Multi-dimensional Project Management:
Maintaining Control in a Complex Environment
Business Unified™
A White Paper by Exact Software
A White Paper by Exact Software
By definition, corporations
are involved in Multi-
dimensional Project
Management when having
to manage many levels
and facets of organizational
components in order to
achieve a desired goal.
©2004 Exact Holding North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Corporations worldwide embrace formal strategies and technologies for managing projects.
Even small or secondary projects must be formally tracked as such projects tend to be
part of a larger operational plan, where activities are dependent upon the completed
project. As corporations grow, projects become more numerous, and typically employ-
ees must serve on multiple project teams. Additionally, projects tend to encompass
several participants from different departments or divisions within the organization,
and often must also include contractors and vendors from outside the company.
From the corporate and divisional planning perspective, every new plan results in a
new project; every new event means managing multiple projects affecting multiple
departments, participants, documents and budgets. These layers of projects, sub-
projects and assignments encompass various activities, resources and locations.
These events and plans require each component to be resourcefully and comprehensively
managed, and also require proper prioritization, accountability and communication
throughout. There must be assurances that deadlines are met, resources are allocated
and optimized wisely, bottlenecks are identified and risk of project failure is mitigated.
The shift towards project complexity and its associated “interlocking parts” has
occurred as demands for corporate efficiency and downsizing have risen, placing even
more focus and pressure on project management, resource control and optimization.
Given that such multi-layered and compounded environments must be included within
project management, it is the p