Projects, Government, and Public Policy

Book excerpt: Many governments have effectively organized public project implementation systems in their jurisdictions. At the same time, many other countries remain at a less advanced level of public project management. Globally, there is a need for project management knowledge to be transferred between governments. However, no systematic review of these practices has been developed to date. Projects, Government, and Public Policy was written to fulfill this need and presents a review of project management practices in countries with developed project-based capabilities. This book uses its own rigorous model to present this review systematically. This book’s practical purpose is to give a structured overview of government-level project management practices. This knowledge can be used in the work of governments to improve the management of public projects and the implementation of public policies. Many professionals working in public institutions understand project management concepts differently than project management professionals. Therefore, this book begins with a chapter that describes the differences between the conceptual basis of public administration and project management. The body of this book has five parts. Part I is mainly intended for those involved in government and public administration who want to acquire or increase knowledge about project management. Part II provides an overview of the basic concepts from the theory of public administration, public policies, and development management. Part III describes what makes public projects unique and the success factors specific to projects of this sector. Knowledge about effective government project management practices is covered in Part IV. The concluding Part V begins with a general overview of the maturity model concept. Its main part covers the description of a maturity model showing ways to systematically improve the implementation of public projects. This book is written for governments and government administrators, including the most influential decision-makers, who craft policies to guide a country’s development as well as how to implement projects. This book is also intended for supporters and enthusiasts of project management in government and public administration by providing them with a description of the solutions used by project management in public administration. This book is intended, too, for all project management practitioners working for public projects: project managers, team members, sponsors, and middle-level executives of project-delivering private companies. By knowing public administration concepts, they can manage their projects better and use a common language with their clients.