Front-end Phase Research Articles

A systematic literature review on characteristics of the front-end phase of agile software development projects and their connections to project success

ContextSoftware development of new products and services often involves a front-end phase where user needs are analysed, costs and benefits are estimated, and initial plans are created. GoalThis study aims to learn more about how the introduction of agile software development has affected practices and outcomes related to cost and benefit estimation in this front-end phase and to understand better what would improve this phase. MethodWe identified, reviewed and aggregated the results from 42 relevant research articles by searching literature databases and snowballing relevant articles. ResultsThe front-end phase of agile was found to be, on average, similar and just as comprehensive as that of non-agile software development. This may be unfortunate, given the finding that more successful agile software development is connected with less detail in cost estimation and planning-related activities. A less comprehensive front-end phase may be especially beneficial for low-risk agile software development. ConclusionThe results of this review suggest that agile principles, so far, have had a limited influence on the front-end phase. We recommend more flexibility and context-dependency in how the front-end phase of agile software development is conducted, including less comprehensive estimation and planning activities for low-risk software development contexts.

The co-creation of value by public and private actors in the front end of urban development projects

This study focuses on the co-creation of value in the front end of urban development projects (UDPs) established by coalitions of public and private actors to develop specific urban premises or areas. Creating value in UDPs calls for collaboration between municipal actors and private companies, specifically in the front end phase, during which major design decisions are made. This qualitative case study builds on data collected through 27 semi-structured interviews in a middle-sized city in Finland. Our data analysis resulted in the categorisation of four value co-creation processes involving municipal actors and private companies, namely, zoning, exploring, procuring and negotiating. The study's results offer insights into how value co-creation can be facilitated in UDPs. This study contributes to recent value-creation literature by providing a novel understanding of each value co-creation process, its characteristics and its corresponding co-created values.

Naturalistic decision making and decision drivers in the front end of complex projects

Decision making plays a crucial role in the front end of projects which is a critical stage for maximising the performance of complex projects. Although it has been suggested that project managers rely more on analytical approaches to decision making as opposed to an intuitive mode, there is emerging evidence of project managers using intuitive decision processes. Yet, little is known about how this occurs during the front-end phase, with few attempts to study the underlying cognitive processes and what influences project decision making. This research gap is addressed by interviewing project managers experienced in front-end decision making (n = 16) of large-scale complex projects within the oil and gas industry. Adopting a naturalistic decision-making (NDM) methodology and using a form of cognitive task analysis, a thematic coding of their accounts of decision making during the front end of large complex projects identified key decision processes and influencing factors (drivers). Formal analytical processes (e.g., data-driven calculations, software rating tools) were favoured but, and in line with emerging findings, these experienced project managers also used intuitive decision-making processes, such as pattern recognition and feelings/associative memory. Decision drivers were grouped into 5 clusters - project external factors, project internal factors, social dimensions, individual differences, and time pressures. The findings suggest that project managers should be trained on how to recognise when intuitive decision making is occurring and how to use it while being aware of its strengths, weaknesses and influencing factors. A focus on building descriptive models of actual decision making in complex environments, for the training of project managers, by applying NDM methods will enhance the management of the front end of projects.

The client's essential stakeholder collaboration activities at the front-end phase of a hospital construction project

PurposeThe research problem in this study is how a client (as a project owner) should organise early stakeholder involvement and integration in the front-end phase of a project. This study aims to create normative managerial statements as propositions from the client's perspective and to combine them into a set of activities enabling efficient organisation in the front-end phase of a hospital construction project.Design/methodology/approachAction design research (ADR) was carried out in a large hospital construction project where the first author acted as an “involved researcher” and the other authors acted as “outside researchers”.FindingsThe authors created seven normative managerial propositions that were verified by the case project stakeholders and developed a managerial framework describing the client's essential stakeholder involvement and integration activities in the front-end phase of a hospital construction project based on these propositions. The authors have also depicted the subphases of the front-end phase: value definition phase in the client permanent organisation, value proposition phase in the client Programme Management Office (PMO) and finally development phase in the alliance organisation ending on the final investment decision.Practical implicationsThe collaborative contract delivery model enables the early involvement and integration of stakeholders. It has been somewhat surprising to note the extent to which collaborative contracts change the client role in the project front-end. The results offer practical activities for how clients can manage front-end activities in collaborative contracts.Originality/valueThe case project offered a platform to analyse how the collaborative contract delivery model changes the emphasis of activities in the front-end of a project. One of the key benefits of collaborative contracts is that development, design and delivery occur partially in parallel, thereby enabling contributions from production to be included in the design and development. The benefit of having a real-life case under study provides the possibility to triangulate and analyse rich data, however limited by the qualitative case method.

Delineating the fuzzy front end of market shaping

Emerging perspectives define markets as continuous, malleable processes that can be shaped through various activities. In this research, the authors address the early phase of such market-shaping processes, developing a conceptual framework and linking the front-end phase to an overall market-shaping process. We propose and develop a fuzzy front end (FFE) concept centered around the market image to reflect market shaping's less organized and more exploratory early phase.Nine propositions outline this critical phase and its fundamental dimensions, roles, and characteristics. Finally, by outlining the FFE of market shaping, this article reveals future research directions for elaborating on the concept.

The role of governmental stakeholder engagement in the sustainability of industrial engineering projects

PurposeThe aim of this research was to understand how governmental stakeholder engagement facilitates the sustainability of industrial engineering (IE) projects. A model for governmental stakeholder engagement activities is presented.Design/methodology/approachThe authors relied on a single-case study of a mining project in Northern Europe, where a novel collaboration and engagement approach with governmental stakeholders was piloted in the project's front-end phase. The analysis focused on the collaborative practices through which the IE project investor engaged governmental stakeholders during the project's front-end phase and how the engagement contributed to solving challenges in the early planning and permitting process and achieving project plans that balanced economic, social and environmental aspects.FindingsThe findings show how four collaborative engagement practices reduced uncertainty and equivocality related to the legal sustainability requirements, enabled the development of sustainable design solutions and overall accelerated the permitting process without compromising the quality of final project plans.Practical implicationsThe findings can be used to plan governmental stakeholder engagement and understand related challenges that need to be overcome. The study highlights the need to develop established practices and guidelines for governmental stakeholder engagement.Originality/valueThis study complements prior research on stakeholder engagement and project sustainability by developing an understanding of how governmental stakeholder engagement can be a key mechanism enabling the sustainability of IE project's end product. This research contributes to stakeholder theory by elaborating on a new stakeholder role, intermediary stakeholder.

Initial preference algorithm of industrial project portfolio

PurposeThis paper aims to develop an algorithm to pretest an industrial portfolio on a new scale. Portfolios include complex and uncertain projects at the front-end phase. The study, therefore, proposes a procedure that helps decision-makers to handle various complex projects and defines a common scale applicable to various kinds of industrial projects.Design/methodology/approachDecision-makers can employ the preference algorithm to reach a common understanding. To this end, the current paper posits the organization of criteria in various project sets. A sexagesimal scale is developed based on project complexity and its ability to achieve broad impact, both these factors being gauged on a five-point scale of user-friendly numberings.FindingsThe proposed algorithm shows the equivalence of industrial projects in different fields. Also, the algorithm articulates the status in terms of uncertainty, complexity, risk, and value of projects. The connections between decision-makers and criteria operate on the basis of the foreseen complexity, risk, and value. It can be said that this study exemplifies and visualizes the portfolio and criteria relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe procedure covers contingency exercises at the front-end phase of a portfolio and supports decisions. However, updated information can change support positions.Originality/valueThe paper presents original scoring guidance for portfolio complexity on a new scale. The scaling and scoring are adjustable and calibrated using the proposed sexagesimal system. It presents an original classification of project risk and value. The main contribution is the presented algorithm which can be used to pretest industrial portfolios composed of projects that vary in both size and context.

Decision Method Focused on the Fuzzy Front-End Phase: A Study Applied to the Development of an Electronic Starting Block for Running Athletes

In this work, we present a model to support multi-criteria decision-making in the selection of components for the initial proposals of a product or portfolio of products during the Fuzzy Front-End (FFE) phase of the Product Development Process (PD) to reduce risk and uncertainty and increase agility. The model is made of eight stages in which triangular-based fuzzy is employed to weigh customer requirements, and a direct numerical scale is used to weigh technical requirements. The main differences of this model are the identification and weighting of requirements based on different customer profiles and the identification of global customer requirements that have a direct or indirect relationship with all or most technical requirements. We applied the model in the development of an electronic starting block for running athletes with sensors that collected data to assist in training and performance improvement and were able to reduce the number of combinations of components in the FFE stage, and consequently, the development time, with the prioritization of roughly 30% of the components (10 parts of a total of 33). We highlight that there is still a need for further studies investigating the relationship of customer profiles and the impact on PDP and other ways to analyze how customer requirements impact technical requirements.

Improving value for money through better front-end management: An attempt to reduce costs and increase user benefits in the planning of a motorway project

Low benefit-cost efficiency and cost escalation in transport projects is a challenge in many countries. If costs increase as projects are developed, and if decision-makers are unable to reject projects with a negative value for money, the result can be inefficient resource allocation and waste. In Norway, the government introduced a road reform in 2015 in which one of the key elements was the creation of a state-owned enterprise, Nye Veier AS (English trans. ‘New Roads Ltd’), with responsibility for improving parts of the trunk road network through a portfolio of projects. The enterprise’s main goal is to improve efficiency by reducing costs and increasing user benefits so that a larger proportion of the projects in its given portfolio have a positive net present value. This paper argues that project success depends heavily on choices made in the planning and design phase of the project before implementation. We use a motorway project on the southern coast of Norway as a case example of a project for which Nye Veier set out to improve efficiency through the development of a municipal sector plan that is necessary for final project approval before construction can start. Nye Veier introduced several efficiency-enhancing measures that could provide valuable lessons for other projects, but despite the use of innovative measures and systematically promoting efficiency, the motorway remains negative value for money. We conclude that it is difficult to turn an inefficient solution into an efficient project, especially if traffic levels are low, construction costs are high, and travel-time savings are limited. In this case the choice of a full-scale motorway project was already made by the government, although a ‘do minimum’ alternative would have been more efficient. The findings support the evidence that project selection is the most critical decision for benefit-cost efficiency, and that the potential for enhancing efficiency fades throughout the front-end phase.

Assessment of early warning signs in hospital projects' front-end phase

PurposeThe front-end phase plays an important role in achieving project success, and establishment of performance measurement systems considering project challenges or pitfalls is a way of keeping track of this phase. Early warning signs, a type of proactive performance indicators, may serve as means for improving decision-making and project processes aiming for short- and long-term project success. In this paper, the authors present findings from a study on early warning signs (EWS) in hospital projects' front-end. A preliminary systematisation of identified signs as a contribution to front-end improvement is provided.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a mixed methods approach, using a sequential, exploratory research design comprising document studies, interviews and a survey.FindingsThe authors identified 62 challenges for hospital projects' front-end performance and further established four categories of EWS as follows: (1) structure and tools, (2) context and frame factors, (3) management and (4) relational factors and properties. This mirrors the presence of hard and soft issues from previous studies. There is need for clarifying terminology and raising consciousness on EWS. Processual approaches to identify EWS are considered more useful than subsequent established indicators.Originality/valueThe findings from this paper provide insight into EWS in hospital projects' front-end phase. This adds to the general understanding of EWS and contributes to more knowledge on the front-end phase in general.

Practitioners’ Perspectives on Flexible Project Management

Literature defines two main streams in project management: mechanistic and organic. Mechanistic reflects the traditional waterfall approach and organic reflects a more adaptive approach. The organic approach became known by the awareness of dynamic project environment and changing requirements. The organic approach is characterized by flexibility. Accordingly, scholars and practitioners tried to define flexibility and find ways to make project management more flexible. However, scientific literature about practitioners' perspectives on making project management flexible is lacking. Therefore, this paper explores practitioners' perspectives on project management flexibility by the use of Q-methodology. The scope of the paper was narrowed down to the front-end phase of infrastructure projects. Two types of organizations were targeted: client and consultancy organizations. Data were gathered from 43 respondents from six organizations (three client and three consultancy organizations) in The Netherlands. The results of the study reveal three distinct perspectives on flexibility for both organization types (client and consultant): flexibility by trust, flexibility by scope management, and flexibility by proactive management. These perspectives partly support defined flexibility categories in literature. Further research could focus on exploring the perspectives in different project phases, operationalizing the perspectives in practice, and team composition taking into account these perspectives.

Project Governance in State-Owned Enterprises: The Case of Major Public Projects’ Governance Arrangements and Quality Assurance Schemes

Societal development is increasingly undertaken as major public projects in different sectors. Project governance is important for strategically successful outcomes; thus, a broad societal perspective should be kept throughout the governance process. State ownership exists in many forms, and major public projects’ governance arrangements differ. Quality assurance is a recommended part of the arrangements, yet knowledge of them is limited. This study investigates relatively recent governance arrangements in state-owned enterprises in Norway, emphasizing their content and organization of quality assurance. The arrangements are compared with the more established “State Project Model”, a governance arrangement set up by the Ministry of Finance in 2000, including major public projects with budgets exceeding USD 110 million. Through case studies, comprising documents and interviews, and using the State Project Model as a reference frame, differences in the studied arrangements’ comprehensiveness were found. Finding the appropriate level of governance is challenging, yet potential for mutual learning and improvement across different arrangements is revealed. For state-owned enterprises with sectoral policy objectives, the government should ensure that political control is not undermined. This study provides recommendations for further improvement of governance arrangements and adds to the general understanding of state-owned enterprises and major public projects’ front-end phase.

Perceived risk of lock-in in the front-end phase of major transportation projects

Lock-in is defined as the tendency to continue with an inefficient decision or project proposal. The front-end phase is critical to project success, yet most studies have focused on lock-in in the implementation phase. Moreover, little is known about the way in which decision-makers perceive the risk of lock-in. In this paper we identify determinants of lock-in in the front-end phase and we reveal decision-makers’ perceptions of risk of lock-in. Our findings show that risk attitudes towards lock-in vary with the level of risk aversion. However, this is not sufficiently acute to drive the level of regret needed to avoid lock-in. This implies that decision-makers do not accurately assess the risk of lock-in and as such their risk perceptions are a mediating factor in the formation of lock-in. Based on escalation of commitment, path dependency, and prospect theory, the main contribution lies in providing a more comprehensive understanding of lock-in in the front-end phase.

Exploring collaboration in hospital projects’ front-end phase

Hospital projects, like other major projects, start with the front-end phase, which considerably affects projects’ strategic success. There is an expressed need for more knowledge of the front-end to improve and thus strengthen the odds for strategic success. Hospital projects are complex and challenging to run much due to multiple stakeholders and societal impact. Hospital projects’ stakeholder multiplicity makes collaboration a fundamental activity in the front-end. In this paper, we propose a framework for front-end collaboration in hospital projects constituting the following interdependent categories: contexts, structures, means and catalysts. The categories interact to make collaboration happen and make collaboration work, indicating that the different categories should be considered at different times in the planning process. Successful collaboration may positively affect project outcome and leads to innovation and learning, which are important assets for hospital projects in identifying successful future solutions, hence strengthening the projects’ odds for long-term success.

INFLUENCING TECHNOLOGY SUCCESS BY OPEN INNOVATION

The study represents the best opportunity to positively influence the outcome of the project, combining Open Innovation with PMBOK in the Front End phase of R&D projects. For that purpose, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods the paper analyses the R&D practices of 60 Spanish companies. Keywords: Open Innovation, Front-End Phase, Project Management.

Hospital project front-end planning: Current practice and discovered challenges

Development of healthcare services is a societal responsibility often appearing as major public projects. These types of projects often have a long lifetime expectancy and represent large investments and changes to established welfare systems with a considerable societal impact. This makes strategic project success depending on front-end planning performance crucial. Motivated by literature claiming that the hospital projects’ front-end phase has a potential for improvements, this paper presents findings from a study investigating front-end planning practice in five Norwegian hospital projects. Discovered challenges mainly relate to the planning process or exploration of the opportunity space and concept elaboration. A main conclusion is that implementing theoretical recommendations both in guidelines and in practice should be a desired and possible development to further improve hospital projects’ front-end planning, thereby strengthening the odds for project success both on a tactical and strategical level.

Critical Success Factors of Product Development Projects in the Automotive Industry

The objective of this study was to determine the critical success factors (CSFs), as well as respective best practices (BPs) associated with those factors, using a case survey of the employees of Ford Motor Company working in different development centers around the world. The company’s project managers were asked to respond to two structured questionnaires. The results confirm the study’s assumption that the order of importance of the CSFs of the automotive industry differ from those of other industries in general. The results also reflect the importance of the front end (FE) phase in the new product development process. Regional differences were also observed. Neglecting CSFs can lead to delayed decision-making, resulting in higher development costs or cancellations of projects.

Dispersion Management in 10-PW Laser Front End

To improve pulse contrast in chirped pulse amplification petawatt laser systems, the regenerative amplifier is substituted with a multipass amplifier at the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility (SULF). To reduce the consequent angular dispersion of the broadband spectrum, a double-grating stretcher is established in the SULF front end. A grating compressor is set up for the 10-PW front end to obtain 20-TW output. An accurate adjustment method of grating attitude (angular position) is presented, which references the direction of gravity, improving dispersion management and focusing ability of the beam. After a pulse passes the front end compressor, its duration and phase in the frequency domain are measured, and the duration can be continuously compressed to <24 fs.

Exploring Decision-Making Complexity in Major Infrastructure Projects: A Case Study From China

The goal of this study is to identify, classify, explore, and understand decision-making complexity elements in major infrastructure projects (MIPs). This article puts forward systematic definitions of decision making, decision-making quality, and decision-making complexity. Based on literature reviews and an in-depth case analysis of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), a comprehensive framework of decision-making complexity is developed, which divides the elements into six dimensions: technical, social, financial, legal, organizational, and time. The links between different dimensions are also illustrated. This article is expected to deepen our current understanding of decision-making complexity and to provide a fundamental point of reference in the front-end phase of MIPs.

What determines customers’ engagement in the digital service process?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine customer engagement behavior (CEB) in digital environments. Specifically, the paper seeks to determine the factors that affect CEB in the different parts of the digital service process. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal, qualitative, single-case study is used to examine CEB in digital environments. The selected case company is a provider of streaming TV services. Both primary data, gathered from interviews, focus groups and participant observations in meetings with a selected focus group, and secondary data, gathered from company websites sources, were used. Findings This study shows that CEB is determined by different factors in different phases of the digital service process. Moreover, the results show that engagement is highlighted during the front-end phase of the process. During the back-end phase, the role of engagement is realized by maintaining and updating solutions. Originality/value The originality of the research is based on the study of CEB in the context of the digital service process. The factors that affect CEB are classified as customer-based, firm-based and context-based factors.