March 2003 Project Management Journal 43 P roject management is the disciplined application of certain knowledge, techniques, tools and skills to create a unique product or service. The project manager can chose from a range of recommended processes to man- age any particular project. Traditionally, the project management process does not distinguish between different types of projects. The choice of which par- ticular processes will be employed in any situation is left to the judgment of the individual project manager. A range of accepted practices is documented in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, PM BO K®Guide (2000). The individual practitioner makes judgments about when and how to intervene in a situation, often drawing on an accepted range of practices. The key is for the individual practitioner to be able to choose and articulate why a particular practice has been emplo yed. Project management has emerged as a profession in its own right, with accepted practices, professional bodies, and codes of conduct. The Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) has defined competency standards for project management, in conjunction with industry representatives and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). The Project Management Institute (PMI®) is based in the United States and was founded in 1969. PMI has almost 100,000 members worldwide. It is a leading nonprofit profession- al association for project managers. PMI establishes project management stan- dards, provides seminars and educational programs, and provides profession- al certification. It publishes the PM BO K® Guide (2000) along with other PMI standards. The PM BO K® Guide (p. 4) describes a project as “a means by which strat- egy is implemented.” Project management is therefore seen as a process applied to manage the implementation of strategy. The Nature of the Projects The PM B O K® Guide ( 2000, p. 3) states that the basic project management processes can “generally” be applied to “most projects most of the time.” Recent thinking has identified fundamental differences between some project types. This raises the question, “What pro ject management processes are the most appropri- ate to apply in particular in situations?” Effective Project Management for Strategic Innovation and Change in an Organizational Cont ext JOHN KENNY, Learning Technology Services RM IT University, Building 48, 449 Swanston St., Melbourne, Victoria, 3000 Australia Abstract Pro jects are a means o f implementing strategy; the relationship of project man- agement to strategic implementatio n in an organization is explored. Some of the recent project management literature is examined and a case study from the education sector is used to consider how to effectively link project management to o rg a niz a tio na l stra teg ic processes. Project management techniques have been used very successfully in a wide range of areas. They are routinely applied in IT developments, building, g o v e rnment, and education. Recent think- ing has raised questions about how to more closely match the techniques to the na ture o f individua l pro jects. The nature of different types of proj- ects is explored through consideratio n o f projects involving high levels o f change, a nd/ o r inno vatio n. By their nature, the final outcomes of such projects are not clearly defined and their execution may require many iterations of development. A means of categorizing projects within an organization is developed. This, along with a set process guidelines, will enable an organization’s manage- ment to more effectively consider the implic atio ns o f implementing strategic projects. Monitoring such projects can present pro blems in a n o rg a niz atio n when management accountability mech- anisms demand results and rigid process- es are imposed. Key w ord s : inno vatio n; actio n lea rn- ing; new product development; typology; cultural change; uncertainty; strategic c h a n g e © 2 0 0 3 b y the Pro jec t Ma na g ement Institute Vol. 34, No. 1, 43-53 ISSN 8756-9728/ 03