Public Sector Project Management Research Articles

Financial and Economic Tools of Project Management in Public Sector

"The article examines the introduction of project management as a result of the implementation of administrative reforms in modern states based on the management paradigm of New Public Management and New Public Governance. Based on both experts’ opinions and a number of cases from different counties, it is shown that the development of such elements of new public management as focus on achieving results, monitoring of quantitative and qualitative performance indicators, budget savings, creative organizational culture, became possible thanks to a set of economic and strategic tools that characterize project management, especially PMBoK. The expediency of a large-scale transition to professional management of public projects through the use of the generally recognized PMBoK standard, as well as the “living” Agile project methodology, is substantiated."

Creating authority and autonomy: Necessary dialectical tensions in public sector project management

This study investigates the nuanced relationship between public sector project managers and their adherence to organizational project management protocols, as defined by reference documents such as PRINCE2 and PMBOK® Guide. It investigates why these project managers frequently deviate from these protocols. The study investigates the practical relevance yet perceived redundancy of these documents through interviews and a focus group with nine experienced project managers in the Australian public sector. Using thematic analysis and a Derridean perspective, we show how these documents create a project manager's their authority and autonomy. The study concludes with the proposal of a deconstructive theory of public sector project management, emphasising pragmatism over rigid adherence to established project management ideologies.

Differences between Public-Sector and Private-Sector Project Management Practices in Hungary from a Competency Point of View

Both sustainability and strategic goals are realized in the course of implementing projects and in this way, projects are crucial for companies. Despite the growing importance of projects and the vast resources allocated to them, the success rates achieved by these projects are still considered low. Numerous reasons have been identified in the literature for why a project might succeed or fail, and it has also been revealed that a competent project manager is a key factor in this process. However, papers have mainly focused on analyzing the required competencies in general, while the sector involved is rarely considered. Thus, this paper investigates, within an exploratory framework, the success and failure rates of projects and project management competencies in Hungarian public- and private-sector organizations by using the Mann–Whitney test. Based on the results, the authors reject the idea that public-sector organizations perform better than those in the private sector, but the analysis of the data also revealed that there were differences in the perceived importance of skills in the two sectors. Customer orientation and business acumen were considered significantly more important in the private sector than in the public sector, based on the sample available. This study also revealed possible correlations among the knowledge areas and skills required. In addition to contributions to the understanding of project success, this paper can also help to improve the project management frameworks applied in public and private companies. Furthermore, the findings can be adapted for projects that require a special attribute, such as sustainability.

Challenges and Best Practices Solution of Agile Project Management in Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review

Applying Agile methodologies in the public sector is nothing new. In recent years, governments worldwide have moved towards Agile development, especially with the Pandemic that requires governments to move and make decisions quickly. However, the difference between the government system and the private sector, such as holding the principle of a hierarchy of authority, still challenges Agile application. This study aims to explore challenges and provide solutions for applying Agile project management in the public sector by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) using the PRISMA method. The literature used in the SLR was obtained from four paper databases, namely Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM, and Emerald Insight. Five hundred ninety-five papers were found, and 18 suitable papers were obtained, which were then analyzed and obtained a total of 43 challenging issues. Each of these issues is grouped based on eight project performance domains of PMBOK 7th edition, and the solution for each challenge is obtained from the mapping results from the SLR papers and PMBOK 7th edition Guide. The results showed that the most issues were in the Development Approach and Lifecycle and Project Work domain categories, with 8 issues each. Followed by Team with 7 issues, Stakeholder with 6 issues, Delivery with 5 issues, Measurement with 4 issues, Planning with 3 issues, and Uncertainty with 2 issues. This research can be useful for academics or practitioners as a reference in facing the challenges of implementing Agile project management in the public sector

Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Job Performance: An Empirical Analysis in Public Sector Project Management

The construction sector often faces various problems especially related to time, rising costs, project delays, waste and errors that can hinder the economic development. In order to overcome the problems, application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in construction project is actively implemented in improving work efficiency and performance among industry practitioners especially in developed countries. Nonetheless, the ability of BIM towards highlighting its productivity and performance cannot be seen in the construction industry in Malaysia and faces several challenges that affected the job performance. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between various critical success factors and job performance among professionals who have used BIM applications in construction of project management. The stratified sampling method with the population of 345 professionals who practice the use of BIM applications in construction project management are applied in the study. The total population was collected from a preliminary study of the number of pre-contract stages in PWDs that had implemented BIM. Two models were constructed to be analyzed for multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that four factors (collaborative synergy, ICT utilization, commitment and knowledge, culture orientation) have a significant positive relationship with job performance. While, external factor (collaborative synergy) has the most significant influence on job performance among those involved with the use of BIM applications. The findings of the study also have highlighted two major weaknesses that limit the effectiveness of the use of BIM applications are related to digital skills among staff and lack of support from management. These elements of weaknesses are seen to have affected the work performance in Malaysian construction sector. In the future research, to get more comprehensive view it is suggested several other factors especially external factors such as government policy and legislation, BIM guidelines and standards are to be considered in the study.

The Mediating Role of Benefit Management for Sustaining the Performance of Infrastructure Projects

Benefit management is a valuable approach, promoted and supported by strategic management for maximizing organizational benefits. It has also been recognized as a means of improving project performance, though more research is needed to understand how it works. This research adds to the contemporary literature on public sector project management by studying the links between project governance, benefit management, and project performance from a developing country perspective. This study provides insights for project professionals who are working in government organizations for optimizing the benefits of investment. The study provides a reference to formulate strategies for managing and governing the performance of government-funded projects in developing countries like Pakistan. The research uses a positivist approach and quantitative design. The quantitative technique is employed to address all the aspects of the study. The structural equation modeling revealed that benefit management acted as a mediating factor in the relationship between project governance dimensions and public sector project performance. This study highlights the importance of incorporating a comprehensive benefit management approach to streamline the benefit management process by aligning projects with the organizational strategy for sustaining project performance. These findings stress the need for a comprehensive benefit management approach in improving the project performance of government-sponsored projects. The study attempts to improve the understanding of project professionals about the role and significance of benefit management, which will be helpful to get organizational support for the employees who are striving to improve the project performance in Pakistan.

Implications of ‘Lock-in’ on Public Sector Project Management in a Small Island Development State

The concept of ‘Lock-In’, or the escalating cost of overcommitment on a project to a failing course of action, has unforeseeable implications in project management. This paper presents a case study on the occurrence and consequences of lock-in within the context of public sector housing projects in a small island developing state (SIDS). It demonstrates that cost overruns continue beyond the commissioning phase and throughout the project’s lifecycle, even though technical contingencies were implemented to deliver the intended project benefits. The findings unpack the implications of political expediency as a strategic tool mobilised to supersede proper technical decision-making prior to project execution. It concludes that project practitioners’ commitment to select and continue with a sub-optimal project can lead to the implementation of ineffective solutions to justify their actions, resulting in failed outcomes with negative social consequences. This research helps to advance project management knowledge in the us-er/operation phase, because previous scholarly work was limited to investigating lock-in from project conceptualisation to the commissioning phase.

The Contributions That Development Projects and Project Management Have Made to Human Development – A Study of Trinidad and Tobago

This study addresses the problem of countries struggling to achieve national development despite investing in development. It aims to identify the fundamental driver of development in these scenarios by exploring the empirical impacts of investment into development projects and public sector project management capacity on Human Development in Trinidad and Tobago. 28 annual (time series) observations were gathered from available secondary data for the Human Development Index and Public Sector Project Implementation Rate in Trinidad and Tobago and analysed using multiple and simple linear regression. The results revealed that expenditure on public sector projects positively and significantly impacts on the Human Development Index. It also suggests the need to find a more effective indicator of project management capacity than the one which the Government of Trinidad and Tobago relies upon.

Conceptual and financial-legal aspects of public management of national projects

The subject of this research is the conceptual and financial-legal aspects of project management aimed at implementation of national projects. The goal consists in comparison of the sources of public legal regulation, analysis of the legal mechanism of implementation of national projects, and formulation of recommendations for its improvement. Analysis is conducted on the formation and realization of project management in the Russian Federation, which functional purpose consists in improving efficiency of the national projects. The relevance lies in the establishment of public legal grounds for implementation of national projects. The theoretical framework contains scientific works of scholars and practitioners in the field of law and economics dealing with the project management in public sector. As a result of the conducted analysis on national and international legislation with regards to project management, the author reveals the essential characteristics of project in the area project management, describes the process of implementation of national projects, and outlines the problematic aspects from the perspective of administrative and financial law. The novelty lies in substantiation of the need for improving legal regulation of project management in the Russian Federation. It is noted that legislation in the area of project management is fragmentary, and the law regulates only isolated elements of project management. Practical importance of this work consists in determination of the role of subjects of national project management and state financial bodies, as well in formulation of recommendations on practical application of norms with regards to implementation of national projects.

AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS – METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

The main purpose of the article is to present a new methodology for Agile project management in the public sector and to discuss the issues related to its implementation in governmental organizations. The methodology is hybrid insofar as it implements agile tools in a traditional hierarchical environment. The approach aims to overcome some of the weaknesses of public sector project management, such as the cumbersome communication system, the multilevel hierarchy in reporting levels, ex-post control, high risk, large bureaucracy, voluminous documentation, etc.

Traditional versus agile project management in public sector in Poland

Traditional versus agile project management in public sector in Poland

Особливості впровадження моделей управління проектами у державному секторі

Особливості впровадження моделей управління проектами у державному секторі

Contemporary Trends in the Public Sector Project Management

Contemporary Trends in the Public Sector Project Management

Challenges and competencies for project management in the Australian public service

PurposePublic sector projects still fail to meet delivery expectations, and the lack of significant project management experience in the Australian public service (APS) has been identified as a contributing factor. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of competencies required for delivering public sector projects, as well as challenges faced by the project managers when operating in a public context.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews were used to enlighten the social and operating construct in APS. In parallel, a quantitative survey was used to determine the relative importance of various competencies to effective project delivery.FindingsThe research concludes that communication, accountability, business alignment, scope and deliverables, change, and project and program orientation are the most important competencies in APS project delivery. Furthermore, there is evidence that the operating environment acts as a barrier to successful project delivery, noting that it does not let project management practice deploy its full potential for increased effectiveness and efficiency.Practical implicationsThe research findings noted that the specific needs, values and functions of project management in the APS are not well defined, and therefore there were limited criteria against which public sector project management competencies could be designed and measured.Originality/valueThis empirical research contributes to the open dialogue of improving efficiency in project management within the APS context. The findings point to the conflict between the operational nature of APS agencies and their project activities, and how they struggle to define themselves as project organizations rather than lack of appreciation to individual competencies.

“Evaluating performance of public sector projects in Russia: The choice of a social discount rate”

Public sector project management in Russia is inefficiently carried out. One reason for this is an absence of generally accepted procedures for evaluating the performance of projects. In the framework of evaluating performance, there is the issue of evaluating the rate for discounting the anticipated benefits and costs of public projects to the present moment. This paper contains a methodology for estimating the social discount rate for cost–benefit analysis in various economic industries in Russia. We apply two approaches – social rate of time preferences and social opportunity cost of capital – and propose a methodology for projects related to any industry. We present examples of estimating the social discount rate for healthcare, education, social services, and infrastructure projects. Our results are useful when both the government and private firms are able to solve the same social problems. The findings are applicable for any country with unequal development of various economic industries.

PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY PROBLEMS, CASE OF LATVIA

The application of Project Management (PM) tools and techniques in public sector is gradually becoming an important issue indeveloping economies, especially in a new development country like Latvia where projects of different size and structures are undertaken.The paper examined the application of the project management practice in public sector in Latvia. Public sector projectmanagement in Latvia become popular in recent years as there is different type of public funding sources available. The paperdescribes the public sector project management practice in Latvia. Study shows that public sector project maturity level is low andshould be improved. Research period covers the time period from January 2013 – March 2013.

Key Competences of Public Sector Project Managers

Project managers play a crucial role in all kinds of projects and influence projects’ success (Wateridge, 1997; Crawford, 2005). Their role is unique in public sector projects, due to the fact that public projects always deal with multiple, different stakeholders whose opinions can strongly influence the project. Progress in projectification of public sector creates an increasing need for developing competences (knowledge, skills, attitudes) for public sector project managers. However, very little attention has so far been paid to the distinctive features of public sector project managers’ competences, especially in terms of competences necessary for team and stakeholders management.David Wirick (2009) highlights that project managers in public sector face team management challenges such as: the inability to clearly link performance and reward, compensation systems that are biased towards longevity, the inability to select project team members based on their expertise. In addition, public sector project managers work in environment which very often is not familiar with results-oriented project management, and are constantly dealing with political interference in the management of projects and the challenges of working with political appointees.This paper's aim is therefore to identify the most important competences of public sector project managers. The authors, based on a literature study, propose a typology of competences, necessary for project managers dealing with specific circumstances of public organizations. The results can help to further develop training programs and academic curricula tailored to the needs of public sector employers.

Socialinio marketingo technologijų taikymo galimybės elektroninės valdžios paslaugų viešinimui

Nowadays e-government projects and projects in the public sector are changing the consistency and reality of our daily life and will need to be managed by project managers, who uge modern marketing tools and technologies. Social marketing is one of the modern marketing tools and, probably, it is the best tool to provide marketing in public sector project management, It has been changing in different ways since the founding of social marketing: the aim of social marketing, the technologies for using i ; but nowadays it’s hard to imagine public sector projects and, especially, egovernment projects, without using social marketing technologies. The usage of social marketing technologies can improve public sector project management and make the project more attractive to society or some part of it. This scientific paper represents social marketing transformation, the way in which social marketing needs to be used in the public sector project management process and analyses the phases of social marketing. It also gives some practical advics for public sector organizations o, how to implement social marketing in the e-government project deployment process.

Discerning Interrelationships among the Knowledge, Competencies, and Roles of Project Managers in the Planning and Implementation of Public Sector Projects

This study uses information gleaned from a sample of 102 public sector project managers to assess the interrelationships among project manager roles, responsibilities, and competencies in the planning and implementation stages of the project life cycle. The results of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling revealed that project managers use different subsets of their skills to influence outcomes at these two stages of the project. For example, while the project manager's organizational and technical skills tend to have some influence during the project planning stage, managerial, leadership and people skills appear to have more influence during the project implementation stage. Implications of these and our other findings for the practice of project management in public sector organizations are discussed.

Project management and financial monitoring in public sector: an information support system

This research introduces a specialised information support system that was designed and implemented for project management and financial monitoring in public sector of funded projects, under the Greek National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF). Its goal was to ensure effective data monitoring and controlling for the Ministry of National Defense. The proposed system incorporates electronic finance features in terms of financial monitoring and reporting, resulting in optimised effectiveness and efficiency, through strict management along the project life cycle, and improved financial performance. The system adopts private sector's management styles and techniques, contributing thus in the process of public sector reengineering.