Applying Project Management Methodology to Change in Higher Education Case Study of Qatar University

Qatar University (QU) is a medium size public university established in 1973 to be an autonomous institution. Though it was subjected to public sector rules, regulations and hiring system, QU has never stopped trying to be autonomous. The Reform Plan which was endorsed by the highest level of authority in the country in 2004 opened the way for QU to become autonomous and encouraged it to launch many major changes in its governance, management and systems. Immediately after the endorsement of the Reform Plan, QU began working on its own policies and procedures, followed by the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) management system and the student information management system. Implementing three ambitious projects in four years exposed QU to new experiences and yielded many learned lessons. This paper sheds lights on these experiences with greater focus on the approach and change management; other institutions may find that interesting and helpful. All projects were closed successfully and QU is reaping the fruits in terms of better management and services to customers and stakeholders.