Project environment analysis

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The project environment analysis (abbreviated PUMA or PUA, also called project environment analysis) is an analysis of the environment of a project. It is a project management method that identifies all affected interest groups (“ stakeholders ”) in a project . PUMA sees a project as a social system and creates the demarcation of those involved in the project environment . It is carried out at least at the start of a project, on the one hand to turn those affected into participants by integrating them into the project organization and on the other hand to be able to take measures for critical participants. It is the basis forProject planning , project marketing and for risk analysis .

Objectives of the project environment analysis

The aim is to record all influencing factors of the project:

  1. Influencing factors and framework conditions for the project
  2. Stakeholders and their interests
  3. Project risks
  4. Embed the project in the company
  5. chances and risks
  6. Measures to influence the project environment
  7. Insights for project planning

The project environment analysis shows an overview of all those affected by the project (as persons or organizational units) with their significance for the project, their attitude to the project, their expectations of the project, the expectations of the project on the person concerned.

requirements

The goal and scope of the project as well as the main project officials must be known before the project environment analysis. Project planning that has already been completed, however, is not required. The most important actors in the project environment create the PUMA in a workshop :

Active stakeholders (in particular project team and project manager, representatives of the line organization , power promoter / client, specialist promoter / customers) and passive stakeholders (e.g. authorities, works council, competitors, family members of the project staff, employees indirectly affected by the project).

Building a PUMA

Identification of all relevant environments

The identification of all relevant environments is supported by the following key questions:

  1. What power and energy is the project supported by?
  2. What power and energy is against it?
  3. Where in the company is the problem or goal of the project known and accepted?
  4. Where and how is there pressure to change? What would be with whom without this project?
  5. What is the “general weather situation” like for the project? Which trends and taboos are recognizable? What are the current hot topics?

Seams of the project

Every meeting of the project boundaries with its surrounding systems is traditionally referred to as an organizational interface. In more recent approaches this is better referred to as a seam, whereby the connecting end of the seam is emphasized compared to the separating end of a cut.

The implementation of the project goals at the interfaces to other systems should be replaced as often as possible by agreements at the overlapping areas between the systems. The rules of the game include the regulated handover and acceptance of previously defined results and the agreements of clear contact persons in each surrounding group.

The key questions are:

  1. Which interim results need to be agreed?
  2. Who gives what, when, to whom?
  3. Which of the two participants informs whom about what?
  4. Under what conditions are results submitted?

Portfolio presentation (force field analysis) and evaluation

If surroundings and interfaces are known, they are recorded and assessed in a portfolio graphic:

  • People, interest groups
  • Importance for the project (size / proximity of the circle)
  • Attitude to the project +, - or +/- (positive, negative or neutral)

The evaluation of the importance of the individual surroundings for the project can be represented by circles of different sizes and the proximity to the project by different distances. The proximity or distance to the project can be emphasized by concentric circles around the project. The central expectations or fears of the respective project environment with regard to the project are shown with +, - or +/-.

It helps to put yourself in the shoes of a particular interest group in order to understand their expectations and fears. For clarification, direct contact can also be made with those affected. In case of doubt, the overall view must always be given priority.

Expectations / fears

The above results are recorded in a table and supplemented by two columns: Expectations / fears about the project, expectations / fears from the project to the person / interest group

Results

Opportunity-risk portfolio

The contradictions, conflict potentials and opportunities identified in this way can be shown in the opportunity-risk portfolio .

Action table

The results so far show the social networking of the project and serve to derive strategies and measures for the individual environments. These measures flow into the project planning .

Further use

As the project progresses, changing boundary conditions must remain under observation and, if necessary, the PUMA must be carried out repeatedly. The project environment analysis is a prerequisite for the risk analysis, since project risks mostly arise from external disturbances.

See also

Web links