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KM and Project Management

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The Palgrave Handbook of Knowledge Management

Abstract

In this chapter we aim to analyse the context, role, structures, processes, procedures and problems associated with managing knowledge in projects. In doing so we focus particularly on the interactions and intersections between knowledge management (KM) and project management (PM). The imperative for effective KM can be viewed through the prism of poor performance in relation to PM. For example, recent reports indicate that organisations are wasting on average €97 million for every €1 billion spent on all projects (PMI 2017). In addition, PM practitioners and others involved in projects believe that 6% of projects are ‘wholly unsuccessful’ and that less than 22% of all projects undertaken wholly meet their objectives (APM 2016). These figures, which are consistent with previous reports on project success and failure, show that there continues to be deficiencies in PM and that part of the problem is a failure to effectively manage knowledge both within a project and between projects. Hence there is an urgent need to improve KM in PM.

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Bryde, D.J., Unterhitzenberger, C., Renzl, B., Rost, M. (2018). KM and Project Management. In: Syed, J., Murray, P., Hislop, D., Mouzughi, Y. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Knowledge Management. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71434-9_22

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