Project Management Literature Research Articles

Identifying Inter-Project Relationships with Recurrent Neural Networks: Towards an AI Framework of Project Success Prediction

A growing number of emerging studies have been undertaken to examine the mediating dynamics between intelligent agents, activities, and cost within allocated budgets to predict the outcomes of complex projects in dint of their significant uncertain nature in achieving a successful outcome. Emerging studies have used machine learning models to perform predictions, and artificial neural networks are the most frequently used machine learning model. However, most machine learning algorithms used in prior studies generally assume that input features, such as project complexity, team size and strategic importance, and prediction outputs, are independent. That is, a project’s success is assumed to be independent of other projects. As the datasets used to train in prior studies often contain projects from different clients across industries, this theoretical assumption remains tenable. However, in practice, projects are often interrelated across several dimensions, such as distributed overlapping teams. Therefore, we argue that the inter-project relationships should be taken into consideration to improve prediction performance. Furthermore, an ongoing ethnographic study at a leading project management artificial intelligence consultancy, referred to in this research as Company Alpha, suggests that projects within the same portfolio frequently share overlapping characteristics. To capture the emergent inter-project relationships, this study aims to compare two specific types of artificial neural network prediction performances; (i) multilayer perceptron and; (ii) recurrent neural networks. The multilayer perceptron is one of the most widely used artificial neural networks in the project management literature, and recurrent networks are distinguished by the memory they take from prior inputs to influence input and output. Through this comparison, this research will examine whether recurrent neural networks can capture the potential inter-project relationship towards achieving improved performance in contrast to multilayer perceptron. Our empirical investigation using ethnographic practice-based exploration at Company Alpha will contribute to project management knowledge and support developing an intelligent project prediction AI framework with future applications for project practice.

Negative Effects caused by COVID-19 on Critical Path of Construction Projects

Begun in 2020 COVID-19 disease spread all over the globe and negatively affected all areas of human activities and societies inclusive engineering and construction projects. This paper analyses how COVID-19 implications can be used as a general excuse by a construction company to relief from contractual obligations, e.g., liquidated damages. To answer this question, we compared existing case law, previous court decision and project management literature with potential global and force majeure arguments based on COVID-19 cases. Our results showed that a general “free out of jail” card using COVID-19 argument is not applicable and COVID-19 cannot be seen per se as a force majeure in general and for every situation. However, if the effects from COVID-19 implications are beyond the parties’ control and evidence shows that the contractor is actually disrupted and severely delayed the contractor is entitled for an extension of time or a delayed delivery of his performances. The paper concludes among other details that a COVID-19 argument can only be based on existing contractual provisions, accurate records of the as-built situation, proper notices of all kind of impacts and cause-and-effect considerations. Despite of any warning and if a contractor decides to rely on a global COVID-19 argument only it is a very risky endeavor and may backfire on him later on.

Strategies promoting innovation in sustainable neighborhood (SN) projects – Lessons from complex and mega projects

Abstract Statistics of GHG emissions and energy consumption are continuously reminding us of the urgent drive to promote environmentally sustainable urban neighborhoods and communities. Sustainable neighborhoods are increasingly becoming more popular since they offer opportunities that could be exploited in the change towards a low carbon society. This paper draws on innovation and project management literature in an attempt to describe the strategies and practices promoting innovation during the different stages of the sustainable neighborhood (SN) projects’ lifecycle, and illustrate how the project communicates innovation with its wider ecosystem. Moreover, we argue that sustainable neighborhood (SN) projects tend to have an ambidextrous nature, adopting different exploration and exploitation strategies in the front-end and back-end stages, respectively.

Executive sponsor attributes and megaproject success

Megaprojects are failing at a rate that affects national economies as well as millions of people. The role of the executive project sponsor is merely one of the decisive factors in the success of these projects, but it is still much neglected in project management literature. This paper investigates attributes required by executive sponsors of megaprojects. The paper reports on the perceptions of 26 executives who played key roles in six recently completed megaprojects. The findings include essential attributes that an executive sponsor should have in order to improve the probability of a megaproject's success. The single most significant attribute is seniority and power.

Challenges of Design and Implementation of Program Governance <br/>—Cases from Government Bodies in UAE

The topic of governance in the government sector became an important and a widely discussed point of interest in the literature of project, program, and portfolio management in the past decade. It is eventually becoming the central focus in the policymakers’ point of view as they seek to ensure success in the selection, design, and implementation of government programs and their multi-projects. Due to the various complexities and risks underlying the project and program management context, program governance establishes a critical strategic planning element, especially in developing countries. This paper has assessed the challenges of the design and implementation of program governance in government bodies in the UAE. Interviews are carried out on senior members of sample organizations. Data collected is in binary form to specifically tailored questions. The results show critical shortcomings in stakeholders communication management and stakeholders’ engagement, program quality governance, program change governance, and program governance design. Recommendations were provided including addressing stakeholder communication issues, quality, change, and design of governance programs.

Virtual Visual Planning: A Methodology to Assess Digital Project Management Tools

In contemporary Project Management literature and practice, it is possible to distinguish two paradigms: the algorithmic-rational paradigm and the relational paradigm. The algorithmic-rational paradigm is characterized by a sequence of programming methodologies that constitute the classic corpus of knowledge on Project Management (WBS, CPM, PERT, Gantt diagrams). Following the diffusion of Agile methods, dissatisfaction with the algorithmic-rational paradigm has spread and a Visual Planning approach, based on the decentralization of planning and control and the abandonment of algorithmic techniques (such as CPM and Gantt diagrams) in favour of simpler, visual and physical tools, has become increasingly established. Visual Planning is the concrete manifestation of a relational project management paradigm. In this work, through an analysis of the key practices characterizing Visual Planning, we have identified the five fundamental principles that define this approach to project management. Then, to structure and guide the choice of a software application that can support Visual Planning, we have (1) identified several features which allow distinguishing one software from another, and (2) created a correlation matrix between the core principles of Visual Planning and the software features. Through this matrix, it is possible to evaluate and measure the adherence of project management software applications to the logic and practices of physical Visual Planning.

The work readiness–career resilience linkage: implications for project talent management

PurposeThere is a need for project management practitioners to adapt and thrive in today's volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) project-based workplaces. In this paper, the linkage between work readiness and career resilience is developed, presenting both concepts as critical for effective strategic responses and adaptation to the changing labor market in organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe resource-based view (RBV) and integrated dynamic capabilities (IDCs) are the theoretical lenses that are used to link the concepts of work readiness and career resilience across the individual and organizational levels.FindingsA framework and model are proposed to establish a holistic understanding of catalysts for addressing the VUCA context that organizations face. The proposed conceptual linkage adds a chronological dimension to the formation of the interrelated dynamic capabilities during the early career phase of project management practitioners.Practical implicationsThe contribution to the project management literature includes a theoretically driven conceptual framework that links two complementary concepts to address the career challenges faced by project managers. Work readiness is positioned as an enabler of career resilience and together they constitute vital attributes which foster talent retention in the current VUCA work environment.Originality/valueWork readiness and career resilience are underexplored topics in the project management literature, both individually and in conjunction. Specifically, there is a research gap in view of linking these two concepts to present them as a catalyst for project management talent sustainability, and the proposed framework is an initial step in addressing these gaps.

GROUP DYNAMIC IMPACT ON QUALITY OF THE PROJECTS IN PHARMACUTICAL INDISTRY

Group dynamic and project management are both considered as a part of the business excellence, these techniques have already been implemented successfully in several areas of manufacturing business in the last decades. In particular, they have been implemented in service entities as well as manufacturing companies due to their improvement on costs reduction, delivery on time and quality service. Pharmaceutical Industry role as a pharmaceutical embedded in a corporation that manufactures building materials, places it in a position to draw on optimization techniques from arenas of industry, it has become noticeable recently, that the team creating with increasing leadership skills and techniques by save the time and good communication skills simultaneously, a big variation on the analysis time which is not complying with the best practices from the equivalent pharmaceutical industries. This thesis discusses the successful tools and practices as well as the challenges with implementation of group dynamic integrated with project management techniques by following the project management and group dynamic methodology; using the appropriate tools in each phase, the progress of the project was accelerated to meet the proposed goals and objectives in a practical manner. The theoretical background is achieved through exploring the literature of group dynamic, team building and project management. The development will be done in collaboration with the related stakeholders, by following the group dynamic improvement process and by analyzing the process survey data from the target company. The project resumed by using appropriate systemic tool to build and implement any project and proves the processes improvement and the potential net profit. Thus, Group dynamic methodology was found to be an effective problem solving approach if used parallel with project management methodology and the systematic use of the proposed integrated approach can ensure savings in terms of time and money.

Trust in megaprojects: A comprehensive literature review of research trends

Megaprojects are large and complex projects involving substantial investment, social importance, and long time span. Owing to the multitude of actors involved in such projects, trust plays a critical role in their delivery. This study presents a comprehensive literature review to gather a wealth of information on a variety of research topics on trust in megaprojects. Related publications were analyzed, and 52 relevant papers were selected for content analysis. The final results show that research on trust in megaprojects is still relatively new, thematically diffused, and generally lacking strong theoretical foundations. A further analysis revealed six main research topics involving trust in megaprojects: (i) trust and the success of megaprojects; (ii) institutional/public trust; (iii) trust and megaproject delivery methods; (iv) trust and contracting; (v) trust as a governance mechanism; and (vi) trust as a competence of project managers. The outcomes of this study contribute to the body of knowledge on trust through a comprehensive investigation of the literature in project management and provide guidelines for further research on the phenomenon of trust in megaprojects, as well as project management delivery process in general.

English

Drawing on Institutional and Economic Network Theories, this study investigated factors influencing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implementation success in Ethiopian business organizations identified as Public Interest Companies by the government which were expected to adopt IFRS for the year ending June 30, 2018. The study adopted explanatory method to answer the research questions and test hypotheses stated. Data were collected from 123 respondents in 22 first time IFRS adopting business organizations using questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that economic factors, project governance factors and cultural factors were found to influence project success at 5% level of significance whereas influence of institutional pressures was accepted at 10% level of significance (sig=0.055, closer to 5% of course). Contrary to the literature, economic factors were not positively correlated to IFRS project success as the firms were predominantly operating locally and due to IFRS implementation costs. Project governance factors were found to contribute significantly for IFRS project success in the firms studied. This was in line with the project management literature that proper project governance will turn even a highly risky project into a success. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the IFRS project implementation success of private and public firms. Future research shall consider additional variables that influence IFRS project success and other firms that implemented IFRS in the next years as well as regional level public enterprises. Key words: International financial reporting standards (IFRS), regulatory body, public interest company, project governance, project success.

A Pragmatic Solution to the Economic Evaluation of Medical Devices From an Industry Perspective

Through the use of a multiattribute model, this article addresses the investment appraisal of innovative medical devices from an industry perspective. The model proposed aims to reduce the effect of team conflict, groupthink, project champion bias, leadership influences, and authoritarianism. The approach suggested should lead to more innovative and economically viable medical devices being made available to the healthcare community. The study aims to improve the decision-making process with respect to the development of medical devices. In particular, it focuses on small/medium enterprises, as they are an important source of innovation for the future. Our article provides a link between the engineering economics, engineering management, and project management literature, in which the proposed multiattribute and team approach to project selection not only addresses the economic aspect but also provides a firm foundation for ongoing project management through the identification, at the outset, of project specific risks and strategic alliances. The model should help project and engineering managers, as a part of the selection team, to make optimal project selections and improve project commitment among the various management team players.

Teams and Project Performance: An Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity Approach

This article analyzes the relationships between project performance and the team’s ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO). We contribute to the project management literature by exploring which combinations of AMO factors are best for project performance at different levels of complexity. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 285 projects. Our study shows that in simple projects, ability is the key factor both as a main effect and as a constraining factor that acts as a bottleneck for project performance. In the case of complex projects, the multiplicative model is superior given the significant interaction effects of motivation.

Does one project success measure fit all? An empirical investigation of Brazilian projects

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to identify and accumulate knowledge on the existing developments on project success measures. The authors aim to contribute to this debate by providing both researchers and project management professionals with reliable contemporary project success criteria that permit generalization for a proper assessment regardless of the type and context of the project.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 264 Brazilian project managers from a range of industries, sectors of activities and business areas with different levels of experience. Data analysis was performed using the R software package.FindingsIn this research, the authors propose a general performance measure of project success where different projects can grade differently using the same scale. The data analysis validated five constructs of the developed model in the Brazilian setting.Originality/valueMost of the actual project success measures used in project management literature have been tested in a specific industry or sector. Combinations of the type of project, industry, sector, project nature, stakeholders and other variables make each project unique. Thus, any effort to find a context-specific tool of measure will be an endless endeavor. To fill this gap, more general project success criteria need to be explored to offer a common point of comparison between projects. This is the motivation of the present study.

MELHORES PRÁTICAS EM GESTÃO DE PROJETOS DE NOVOS PRODUTOS APLICADAS A UMA EMPRESA DA ÍNDÚSTRIA DA MODA

Companies in the fashion industry, in particular small and medium-sized ones (SMEs), can benefit from managing their product development processes using tools, techniques and project management practices. The objective of this research, based on an exploratory case study, is to propose project management practices applicable to SMEs in the fashion industry, in order to assist in the management of new product development projects. A mapping of best practices was carried out. The project management literature was used to find solutions to the problems that were identified in a clothing company. These interventions are expected to bring gains in terms of cost, quality, development time and flexibility to the company, and serve to advance the use of best practices on project management in product development projects in the fashion industry.

Re-Creating Organizational Routines to Transition Through the Project Life Cycle: A Case Study of the Reconstruction of London’s Bank Underground Station

This article provides new insights into the project life cycle by proposing an alternative image to the predefined time boundary between life cycle stages. It makes a theoretical contribution by identifying how project organizations re-create patterns of action—organizational routines—as they transition through life cycle stages. It presents the findings of an autoethnographic empirical study and, through the lens of routine dynamics, contributes to the project management literature by identifying a five-stage process model of transitioning and the generative mechanisms involved in re-creating patterns of action.

Capacidade Absortiva em Gestão de Projetos: Uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura

Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como propósito compreender a estrutura intelectual dos estudos sobre capacidade absortiva na área de gestão de projetosMétodo: Para este fim, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura dos artigos publicados sobre capacidade absortiva no International Journal of Project Management (IJPM), e Project Management Journal (PMJ), e International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.Originalidade/Relevância: A capacidade de perceber um conhecimento externo, assimilá-lo e aplicá-lo para fins comerciais é definido como capacidade absortiva. Esta capacidade proporciona as organizações vantagens competitivas. Além disso, estudos tem apontado projetos como uma arma poderosa para criar valor organizacional. No entanto, pouco se conhece sobre capacidade absortiva em gestão de projetos e, é nesta lacuna que este trabalho se inseri.Resultados: Os principais achados apontam a existência de duas linhas de pesquisas em gerenciamento de projetos que abordam o constructo de capacidade absortiva. A primeira linha de pesquisas apresenta artigos que versam sobre a transferência de conhecimento entre projetos e projetos e organizações. Artigos nesta linha apresentam que transferência de conhecimento depende, principalmente, da organização que receberá o projeto, bem como destacou a importância dos diferentes mecanismos de integrações sociais neste processo. Na segunda linha, capacidade absortiva e performance em projetos, identificou-se os diferentes papeis da capacidade absortiva realizada e potencial no desempenho dos projetos.Contribuições teóricas/metodológicas: O artigo contribuiu com a literatura de gerenciamento de projetos quando identificou as linhas de pesquisa em que a capacidade absortiva está inserida na área e propôs uma agenda de pesquisa.

Systematic literature review of project manager's leadership competencies

PurposeOver the last few decades, a large number of research studies have been carried out on project manager's leadership competencies. However, systematic literature reviews are still scarce in the project management literature. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to conduct a systematic literature review on project manager's leadership competencies based on published empirical research studies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology to synthesize research in a rigorous manner and a total of 1,780 articles were identified in the first step and a final sample of 60 research studies were synthesized.FindingsSynthesis of the findings in this SLR on project manager's leadership competencies revealed: (a) there is a lack of categorization or ranking of leadership competencies; (b) 20 research studies (46%) were conducted with sample sizes of less than 100; (c) only a few research studies (<10%) used interview data for analysis; and (d) none of the research studies reported adoption of a triangulation method.Research limitations/implicationsThis study synthesized clusters of leadership competencies and prioritized project manager's leadership competencies as “high priority”, “moderate priority” and “low priority”. We recommend a sample size between 200 and 300 to produce sophisticated results and enhance the credibility, generalizability and validity of clusters and priorities of project manager's leadership competencies through future research.Originality/valueFuture research studies are suggested to consider systematic literature review combined with face-to-face and group interview in addition to employing triangulation methods. Besides highlighting implications for practitioners, this SLR has advanced the understanding of how to conduct systematic literature reviews in a robust manner.

The dynamics of repairing multi-project control practice: a project governance viewpoint

This paper examines the development of enabling control practice, within flexible project governance. Enabling control would interactively help reach the objectives set for multi-project new product development (NPD) management and, especially support the different managerial actors involved. Previous research does not adequately cover the dynamics and interplay between different managerial actors in developing management control for multi-project NPD. This paper responds to the question: How can actors interactively repair multi-project control practice within project governance? The paper takes advantage of a longitudinal action research endeavor (2009-2014), featuring research interventions on developing project control in subsequent NPD projects. The researchers collected empirical data from 130 documented project meetings, workshops, and interactions, and the data were qualitatively analyzed to identify critical steps in multi-project control practice repair. First, as a contribution to the project management literature, we show how the repair effort, as organizational interplay, may effectively, and temporarily or permanently repair inoperative NPD control practice in subsequent projects. Second, we contribute to the literature on enabling control by showing how repairing multi-project control system can be a starting point for centralized control repair, requiring commitment from different management levels. Third, by bridging the two research areas, we identify possibilities for further research.

Dynamic and Ordinary Capabilities: A Project Management Perspective

The project management literature has typically focused on project efficiency measures, such as time, cost, and quality, but rarely examined broader measures of project success, such as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. In this article, we apply a resource-based theory framework and examine both ordinary and dynamic capabilities of the firm and their influence on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions. We also include the firm's corporate reputation and explore its moderating influences on variables in the model. Data from 491 project managers indicate that one dynamic capability (relational) is three times stronger at predicting customer satisfaction than one of the ordinary capabilities (project). Another dynamic capability (product) is not a significant predictor of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the strongest determinant of repurchase intentions and fully mediate the impact of the firm's dynamic and ordinary capabilities on repurchase intentions. When the sample is split according to corporate reputation, for the group who saw the focal firm reputation ranked first in industry, the project (ordinary) capabilities and relational (dynamic) capabilities have similar influences on satisfaction. However, for the group who saw other firms’ reputation ranked first, relational capabilities are stronger than project capabilities at predicting satisfaction.

Meta-Modeling of Complexity-Uncertainty-Performance Triad in Construction Projects

Although conceptualized in various ways within the project management literature, complexity is usually identified as one of the drivers of uncertainty, which may result in deviations from the expected project performance in the construction industry. Effective strategies to manage risk and complexity can only be formulated by understanding the complexity-uncertainty-performance triad in construction projects and modeling the non-linear interactions between these factors. In this study, a meta-modeling approach was utilized for understanding complex interactions within the triad. Using a database of projects from the seed scenarios developed by experts, a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) meta-model was constructed for capturing complex interactions across the triad. Shapley value from Game Theory was adapted to assess the output of the BBN meta-model for establishing the relative contribution of complexity and uncertainty factors to project performance while considering the efficacy of potential strategies. The output of the Shapley value analysis was used to develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for predicting project performance. The application of the proposed methodology was demonstrated through a case study involving experts from an international construction company. The results clearly manifest the merits of integrating these approaches in a unique order in that BBNs are useful for understanding the holistic account of complex interdependencies involved in construction projects, utilization of Shapley value helps in establishing the relative importance of factors across a BBN meta-model and allocating limited resources to manage project complexity and uncertainty, and ANNs exhibit an improved accuracy in predicting the project performance given the relative importance established across complexity and uncertainty factors. The findings from the case study demonstrate that the proposed methodology can be used to understand how performance may change with respect to different combinations of implemented strategies, complexity and uncertainty factors.