Abstract
This applied research work identifies the impact of the project management offices (PMO) on knowledge management among 502 organizations from Colombian enterprises. First, a literature review about PMOs and knowledge management within the project perspective was conducted. Then, a bibliometric analysis was conducted in order to establish the link between this type of offices and the knowledge management on scientific publications about project management. Afterwards, a comprehensive theoretical framework about the matter of study was build. Subsequently, an information gathering instrument was developed in order to collect data for the research. Next, a nation-wide fieldwork was undertaken by analyzing the organizations. Successively, a detailed statistical analysis was conducted in order to identify the impact of the project management offices on knowledge management within the objects of study. Finally, results and conclusions were documented, and future lines of research were established.
TopIntroduction
From an empirical perspective, it can be said that the project management offices (PMOs) play a fundamental role in managing those endeavors, particularly when analyzing how this kind of departments contribute to the identification, creation, gathering, processing, storage, sharing and managing of knowledge about projects within enterprises. This nation-wide research identified the positive impact of PMOs on the management of knowledge in organizations from the Colombian enterprise context.
The main objective of this research is to identify the impact of the project management offices on knowledge management. As specific objectives of this study, were defined:
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Conduct a bibliometric analysis about main authors, topics of study and sources about PMOs and knowledge management.
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Develop a theoretical framework about main concepts related to knowledge management and the PMOs.
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Define a research methodology in order to identify the impact of PMOs on knowledge management.
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Undertake a nation-wide fieldwork on 502 organizations that conduct projects in the Colombian enterprise context.
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Apply a detailed statistical analysis in order to identify and document the findings about the project management offices on knowledge in the context of projects.
TopBackground
A literature review of 79 scientific publications about PMOs and knowledge management within the project perspective was conducted by consulting Scopus (57) and Web of Science (WOS) (22) databases on the period of time from 2003 till 2018. Publications trend to increase in number from 2010, reaching its pick on 2013 and 2014, and smoothly decrease till 2018 (figure 1).
Figure 1.
Publications about knowledge management and PMOs on Scopus and Web of Science per year 2003 – 2018
With the information identified on scientific databases mentioned above, a bibliometric analysis was conducted in order to establish the link between this type of offices and the knowledge management.
Firstly, main topics of research on publications about knowledge management and PMOs were identified: project management, information management, knowledge based systems, human resource management, investments, project manager, risk management, performance, and success (figure 2 and figure 3).
Figure 2.
Main topics of research on publications about knowledge management and PMOs on Scopus
Figure 3.
Main topics of research on publications about knowledge management and PMOs on WOS
Secondly, key authors, whit more citation and publications were acknowledged: Aubry, M.; Glûckler, J.; Mûller, R.; Lavoie-Trenblay, M.; Marchionni, C.; Richer., M.; and Cry, G. (refer to table 1 and table 2).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scientometric: Is the “the branch of information science concerned with the application of bibliometrics to the study of the spread of scientific ideas; the bibliometric analysis of science” (Oxford, 2018c AU132: The in-text citation "Oxford, 2018c" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Project Management: Refers to “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements” ( PMI, 2017 , p. 10).
Bibliometric: Is the “statistical analysis of books, articles, or other publications” (Oxford, 2018a AU130: The in-text citation "Oxford, 2018a" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Knowledge Management: “A mixture of experience, values and beliefs, contextual information, intuition, and insight that people use to make sense of new experiences and information [to manage a project properly]” ( PMI, 2017 , p. 709).
Manage Project Knowledge: Is defined as “the process of using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge to achieve the project’s objectives and contribute to organizational learning” ( PMI, 2017 , p. 70).
Knowledge: Refers to “facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject” (Oxford, 2018b AU131: The in-text citation "Oxford, 2018b" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
PMO: Project Management Office.