Click Icons to Visit Sponsor Web Sites
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Vol. XI Issue IV - April 2009
Project Management eJournal
FEATURED PAPER
Innovation & Project Management - Exploring the Links
By Dr. Donncha Kavanagh and Ed Naughton
If innovation was traditionally seen as technology-led, it now covers a much broader canvas. Innovation is possibly best defined as the exploration and exploitation of new ideas in pursuit of a competitive advantage. The pressure to be competitive drives innovation across the range of business practices, and, conversely, innovation is a key driver of competitive advantage.
Innovation is not necessarily about big-bang, major breakthroughs. More often it is incremental and built on the day-to-day expertise of employees and their thorough knowledge of customers and competitors. For them, innovation is often about making non-technical adjustments that have significant customer impact with correspondingly little cost.
Examples of such “adjustments” include the development of new or enhanced products and services, the introduction of new business models - shorter lifecycles to get product to market - and new work practices. These “adjustments” are in essence projects that must be exploited /managed and brought to a successful outcome. Framed in this way, the proper management of projects, through project management, is vital to innovation.
To read entire paper (click here)
 About the Author
Dr Donncha Kavanagh is Senior Lecturer in Management at University College Cork, Ireland. He has obtained degrees from University College Dublin, University of Missouri, and Lancaster University and has published in the fields of management, marketing, organisation studies, and engineering. His research interests include the history and philosophy of management thought, pre-modern and postmodern modes of organizing, and the sociology of knowledge and technology. Donncha can be contacted at d.kavanagh@ucc.ie. Vita and full list of publications are at http://www.ucc.ie/en/mgt/Staff/Lecturers/DrDonnchaKavanagh/
|
 About the Author
Ed Naughton, BE, C. Eng., F.I.E.I, IPMA-A, PMP, is the founder and Director General of the Institute of Project Management of Ireland, the leading authority on the PM profession in Ireland. He is also an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today. Ed is a former Vice President of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Ed has researched, published and presented many articles and papers on project management and is the author of the Irish Project Management Competence Baseline. During his thirty year career, Ed has worked as a project manager and/or project management consultant on a large variety of high profile domestic and international assignments. Ed Naughton is a graduate of University College Dublin (BE, civil), a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland, a Chartered Engineer (Ireland), a Professional Engineer in Canada, and holds IPMA Level A certification. He is former editor of the quarterly international publication “Project Management Practice”. Ed lives in Dublin and can be contacted at info@projectmanagement.ie. Additional information about Ed Naughton can be found at www.projectmanagement.ie.
|
PM World Today™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
PMWT™ is a trademark of pmforum Inc.
The information on this web site was checked for accuracy and authenticity when last updated. If there is any accidental infringement of copyright, the publisher of this site apologize for their actions, and would like to be notified. In addition, the publisher of this site cannot bear responsibility for the actions or the results of action of individuals or companies arising from use of information and advice contained within it.
PM World Today Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions.
© Copyright 2008 PM World Today