Project Orientation in Institutions of the Public Sector: Key Methodological Assumptions

Project Management Method (PM) is a holistic approach, defining contextual, procedural and behavioral aspects of project performance. Its genesis could be associated with the Manhattan Project (construction of the atomic bomb), and thus the time of World War II. In the 1960s PM was spreading in business ventures, especially in the developed countries of Western Europe and the USA. In today’s world, the following approaches are popular—linear: IPMA, PMI and PRINCE2 and light, based on the AGILE manifesto (e.g., Scrum). The aim of this paper is, to present chosen methodological assumptions of the implementation of project orientation in institutions of public administration. It focuses on the model of the project life cycle, confronting the assumptions of the method (mainly the requirements for the techniques of initiation, planning and controlling) with the conditions of the implementation, in terms of the Polish public administration. In the article a case study method of research was employed, referring to certain aspects of the implementation of the pilot project orientation, in one of the localities in southern Poland. Acceptance of the project orientation of public administration institutions should be treated as an innovation process, which is a response to the current challenges of the environment. It means often introducing a specific solution in many areas of the organization. In local government, this type of solution allows for the implementation of effective planning and controlling, at both the strategic and operational levels. Additionally, it promotes financial management through the judicious use of so-called task budgeting.