Project Management Perspective Research Articles

A project management model for architectural restoration projects

Architectural restoration projects have many peculiarities that differentiate them from other construction projects. Despite the universal guidelines, standards and bylaws, a specialized approach on the management of architectural restoration projects is yet a knowledge gap. Inadequate use of project management knowledge in the field results in time and budget overruns, quality problems, insufficient research, incorrect scope definition, lack of interdisciplinary coordination, disconnection between phases, inefficiency in change management, and further ambiguities. Following an exploratory sequential research process consisting of qualitative and quantitative data from a focus group meeting, a questionnaire survey, and a 48-h on-site training; the authors focus on the peculiar nature of architectural restoration projects from project management perspective. The study aims to explore the extent to which the conventional project management knowledge, tools and techniques can be applied to architectural restoration projects, investigate if more adaptive and contemporary approaches can fit better to them, and propose a practically applicable management model tailored for such projects. The results show that a hybrid model combining agile and waterfall project management approaches with an appropriate business context targeting the unique requirements of architectural restoration projects can be instrumental to cope with the complexities of such projects.

Enhancing competitiveness in cocoa associations: An integral project management approach based on Porter’s Diamond Model

This study aims to structure guidelines for an intervention model from the perspective of Integral Project Management to improve the competitiveness level of cacao associations in south region of Colombia. The research followed a mixed-method approach with a non-experimental cross-sectional design and a descriptive scope. The study employed a stage-based analytical framework which included: identifying the factors influencing the competitiveness of the cacao sector; grouping these factors under the six primary determinants of competitiveness with reference to Porter’s Diamond Model; and proposing guidelines for an intervention model to enhance the competitiveness of the studied associations through project management. The first stage was conducted via literature review. The second stage involved primary data collected through surveys and interviews with the associations, members, and cacao sector experts in Huila. The third stage entailed grouping the factors within the main determinants that promote and limit the competitiveness of the cacao sector in the context of Porter’s Diamond Model. Based on the analysis of the corresponding restrictive and promoting factors, strategic recommendations were formulated for the various sector stakeholders on the measures that can be adopted to address restrictive factors and maintain promoting factors to enhance and sustain the sector's competitiveness.

Research on Intelligent Management of New Integrated Distribution Network: An Example of New Energy Engineering Management System

The rapid development of new energy makes the distribution network project face higher management requirements, the traditional distribution network project mainly focuses on transmission and transformer unidirectional circulation, to today's optical storage and charging, source network and load storage, micro-grid, virtual power plant and other "multi-terminal active module" together to form a multidirectional concurrency of the new distribution network. If the distribution stage is not well coordinated, the existing distribution network may be impacted. In order to improve the management pain points, this paper first discusses the status quo and pain points of traditional distribution network project management, and then takes a self-developed new energy project management system as a typical case, which is expected to explore a management system paradigm applicable to the new integrated distribution network project, and how to integrate the old and new energy sources from the perspective of project management, which will indirectly have a positive effect on the growth of the investment benefits.

The Role of Christian Values in Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Business Administration: A Project Management Perspective

The Role of Christian Values in Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Business Administration: A Project Management Perspective

Research on Informatization Project Management and Implementation Strategies in the Context of Digital Technology

With the rapid development of the new generation of information technology, the enterprise's business model and internal and external environment have undergone a sea change, the traditional information technology project management and implementation mode has been unable to adapt to the rapid innovation of digital technology, to meet the development needs of enterprises, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth study of the enterprise information technology project management and implementation strategy, to explore the new mode of enterprise information technology project management. This paper is mainly from the perspective of information technology project management and implementation of common problems in information technology project management and put forward a series of reflections and suggestions, aimed at providing experience for information technology project management and implementation.

The Status of Building Information Modeling Adoption in Slovakia

Building information modeling (BIM) is a key approach for the digitization of the sector. Therefore, states worldwide put BIM at the center of their construction digitalization strategies. However, strategies vary significantly, and so does BIM implementation and its adoption over time, thus making the comparison between countries considerably challenging. Therefore, the first part of this article provides a comprehensive review of available publications in the field of BIM adoption at the national and international level. BIM adoption in Slovakia is systematically analyzed based on an anonymous online BIM survey that focuses on various areas of BIM. The focus of the BIM survey was on the assessment of the readiness of experts who work with BIM methodology, their maturity, skillsets, and BIM adoption motivation, along with the means of communication and collaboration using Common Data Environment (CDE). Furthermore, we focused on the project management perspective, which covers the existence and compliance with BIM execution plan (BEP) evaluation. In the concluding part, requirements, barriers, and future developments are discussed in detail. The BIM survey provides an insight in the current state of the art of BIM in the industry that allows for a better understanding of its potential and a more informed development and implementation of BIM strategies. This study is an important contribution to BIM and digitalization benchmarking that provides valuable information to digitalization policy makers at the governmental and business levels.

Examining Variables Affecting Competitive Advantage as an Effort to Improve Business Performance in Property Companies in Pati Regency

Companies must use their abilities and competencies (competitive advantage) to improve business performance to compete with their competitors, especially property companies. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the variables of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and project management perspective on competitive advantage; The effect of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and project management perspective on the business performance of property companies in Pati Regency and the influence of competitive advantage on the business performance of property companies in Pati Regency. This research is quantitative research with the help of SEM-PLS software. The technique of data collection is done by the survey method. The instrument for data collection is in the form of a questionnaire distributed to 50 respondents who have at least two property project locations in Pati Regency. The results showed that all hypotheses were acceptable and had a positive effect. The entrepreneurial orientation variable, market orientation, significantly and positively affects competitive advantage. The variables of entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and project management perspective significantly and positively affect business performance. The competitive advantage variable has a significant and positive effect on business performance. The results of the study have implications for consideration for property companies to improve sustainable business performance.

Contribution mechanisms of project managers’ behavioural competencies towards the success of oil and gas projects

The Oil and Gas (O&G) industry is complex and hazardous. Its development relies on projects, where project management is a human-centred profession. Therefore, competent project managers (PMs) play a crucial role in this dynamic industry. Existing literature has primarily focused on the quantitative impact of project managers’ competencies (PMCs) on project success (PS). However, there has been little attention given to understanding the ‘how’ behind the contributions of PMCs, specifically behavioural competencies (BCs), to PS. As a result, this research aims to explore the perspectives of PMs regarding the contributions of BCs to the success of projects in the O&G industry. This paper takes an interpretive stance. Data was gathered through twenty semi-structured interviews with PMs from a refinery in the Kingdom of Bahrain and analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVIVO 12. The study revealed the ways in which BCs contribute to project success in the O&G industry. Five distinct mechanisms were identified for BCs’ contributions to PS: fostering team cohesiveness, enhancing work clarity, controlling project activities, conveying technical competencies, and advancing PMs’ careers. This study was conducted in an under-researched industry within a developing country and has provided a deeper understanding of the means by which BCs contribute to PS, rather than merely presenting them as an extensive ‘shopping list’.

건설프로젝트관리 관점에서 바라본 공유리더십, 역량 및 성과의 관계

Systematic accumulation and sharing of experience knowledge is so important that the construction industry is said to be an experience industry. Due to the lack of information sharing on prior and subsequent projects by concealing information by the project execution organization, sufficiently preventable mistakes often recur, resulting in losses due to overlapping trial and error. Due to the nature of the construction industry, knowledge sharing within the organization can be greatly affected by the leadership of the person in charge. For example, in the case of construction projects, similar projects are often carried out at a certain time, and if information on previous projects or successful projects can be shared in a timely manner, subsequent projects will not fail, which will have a significant impact on project results.
 Shared leadership has been found to increase organizational performance by affecting organizational innovation and job satisfaction (Hwang Mi-jung et al., 2020). In addition, previous studies have also confirmed the positive effects of shared leadership on individuals and organizations, such as innovative behavior (Song Jung-soo, 2019). In order to increase the efficiency of the low-productivity construction industry and to have continuous competitiveness, this paper suggests the need to increase the level of shared leadership of organizational members to enhance project management personal competencies. By verifying how organizational members' capabilities affect corporate performance through shared leadership, and proving that shared leadership within the organization is an important factor in controlling project performance relationships, we aim to derive meaningful implications for improving construction companies' productivity. The results of this empirical study suggest that in order for construction companies to be continuously competitive in the changing industrial ecosystem and corporate paradigm of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is necessary to enhance project management capabilities by increasing the level of shared leadership of organizational members. In addition, we would like to derive meaningful strategic implications for the project management of Korean construction companies.

Clients as drivers of innovation in the infrastructure sector: implications of hard and soft project management approaches

PurposeBy adopting the “hard” and “soft” project management (PM) approaches from the PM-literature, this paper aims to problematize the expected role of client organizations in driving innovation in the transport infrastructure sector.Design/methodology/approachAddressing a large public client in Sweden, a case study design was initially applied to provide in-depth insights and perspectives of client project managers’ views and experiences of managing projects expected to drive innovation. In this paper, the concepts of “hard” and “soft” are used to discuss empirical findings on challenges associated with adopting a PM-approach for driving innovation in projects. The empirical material consists of interview data, complemented with observations and archival data.FindingsFindings reveal challenges associated with combining hard and soft approaches, frequently demonstrating difficulties in balancing short-term project expectations with the promotion of innovation. In line with the literature, project managers note that there is a need for soft approaches to promote development and drive innovation. Yet, findings reflect a situation in which operational success criteria predominate, whereas soft approaches are not sufficiently used to create the grounds required for fostering innovation.Originality/valueInsights are provided into how PM-approaches may impact construction innovation in the infrastructure sector, demonstrating a need for further research on the challenges and implications of applying and combining hard and soft PM-approaches.

Integration of the software engineering theory and the quality function deployment methodology for supporting the measurement of the state of progress in software projects

A fundamental practice to fulfill the objectives in a software project, is to measure its state of progress so that corrective actions can be taken timely. Most of approaches supporting measurement processes are focused on describing techniques to deal with these measurements from a project management perspective. However, these approaches lack of strategies that facilitate an adequate integration, understanding and application by professionals in software development area. In addition, the lack of rigor of such proposals hinders the establishment of common practices and give rise to unreliable results. This paper is aimed at providing an approach that satisfy the need of using frameworks standardized and easily adopted in order to support the measurement in the software development. To do this, we use the elements provided by SEMAT (Software Engineering Method and Theory) and the procedures established by QFD (Quality Function Deployment) by generating a proposal which includes a representation standardized and a method to analyze the needs of measurement from customer perspective. Also, a mapping review and a study based on interviews intended to assure the reliability of the findings exhibited in this paper were done.

Future trends in IT project management – large organizations perspective

Purpose of the study: This article aims to identify and better understand the current trends in IT project management methodologies, focusing on the perspective of large organizations.
 Methodology: Systematic literature review has been conducted in SCOPUS and Web of Science databases to understand the current state of knowledge. Also as an additional verification of the results, a narrative search was done later in the SCOPUS database to confirm the growing interest in particular project management methodologies over time.
 Main Findings: The review has shown that the top two trends in project management methodologies are hybrid and agile approaches. The other two that consistently popped up and were also confirmed by follow-up narrative search, were AI-driven and sustainable project management.
 Applications of the study: Results of this review are useful for both researchers and practitioners, pointing out areas for future research and development, as well as showing what are the best approaches to project management.
 Novelty/Originality of the study: This systematic literature review has shown the latest state of trends related to research done recently, with explaining of how to use new trends to fight the nowadays challenges related to AI, sustainability, and performance of teams in large organizations, from a project management perspective.

Ratio Project Planning: cost optimization projects in the production phase

Nowadays, cost reduction, without compromising the quality and functionality of products, is a strategic issue for most companies. Therefore, companies must have adequate cost management systems and be prepared to implement cost reduction plans in order to maintain the desired levels of profitability. Many companies perform cost reduction initiatives in the form of a project, involving the necessary departments and employees to work towards a specific target cost or cost reduction goal. This research is on product cost optimization projects applied by companies that follow a lean approach. The studied company, a first-tier supplier of the automotive industry, developed a cost reduction methodology to be applied in the production phase named Ratio Project Planning (RPP). This methodology was analysed from a project management perspective. To turn it more effective and efficient, a dashboard that includes the performance indicators regarding RPP was developed and implemented. This tool supports decision-making, allowing real-time monitoring and better management of the whole process.

Sustainable Development and Value Creation, an Approach from the Perspective of Project Management

The discipline of project management has been maturing over time, integrating positively with some organizational approaches, such as strategy and sustainable development, to meet current needs without risking future capabilities. In this sense, it is observed that measuring the success of a project only from the classic mechanistic perspective of the triple constraint: scope, time, and budget, is insufficient; this opens a space for a new variable of social progress: the creation of value. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the degree of relationship between the success of the projects and the sustainable development approach, managing to determine through the results obtained some opportunities for improvement in light of the economic and organizational context. As a starting point for this research, a review of the literature associated with topics, such as sustainable development, value creation, and modern trends in project management, was carried out. The second step was to design and apply a structured survey to 148 Colombian companies that develop projects in different sectors, such as technology, infrastructure, and services. With the information collected, a structural equation modeling—SEM model was applied to determine the relationship between the selected variables. Finally, the results of this research showed that the success of a project that is carried out under a sustainable development approach has a positive tendency toward the creation of value. In conclusion, it is found that the four dimensions studied: impact, relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency, allow us to explain to a greater or lesser extent the success of the projects through their approach to sustainable development and value creation.

Job crafting in project management: Implications for project success and career satisfaction

There is growing evidence that project managers are a heterogeneous group of people. Practitioners hold competing perspectives of project managing and have increasingly greater agency in the choice of tools and method used in their roles. Using job crafting theory, we contribute to the literature on project management careers by measuring how, and to what extent, project managers customise their jobs to better fit their motives, strengths and passions. Job crafting involves self-initiated behaviours that shape, mould, and change job design to better suit the individual. Using structural equation modelling and a sample of IT project managers (N = 245) the objectives of the paper seek to i) establish whether one's perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour, ii) explore how job crafting is used in project management and, iii) ascertain whether the benefit of job crafting is individual, project-based or both. The findings show that a value creation perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour. A performative link between task crafting and project success is established which in turn impacts long term career satisfaction. In contrast, relational crafting by project managers positively contributes to job satisfaction, but does not support project success.

Validation of a New Project Resilience Scale in the IT Sector

From a project management perspective, coping with the negative consequences of disruptions is considered a great challenge. This article aims to present the concept of project resilience and to validate, through quantitative analysis, the indicators that were developed by Rahi et al. (2019) to assess its two key dimensions: awareness and adaptive capacity. As a result of this exploratory research, eight indicators composed of 29 items that measure IT project resilience were retained. Future research, as part of the scale development process, is needed to make the project resilience scale more robust and accurate.

Contrasting Perceptions of Construction Managers and Project Managers Around Failure in Light of Morris and Geraldi’s Institutional Context

In their 2011 paper titled “Managing the Institutional Context for Projects” Morris and Geraldi raised the importance of the institutional context in the management of projects. Building on that, this study proposes the conceptualisation and understanding of project-related failure and success through an institutional perspective. This is based on an understanding that projects are distinctive, time-constrained, undertakings meant to generate benefits for all associated stakeholders whose perception of failure varies. Yet, little attention has been given to explaining how such perception is influenced by underlying institutional contexts. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the knowledge base for contrasting perspectives of project managers and construction managers around project-related failure in light of the institutional perspectives. To do this, a systematic literature review (SLR) approach was adopted. The first finding of note from this SLR is the dominance of interest in and from the UK Construction Industry (UKCI). This may be attributed to the culture and structure of the UKCI driven by the autonomy and authority of organisations such as the National Audit Office (NAO). The findings further reveal that in the general Project Management (PM) literature, considerations of failure are more introspective and discussed more in terms of project outputs with the causes associated with project management limitations. Considering the three levels discussed by Morris and Geraldi (2011) the PM perspective of failure and success can be associated with the technical level of analysis of project outputs. In contrast, the Construction Management (CM) literature focuses predominantly on specific failures, and on external failures. Causes are more attributed to profitability and the wider supply chain and this can be associated with Morris’s strategic level focus on effectiveness and value. The results from this study call for a systemic approach by heeding the call of Prof. Peter Morris to consider the institutional context level in the perception and analysis of failure instead of solely focusing on output or technical level parameters of time cost and quality.

Exploring the structures and design effects of EU-funded R&D&I project portfolios

Joint R&D&I projects and programs increase performance but entail project-related risks; namely, concurrent projects may share resources, delays may be inherited by later projects, and costs may overrun. With a project portfolio, one can better plan budgets, timelines, and risks, manage the resource-sharing of parallel projects, and map content-related projects as one program. However, large (publicly funded) research programs are rarely designed and managed as portfolios. This paper discerns the structure of the European Union-funded 7th Framework Program from a project management perspective. The proposed method estimates the structure based on the content, collaboration, and duration, which enables very accurate mapping of a naturally evolved, unstructured portfolio using limited publicly available data. We tested the sensitivity of overruns/delays, relative costs, and outputs to changes in the distribution of single projects, multi-projects, and programs. The results indicate that supporting programs leads to an improvement in performance, while the duration increases only slightly. The relative costs and output can be improved by moderately increasing the proportion of multi-projects and programs without the risk of overrun or delay. Although we used data from an unstructured portfolio, we believe that the results are valid for R&D&I portfolios in general. To address research policy, we suggest that understanding framework programs as portfolios of projects and managing their structure support collaboration and increase output with only a marginal impact on the cost and duration.

A study of the impact of COVID-19 on construction workforce productivity in Malaysia

PurposeThis paper aims to study the reaction of construction project managers in coping with workforce productivity challenges that arise from the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative research via questionnaires targeting the project managers from G7 contractor companies in Malaysia was carried out in the data collection process. In total, 182 responses have been analysed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS software.FindingsThe research discovers that most of the construction projects and their workforce productivity were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the strategies adopted by project managers in Malaysia and the ranking of strategies based on their effectiveness were indicated.Originality/valueThe findings of this research have contributed to a new understanding of the construction workforce productivity during the COVID-19 era from the perspective of project managers in Malaysia. A guideline established from the ranking of strategies would be useful to ensure the survival of the industry in Malaysia aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of E-leadership in ICT utilization: a project management perspective.

Covid 19 presents a great challenge and opportunity for remote working, highlighting the need for electronically-mediated leadership in team tasks and performance. What is the role of leadership in improving utilization of information communication technologies (ICTs) in teamwork? Framed within the e-leadership and project management literature and employing a longitudinal field observation method over 8 months that involves 52 subjects and 172 observations, this study finds that (1) first, strong leaders employ a consistent and high-level use of ICTs throughout the whole process of group work, especially at the planning and closing stages of a project. (2) Second, strong leaders alternate the use of various ICTs to match specific tasks at different phases of the project. Two media platforms—team discussion forum and document sharing— stand out as the most important for strong leaders to build trust and execute tasks. (3) Finally, in a project management setting with a group of transient members with clearly-defined tasks and time-sensitive responsibilities, trust-building is a continual and highly significant leadership responsibility that precedes other leadership responsibilities. Trust is built largely through alternating the use of two rich ICT media (discussion forum and instant messaging) with two lean ICT media (document sharing and presentation display). These findings highlight a significant role of e-leadership in organizations which see the emergence of ICTs especially during crises like Covid 19.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10799-021-00354-4.