Standards in Project Management - a Brake on Practice or an Accelerator?

Bron / source: PMforum.org

Miles Shepherd, who is also the current Chair of the International Standards Organization (ISO) committee that is developing the new ISO 21.500 Project Management Standard, spoke on the topic of "Standards in Project Management - a Brake on Practice or an Accelerator?"

According to Miles, "Standards mean many things to many people but for project managers, they can mean a rigid set of rules to follow as well as a stifling bureaucracy to maintain. Some see standards as a reason for the existence of Project Management Offices with little better to do than police paperwork that adds little to the practice or the art of project management. Others see standards as fundamental building block for the profession, enabling a career structure to be defined by setting out the roles and responsibilities of practitioners. Still others see standards as useful tools to help keep everyone on the same page".

"There is much work going on in national and international bodies responsible for developing standards that affect the project manager in potentially wide variety of ways," Miles stated.

Mr. Shepherd made the case for standards in project management. He described the rationale behind the development of standards at various levels and relates these to professional development. Using the example ISO 21,500 'Guidelines for Project Management' as a case study, the development process was explained and progress from the recent meeting in Rio de Janiero was presented. It also addresses some of the issues raised by the development process while explaining the role of individuals, corporations and professional societies both nationally and internationally.

Miles brought laughter from the crowd of some 200 attendees when he said, "In the UK, we have carefully developed standards for various products and services, for example, in glassware. We certainly wouldn't want any of you to get any less than a full pint of beer when you order a pint of beer on your next trip to Britain."

Miles Shepherd has been involved with project management in one form or another for more than 30 years, and has led a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. After a full career with the British Army, where he held a number of technical and project related posts, he joined AEA Technology in 1994. His later work centred on the development of project management techniques used to decommission nuclear reactors in UK and Eastern Europe. Miles works with Government agencies, universities, the media and professional societies to improve understanding of project management. Mr. Shepherd has held significant posts with the Association for Project Management (Vice President, and past Chairman) and the International Project Management Association (Past President and Chairman).