Chapter 2
Research Method
Case-study research was employed as the methodology. PPM practices of five organizations, for-profit and not-for-profit, were investigated. These organizations are in the telecommunication services, insurance, insurance services, and financial services industries. A research and development center of the U.S. government is also included in this study.
Design and Sampling
With the limited knowledge and perspective on PPM effectiveness, case study was used as the methodology (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1984). PPM practices of five organizations were investigated. These organizations are leaders in their respective areas.
Alpha is a leader in telecommunications services. The company consists of several business units, one of which is the global shared-services (GSS) business group. GSS operates the company's wire line network, including providing support across business units for finance operations, real estate, and supply chain services. Within GSS, PPM of the wire line network (product development and product deployment projects) was the focus of this study.
Beta is in the insurance services industry. The company's products help customers protect life, property, and financial assets in the United States and around the world. To serve its clients, the company draws upon experience in data management and security and expertise in predictive modeling. PPM of the company's information technology organization was investigated in this study.
Delta is in the insurance industry. The company meets the needs of its clients through life insurance, disability insurance, investment management, and other financial services. The focus of this study was on the management of a portfolio of corporate projects. These projects are either strategically or operationally important to the company. Software development projects are the majority of the portfolio.
Gamma is an international financial services company. The technology group is divided into units that support the various business areas, as well as units that cut across the organization. The study covers a portfolio of technology projects that includes include both software development and infrastructure initiatives.
Lambda is a research and development center of the U.S. government. Its staff consists of over 3,000 civilian engineers, scientists, and support personnel. The focus of this study is the portfolio of emerging technology projects.
Data Collection
To investigate PPM practices, six to ten individuals from each organization were interviewed at their business locations. These individuals were representatives from various management levels, including senior-level executives such as president, executive vice president, vice president, CFO, and CIO. At the PPM and project management levels, the information was gathered from the directors of PPM, the project management office (PMO) managers, PPM committee members, and PMO personnel. Additionally, the directors of project management were interviewed to help the researchers gain an understanding of the project management practices of each organization. Interviews were also conducted with representatives from the business units. The interviews with informants from different management levels helped the researchers understand the PPM practices of that organization from different perspectives.
These semi-structured interviews typically lasted about 60 minutes, except the interviews with the PPM director of Delta and the director of the Project Integration Office of Lambda, which lasted approximately 150 minutes each. These interviews were conducted to gather information regarding the PPM processes and methodologies used in each organization, the roles and responsibilities of the informants in PPM, the informants’ view of their PPM practices, the placement of PPM and project management, and the informants’ view of PPM effectiveness. Depending on the roles and responsibilities of the informant, some specific questions regarding strategic planning process, capital budgeting and portfolio funding, organizational culture, resource allocation, and governance were also asked. All interviews were conducted at the informants’ setting using two researchers. The interviews were also tape-recorded.
Data Analysis
Each interview was transcribed, yielding approximately 15-30 pages of transcript. The transcripts were coded and the chains of evidence were developed. For each organization, within-case analysis was conducted. The documents received from the respondents (e.g., PPM processes, scoring sheets, and project prioritization documents) were reviewed. Cross-case analysis was also conducted to analyze the consistency and inconsistency of the data across cases and to ensure the construct and internal validity of the findings (Eisenhardt, 1989; Miles & Huberman, 1980; Yin, 1984). After these analyses, the findings were compared and contrasted with the literature on organizational and team effectiveness to identify the similarity/dissimilarity and for the external validation.
In terms of the research results, a definition of PPM effectiveness was developed as a result of the cross-case analysis and literature review. After the development of the definition, each case was revisited to investigate whether the case data confirmed the definition of PPM effectiveness. The cross-case analysis also helps us identify key factors impacting PPM effectiveness and potential criteria for measuring PPM effectiveness. The research results are presented in the next chapters.