Project Management Competencies Research Articles

Project Management in Engineering Education: Providing Generation Z With Transferable Skills

Expository approaches in project management education do not seem to be engaging engineering students. Although the students acquire remarkable theoretical knowledge throughout their coursework, they lack transferable competences, such as soft skills, which are scarcely attended in the teaching of project management. Generation Z's characteristics differ from previous generations and should be considered in new project management education approaches and methods. This article reviews the project management competencies, Generation Z profile, and teaching methods trends reported in the literature. It presents a study involving 147 engineering students, through a self-report questionnaire, to explore their profile's self-awareness and compare it with the literature. A correlational study links the Generation Z's personality traits with project management soft skills. Findings reveal interesting personality characteristics of Generation Z engineering students for the project management field. However, this sample showed low recognition of their individualism, less personal relationships, and did not value their creative potential. There were also differences in Electronic, Electrical, and Computer Science engineering students, namely, lower emotional intelligence. Some highlighted traits have a significant effect on critical project management soft skills. Other soft skills were not supported in personality traits. This work suggests implications for re-think educational approaches to Generation Z engineering students.

Role of Project Planning and Project Manager Competencies on Public Sector Project Success

Even though the world has progressed exponentially, the core reasons for the failure of many public sector projects remain the same, i.e., the poor planning and competency of a project manager. Therefore, it becomes essential even in the contemporary world to assess and evaluate a model that determines the effect of planning and the project manager’s competency on the success of public sector projects. Moreover, the present study aims to assess the role of project planning and the project manager’s competency in project success in the context of project management methodology defined by the Project Management Institute. In the current survey-based study, a sample of 260 project engineers, from the public sector organizations operating in Balochistan, that were engaged in projects was taken in order to understand the relationship between the constructs. Quantitative data were collected to address the proposed hypotheses using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique. It was inferred from the findings that planning and competency have a significant positive impact on the success of public sector projects. Among the two, it was determined that planning for public sector projects has a greater role in the success of projects. Therefore, it is concluded based on the results of the study that in future, due consideration should be given to planning and the abilities of a project manager.

Design thinking: From products to projects

Abstract There are strong motivating factors for increasing user involvement in project management. A persuasive customer focus is lauded to increase levels of innovation, reduce costs, and improve overall quality in projects. However, previous studies suggest that organizations are failing to align customer requirements with project deliverables. We posit that lessons learned from research in design thinking can help bridge this gap. Design thinking is a user focused paradigm that is lauded to frame problems, capture hidden needs, and infuse the voice of the user into processes and systems. However, insufficient empirical research has been conducted in the application of design thinking competencies in project management. There is a dearth of practical guides available to help project managers in this domain. This paper attempts to address this deficit by expanding the discussion on the perception of design thinking competencies in project management. The study analyzes the extant literature and presents preliminary findings from an exploratory study where critical design thinking competencies lauded to facilitate user involvement and customer focus are identified and categorized. Empirical data was collected from 112 project managers to help ascertain which of these competencies are most useful and relevant in practice. It is hoped that the initial results from this study will add value to project managers by enhancing the discussion in a neglected but essential area.

Project Manager Competencies in the context of the Industry 4.0

Abstract Nowadays, Project Management is facing a more complex and dynamic environment, mostly because of the recent fourth industrial revolution, called Industry 4.0. The digitisation and the characterisation of all of the assumptions, methodologies, and processes of the Industry 4.0 can cause disruptive effects for the traditional project management and the role of the project manager. This new paradigm requires a more active role from the project manager, accompanied by new technical, contextual and behavioural competencies. In line with this, this work aims to identify the skills or competencies that the project manager must present to follow the fourth technological revolution. To accomplish this task, the most relevant concepts that are associated with industry 4.0 and with the project manager competencies are presented. From the literature review, it is possible to conclude the existence of more behavioural or soft skills associated with the 4.0 project manager profile, compared to the traditional project manager profile.

An analysis of certification processes for Good Clinical Practice and project management competencies

Aim/purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the certification process of the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) competencies based on a comparison with the project management (PM) certification process. This aim was accomplished by model development. Design/methodology/approach – The study was divided into three main phases: 1st phase – the identification of key characteristics of PM and GCP certification processes, 2nd phase – the development of certification models for PM and GCP, 3rd phase – the conclusions from in-depth interviews. Findings – As a result of the research, key characteristics of PM and GCP certification processes were identified, certification models for PM and GCP were developed. In addition, based on conclusions from in-depth interviews, solutions for organizing the way of confirming knowledge of GCP guidelines were proposed. Research implications/limitations – The proposed rules may be too complex and may exceed the needs and expectations of the clinical trial environment. The models focus on stakeholder relations, without the rules of certification granting procedures, to enable broader contextualization of the issues discussed in the paper. The analysis might be fragmented as it regards the sole certification process. The research refers to Poland only, hence it will be valuable to identify whether foreign authorities have the same attitude to the GCP competency certification model. It is recommended to increase the number of respondents’ interviews to obtain results of higher validity and reliability. Originality/value/contribution – The paper raises research topics at the crossroads of project management, clinical trials, and GCP, topics that have been underdeveloped so far. The results might be significant for all organizations involved in conducting clinical research projects. The findings contribute to the quality of clinical trials and provide public assurance that the rights, safety, and well-being of trial subjects are protected and the clinical trial data are credible. Keywords: project management, clinical trials, certification, Good Clinical Practice, GCP. JEL Classification: M10, O32, I11.

Project management and entrepreneurship competences

AbstractCompetence frameworks are increasingly used in several practice fields and have been an object of research. A typical development trend has been encapsulation into a particular field, not considering the developments in related fields. Similarly, in research, learning from neighbouring disciplines has been rare. Yet, during the past decade, there have been several attempts at linking essentially related disciplines in practice, such as entrepreneurship and project management. This is a reaction to the trends in the labour market – a growing demand for people with diverse competences. In this context, converging different fields via competences deserves more attention. This paper compares the competences required for project managers and entrepreneurs; in addition, it explores the possibilities for mutual enrichment, contributing to further linking of project management and entrepreneurship conceptually. The cross-examination of competences for entrepreneurs (The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework or EntreComp) and for project managers (International Project Management Association's Individual Competence Baseline [IPMA-ICB]) reveals some quite significant, but also weak, correlations. The linguistic approach used has natural limitations, as different terms have been used to convey the same concepts. Thus, a relational linguistic analysis and conceptual analysis have also been applied. The main implication is the recommendation to integrate core project management competences into competence models for entrepreneurs. A natural progression of this work is to build a common competence model for entrepreneurs and project managers.

Analysis of Critical Success Factors for Projects in Information Technology Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The purpose and objective of this research are to analyze project success factors in the Information technology sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods that were used during the research were conditioned by the problematics that are the subject of the research. The conducted research of critical success factors is quantitative. The research construct of project success influenced by critical success factors is tested. Necessary information about critical success factors was gathered using a questionnaire. During the results analysis phase for reliability and validity testing Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used, and for hypothesis testing the Structural equation modeling. Results of the research showed that the critical factors for IT project success in Bosnia and Herzegovina are competent project managers, technical background, project team, organizational support, and stakeholders. This research represents the first analysis of critical success factors for projects in the IT industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The limitation of this research is a smaller sample of examinees. This is the result of insufficient development of the IT industry and project management in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Review Paper On Competencies Essential For Project Manager

Competency is a term widely used in the IT industry. Competency is defined as “ an underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective and /or superior performance in a job” (Boyatzis R. , 1982)In order to be successful in a business market, project-based organizations should be successful in theirprojects.(Ghasem Omidvar F. J., 2011). One of the factors that influence project success is the employment of competent project managers. (Ghasem Omidvar, 2011).Crawford (2000) also reiterates the point that a competent project manager is a factor that affects project success. The objective of this paper is to identify competencies essential for Project Manager which lead to the successful project. The competencies are majorly divided into technical competencies and behavioural competencies .This paper attempts to review the literature available and propose the competencies important for a Project Manager.

A Framework of Software Project Scope Definition Elements: An ISM-DEMATEL Approach

Software project scope definition is complicated due to the diversity and magnitude of the information needed. An inadequate scope definition often results in project failure as it continues to emerge as the major cause of delays, changes/rework, and cost and schedule overruns. Literature mentions different tools and methods to verify, quantify, and control software scope definition. However, none of these methods and tools help in defining a complete scope. Since a well-defined scope in the early stages is a core ingredient for project success, therefore, previously we developed a method that includes 45 elements of the software project scope definition. Although these elements are noteworthy for project scope, some may influence others; and should be concentrated on more when defining the scope of the software projects. The objective of this present study is that it builds on our previous research and uses Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to extract the interrelationships among the elements and Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to determine the intensity of these relationships. Experts from academia and the software development industry were consulted to identify the relationships among the elements. ISM-DEMATEL approach indicates that the project manager's competence is the main driver. Further, requirements, stakeholders' expectations, cost estimates, project schedule, resource estimation, project summary, communication, consultation, top management support are among the most influential elements that are critical to focus on. Moreover, the findings of the study provide project managers with a better understanding of the elements and their interconnections thus, helping in achieving a better scope definition.

Development of student entrepreneurial competence using the resources of social partnership

The paper brings to the fore the need for developing entrepreneurial competences in school students. It describes the concept of entrepreneurial competence as an ability to put forward original ideas and innovate along with communication, organisation, project management, action planning, and risk-taking competences, receptivity, and also knowledge and skills required for starting a new business and implementing practical ideas to proceed successfully. The case is made for developing courses in entrepreneurship and the criteria of efficiency are determined as follows: clearly set objectives, balanced theoretical and practical content, focus on learning by doing, voluntary approach and motivation, social partnership involving businessmen, financial institutions, and municipal government bodies, openness of the educational environment, availability of training for teachers and contacts with businessmen, and opportunity to present the outcomes. A description is provided of the model and algorithm of creating a school business incubator using the resources of social partnership with businessmen, financial institutions, and municipal governance bodies. The outcomes in entrepreneurship education in the context of a business incubator include the defence of a business project under the supervision of a mentor conducted in a competitive form in two stages, namely, the defence of the business idea and the project itself. Various procedures are used to assess business incubator performance, such as questionnaires for students, teachers, and mentors and expert assessment of students’ entrepreneurial competence acquisition levels by teachers and mentors.

Лідерські якості в проєктному менеджменті

This article is aimed at researching the phenomenon of leadership, analyzing the qualities of project leaders and defining the key qualities that project managers should have to effectively manage teams and achieve maximum results. The article defines that in order to ensure effective management of the project team with dynamic changes in the external environment, the project manager must be not only a director, but also a leader at the same time. It is precisely the leadership qualities of the project manager, which provide the ability to coordinate the team’s work in such a manner that certain results be achieved, i.e., the expectations of the main stakeholders be fulfilled or exceeded. The article examines the most characteristic traits inherent in leaders, which are highlighted by various researchers of the «traits theory». It is determined that of importance for a project manager is not only certain traits of the leader, but also professional competence. The criteria for assessing the level of competence of project managers in accordance with the ICB4 standard, as well as the necessary skills in relation to the individual competence of «Leadership», are specified. The main qualities and skills of the leader-manager according to the latest version of the PMBOOK project management standard are also considered. The research carried out by the authors resulted in distinguishing the most important qualities of the leader, which, combined with the necessary professional knowledge and skills, will allow project managers to become successful and effective in team cohesion to achieve the best results in project activities. The traits allocated as result of the research, such as responsibility, perseverance, ability to cooperate, kindness and others, will allow project managers to be successful leaders of their teams and to effectively manage projects and programs.

Digitalno doba - izazov za projektnog menadžera u bezbednosnim organizacijama

The digital age has brought great challenges to organizations. New technologies, methodologies, and products require a competent project manager who is able to meet the requirements of the digital age. Thus, the aim of this paper is: an analysis of the relevant theoretical context, the necessary competencies of the project manager, consideration of his position and actions in the organizational framework, and especially in organizations dealing with security. Also, the paper deals with the analysis of the model DevSecOps that implements security within IT practices. The results of the presented research indicate the fact that the total number of jobs performed by the project manager shows global growth in quantitative and qualitative terms. Research on human resource development in the field of project management distinguishes innovators from traditionalists. Innovators, in the age of globalization, have given priority to security training, followed by market topics, data science, innovative ways of behaving, and collaborative leadership. A case study is presented, which considers the steps of building a new product in the field of IT with implemented activities that provide an adequate level of security.

Critical Success Factors Influencing the Performance of Infrastructure Projects in The Aviation Industry in Kenya; A Case of Moi International Airport

Purpose: Aviation sector in Kenya facilitates both international and domestic trade, promotes tourism and foreign investment thus contributing to government revenue and employment opportunities. Therefore, improving airport infrastructure would help reduce travel time, improve connectivity. The high rates of project failure have become a major concern for stakeholders hence the need to identify key factors that promote project success or failure. This study seeks to assess the critical success factor influencing the performance of construction projects in Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted quantitative method to examine critical success factors for the performance of aviation construction projects in Kenya. Descriptive case study research design was adopted and self –administered questionnaires were used to collect quantitative for analysis. The variables of interest include timely financing project activities, competency of contractors, participation of stakeholders, and management skills. Descriptive analysis and inferential tests were conducted with the aid of IBM SPSS version 23 software.Results: The study found that timely financing, contractor competency, stakeholder participation, and management skills have positive and significant influence on the performance of aviation construction projects. Descriptive results suggest that tractors competency, timely financing, management skills, and stakeholders’ participation have a strong positive influence on project performance. The study has also established a significant contribution of contractor competency to the successful performance of aviation construction projects. It was also noted that participation of key stakeholders in projects identification, decision making, and resource mobilization can enhance the success of aviation construction projects. It was observed that these factors account for over 54.9% of changes in project performance.Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: In light of these results, the study recommends industry players to put measures in place that would allow timely provisions of finance for all project activities. It is also important to source for competent and experienced contractors, engage key stakeholders in decision making about the project, and recruit a competent and skilled project manager. The study results have a significant contribution to practitioners in the aviation construction sector in Kenya. The study provides the practitioner with the most critical variables likely to influence the performance of aviation construction projects. It further acknowledges that external factors also influence the success of these projects. In light of this, the practitioners can institute contingency plans to mitigate the risks to ensure successful completion of their projects. To the academic, the current study has filled literature gap on critical success factors for aviation project performance. Given the upcoming mega project in aviation sector around the world, these factors provide the basis for future research in this area to ensure these projects are executed successfully within budget and schedule

OTT- Existing Censorship Laws and Recommendations

India's entertainment industry not only generates maximum income but also creates vast amounts of material for films, TV shows, web series, songs, videos, etc. With technological progress and increasing the participation of individuals in the cyber world. Many people use different channels, such as Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Prime, etc. In this paper, we will try to find out and examine the different current censorship laws with the necessary recommendations from different platforms from OTT in India, censorship remains primarily an instrument of state interference, established and controlled by the law's parameters. By enacting and enforcing public policy, the task of the state is to rule. In a democracy, public policy development is closely linked to the fulfilment of citizens' needs. In recent years, the media and entertainment industry has seen a paradigm shift in volume and demand for diversified content through platforms and there are several divisions in the industry that merge into a vertical, Movies, Television, Music, Publishing, Radio, Internet, Advertisement and Gaming segments to access the content, leaving viewers to select. Each segment drives more trends that differ with sub-verticals, geographies and customer needs, making each vertical special and at the same time competing, complimenting and merging these sub-verticals to meet the ever-growing demand for entertainment and information worldwide. The media and entertainment industry aims to reach the organisational quality and benchmark of other industries' best-in-class organisations. The major changes are consistent with how analysis, budget determination, content development, clubbing of distribution management with competent project management are conducted.

Identifying the Areas of Project Management Competences and Resources, Capabilities Facilitating Agility Development

Nowadays, along with the development of innovations, market setups are changing and also changing at an effortless cost challenging, thereby, ventures. Many ventures are finding themselves in exceptionally inconstant markets as well as additionally experience the demand for re-conceptualizing their market techniques. While markets come to be unstable, the concentration of business is placed much more above premium, price, circulation, and additional development all at once. The last is encountered not clear business shapes, which improve all of them in the direction of finding the most effective suitable exits if you would like to survive in a challenging temperature. This paper identifies the areas of project management competences and resources, capabilities facilitating agility development.

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.

Explaining the Competencies of Project Managers According To PMCDF Model

Explaining the Competencies of Project Managers According To PMCDF Model

Is Technical Competency Necessary for Client Project Manager? An Empirical Study of Commitment-making Officers (PPK) in Indonesian Public Construction

Public construction in Indonesia still suffering failure in the last few decades. Evidence shows that one of the source factors to public construction failures was a lack of technical-area understanding in Commitment-Making Officers (Pejabat Pembuat Komitmen, PPK). Moreover, since PPK has various academic disciplines, evidence shows that many PPK from local government agencies are reluctant to be assigned as a PPK because they are concerned about their lack of understanding of basic construction knowledge and its consequences. This paper aims to identify the importance level of PPK's technical competency in managing public construction projects. In this study, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to PPK from East Java, Southeast Sulawesi, and Gorontalo provinces, and interviews were conducted to confirm the results. The findings show that having technical competency is necessary for PPK regardless of their academic disciplines. However, they do not need to understand every single detail of the construction project, but they are expected to understand a big picture of construction methods that enable them to act as a knowledgeable contributor in the construction delivery. This study contributes to the existing knowledge of project manager competency by providing insight into project manager from the client-side in the public construction projects.

Unveiling the core competencies of the successful project manager through the application of multiobjective

Since the project manager (PM) has an essential role in project performance, investing in a manager's competencies means investing in the success of the manager's projects. The objective of this exploratory study was to find the core project managers' competencies composed of behaviors, skills, and knowledge that influence the project performance through four pillars: cost, quality, scope, and time. A variable selection method called the multiobjective genetic algorithm was applied to achieve this objective. The results show that, among others, emotional stability, verbal communication, knowledge in multidisciplinary topics influence project performance. These results can help in decision making when directing efforts towards recruitment and training of project management professionals. This study also contributes to scientific research in social sciences introducing the multiobjective genetic algorithm as an alternative technic for variables selection. This technic reduces the number of variables keeping the explicative power of the phenomenon analyzed.

Critical success factors for managing post-disaster reconstruction projects: the case of Angola

Although some studies have been carried out on project management of “typical” construction projects, little work has been done on what makes Post-Disaster Reconstruction Projects (PDRPs) successful. This paper analyses the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for implementation of PDRPs in Angola. The paper adopted a survey and interviews. Data was collected from project participants within the ministry of planning, provincial government office of planning and local government in Angola. A questionnaire with closed questions was completed by 130 survey respondents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 practitioners selected through purposive sampling. The findings indicate that adequate funding, effective planning, competent project managers, good communication, the active involvement of stakeholders, good written contract, political stability, less bureaucracy in the reconstruction process, economic stability and sufficient resources are the CSFs. The findings further revealed that, there are no differences in the responses between the groups especially between managers and consultants and between contractors and consultants. The findings strongly suggest that CSFs are key resources and skills that determine the successful implementation of a project in terms of its direction and benefits and proposes that stakeholders and project managers should consider these factors for best practices when managing PDRPs. Since PDR is context specific, countries with the same economic status, environment and post-disaster event may benefit from the results. Hence, the study offers new insights to gain an understanding of the CSFs that contribute to best PDR practices.