) The Project Manager monitors and controls the day to day activities and forms the core role of the Project Manager. Other key activities include authorising, gathering progress information, reviewing stages and reporting. Managing Product Delivery (MP) Ensure planned products are created and delivered by the project. The process makes sure that the work is being done, ensuring that products meet quality criterias set. It makes sure that the work on products allocated to the team is effectively authorised and agreed. Other key activities include assessing work progress and forecasts regularly, obtaining approval for the completed products. Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) This process dictates what should be done towards the end of the stage. The objectives for this process are to assure the Project Board that all deliverables have been completed for the current stage plan, provide information for the Project Board to asses on whether to continue with the project or not, provide enough information to approve the current stage and authorise the start of the next stage and record any lessons to be learned for later projects. Closing the Project (CP) Portman (2009) states this process are the activities required to close the project and release the project manager. The project could either be the actual project end or a premature end. Objectives here are to check to see if the PID objectives or aim have been met, confirm acceptance of the product, and make recommendation for future work. Resources are freed up for allocation to other activities and prepare end project report. Planning (PL) Planning is a repeatable process and plays an important role in other processes. A few are mentioned below: Planning for an Initiation Stage Planning for a Project Planning a Stage Producing an Exception Plan As previously stated PRINCE2 is the de facto standard for the UK Government and the reason for this is the attention to detail, documentation, business justification and emphasis on dividing the project into manageable and controllable stages (www.prince2.com, 2011). There are many documentation points which enable everyone to know what has happened and how they can improve for the future. Although this methodology may be unsuitable for smaller projects, elements of this methodology can be taken out such as area of control (Bentley, 2005) and implemented into managing a project. However, the question is that if this is such a widely used methodology and is the de facto standard used by the Government, then why are IT projects still failing? And why do IT projects really fail or is it just a widely used perception of IT always failing? These are some of the questions which are going to be explored as the literature review is conducted. Analysing PRINCE2, it is evident why managers and the UK Government use this methodology. This is because it allows the manager to build on experience and the manager to be proactive and not reactive (Harris, 2010). It ensures the project process is viable to senior management (Yardley, 2002). By identifying early warning signs of potential problems and allowing proactive measures to be taken to help alleviate them. The advantages and disadvantages are identified in Table 2. The key point to consider is some project managers fail to differentiate that this is a methodology and does not need to be followed exactly to each and every point, process or technique. Project managers become too inflexible and fixed on the idea that they have to follow each and every step which can make the project long and with unnecessary processes (Charvat, 2003). Another key point regarding PRINCE2 in comparison to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is the PRINCE2 misses the importance of th e need of soft skills (Charvat, 2003). PRINCE2 also misses out on areas such as human resources, leadership and management techniques, health and safety. This is different to the PMBOK which focuses on soft skills such as people management. There are numerous benefits for using a structured approach to managing a project. Below are the advantages and disadvantages given by (Office of Government Commerce (OGC), 2002) are; 2.2.4 Waterfall Methodology The waterfall method was developed by Winston W. Royce in the 1970 and is considered to be a traditional approach. This was one of the first formal approaches for information system analysis and design as stated by (Johns, 2002; Carkenord, 2009). The method is a process followed in a sequence where a task is completed before moving on to the next in a sequential manner. Figure 6 shows the waterfall methodology, (Rainardi, 2007) illustrates the approach of the waterfall when one task is completed after another. The advantages and disadvantages to the waterfall methodology according to Charvat (2003) are illustrated in Table 3 Although this is for a software development or information system methodology, the same approach can be applied to a project in completing one section and then moving on to the other. The waterfall however does not always reflect on how a project is undertaken and is rarely done in such a sequential manner. However as (Charvat, 2003) identifies, it does produce a phase by phase checkpoint. This will allow the project to stay on the right track in meeting its objectives. 2.2.5 Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) SSADM is a structured approach into the analysis and design of developing an