Giel over / about ISO 21500

Bron: http://www.projectway.co.za/
11 februari 2010

ISO for Project Management – the impact on organisations?

Written by: Giel

ISO 21500: Project Management – A guide for project management, is already in an advanced stage of development. With the guideline already passed the “Working Draft” stages the questions from industry are surfacing regarding the impact the guideline will have and how organisations should prepare themselves when it is launched.
The most common questions are:
· Will an organisation be able to register as ISO 21500 compliant?

· How will ISO 21500 differ from ISO 10006 (the current guideline for quality management in projects)?

· What will be the effect on current best practices and bodies of knowledge such as PMBoK, APMBoK, PRINCE II, BS 6079, DIN 69901-2, etc?

· What will happen to professional registrations such as PMP, CPM, etc?

· How will the guideline influence the selection of services providers and contractors?

Although the guideline is still in the ‘Committee Draft’ stage, it might be a good time to review the intent of the guideline and what can be expected.

As stated in the introductory part of the draft;

It is intended to provide guidance for senior management and, in particular, project sponsors in government, industry and commerce who are required to understand the needs and effects of projects in their environment so that they can provide the appropriate support and guidance for the Project Manager and the project team.

It is not intended that it should replace a National Standard or be used as such, it is therefore also intended that it should act as a reference document for those involved in the preparation or updating of National Standards and National Sector specific Standards. It is not intended that it should be used as a contractual document but may be referenced in a contract by agreement of the bodies involved and should be used in conjunction with an appropriate National Standard if such exists in the Country(s) concerned.

From these two descriptions of what the guide intends to be and not to be, one can argue that the guide will not have any teeth and might even be so general that it will hardly have any meaning for specific industries. Fortunately, this potential negative view from industry has always been in the mind of the development team and therefor utmost care was taken in the formulation and construction of the content.

Back to the questions. No, organisations will not register as ISO 21500. Registration will still be under ISO 9001 with ISO 21500 as guideline. Currently the future of ISO 10006 has not been decided but might disappear and be replaced by ISO 21500. The new guide aims at covering the various approaches contained in the different bodies of knowledge and should serve as an overarching guide, encompassing rather than contradicting what we have learned thus far in project management. The same principles will also apply to professional registration.

The most concerning question from organisations is; how will the guide impact the selection of vendors and contractors?

Since it is only a guide vendors and contractors cannot register, or get accredited, to ISO 21500. Client organisations can therefor not prescribe “ISO 21500 accreditation” but can request compliance. In the new guide the project management approach is well documented and, with further refinement, should provide organisations a solid baseline from which service providers can be evaluated. The most significant value will however be the establishment of a global, common understandable guideline from which the principles of project management can be further developed and refined towards the overall improvement of project performance.