RESEARCH
ENSURING PROJECTS ARE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT
RESEARCHERS FROM THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW AT EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY LOOK AT WHY INVESTING IN THE RIGHT PROJECTS AND TRACKING THE BENEFITS THAT EACH PROJECT REALISES, IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF HOW PROJECTS CAN CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THE HEALTH OF THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Over the last 18 months and with the support of AIPM we’ve been exploring the peak performance of projects. We wanted to know what contribution projects could make to the health of the Australian economy. The reason this is important is because the economy is changing. We’re already seeing a shift in Australia from an industrial to a “post-industrial” configuration, and this means many businesses are now using project management 46
(Souce: Canva)
processes to support innovation without running formal projects. While we think this will have a positive impact on a firm’s performance, the reality is that this is not really tracked, and we can’t say with certainty how this impacts the economy. All we know is projects should create some sort of value.
OUR APPROACH In some ways it might seem like a simple research task; projects make things, and these things help
