Research Proposal On Smart Health and Well-Being- MyAssignment Help

Question: Task i Select a research theme from any of the following themes:1. Impact of diversity on health and social care provision2. Health and wellbeing3. Healthcare service improvement4. Personal hygiene5. Stress factors among college students6. The importance of teamwork in health and social careTask iiEach individual member of each group should now choose a research topic within the research theme and write a research proposal to be presented as a word document,and submit it in a submission folder for your group on STPonline.Note: Prepare a one or two page(s) plan of your research proposal for formative assessment.(NB: Your proposal,which should not be less than 1000 words and not more than 1100 words,must first be approved before you conduct your research project.) Tips for Part 1: Describe the type(s) of research method(s) and toolsyou would use to gather your research data (also known as primary data). Outline the specifications of your research. Also, clearly define the aims, objectives, ra tionale for choosing your research topic and timelines for your research tasks. Outline the resources at your disposal for this research. Explain the role of ethical codes and ethics committees in research and prepare a consentform for participants of your research. Undertake literature search on your chosen research topic and note down key references in text and in a reference list.Formulate and record possible research project outline specificationsIdentify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selectionUndertake a critical review of key referencesProduce a research project specificationProvide an appropriate plan and proceduresfor the agreed research specificationMatch resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis. Answer: Introduction Health and well being is state of positive outcomes that helps in shaping the meaning full life of the society. Health and well being comprise of good living conditions such as cleanliness and disease free are the fundamental to well being (www.health.vic.gov.au, 2015). 1) Rationale The basic reason for choosing this particular topic is the importance of health and well being of the individual while living in the society. The study will takes through the state of well being from current mentality of the individuals to the awareness among the society. The study also focuses on the various theories and concepts of heath and well being in order to elevate the role of well being over the period of time. 2) Aims One of the major aims of the topic is to analyse the well being within the society. The research has selected Glasgow community for the research of health and well being in order to analyses the health and well being factor in more focused way. Apart from that, the research will also aim to study the mind of the families and their decision making for any product/services. 3) Objectives To analyse the role played by the health and well being factors for community within the Glasgow To assess the challenges faced by the families in order to maintain healthy living within the Glasgow community To recommend the better factors that will be helpful for the community in future 4) Research questions 1. What are the roles played by the health and well being factor within the Glasgow community? 2. What are challenges faced by the community during the time of maintain the health and well being? 3. What are the factors that will help to overcome the challenges of health and well being? 2 Literature review 1) Concept of well being In UK, concept of health and well being is taken very seriously and oftenly taken as the stress research. Health and well being is also connected with positive impact of work and knowledge of health within the environment (Jesson, 2011). In UK, health and wellness is given top most priority and follows the stated measures of protocol to maintain the healthy living. Focusing on health and mental well being is being recognized by the fact that individuals remain healthy despite of overpowering stress (Nhs.uk, 2015). Figure 1: Factors of health and well being (Source: Moule and Hek, 2011, pp-121) 2) Mental health and emotional well being: As noted by Bass (2011), the mental illness is another major cause of the poor and weak living. Mental illness will turn into the emotional problems within the individuals (Kaplan and Kaplan, 2011). There are five major promoting qualities which will help to focus on the elements of well beings are environmental quality in which individuals lives, self esteem, emotional processing, self management skills and Social participations etc are some of the major areas that is needed to be focused in order to bring the street free environment (Kahneman and Deaton, 2010). 3) Meditations management Most of the community are entering into the meditations daily in order keep themselves more of fit and healthy. As opined by Pollock (2002), medication helps to keep the mental and physical part of the body more of energetic and the positive. Another major part of it is healthy eating. The nutritions research evidence shows that adequate safe supply of food is required to the different life stages of maintain the functional capacity of the healthy ageing people (Nhs.uk, 2015). Mediations management also has been one of the better ways of curing from the diseases rather than use of other use of the medicines drugs. Research methodology 1) Data collections techniques: (Quantitative and Qualitative data) Qualitative data helps in creating the theoretical concepts in the practical field which helps to understand the topic in a better way (Levine, 2005). Quantitative data collection is first hand data which can be collected via on flied investigations. Therefore, in this study, mixed approach will be required (Bryman, 2012). 2) Sampling The sample for the quantitative approach which will be collected from the families residing in Glasgow for which simple random probability sample will be considered where the criteria is not fixed., Parkhead health care doctors are being considered for the qualitative research (Creswell, 2013). For quantitative 100 families of Glasgow will be considered and for qualitative 5 major doctors are to be considered. 3) Data analysis For the quantitative form of questionnaire, closed ended survey questionnaire will distributed among the 120 families out of which 100 will be considered via random probability sampling. On the other hand for qualitative data, 5 doctors of park head hospital will be taken in the form of open ended questions. For qualitative data collection appointment will be taken from the doctors. 4) Data presentations The data will be presented separately in a form of table for the quantitative data collection. Data presentation will be numerical data in a wide variety of publications from the questionnaire (Ghani and Jan, 2010). The section will be appropriate to discuss the design issues for constructing the tables in clear format which will be easy for interpretations. 5) Limitations of study One of the major limitations of the study was cost because SPSS and PH stat2 software will give chances of error free calculations. Apart from that, time is other major constraints because the time allotted for the study is less so the in-depth analysis will be of the topic will be less (Cameron, 2009). Lastly, respondent involvement in the process were been biased towards their locality and areas they live in so the reliability of data will another major constraints. 6) Overcoming the limitations The limitation can be overcome via asking by the permission from the college and professor for the help and time extension of the project. Apart from that, by the excel sheet, data will analysis would give accurate form of calculations but not in-depth error free. 8) Ethical considerations It is code of conduct that is needed dot followed which help to anlayse the wrong and right set of behvaiour. Respondents will not be coerced or external influence is done to attain the data. Secondly, data which will be gained via study will strictly used for study purpose not for the commercial purposes (Bryman, 2012). Lastly, respondents name and address is maintained secret in order to save from any kind of harm. Reference list Books Levine, D.M. (2005). Statistics for Managers using Microsoft Excel. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Bryman, A. (2012).Social Research Methods 4e. 1st ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (ISBN9780199588053) Creswell, J. (2013).Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 4th ed. London: Sage publication ltd. Jesson, J. (2011) Doingyourliteraturereview: traditional and systematic techniques. London: SAGE. Moule, P. and Hek, G. (2011).Making Sense of Research: An Introduction for Health and Social Care. 4th ed. London: Sage publications ltd. Walliman, N.S.R. (2011) Research methods: the basics. London: Routledge Wisker, G. (2009).The Undergraduate Research Handbook - Palgrave Study Skills (Paperback). 1st ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.(ISBN9780230520974). Journals Ghani, U. and Jan, F.A., (2010). An Exploratory Study of the Impulse Buying Behaviour of Urban Consumers in Peshawar. In International Conference on Business and Economics, 1: 157-159. Cameron, R. (2009). 'A sequential mixed model research design: design, analytical and display issues', International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 3(2), 140-152 Bass, L. (2011). Social Focus on Health and Childrens Well-being*. Sociological Inquiry, 81(4), pp.495-498. Kaplan, R. and Kaplan, S. (2011). Well-being, Reasonableness, and the Natural Environment. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3(3), pp.304-321. Pollock, D. (2002). "Being Alive Well": Health and the Politics of Cree Well-Being.:"Being Alive Well": Health and the Politics of Cree Well-Being. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 16(3), pp.382-383. Smith, A. (2011). Breakfast Cereal, Digestive Problems and Well-being. Stress and Health, 27(5), pp.388-394. Kahneman, D. and Deaton, A. (2010). High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(38), pp.16489-16493. Websites www.health.vic.gov.au, (2015). Healthy ageing literature review 2012. [online] Available at: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare/maintaining/downloads/healthy_litreview.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2015]. Nhs.uk, (2015). Wellbeing self-assessment - Health tools - NHS Choices. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Wellbeing-self-assessment.aspx [Accessed 7 Jan. 2015]. Appendix Appendix 1 Sample Quantitative form of questionnaire: families A list of Questionnaire: for families of Glasgow Name: Age: Location: Contact No. Email ID: 1.How many people living in your household? 2. How often do you smoke or drink? Appendix: 2 A list of Questionnaire: For doctors of Parkhead health care Name: Age: Location: Contact No. Email ID: What is the importance of health and well being for families residing in Glasgow? How meditation and medication plays crucial role in influencing the families to take care of themselves?

The Great Wall Essays - Great Wall Of China, Megastructures, Walls

The Great Wall In the year 221 B.C.E., there was a great ruler over the Ch'in kingdom in China, named Shih Huang Ti. Shih was power hungry and wanted more land so he gathered his army and captured the surrounding kingdoms. As the ruler of so many kingdoms he became the first emperor of China. Shih showed his tyranny when he burned all history books to insure that his people and future generations would only remember him and none of the earlier rulers. He had a strong army but the fierce tribes north of China, the Mongols and the Huns, were stronger. These nomadic tribes would come into China and steal crops and animals and then destroy everything left behind. Shih was very disturbed with these invasions, so in the year 214 B.C.E. he freed prisoners and gathered workers and herds of animals. He gave all this to Meng T'ien, his loyal general. Meng and the men and animals were sent north to fortify Shih's kingdoms from invading armies. Shih planned to make a great wall by extending and enlarging preexisting walls made by previous rulers. This great wall would serve as a barricade to keep out all tribes that wanted to invade China. It also served to separate the civilized acts of the farmers in China to the barbaric acts of the nomadic tribes. What Shih did not know was that the construction would cause many deaths and much suffering to the builders of the wall. The wall which Meng and his men created had watchtowers, forty feet tall, every two hundred yards. The purpose of these towers was to alert the defending soldiers of approaching, attacking tribes. The soldiers at the towers signalled to each other by day using smoke signals, waving flags, blowing horns, and ringing bells; by night by lighting firework-like objects in the sky. The wall, itself, was approximately fifteen hundred miles long, thirty feet high and, at the base, twenty-five feet thick. It was made of the core of earth and gravel. Actually, it was two walls aligned with each other and then filled in with a stone base pounded smooth. The wall traveled over mountains and through valleys. It went from Liatun, on the coast near Korea, westward to the northern end on the Yellow River, southward to Lint'ao to close off the north west area of the empire from the Huns. The great wall is sometimes compared to a dragon with its head in the east and its tail in the west and its winding body. The dragon in China is considered a protective sacredness rather than a destructive creature. The top of the wall is approximately thirteen feet wide so six people riding horses could ride side by side along the top. On the side of the wall there are reliefs, which are two- dimensional figures on the wall. The Great Wall of China took hundreds of years to be totally completed and constantly maintained. As a barricade against invading armies it was very successful at keeping out unwanted people. Unfortunately, in the year 1215 AD, the Mongols came down, under the rule of Genghis Khan, and destroyed major parts of the wall. It took two years of constant fighting, but the Mongols were successful at breaking through the wall. Also, many years later, the Manchus, another strong tribe, penetrated the wall and took over parts of China. During the Ming Dynasty( 1368-1644 A.D.), the Great Wall was repaired by General Xu Da and watchtowers were added by General Qi Jiguang. Most of what tourists see today was made by these two generals. During World War II, the Great Wall was used for the transportation of troops. The Great Wall is so huge that it is the only man made creation which can be seen from the moon. Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY Delahoye, H.. Drege, J.P.. Wilson, Dick. Zewen, Lou. THE GREAT WALL. New York: Warwick Press, 1987 Huang, Ray. CHINA A MACRO HISTORY. New York: M.E. Sharp Publishers, 1988 Huges-Stanton, Penelope. AN ANCIENT CHINESE TOWN. New York: Warwick Press, 1986 Kalman, Bobbie. CHINA THE LAND. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1989 Kan, Lao Po. THE ANCIENT CHINESE. London: Macdonald Educational Holywell House, 1981 Nancarrow, Peter. EARLY CHINA AND THE WALL. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1980 Overbeck, Cynthia. Thompson, Brenda. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1977 Toy, Sydney. A HISTORY OF FORTIFICATION. London: William Heinemann, 1955

Radioactive Tracer Definition

Radioactive Tracer Definition A radioactive tracer is a radioactive element or compound added to material to monitor the materials distribution as it progresses through a system. The use of a radioactive tracer is called radiolabeling, which is one form of isotopic labeling. Radioactive Tracer Uses Radioactive tracers form the basis of some medical imaging systems, such as PET scans. Radiolabeling is used in research to trace the path of elements in biochemical reactions and cells. Radioisotopes are also used to track the flow of fluids, particularly in the petroleum and natural gas industry. Examples of Radioactive Tracers Usually, the isotopes chosen for use as radioactive tracers have a short half life. Thus, they are produced via nuclear reactions. Examples of commonly used radioactive tracers include tritium, carbon-11, carbon-14, oxygen-15, fluorine-18, phosphorus-32, sulfur-35, technetium-99, iodine-123, and gallium-67. Sources Fowler, J. S.; Wolf, A. P. (1982). The synthesis of carbon-11, fluorine-18 and nitrogen-13 labeled radiotracers for biomedical applications. Nucl. Sci. Ser. Natl Acad. Sci. Natl Res. Council Monogr. 1982.Rennie, M. (1999). An introduction to the use of tracers in nutrition and metabolism. Proc Nutr Soc. 58 (4): 935–44. doi:10.1017/S002966519900124X

Find a job when you’re over 50

Find a job when you’re over 50 Today’s job market is increasingly competitive- even for the brightest and most go-getting candidates in the field. If you’re over 50 and looking for a new gig amongst fields of millennials, the current state of job hunting can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re looking to score a job or change your career, don’t panic if you’re a little past the fresh-out-of-undergrad age. It might take you a bit longer to find a good fit and get hired, but it’s possible. Here are some good strategies for finding a fulfilling job- no matter what your age.Dust yourself off.Figure out new trends in your desired field and make sure you’re up on them. Improve your skills as necessary, and update your resume. Emphasize the skills you’ve honed over years in the working world and the unique bundle of expertise and experience you bring to the table. Answer this question: How is your age an asset rather than a liability?Look good.This sounds shallow, but the better groomed and healthier you look, the more vital you will seem. Stay relatively fit. Get a good haircut. Shell out for a well-tailored outfit. People do judge books by their cover, so present yourself in your most ideal package.Reach out to your network.The benefit of your age and experience is the huge number of people that you have gathered into your circle over the years. Make use of the people you know- don’t be shy. Keep your contacts current and make sure to utilize them rather than applying only through online job search boards. It’s still very much a â€Å"who you know† world out there, and you know more than the average job seeker!Don’t fear the interview.A face-to-face meeting is perhaps your best chance to present yourself as seasoned enough to be reliable, but current enough to be an exciting choice to hire. It’s also a great opportunity to show that you wouldn’t be a culture clash- even at your age. Show that youâ€⠄¢re a team player- and humble enough to take your marching orders from a 22-year-old boss.Know your tech inside and out.Don’t just get tech savvy. Show off your knowledge. Let potential hirers know that you own and wield the right devices and that you have a social media presence and are actually adept at working with the various platforms.Don’t forget to negotiate.Your age, position, and experience are actually an asset- don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Once you get to the hiring stage and are discussing compensation, remember that you might be due a higher salary point and even a â€Å"compensation package† rather than the entry-level of your bright-eyed peers. Ask for what the position and your experience deserve without apology. You’ve earned this!Stay positive and persist.Above all, keep a good attitude and don’t get discouraged if things don’t come quickly. It might not happen overnight and you might have to look to a f ew explicitly age-friendly companies or employers to land yourself in the right spot, but you will find something that speaks to you. Put in the work to update yourself for a new economy, and you will land at a place that appreciates you for your age- not in spite of it.

Is war an inevitable feature of international politics Essay

Is war an inevitable feature of international politics - Essay Example multiplicity of governments are not reduced to one government and international politics transformed to domestic politics." In order for war to begin, a relationship should exist between two parties, as it is a mistake or disagreement in this relationship which leads to war occurrence. So is the growing number of formed relationships due to globalisation increasing the unavoidability of war (1) Fighting is more than only competition between countries, because competition does not inevitably entail a party trying to gain an advantage by dropping their adversary's position. War is more aggressive; it includes conflict and it usually violent. The causes why countries go to war are plentiful and varied; instances include countries going to war to gain or enlarge the territory they possess, in support of other countries, to keep prestige and to defend or advance their economic interests. The goal of war could be disputed to be to show which party is 'stronger' in cases where this is not definite, as weaker countries will frequently be too frightened to fight, and stronger countries won't have a necessity to fight. It was revealed that the closer two countries are in terms of political and cultural features, the lower the opportunity of a war beginning between them. But the great amount of countries around the world means that there is a large quantity of cultures and background, and the alliances formed between like-minded countries are raising the disagreement between the different-minded countries. Donnelly analysed the relationship between international war and the creation of alliances and states that this is where the start of war lies. In general, countries which have lasting formal alliances frequently go through more wars than those nations which do not. And since alliances between major powers often have alliances of other majors powers as opponents, the incidence and size of wars is likely to augment in the following years. (3) There are two main ideas regarding war: that it is natural, and that it is not. The 'rational act' view argues that people are naturally aggressive and hostile, and war is therefore something inherent to humans, and that although war is unpleasant, it is sometimes necessary. Some theorists who regard war as part of human nature have traced it to being a result of our animal descent, or cruelty in an earlier age. Von Bernhadi stated that war is a "biological necessity" and that it was beneficial as it allows the taking away the weaker countries and therefore ensures the continued existence of stronger countries. "War was regarded as a fact of life and as a useful instrument of diplomacy, not as a problem. Peace, considered as an essential condition of international relations, was no preoccupation" (Ceadel 1996) Many European sociologists even consider conflict, and consequently the war, to be serving a positive idea in humanity. On the other hand, in spite of the plentiful claims made about the easiness of war, the facts to support this are too weak. (1) If war is peculiar to humans, then why are wars not conducted between countries at all times Why is it that wars only happen at definite times, and not all the time The contrasting view of war is that it is not innate in humans, but that it is brought about by exterior factors. The examination of the "irrational act"

Business Communication 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Communication 2 - Assignment Example The facilitation of nonverbal communication is featured by the use of gestures, body language, facial expression of eye contact etc. Besides these features, the prospect of one person’s speech being different from another by way of voice, style and stress also constitutes to the functioning of nonverbal communication. Similarly, even in written format of communication, there are certain features like handwriting, organization of sentences and the word selection can altogether constitute an insignia of a person’s nonverbal communication elements. The following paragraphs give a clear-cut ideal of the scope, function and practical application of nonverbal communication in different spheres of life. It is also essential to recognize the prominence of the seven aspects of this model of contact between people such as paralanguage, body language, environment, distance, touch, time and eye contact has to be clearly evaluated for their use and management in the practical applic ation of nonverbal communication. Managing nonverbal communication Managing communication in the absence of words is arguably one of the most challenging tasks for the managers of organized groups. It is equally important to manage the feelings and their reflections in the daily life of individuals. There can be many examples of the regular life of individuals in which they have to adopt the process of nonverbal communication aspects. Sometimes a look or a gesture does the role of a great command. In other contexts, body language or time set for a regular action can influence the stakeholders of the process of exchange of information. There can be certain references to prove that the use of words and their pronunciation doubtlessly making the communication easier and more cognitive; however, the transfer of feelings and intellectual significance of a conversation or relationship between individuals is influenced more by non-verbal communication channels than the routine voice based elements. For instance, as Soon (2012) points out, a meeting of two people is specifically garnished by their shaking each other’s hands or by a hugging; in either case, the process of the meeting commences with the routine greeting of the time covering that meeting. From a certain angle of view, it is visibly annoying to find that the absence of such a physical endorsement of feelings makes the communication less effective. In order to manage the communication using the nonverbal media, the communicator has to effectively analyze and make use of his body language, touch and vocal qualities with the careful concern for time, space and situations. Moreover, it may also be regulated and empowered by the use of symbols and graphic pictures developed by the modern technology such as printed documents, visual projects and placards etc (Pecha Kucha 6 minutes 40 seconds). The functional success of a nonverbal medium is directly connected to time and environment at which it is used. If a person winks an eye at a stranger as a gesture of information transfer, it becomes provoking sometimes to the opposite person. For another instance, the combined atmosphere and distance effect in a nonverbal communication event matters to a great extent in the completion of a meaningful transfer of information. In military operations and surgical or scientific experimental environments, the need for gestures as a device is necessary; and the right cognitive effect of this is analysed by the timing of such

Organizational Project Management Maturity Model Essay Example for Free

Organizational Project Management Maturity Model Essay 1. Introduction Successful implementation of a new organizational strategy can turn a good organization into a great one. Conversely, strategies that fail or generate poor results can quickly damage the organization’s reputation and brand, internally and externally. Effective strategy execution is the responsibility of all levels of management, who must be involved actively and consistently to orchestrate required organizational changes and to manage the portfolio of investments that underpin these change initiatives. The Organizational Project Management Maturity Model is a framework that provides an organization wide view of portfolio management, program management, and project management to support achieving best Practices within each of these domains. This holistic perspective is a powerful tool enabling successful execution of organizational strategies, portfolios, programs, and projects, especially when these transcend functional and hierarchical boundaries. Moreover, OPM3 global best Practices, applied to the execution of strategy, can drive superior and sustainable results. Effective strategy execution is the responsibility of the organization’s strategic planning and governance structures, which must be involved accurately and consistently to orchestrate required organizational changes. They manage the portfolio of investments that underpin these change initiatives. 2. Organizational project management Organizational project management is the systematic management of projects, programs and portfolios in allignment with the achievements of strategic goals. The concept of organizational project management is based on the idea that there is correlation between organization’s capabilities in project management, program management and portfolio management and its effectiveness implementing strategy. Organizational Project Management Project Portfolio Program Strategic Goals * Project – A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. * Program – A group of realated projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. * Portfolio – Acolloection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped together to facilitate effective management to meet strategic business objectives. 3. OPM3 Model OPM3 is an acronym for the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model, a standard wich is developed under the stewardship of the project management institute. The purpose of this standard is to provide a way for organizations to understand organizational project management and to measure their maturity against a comprehensive and broad based set of organizational project management best practices. OPM3 also helps organizations to increase their organizational project management maturity to plan for improvement. 4.1. Primary physical parts of the standard There are three parts; i. Narrative text – presents the OPM3 foundational concepts, with various appendices and glossary ii. Self assessment – provide a tool in support of the assessment step out lined in OPM3 iii. Directories – contain data on nearly 600 organizational project management best practices and their constituent capabilities 4.2. OPM3 Stages There are four sequential stages of process improvement; STANDARDIZE| MEASURE| CONTROL| CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVEMENT| 4. How does the OPM3 work? OPM3 offers the key to organizational project management maturity with three interlocking elements; i. The KNOWLEDGE element lets organizations uncover hundreds of Best Practices and shows them how to use the information available in OPM3. ii. The self ASSESSMENT element is an interactive database tool that lets organizations evaluate their current situation and identify their areas in need of improvement should an organization decided to embark on the path to higher maturity. iii. The IMPROVEMENT element will help map out the steps needed to achieve their goals. * KNOWLEDGE element which drives Assessment * ASSESSMENT element which in turn drives Improvement * IMPROVEMENT element. 5. Benefits of OPM3 to the organization I. It bridges the gap between strategy and individual project. II. It provides a comprehensive body of knowledge regarding what constitutes best practices in organizational project management. III. By using OPM3, an organization can determine exactly which organizational project management best practices and capabilities it does and does not have. IV. If the organization decides to pursue improvements, OPM3 provides guidance on prioritizing and planning. 6. What kind of commitment is required to launch OPM3 in an organization? The process of applying OPM3 in an organization is difficult to quantify. It depends on factors such as the size, complexity and initial maturity of the organization, the thoroughness of the assessment, the nature of the organization’s strategic objectives, and the level of resources available also impact any estimate. However, the assessment portion of such an initiative is most likely to take from several weeks to several months. Should an organization decide to embark upon improvements, the planning and implementation steps are likely to take longer, depending on how many best practices and related capabilities an organization decides to work on at one time. 7. Importance of OPM3 to the project management profession The Project Manager Competency Development Framework is the standard to guide the professional development of project of project managers and those aspiring to be project managers. OPM3 is the first iteration of a standard for organizations. It has the potential to create a new environment for those who are working in the project management profession, by illuminating the important link between projects and organizational strategy and the importance of organizational support to project management practices. The information in OPM3 is based on very broad based input from project management practitioners and consultants. 8. Summary The current global economic climate has ushered in an era of uncertainty that throws the importance of Organizational Project Management (OPM) maturity into sharp relief. It is critical for organizations to renew their ability to create cost efficiencies, economies of scale and agility to adapt to the changing business environment through projects. Companies need the organizational capability to choose the right projects, manage costs, and innovate. They need the organizational capability to delivery projects successfully, consistently, and predictably. The Project Management Institutes OPM3 Standard was developed with input from thousands of project practitioners and represents best practices in Project, Program, and Portfolio Management. OPM3 incorporates the PMIs PMBOK Guide, the most widely adopted standard for managing individual projects, and expands this into the domains of Program Management and Portfolio Management. OPM3 emphasizes choosing the right projects to advance organizational strategies and implementing the processes, structures, and behaviors necessary to deliver projects successfully, consistently, and predictabl y. Standardization of project work methods lays the foundation for achieving higher levels of maturity and excellence to create the organizational agility and resilience you need in todays marketplace. Leading organizations of all types and sizes across multiple industries are adopting OPM3 to transform their ability to close the gap between strategic intent and tactical outcomes through successful project selection and delivery. The preferred method for implementing OPM3 begins with an OPM3 Assessment by a PMI certified OPM3 Professional. 9. References * Project Management Institute, Inc. (2003). Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). 1 (1), 1-195. * Project Management Institute, Inc. (2004). An executives guide to OPM3. An executives guide to OPM3. 1 (1), 1-5.