Project Management Frameworks Implemented in Small and Medium Sized Companies from Mexico

Abstract

Project management is the process helping to create higher confidence to achieve objectives, minimizing resource wastes, reducing overall risks, and facilitating change management. This article presents the findings of a study about project management practices implemented in Small and Medium Sized Companies (SME) from Mexico, to identify what are the most implemented project management frameworks or methodologies. This study was carried out for a random sample of 113 SME from Mexico, in which there have been implemented projects with an average length of 1 year and it was identified that 52% of them do not have documented and well defined projects, with low levels of monitoring and control; also, they are identified in a reactive way and executed using process and procedures developed internally, and they would rather implement their own frameworks instead of standards such as PMI, Prince2, or Agile, since they are considered very complex or highly costly. Therefore, consequently, and based on the obtained results, only 50% of those organisations have successful projects, considering as well that about 41% of the projects are well or just defined, and about 70% of companies are executing at least three parallel projects, which requires mature standard frameworks to ensure the success along their implementation in the organization.