Project management

Planning, build-up, implementation, and closeout.

Surprisingly, it often makes them think they must act quickly.

The critical path method (CPM), one of a variety of quantitative tools for business decision-making, is a simple technique for analyzing, planning, and...

Over the past 25 to 30 years, agile innovation methods have greatly increased success rates in software development, improved quality and speed to market,...

Everyone agrees that managing change is tough, but few can agree on how to do it. Most experts are obsessed with "soft" issues, such as culture and motivation...

Projects fail at a spectacular rate. One reason is that too many people are reluctant to speak up about their reservations during the all-important planning phase. By making it safe for dissenters who are knowledgeable about the undertaking and worried about its weaknesses to speak up, you can improve a project’s chances of success. Research […]

An overview of who’s who.

Use these skills and tools to make the most of it.

Many companies use the approach as an excuse to avoid careful planning and preparation. Amazon takes a different tack.

In conventional business and government megaprojects--such as hydroelectric dams, chemical-processing plants, or big-bang enterprise-resource-planning...

Market share helps determine business performance. Not only do marketing executives say so but abundant evidence supports the statement. Past data analyses have consistently demonstrated that most high-share businesses enjoy above-average profit margins and rates of return on investment, while most small-share businesses have below-average margins and ROI.1 This is true even when allowance is […]

Can breakthrough discoveries happen more efficiently?

Seven evidence-based practices.

People just go back to procrastinating.

It helps to have a charismatic sponsor.

Despite business’s more than 20 years of experience with information systems (IS), disasters in that area still occur with surprising regularity. According to this author, managers, both general and IS, can avert many of these fiascoes by assessing the risks—singly and as a portfolio—in advance of implementation. Also he notes that difficult projects require different […]

The long-term competitiveness of most manufacturers depends on their product development capabilities. Yet most companies' development process is unruly...

The colossal commitment to host the games comes with colossal risk management challenges.

Figure out if there is really an opportunity in your idea.

Don’t let old habits undermine your organization’s creativity.

This is a short synopsis of both the A & B cases (906014 and 906015).

A year of HBR's essential thinking on tech--all in one place. From quantum computing and next-generation digital health tools to virtual reality training...

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems introduce changes on a larger scale than most other systems. They link various components of the organization...

Projects are the engines that drive innovation from idea to commercialization. In fact, the number of projects in most organizations today is expanding...

The case is based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised...

The Indian Railways (IR), the country's largest transporter, is considering a plan to fully electrify its network. The move will cut its fuel expenditure...

The objective of the CIM (Credit Insurance Management) project was the complete restructuring of the IT systems that supported the management and marketing...

Named one of "10 Must-Read Career and Leadership Books For 2022" by "Forbes." The ultimate guide to the essentials of strategy and management, from one...

Put strategy into action. Managing a successful strategic initiative may be the key to transforming your company--and propelling your career forward....

This case chronicles a successful digital transformation in Russia, where JSC Raiffeisenbank, the Russian branch of the Austrian parent company, reinvented...

In the 2010?s, one of HP?s divisions located Barcelona, Spain, decided to enter into the 3D printing business under an OEM contract. The division was...

Sasken, a communication software company based in India, provides research and development support to leading wireless device vendors from its offshore...

The chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service was again faced with a crisis in the ongoing development of the CIMS project. It was early 2005 and...

Traces the history of a collaborative effort to create an organization to manage a major international development project in the slums of Addis Ababa,...

WaterCo's new customer information and billing system (CIBS), its largest information technology (IT) project ever, was over-budget and very late, with...

The case is set in 2022 when Creative Chocolates, a popular United States based chocolate manufacturer, plans to enter the African market. Known in the...

On April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon - a floating, semi-submersible, dynamically-positioned drilling unit - exploded after a massive natural gas gusher...

In 2018, Swagat Textiles (Swagat), a traditional family-owned textile business in Gujarat, India, was looking for growth amidst several challenges. Since...

In 2002 the Jamaican government redesigned its social safety net programs for children and the elderly. Their goal was to simplify and better target support...

What is the right mix between business-driven and pure research? This case considers the question in the setting of IBM Research India, where a management...

Planning, build-up, implementation, and closeout.

Surprisingly, it often makes them think they must act quickly.

The critical path method (CPM), one of a variety of quantitative tools for business decision-making, is a simple technique for analyzing, planning, and...

Over the past 25 to 30 years, agile innovation methods have greatly increased success rates in software development, improved quality and speed to market,...

Everyone agrees that managing change is tough, but few can agree on how to do it. Most experts are obsessed with "soft" issues, such as culture and motivation...

Use this guide to make an informed choice.

Projects fail at a spectacular rate. One reason is that too many people are reluctant to speak up about their reservations during the all-important planning phase. By making it safe for dissenters who are knowledgeable about the undertaking and worried about its weaknesses to speak up, you can improve a project’s chances of success. Research […]

An overview of who’s who.

Use these skills and tools to make the most of it.

Many companies use the approach as an excuse to avoid careful planning and preparation. Amazon takes a different tack.