Developing PUMP capability as a project
Chris Chapman, Stephen C. Ward · 2012
This chapter discusses what is involved in establishing and sustaining appropriate project uncertainty management capability for an organization. The issues involved can be explored more systematically if the establishment and operation of the capability as a project is considered in its own right and the project is examined in terms of the seven Ws framework plus the project lifecycle framework. Effective development of an organization's project uncertainty management capability requires recognition and critical evaluation of where and how project uncertainty management already occurs in the organization, decisions about where attempts to develop the use of Performance Uncertainty Management Processes (PUMPs) should be made, and further decisions about who should be involved and what skills and capabilities they need. The benefits from a well-developed PUMP capability are considerable. PUMP capability is worthy of significant and sustained investment. It implies development that involves implementation of a comprehensive PUMP, selectively to begin with, targeting areas of project planning where the need is greatest, then using this experience as a learning process before attempting more widespread deployment of PUMPs. The reasoning behind this approach is that to achieve effective uncertainty management, it is essential to understand the nature of a comprehensive PUMP.