The need for life-cycle integration of project processes

The focus of this paper is on life-cycle objective-based project management systems in general, and SPMIS in particular. SPMIS (short for Smart Project Management Information System), has been designed: (a) to facilitate the employment of life-cycle objective-based project management approaches; and (b) to support concurrent engineering and construction, thus promoting greater integration of the processes under which projects are proposed and implemented. In order to validate the functions designed for SPMIS the authors undertook a detailed case study of a large capital project. The actual project management functions employed by the project team on the case project were researched and charted using the best current PM practices as the guide. While this field research shed light on the actual needs and requirements, the design of the SPMIS functions was approached from first principles in order to incorporate the basic shift from the traditional objectives of cost, time, and quality to life-cycle objective functions, such as return on investment, facility operability, and life-cycle integration. This paper describes the fundamental philosophy and framework for the development of life-cycle objective function-based project management systems in general, and contrasts these with the existing PM methods.