Task
1. Share ideas with your colleague below about how he can address the questions he has posted.
2. Make recommendations for refining his research topic.
I expressed an interest in the "application of established project management fundamentals to the theoretical framework for state building" as advocated by practitioners within the field of Security Sector reform. As a PMP, the default reference for project management knowledge is going to be the PMBOK; however, while there is a variety of literature where project management practitioners have found significant benefits through the integration of PM fundamentals on development projects, there is nothing that shows their application towards state building and the genesis of a viable security sector. Similarly, SSR advocates provide a number of theoretical models that could potentially establish a viable and functioning state, but provide no practical examples or evidence which can demonstrate the success of their field. Additionally, the general global increase in the number of failed states (Cato Institute, 2015) could indicate further problems with the SSR approach functional governance.
In the article "Security Sector Reform and State Building", author Paul Jackson argues that "technical administrative" approaches to organizational systems limits the achievement of a viable state (p. 1803). He further states that much of the work in the field has been focused on "particular activities" as opposed to the creation of a fully functioning nation state (Jackson, 2011). Perhaps most critically, Jackson acknowledges the need for the establishment of viable security forces, rule of law, and crime reduction, his review of various failed state interventions and the technical approaches by the global community are deemed problematic, arbitrary, and inconsistent with local needs and values. He even defines the US approach to Iraq as the "McDonaldisation" (Jackson, 2011, p. 1806) approach, yet fails to provide a viable methodology.
Ultimately, the issues and conflicts identified by Jackson show a direct failure to understand the application of project management fundamentals. Certainly no one can argue that the project state building is a, "temporary endeavor to create a unique product, service, or result (Project Management Institute., 2014, p. 553). Furthermore, project management fundamental concepts like governance, scope management, dependency identification, communications planning, and perhaps most critically, stakeholder identification, can all play a role in the establishment of statehood.
Pulmanis identifies how project management applications have lead to successful outcomes within the public sector of Latvia (Pulmanis, 2013). Furthermore, his identification of the need for strategic, functional, and project plans (p. 178) are in alignment with the requirement for a relevant, accepted and functional security sector necessary for a viable state. More critically, Pulmanis reemphasizes that projects may require unique and temporary organizational structures to achieve specific objectives within required time and cost constraints (p. 178). As such, a project management approach to SSR would ensure both local relevance and a unique understanding of the environment, as well as constrain both the idea of occupation and limiting financial commitments necessary for the establishment of workable and relevant host operations.
State building and its requirement for a viable security sector has failed the triple constraint of time, cost, and quality (Project Management Institute., 2014). Despite 15 years of intervention, Afghanistan has been deemed the "Forever War" (Spaeth, 2016), Iraq remains in chaos despite the training and development of both military and police forces, and several stable states have collapsed with nothing to replace their previous government. Even in areas where a negotiated agreement has occurred, timelines developed, and plans agreed to, Palestine remains a fragmented concept without a viable security force despite nearly ten years of finance, training and mentoring by the international community.
References
- Cato Institute. (2015). The Rise of the Failed States. [online] Available at: https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/rise-failed-states [Accessed 6 Aug. 2016].
- Jackson, P., 2011. Security Sector Reform and State Building. Third World Quarterly, 32(10), pp. 1803-1822.
- Project Management Institute., 2014. PMBOK guide: A guide to the project management body of knowledge. 5th ed. Newtown Square, Pa: Project Management Institute.
- Pulmanis, E., 2013. PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY PROBLEMS, CASE OF LATVIA. Region Formantion and Development Studies, 3(11), pp. 177-188.
- Spaeth, R. (2016). Afghanistan has truly become the forever war.. [online] New Republic. Available at: https://newrepublic.com/minutes/133662/afghanistan-truly-become-forever-war [Accessed 6 Aug. 2016].