An Investigation of Planning Practices in Select Companies

Abstract

The aim of the article is to answer two research questions concerning the influence of organizational factors and shape of project portfolio on the content and scope, as well as on the stakeholders engagement in project planning. The research strategy included a questionnairebased method. The respondents were representatives of the chosen companies located in Poland, from varied types of industries. The key research finding is that most frequently addressed areas of project planning are those of the iron-triangle of project constraints. There is still lack of understanding for communication, risk and quality planning in projects, which is consonant with recent studies of maturity in project management areas. There are significant differences between industries in terms of areas of project planning. Power engineering seems to be more mature in terms of more frequent practices of planning the project schedule, resources and risk. The research showed a number of significant correlations between components of project planning and both organizational and project portfolio factors, which justifies the statement that those factors can be seen as determinants of project planning practices.