Experienced Project Managers Research Articles

Analysis of dynamics of changes and efficiency of implementation and development of the project management system in Russia

The authors present the theoretical and methodological foundations of building project management systems in Russia. Study and evaluate the effectiveness of domestic project management experience in Russian Federation. The authors reviewed the process of dynamics of changes in the implementation of project management in Russia. We evaluated the previously existing organizational structure, with the current one. Formed in accordance with the Decree of Government of Russian Federation of 31 October 2018 No. 1288 “On the organization of project activities in Government of Russian Federation”, identified problems and gave practical recommendations. The object of research in the article is the system of project management in the state authorities of Russian Federation. The subject of the research is the methodology of project management system implementation in Russia. The purpose of the research is to analyze changes and methods of implementing project management systems in Russian Federation. Efficiency assessment and author’s suggestions for improving the project management system in Russia.

Trust and the intent to cooperate in energy performance contracting for public buildings in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the key factors in generating trust, and the effects of trust on the intention to cooperate in energy performance contracting (EPC), from the perspective of energy saving companies (ESCOs).Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was undertaken to collect the data from the experienced project managers in ESCOs. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that competence, integrity, communication, reciprocity and contract had positive effects on calculative trust and relational trust. Both calculative trust and relational trust, in turn, were found to have positive effects on the intention to cooperate.Research limitations/implicationsThe conclusions are derived from the Chinese cultural background and may apply to a certain geographical scope. In addition, this study focused on the perspective of ESCOs but did not consider that of facility owners.Practical implicationsThis research would supply guidance for facility owners or users to cultivate trust from ESCOs and achieve cooperation in EPC.Originality/valueMost of the existing studies have focused on the perspective of facility owners while few have attempted to investigate the perspective of ESCOs. This study contributes to the knowledge body relating to EPC by investigating the relationship between trust and the intention to cooperate from the perspective of ESCOs. In addition, most EPC studies recognized trust as a condition for the successful execution of EPC projects but failed to consider the role of trust in setting up the cooperation relationship prior to project execution.

A typology of meanings: practitioners views of ‘program'

Previously published work has identified confusion in the definition of the term program. This paper reports on a study investigating the understanding of program terminology within a sample of experienced management and project management practitioners across a range of industries and disciplines. The study was conducted in Australia which is subject to influence by both USA and British practice, without being constrained to favor either, but where any inconsistencies between these influences are potentially problematic. The outcome was that confusion on this issue was found within the practitioner community. Furthermore, this confusion had developed into a competition between fields over exclusive usage of the term to the extent that one organization had even attempted to resolve it by attributing different meanings to the two different nationality spellings of the term. No common understanding or definition of the term was articulated and there was contention over whether a program has to be transformational to be labelled as such. The boundaries with the terms project and portfolio were also unclear. The existence of these inconsistencies indicates there is a need for an internally consistent set of definitions of project, program, and portfolio to be agreed and adopted across the whole project management field.

Framework for Spatial-Temporal Cross-Functional Planning of Projects by Highway Agencies

State highway agencies (SHAs) are tasked with providing short- to long-term plans for developing and maintaining transportation infrastructure. In line with this task, often multiple functional groups in SHAs are responsible for allocating funds from multiple categories to a range of infrastructure assets on the same network—a situation that demands highly effective platforms for collaboration. However, the use of heterogeneous information systems challenges efforts to perform a spatial-temporal analysis of candidate projects proposed by these functional groups. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an integrated framework to improve the collaborative planning of highway projects by SHAs. The major steps in the framework include budgeting, identifying and integrating candidate projects, performing a spatial conflict analysis, classifying conflicts, and developing a response action. These steps are repeated iteratively until there are no unplanned spatial conflicts in the final program or scenario. The proposed framework was implemented by developing a tool in a spreadsheet environment via Visual Basic programming. The developed tool was first validated via a Charrette test involving ten participants with a total of close to forty years of project management experience in cross-functional organizations. The second phase of validation involved feedback from six agency experts after case demonstration involving 340 highway projects. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an integrated platform for different functional groups in SHAs to collaborate more effectively.

Managing risk in green building projects: toward a dedicated framework

PurposeThe formal application of project risk management (PRM) in green building projects is still an emergent part of project management. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual PRM framework that increases the probability of success in green building projects by minimizing unexpected events.Design/methodology/approachThis paper interprets the related literature and uses the opinion of green building experts. It exposes some pertinent elements needed for structuring the PRM framework and suggests some mitigation actions for high-ranked risks. It also performs ex-post analysis on a case study to practically validate the proposed framework.FindingsIt is found that high initial cost, lack of experienced contractors and subcontractors, consideration of lifecycle inflation and experience in green building project management are the most significant risks. To address them, the framework proposes a rigorous selection of contractors, provision of financial incentives from the government, setting of a time buffer to accommodate legal process and development of a deliberate proactive financial model.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the body of knowledge and practice by providing a reasonable strategy for employing the PRM framework capable of effectively managing risk in green building projects to keep organizations competitive within the business environment. The overall aim of this study is to contribute to the further development of the area of risk assessment and risk management from a knowledge-based perspective.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: FOREIGN EXPERIENCE AND RUSSIAN PRACTICE

The authors explore the implementation of project management as a result of administrative reforms realization in modern states. This approach is based on the «New Public Management» paradigm. The authors propose an explanatory model of project management in the public sector, presented in the characteristics of providing types of practices (analytical, organizational and management, communication and documentation). The cases of project management in Canada, Great Britain, Norway described in the article led to the conclusion that the successful practices of project approach cause a qualitative transformation of public administration system. The preliminary outcomes of the project management experience in Russian public sector are estimated in the worldwide context. It is proved that human capital becomes the system-forming resource that develops an ecosystem of public management (in spite of its institutional flexibility in modern states and their regions) and provides its efficiency.

An Engineering Manager's Guide for Commonly Used Change Management Approaches—From One Practitioner's Experience

This paper describes, how based on this author's experience in project management, the three most commonly used change management approaches can help to effectively plan and execute a project. The ADKAR model, the Lewin model, and Kotter's 8 step change model are each evaluated in this context. Strategies, applications, and implications are provided at different organizational levels for project planning and implementation.

Dos and Don'ts in Export Transactions: A Practitioner's Guide for SMEs?

AbstractBeing successful in export business transactions constitutes a great challenge for export newcomers. Entering a new foreign market, export newcomers must take into consideration many additional risks and pitfalls even if they are world‐class in their technology field in their domestic market. Besides the knowledge of common risks and pitfalls, experience in international project management is a must!Good contracts are to be carefully drafted, especially key project execution issues like timeschedules, starting point of deadlines, scope of supplies and services and its limits. If this is properly done, contracts may be used like a checklist for project execution and help the exporter to provide evidence on their contractual performance at any stage.Besides project execution topics, financial risk management has to be taken into account. Although – very hopefully ‐ not needed, legal / legal enforcement issues need to be drafted equally cautiously. Small and medium‐sized companies are well advised to organize expertise and support, if needed.

Gestão de mudanças em projetos: muito além da técnica

Felipe é um experiente gestor de projetos, reconhecido por seu costumeiro sucesso ao gerenciar projetos que envolvam mudanças. Agora, ele é convidado a assumir um desafio na multinacional Zubarah Shipping Express, empresa de navegação com sede no Qatar, que possui três escritórios no Brasil. Felipe atuará no escritório de Santa Catarina, onde seu grande desafio será implementar um projeto de mudança, que é exigido pela diretoria da empresa mas que, na visão da maioria dos colaboradores, não possui nenhuma necessidade e pode, inclusive, prejudicar o atendimento. O objetivo do caso é estimular a discussão sobre gestão de projetos, liderança, habilidades e gestão de mudanças, por meio da busca por possíveis soluções para o caso apresentado. Sugere-se aplicação para alunos de graduação ou especialização lato sensu que estudem assuntos relacionados à liderança, gestão de projetos e gestão de mudanças.

The effectiveness of the housing needs and demand

PurposeLiterature reveals that local authorities in Scotland are required under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to undertake housing need and demand assessment. Local authorities are required to ensure that their local housing strategies are evidenced with an assessment of housing need and demand. The housing needs and demand assessment (HNDA) framework was designed to help local authorities in Scotland provide the evidence base for local strategies. Since its introduction in 2014, there is a limited literature highlighting whether or not the framework has been effective. To this end, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the HNDA framework as set in Scottish local authorities; this paper aims to highlight those factors that have been effective in the framework.Design/methodology/approachAn evaluation to asses empirically the effectiveness of the HNDA framework in Scotland was conducted. The research involved a review of literature on the current HNDA framework in Scotland. A measure of the effectiveness of the HNDA framework was conducted via a questionnaire survey to get the practitioner’s perception from 32 Scottish local authorities. This was conducted to advance specific features that have been effective in the HNDA framework. The features were then ranked in terms of their degree of effectiveness.FindingsThe research in this paper identifies initial findings cited in literature of effective factors that impact on the effectiveness of typical projects and contextualises them in the HNDA framework in Scotland, the HNDA framework having all hallmarks of a project. Results from this study identified effectiveness factors that have a greater influence on the HNDA framework’s general effectiveness. These factors include amongst others: clearly defined and detailed scope; project monitoring and control; competent and experienced project managers; and sufficient and well-allocated resources.Research limitations/implicationsBy examining the factors individually, it can be stated that overall and based on literature and survey, the HNDA framework as used in Scotland has largely been successful. The success, however, is on a case by case basis. For example, those in remote-based local authorities expressed reservations on whether some of the identified effectiveness factors in the framework were effective while those in more metropolitan or larger local authorities were more upbeat with the HNDA framework.Originality/valueNo similar study has been carried out on effectiveness factors in the HNDA framework used in Scottish local authorities. The findings in this research, therefore, contribute to the literature that seeks to understand the mechanisms of an effective HNDA in general and the HNDA framework in Scotland in particular. Overall, it contributes to the housing debate by offering a Scottish perspective. The study is a precursor to the mechanism for the housing need and demand and funding success in Scotland.

A Correlational Study on Project Management Methodology and Project Success

Abstract This non-experimental correlational study extends previous research investigating the relationship between project management methodology and reported project success, as well as the moderating variables of industry and project manager experience. The sample included North American project managers with five years’ experience, 25 years of age or older, and experience with multiple project management methodologies. The survey instrument consisted of 58 questions, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale to record responses. The survey contained three sections, including demographic information, questions related to a successful project, and questions related to a less-than successful (failed / challenged) project. 367 usable responses were received. The examination of the constructs included Pearson’s correlation coefficient as well as linear regression to determine the impact of moderating variables. Results indicated that project management methodology has a weak correlation with reported project success, and this correlation is not moderated by industry nor project manager experience. The results did not align with previously conducted studies, illustrating a need to continue the study of methods impacting success including investigating additional moderating variables.

Modeling group and individual learning: lessons for integrating disciplines and agile research

AbstractWe discuss the genesis of the paper for which the 2018 Forrester Award has been given. We then summarize its findings and put it into the context of the research streams in which it is embedded. We also describe the effects of the award paper on subsequent research. We then briefly discuss how laboratory experiment, field, and modeling work can complement each other in social systems research. Finally, we present some thoughts for leveraging the expertise of researchers and audiences from outside domains to the field of system dynamics, based on lessons from our work together as co‐authors and our mutual experience in project management, particularly in agile software development techniques.© 2019 System Dynamics Society

International Experiences for Public Engineering Project PPP Finance Mode: Inspiration to Public Engineering Project Finance in China

Under the cooperation of public sector and private sector, public engineering project PPP finance mode can use abundant technology and management experience for private sector. It can support long term stable investment channel for private sector. At the same time, it can decrease finance pressure for government sector and can realize the winning for both public sector and private sector. PPP mode can flexibly adopt many different types according to detailed conditions for public engineering project, among which franchise BOT is typical running style. Many countries have accumulated abundant public engineering project finance, construction, operation and management experiences for PPP mode. China should study PPP mode operation experiences for public engineering project accumulated long term by other countries, and should improve PPP mode operation process according to China’s specific conditions. When public engineering project uses PPP mode, rational investment compensation, transfer and exit mechanism should be designed to attract private sector, and law, policy, operation management institutions, contract management and risk duty mechanism should be enhanced.

Lessons learned from implementing project management games

The purpose of this paper is to identify the principles governing successful project management serious (educational) game design and implementation by identifying lessons learned from implementing such games. This paper applied a triangulation method that qualitatively blends the perspectives of project management practitioners, game designers, and learners. The findings of this paper suggest principles of game realism, context, display, gameplay clarity, target audience, feedback, setting, debriefing, communication mode, and personalization. The main potential beneficiaries of this research include project management educators, trainers, students, training participants, and game designers. The study provides a comprehensive project management game design and implementation guideline that could help improve the quality of project management serious games. This paper is the first exploratory study to blend the perspectives of learners (students), serious game experts, and experienced project management practitioners in order to identify the key principles of delivering successful project management educational or serious games.
 

Integrated Multi-Project Scheduling and Hierarchical Workforce Allocation in the ETO Assembly Process

The engineer-to-order (ETO) production strategy plays an important role in today’s manufacturing industry. This paper studies integrated multi-project scheduling and hierarchical workforce allocation in the assembly process of ETO products. The multi-project scheduling problem involves the scheduling of tasks of different projects under many constraints, and the workforce allocation problem involves assigning hierarchical workers to each task. These two problems are interrelated. The task duration depends on the number of hierarchical workers assigned to the task. We developed a mathematical model to represent the problem. In order to solve this issue with the minimization of the makespan as the objective, we propose a hybrid algorithm combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Tabu search (TS). The improved PSO is designed as the global search process and the Tabu search is introduced to improve the local searching ability. The proposed algorithm is tested on different scales of benchmark instances and a case that uses industrial data from a collaborating steam turbine company. The results show that the solution quality of the hybrid algorithm outperforms the other three algorithms proposed in the literature and the experienced project manager.

Competency Assessment for State Highway Agency Project Managers

Project managers (PMs) play a key role in the successful completion of construction projects. Therefore, PM competencies have been heavily investigated over the past few decades, often focusing on two types of skills: hard skills, including technical knowledge; and soft skills, including personal traits. This extensive body of knowledge was lacking the focus on PMs of transportation projects who work in a state highway agency (SHA). This research addresses this gap by developing a comprehensive competency assessment model tailored for SHA PMs. This research identified 55 PM essential competencies spanning five categories: project management knowledge and experience; leadership; SHA operational knowledge and experience; industry knowledge and experience; and cognitive/personal effectiveness. Also, by collecting extensive data from 90 PMs, this research developed a mathematical model to compute competency weights for differentiating exceptional and average PMs. The weights were then used to create a comprehensive score that can assess PM competencies as an overall percentage. This score was benchmarked using the collected data to distinguish between exceptional and average PMs. To effectively communicate the research findings to industry practitioners, a computer-based tool was created. This tool assists SHAs and their PMs in assessing competencies, and identifies training needs to improve overall PM performance and skill sets. The tool was tested and validated by five Wisconsin Department of Transportation PM supervisors, all of whom acclaimed its accuracy and potential value.

A hybrid algorithm of product-service framework for the multi-project scheduling in ETO assembly process

The engineer-to-order (ETO) production strategy plays an important role in today’s manufacturing industry. This paper studies the multi-project scheduling in assembly process of ETO products. The multi-project scheduling problem is to schedule tasks of different projects under many constraints and assign hierarchical workers to each task. We develop a mathematical model to represent the problem. In order to solve with the minimization of makespan as the objective, we propose a hybrid algorithm combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Tabu search (TS). The improved PSO is designed as the global search process and the Tabu search is introduced to improve the local searching ability. The proposed algorithm is tested on different scale benchmark instances and the case that uses industrial data from a collaborating steam turbine company. The results show that the solution quality of the hybrid algorithm outperforms the other three algorithms proposed in the literature and the experienced project manager.

Factors Affecting Cost Overrun of RC-PIER Jabodebek LRT Project : A Case Study of Cawang, Indonesia

Light Rail Transit Development in Indonesia is progressing quite rapidly. Light Rail Transit is one of the modes of transportation solutions in the capital. The reason for the construction LRT because it more easily integrated with MRT and KRL. Due to the shortage of land in the capital, Jakarta. The system will use the system structure model structure elevated structure (cross-over structure), where pier structure is the structure of reinforced concrete columns (RC-Pier). At the time of execution occurs because the cost overrun earlier methods used inefficiently. Therefore, researchers will discuss the factors that affect the cost of crusting of 16:25% of the budget plan at work implementation RC-Pier in the LRT Jabodebek. Researchers using SPSS as the tool to get the factors that affect the cost of the implementation of the work crusting RC-Pier in LRT Jabodebek Project location of CawangDukuh Atas. The results of this study the factors that affect the efficiency gain is planning inadequate project, management, control and structure a bad project, project funding is inadequate, does not account for unexpected costs, inaccurate estimates/cost estimates are too low, collect information complete, resource constraints, the cost of construction of the LRT, the lack of experience of consultants, contractors and project managers and changes in design specifications.

Проектное управление в государственном регулировании: проблемы и решения

Increased globalization has led to the widespread application of project management systemsin many areas of business operations. This article is intended to examine the theoretical and methodologicalapproaches to project management in ensuring the competitiveness of the national economyas it pertains to the implementation of its government programs and projects. Through the scientificanalysis of current-day publications on project management in the public sector, the authors substantiatethe need for its introduction into Kazakhstan’s practice, which will increase the competitiveness ofeconomic activity. The theoretical and methodological substantiation is based on the utilization of themagic triangle of project management: “quality – time – budget”, which makes it possible to developalgorithms for the performance of the main functions of project management by government agencies.The article emphasizes the need to use the international experience in the practical implementationof project management of public authorities in the execution of government programs and projects in the context of global instability, accompanied by various risks, crisis situations, limited resources, and manyother effects. In the national science, there is yet a lot to be done on a thorough analysis of a projectmanagement system implementation in government agencies on the path of Kazakhstan’s entry into thetop 30 most competitive countries in the world.In this regard, this article discusses issues arising in the implementation of the project managementsystem in the government bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan and ways to address them.

Os produtos de conhecimento dentro das organizações do setor de software: uma nova perspectiva sobre artefatos de software

The Knowledge Management (KM) has become essential for organizations looking to store, encode, retrieve and disseminate knowledge in the environment in which they operate. In the software industry, KM presents itself as a form of management with relevant contribution potential, since this industry produces information on a constant basis. In this way, this information can be consolidated into software artifacts. Such artifacts represent knowledge of a particular software project, as well as a knowledge product. That is because a knowledge product also represents some kind of codified and stored knowledge. Thus, this work aims to analyze software artifacts from the perspective of knowledge products. To this end, a questionnaire was conducted and interviews with ten experienced project managers from the software industry. As a result, it was observed that the software artifacts become knowledge products because they allow reuse and register intellectual capital creating new knowledge and encouraging innovation in the software industry organizations.