Showing papers on "Project management triangle published in 2012"

Making sense of the multi-party contractual arrangements of project partnering, project alliancing and integrated project delivery

Abstract: Collaborative construction project arrangements have been the subject of many development efforts owing to the frustration felt toward the opportunism inherent in traditional contracting. Globally, three approaches have stood out: project partnering, project alliancing and integrated project delivery. These so-called relational project delivery arrangements have much in common. This study aims to clarify the similarities and differences between the arrangements by examining their key concepts and features one by one and in relation to each other; the motivation behind each is also examined. Early involvement of key parties, transparent financials, shared risk and reward, joint decision-making, and a collaborative multi-party agreement are some of the features incorporated in all the arrangements to a varying degree. Beyond the numerous details, divergent applications and constant evolution presented, the study also recognizes project alliancing as a project delivery system in its own right due to its cont...

Forecasting Success on Large Projects: Developing Reliable Scales to Predict Multiple Perspectives by Multiple Stakeholders Over Multiple Time Frames

Abstract: Our aim is to develop a set of leading performance indicators to enable managers of large projects to forecast during project execution how various stakeholders will perceive success months or even years into the operation of the output. Large projects have many stakeholders who have different objectives for the project, its output, and the business objectives they will deliver. The output of a large project may have a lifetime that lasts for years, or even decades, and ultimate impacts that go beyond its immediate operation. How different stakeholders perceive success can change with time, and so the project manager needs leading performance indicators that go beyond the traditional triple constraint to forecast how key stakeholders will perceive success months or even years later. In this article, we develop a model for project success that identifies how project stakeholders might perceive success in the months and years following a project. We identify success or failure factors that will facilitate or mitigate against achievement of those success criteria, and a set of potential leading performance indicators that forecast how stakeholders will perceive success during the life of the project's output. We conducted a scale development study with 152 managers of large projects and identified two project success factor scales and seven stakeholder satisfaction scales that can be used by project managers to predict stakeholder satisfaction on projects and so may be used by the managers of large projects for the basis of project control.

Doing research in business and management: An essential guide to planning your project

Abstract: Doing research in business and management: An essential guide to planning your project, by Mark Saunders and Philip Lewis, Harlow, Pearson Education Limited, 2012, 233 pp., £26.99 (paperback), ISBN...

Leadership performance is significant to project success or failure: a critical analysis

Abstract: – This paper seeks to review the current literature in order to explore how performance of leadership in project management determines project outcomes. The specific causes of project success or failure have been an area of much debate in the project management literature. Performance of leadership has been cited as a critical success factor, determining either the success or failure of a project., – An extensive literature review has been undertaken to explore our understanding of how project leadership performance impacts on project outcome., – The mechanisms through which leadership may impact on outcomes are considered. Implications include the need for project managers to prioritize training in leadership skills, and the need for continuous professional improvement to enhance leadership outcomes. No single leadership model is appropriate throughout the duration of the project. Performance, therefore, must be modified to align with the stages of the project duration., – While the literature has given meaningful insights into leadership of projects, there has been little research into performance management of project leadership. The work is the basis of developing a research agenda and establishing a conceptual framework. The opportunity exists, based on this work, for carrying out research on project leadership performance and its effect on project outcomes., – Insightful learning has been achieved into project leadership and the failing of practitioners in appropriate training and development at various stages of the projects life cycle., – Projects and project‐based management, delivered nationally and internationally, are of significant importance to organizations. Increasing understanding of the implications of leadership performance, therefore, is of critical importance., – The literature review has identified significant limitation in project leadership performance management. It is anticipated that this work will trigger further research.

A simulation-based risk network model for decision support in project risk management

Abstract: This paper presents a decision support system (DSS) for the modeling and management of project risks and risk interactions. This is a crucial activity in project management, as projects are facing a growing complexity with higher uncertainties and tighter constraints. Existing classical methods have limitations for modeling the complexity of project risks. For example, some phenomena like chain reactions and loops are not properly taken into account. This will influence the effectiveness of decisions for risk response planning and will lead to unexpected and undesired behavior in the project. Based on the concepts of DSS and the classical steps of project risk management, we develop an integrated DSS framework including the identification, assessment and analysis of the risk network. In the network, the nodes are the risks and the edges represent the cause and effect potential interactions between risks. The proposed simulation-based model makes it possible to re-evaluate risks and their priorities, to suggest and test mitigation actions, and then to support project manager in making decisions regarding risk response actions. An example of application is provided to illustrate the utility of the model.

A General Framework for Gauging the Performance of Initiatives to Enhance Organizational Value

Abstract: The project management literature argues that most projects fail, and yet, paradoxically, increasing numbers of proposals for new initiatives attract funds. In order to resolve an apparent ‘investment-in-failure’ paradox, this paper questions the methodology used in the literature to judge project performance and to decide on funding new projects. Using results from a field study, the authors describe a project performance framework that both expands and extends traditional approaches. They argue that the conventional test of project performance is not only fundamentally flawed, but also irrelevant to decision-makers. In response, drawing on ‘principal–agent’, ‘regret’ and ‘contingency’ theories, the authors propose a new methodology to assess projects based on the concept of ‘worth’. According to this approach, performance is judged at three separate levels: project management, project ownership and project investment. These three tests allow distinct judgements to be made about the respective performances of the project manager, the project owner and the investment represented by the original funding decision. To the extent that financial crises are associated with project failure, such a framework may prove useful, because it would support better investment decision-making.

Project Management for Development in Africa: Why Projects Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

Abstract: This article discusses international development (ID) projects and project management problems within ID in Africa and suggests they may fall into one or more of four main traps: the one-size-fits-...

Measuring complexity for building projects: a Delphi study

Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this study is to identify complexity measures for building projects in the People's Republic of China (PRC).Design/methodology/approach – A three‐round of Delphi questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the key parameters that measure the degree of project complexity. A complexity index (CI) was developed based on the identified measures and their relative importance.Findings – Six key measures of project complexity have been identified, namely: building structure & function; construction method; the urgency of the project schedule; project size/scale; geological condition; and neighboring environment.Practical implications – These complexity measures help stakeholders assess degrees of project complexity and better manage the potential risks that might be induced to different levels of project complexity.Originality/value – The findings provide insightful perspectives to define and understand project complexity. For stakeholders, understanding and addressing the complexity help...

A Perspective-Based Understanding of Project Success:

Abstract: Answering the call for alternative approaches to researching project management, we explore the evaluation of project success from a subjectivist perspective. An in-depth, longitudinal case study of information systems development in a large manufacturing company was used to investigate how various project stakeholders subjectively perceived the project outcome and what evaluation criteria they drew on in doing so. A conceptual framework is developed for understanding and analyzing evaluations of project success, both formal and informal. The framework highlights how different stakeholder perspectives influence the perceived outcome(s) of a project, and how project evaluations may differ between stakeholders and across time.

What project strategy really is: The fundamental building block in strategic project management

Abstract: Strategic project management is gradually becoming a popular and growing trend within the discipline of project management. The general idea is that project management teams must learn how to deal ...

A Bibliometric View on the Use of Contingency Theory in Project Management Research

Abstract: Contingency theory has influenced organization theory since the 1950s Project management research has only recently started to consider context factors In this area, applications of contingency t

Managing Project Uncertainty

Abstract: Dealing effectively with uncertainty requires today's project manager to be familiar with a broad spectrum of strategies, encompassing both 'hard' and 'soft' methods. This theme of unified thinking (i.e. the need to selectively draw upon a wide range of strategies in any given situation) will differentiate the book from its contemporaries. By picking up where traditional risk management techniques begin to fail, it brings together leading-edge thinking from a variety of disciplines and shows how these techniques can be used to conquer uncertainty in projects. The ability to make good decisions when faced with uncertainty is the real challenge. It is a universal truth that a decision is only as good as the information it is based on. But good information is often hard to come by, and all projects are vulnerable to the unknown and the unknowable. Thus, uncertainty becomes the sworn enemy of the project manager. Wherever we try to analyse, quantify, plan and act, uncertainty lies in wait to surprise us with its ambiguity and unpredictability. It lurks in every stage of the project lifecycle: in the planning (how long will this really take?), the initiation (this isn't the situation I expected!), the execution (who could have foreseen that happening?), and even the completion of a project (where are the expected benefits?). But managing uncertainty is a lot more than just applying risk management techniques. It requires a deep appreciation of how uncertainty arises and, by recognising its different guises, the appropriate strategies can be formulated. If we can learn how to reduce uncertainty, we can make better management decisions and increase the chances of the project succeeding. This book addresses five key questions: Why is there uncertainty in projects? How do you spot the symptoms of uncertainty, preferably at an early stage? What can be done to avoid uncertainty? What strategies can be used to deal with project uncertainty? How can both the individual and the organisation learn to cope more effectively in the future? The reader is assumed to be a either a project management professional, or a senior manager looking for ways to improve project management strategy within their organisation. As such, a foundation in project management basics is assumed, although not essential. The book then builds on this by exposing new ideas and concepts, and shows how these can be harnessed to tackle uncertainty in its many guises. Series Editor: Professor Darren Dalcher.

Construction Project Management: An Integrated Approach

Abstract: Construction Project Management: An Integrated Approach is a management approach to leading projects and the effective choice and use of project management tools and techniques. It seeks to push the boundaries of project management to take on board future needs and user issues. Integration of the construction project, meaning closer relations between the project team, the supply chain and the client, is long overdue; however, despite some signs of growth in this area, the industry nonetheless remains fragmented in its approach. The role of the project manager is to integrate diverse interests and unify objectives to achieve a common goal. This has now broadened to include a responsibility, on the parts of both client and team, to ensure that construction addresses current and future societal needs. From an economic perspective, a great deal of waste is connected with conflict, thus a holistic approach that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the task at hand will inject energy into project management. This third edition now takes on board the impact of technology in building information modelling and other digitised technologies such as artificial intelligence. Together, they open up avenues for more direct and incisive action to test creative design, manufacture directly and communicate spontaneously and intuitively. In time, such technologies will change the role of project managers but will never take away their responsibility to be passionate about construction and to integrate the team. A new chapter has been added that considers future societal needs. This edition is also reordered to make the project life cycle and process chapters clearer. This book combines best practice in construction with the theories underpinning project management and presents a wealth of practical case studies – many new. It focuses on all construction disciplines that may manage projects. The book is of unique value to students in the later years of undergraduate courses and those on specialist postgraduate courses in project management and also for practitioners in all disciplines and clients who have experienced the frustration caused by the fragmentation of construction projects.