Challenges for the Implementation of a Strategic Project Office at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the importance of implementing a strategic project office at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) and which are the critical factors for this implementation. The development of monitoring, evaluation and control mechanisms allow the Institution to generate efficiency and effectiveness in the public service. Although project management (PM) is something recent in public universities, it is essential that these institutions focus on this topic, generating value for society. The strategic level of the project office is called the corporate level, being considered the center of excellence for project management. To achieve the objectives of this study, the following aspects are analyzed: i) survey of the literature on the importance of PM, strategic positioning and possible results and, ii) review of the organizational structure of UFRPE. The analysis is qualitative and descriptive. The results point to the main critical factors for the implementation of the office, at a strategic level, at the University. Understanding the organizational structure is essential, since institutional governance determines the way UFRPE is structured and its institutional relationships. A diagnosis for the implementation of a project office at the University is presented, using the tree diagram tool, in which it was possible to carry out the investigation and exposure of the identified critical factors. Complex and conservative organizational culture, departmentalized structure, communication without proper fluidity, budgetary and personnel restrictions, among other critical factors are registered among these obstacles.