Project Stakeholder Management Research Articles

Development of a Taxonomy for Causes of Changes in Construction Projects

Contracting parties in construction projects confront significant challenges due to changes. This is an inherent industry characteristic. Managing changes properly with the help of a taxonomy encompassing many of the causes of changes can have a longitudinal and positive effect on project performance, knowledge management, and stakeholder management. However, studies to date have failed to propose an in-depth taxonomy for change causes in construction projects. Therefore, a taxonomy for change causes that can be applied to different construction projects has been developed. First, a systematic literature review and desk study sessions were conducted to identify the initial list of the taxonomy components. Six case studies were then analyzed to reveal the change causes of these cases. Based on the extracted change causes from the literature review and case studies, a taxonomy was developed by conducting focus group discussions with six experts. In the next step, the applicability and validity of the refined taxonomy were evaluated through face-to-face interviews. As a result, a taxonomy with a three-level hierarchy was proposed. This taxonomy is divided into three levels with 13 main categories, 50 subcategories, and 52 change causes. The proposed taxonomy is expected to contribute to practice by reducing the frequency of changes through proactive management of potential changes and standardizing knowledge management practices for managing change.

Governing Public–Private Partnerships of Sustainable Construction Projects in An Opportunistic Setting

Government-sponsored public–private partnership (PPP) projects in the United Kingdom face particular complexity and uncertainty challenges because of the country’s specific socioeconomic context. This research investigates the role of governance and stakeholder management in PPP-based sustainable projects by conducting a mixed methods approach, which includes a quantitative survey and a qualitative case study inference. The results show that project governance and stakeholder management have a significant positive impact toward sustainable development and PPP project success. Whereas the negative impact of opportunism over contractual governance and stakeholder management is insignificant. Similarly, the negative effect of project uncertainty over contractual governance is insignificant toward sustainable development.

Future Opportunities for Stakeholder Management in Construction Projects

Future Opportunities for Stakeholder Management in Construction Projects

Internal Stakeholder Management in ZESCO Distribution Projects

The study reported in this paper investigated internal stakeholder management in ZESCO distribution projects, recognizing the influence of stakeholders on both project performance and success. The objectives of the study were to: find out factors that influence stakeholder management on ZESCO distribution projects; establish the degree of influence of stakeholder engagement on the performance of ZESCO distribution projects; determine the impact of stakeholder mapping on the performance of ZESCO distribution projects; and describe the relationship between stakeholder management and the performance of ZESCO distribution projects. The objectives were achieved by employing a mixed method research approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study sample encompassed ZESCO employees engaged in various distribution projects, and data was gathered through interviews and questionnaires. The findings underscored the critical role of effective stakeholder mapping, engagement and management in the success of ZESCO distribution projects. It was established that addressing internal stakeholders’ concerns and proper engagement positively influences project performance. Additionally, it was established that engaging internal stakeholders at various project stages improves project delivery. The findings also indicated that internal stakeholder mapping is valuable for project duration, cost management, environmental considerations, and conflict resolution.

Walled City of Lahore Authority: The Royal Trail Heritage Project

This case is designed for MBA and undergraduate courses, aiming to emphasize the importance of stakeholder management in projects and familiarize participants with effective stakeholder management tools. The scenario revolves around a project involving community revitalization and historic preservation located in Lahore, Pakistan, known as the ‘City of Gardens’. The project area includes significant historical landmarks and charming, close-knit residential neighbourhoods where interconnected communities have lived for generations. The case unfolds through the perspective of Kamran Lashari, the protagonist, who inherits a challenging project burdened by a history of unsuccessful and possibly unmotivated predecessors. This project is facing a multitude of issues, spanning technical and managerial aspects. Its success is critical not only for its own sake but also because it sets the precedent for a series of ambitious community revitalization projects planned within the City of Gardens. Failure here could jeopardize future projects, strain relations with donors and permanently alienate the local community. The local community has harboured scepticism towards such endeavours, given their prior experiences with half-hearted attempts that brought inconvenience without any lasting benefits. These past efforts have left a bitter taste, making the community wary of new initiatives. Additionally, the project relies heavily on its partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which provides invaluable technical support without substantial financial compensation. However, in Kamran Lashari’s inherited situation, this crucial partnership appears to be in shambles. In the classroom setting, students are encouraged to delve into a systematic analysis of the project’s extensive array of stakeholders, each with their own unique interests. This case provides an ideal backdrop for examining various stakeholder analysis frameworks, including the Warees Framework, Donaldson and Preston’s (1995) theory distinguishing between influencers and stakeholders based on power, legitimacy and urgency, as well as the power-support matrix. These frameworks offer valuable tools for dissecting and understanding the complex web of relationships and interests involved in this high-stakes project.

Impacts of online-community-based collaborative learning on project scope appropriateness and stakeholder management

ABSTRACT Most corporate projects suffer from the problem of scope creep, despite of the methodologies available to cope with this issue. Organisations have utilised computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) approaches to enhance employees’ project management (PM) training. Most prior studies on CSCL and PM focus on the application of CSCL for PM training in the contexts of educational institutions. It is thus uncertain that their findings are applicable to the real-world PM situations. Additionally, those studies did not specifically investigate the effects of key PM-related CSCL features on PM learning. Therefore, this study identifies and empirically investigate the effects of the key CSCL features, namely goal orientation, individual accountability, and structured interaction, on the level of scope completeness and the effectiveness of stakeholder management (SHM) in a context in which an online case-based collaborative learning system was implemented for PM learning purposes. Data collected from 264 PM professionals were analyzed using the method of partial least squares to examine the proposed research model. The results show that all the three key CSCL features have a significant direct/indirect influence on the level of scope completeness and the SHM effectiveness. Implications for theory and practice, research limitations, and future research directions are discussed correspondingly.

In favor or against: The influence of skeptical stakeholders in urban innovation projects for green transformation

Skeptical stakeholder involvement – collaborating with stakeholders who may harbor negative attitudes - is a complex, uncertain process that poses substantial challenges for innovation project management. Developing complex innovations like those in urban spaces requires engagement with knowledge, behavioral shifts, and resources from both public and private stakeholders. As a result, these stakeholders might oppose the project's objectives, thereby exerting a significant influence on the project. However, scant attention has been directed toward investigating the role of skeptical stakeholder involvement. The goal of this research is to address this research gap by examining the underexplored impact of skeptical stakeholder involvement on the project front end, thereby underscoring the importance of innovativeness and implementation intention as outcomes during these initial project stages. The study draws on a unique combination of text mining, text analysis, and survey data derived from 107 publicly funded urban innovation projects in Germany. These projects encompass diverse innovation types and technologies that may affect nearly all stakeholders within a given city district, thus making the context an ideal empirical terrain for investigation. The study's findings reveal that (i) skeptical stakeholder involvement positively influences innovativeness and implementation intention, and (ii) a robust reservoir of project management resources, coupled with moderate levels of formal management, facilitates the integration of skeptical stakeholders. The study advances current literature on project stakeholder management and project front-end dynamics by highlighting the positive influences of skeptical stakeholder involvement. Consequently, these outcomes contribute to the broader literature on sustainable urban transformation and enhance our understanding of stakeholder management mechanisms in the realm of urban innovation projects.

Data-Driven Stakeholder Management in EU Capacity Building Projects – Case of Erasmus+ Project

Data-driven management of stakeholders could be one of very important factors of successful project administration, particularly with regards to strategies involving different players such as those engaged in EU capacity building initiatives like Erasmus+. Effective stakeholder management entails identifying and overseeing various stakeholder groups to meet their needs and expectations, which is of a great importance for final success of the project.

Potential features of building information modeling (BIM) for application of project management knowledge areas in the construction industry

The construction industry (CI) plays a vital role in infrastructure development and improves the socio-economic status with employment opportunities and contribution to gross domestic progress (GDP) of countries. However, its productivity has diminished in recent years due to increasing complexities in construction projects (CPs) and lack of adoption of novel technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). Also, there is a significant need of polishing the capabilities of construction practitioners to meet the project requirements in agreement with project management knowledge areas (PMKAs). This study, therefore, focused on identification and evaluation of factors necessary for measurement of extent of application of PMKAs. Subsequently, noteworthy features of BIM helpful for enhancing the capabilities of project managers (PMs) in application of PMKAs were identified from literature. A total of thirty-three factors for measurement of extent of application of PMKAs and sixty-six features of BIM helpful in enhancing the capabilities of PMs in application of PMKAs were found. The detailed study and analysis of these ninety-nine factors with the help of previous studies suggested that extent of application of PMKAs is measured with three sub-tasks i.e., plan, manage/develop, and monitor/control. In addition, by virtue of remarkable features and services of BIM, it helps in enhancing the capabilities of PMs in applying PMKAs: project integration, scope, cost, time, quality, resource, communications, procurement, risk, safety, and stakeholder management.

Analisa Implementasi Manajemen Proyek pada Pengembangan Karung Goni Menjadi Tas yang Bermanfaat

TasGon is a product made from jute sack waste which is then processed into a useful product. In this project the burlap sack is processed into a bag called TasGon. This TasGon has many benefits, namely it can reduce the waste of burlap sacks that are wasted everywhere. In this study the authors used qualitative and descriptive research methods. This research is continued by analyzing project management, namely Project Integration, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resource Management, Project Communication Management, Project Risk Management, Project Procurement Management, Project Stakeholder Management. The results of this study indicate that TasGoni has many benefits that can be felt by many people. Therefore the project undertaken must be in accordance with the quality of the product produced.
 Keywords: Project Management, Gunny Sack, Waste

Determining the Factors Influencing Construction Project Management Performance Improvement through Earned Value-Based Value Engineering Strategy: A Delphi-Based Survey

Proper planning and management of construction projects have long been regarded as a necessity. The ability to make sound decisions and solve problems using appropriate performance reports related to the project implementation process are the two most key factors in controlling the performance of construction project management. Even though these factors considerably contribute to controlling precise project performance, previous research has failed to investigate them to their fullest potential. Therefore, this research seeks to fill the existing gap by determining the influential factors on construction project management performance through earned value-based value engineering strategy. In this line, a comprehensive literature analysis was undertaken to extract the influential factors on construction project management performance. Then, three rounds of a Delphi survey were conducted to consolidate the influential factors. There were a total of 39 factors that were grouped into four categories. The identified influential factors were then evaluated through the analysis of quantitative data. The findings showed that the dimension of “Engineering economics” was ranked first in terms of importance, followed by “Project management performance”, “Value engineering approach”, and “Earned value management” at the second to fourth ranks, respectively. The overall ranking of the factors placed “Project Stakeholder Management” in the first position and “Project Management Software” in the bottom place. It is anticipated that the key findings and effective recommendations of this study will considerably contribute to the improvement of decisions on project planning and improve the performance of construction project management while enhancing different stakeholders’ understanding of the most influential factors on the performance of construction project management.

Building Resilience and Understanding Complexities of Event Project Stakeholder Management

This conceptual article explores the nature of complexity management of event project stakeholders in festivals and events. Recent and ongoing Global factors have heightened an emphasis on resilience in the sector, including consideration of being embedded in organizational process, not only a planned response that is activated and deployed when needed. With no current research of complexity management in festivals and events, this research follows a sequential examination of complexity in three key academic fields—project management, stakeholder theory, and event management—and the subsequent areas of overlap to arrive at the core intersection of event project stakeholders. This sequence reveals a number of key elements for consideration, each with corresponding characteristics that contrast along instrumental and normative lines providing a set of parameters for future consideration and research. By virtue of being temporary planned experiences with specific time constraints, festivals and events are a unique type of project. Stakeholders bring added complexity—should their goals not be well defined or emerge through the project cycle then uncertainty is introduced and complexity is assured. Furthermore, event stakeholder dynamics shift and change over the period of the project life cycle indicating the importance of time, timing, and timely intervention. Although event management focuses on the chronological countdown to event day, stakeholders may follow their own timelines and trajectories presenting additional complexity and challenges for event producers and managers. This is demonstrated by a 3-dimensional representation to stimulate further research and modeling in the field of festival and events.

FEATURES OF COMMUNICATION DURING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION BASED ON THE PMI PMBOK STANDARD

In current conditions, the issue of reducing the potential negative impacts on project stakeholders, improving efficiency, and increasing satisfaction from participating in project work remains relevant in project communications management.
 The article aims to study the problems of defining and using the most effective communication channels in project stakeholder management. The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is a set of principles and methods of scientific research: the principle of systematization and theoretical generalization, methods of grouping and ranking.
 According to the goal, the task was set to substantiate the effectiveness of communication channels depending on the degree of remoteness of the project stakeholders. Based on the study, the concept of a project was clarified, which, according to the PMBOK Project Management Standard, is understood as a temporary activity aimed at creating a unique product, service, or result and is part of the value delivery system. The contextual factors of the internal and external environment of the organization, which influence the project's results, were studied. The basis for the analysis was the scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists on the mentioned issues, materials, and data from the official website of the Ukrainian Project Management Association.
 The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is a set of principles and methods of scientific research: the principle of systematization and theoretical generalization, methods of grouping and ranking. As a result of the study, the sphere of execution, "Stakeholders," which is one of the eight spheres of project implementation, was considered. The definition of communication as a vital part of the value supply system by the sphere of execution of the "Stakeholders" project was recorded, and the dependence of the effectiveness of communication methods on the used communication channels was determined according to the model of the effectiveness of communication channels by Alistair Cockburn. It has been proven that applying this model can have a beneficial effect on increasing communication effectiveness during project implementation. A matrix of the effectiveness of communication channels was built, which details the consequences of stakeholder communication methods depending on their remoteness.

Increasing stakeholder engagement in research projects through standardization activities

PurposeThis research assesses the implications of integrating standardization activities into European research projects to foster the engagement of project internal and external stakeholders and into different project stakeholder management theories.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzes the integration of standardization and the engagement of project internal and external stakeholders in standardization activities in a multi-case study of four European Framework Program projects and with the projects Advancing Resilience of Historic Areas Against Climate-Related and Other Hazards (ARCH) and Smart Mature Resilience (SMR) in two separate case studies more deeply. The multi-case study mainly evaluates the stakeholder participation in 10 CEN Workshop Agreements. While in the two case studies, among other things, two project surveys are used to investigate how stakeholder engagement was supported by standardization activities.FindingsThe results show that standardization significantly supports stakeholder engagement and lead to a proposal on how standardization can support achieving stakeholder engagement goals in the different research project phases.Originality/valueThis research provides practical information for policy-makers who support standardization as a tool for research, as well as for researchers and project managers who want to use standardization activities efficiently in research projects.

Gren “fuelled” by fire: lessons for project management

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this study are as follows: 1) illustrate the project management failures that contributed to the fire accident at Grenfell using a fishbone diagram; 2) identify and classify the power and influence of various stakeholders involved in a brownfield project using a relevant framework; and 3) elaborate the need for following effective stakeholder management processes and project leadership, especially in the context of a refurbishment/renovation project. Case overview/synopsis On 14th June 2017, the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London, UK, caught fire. The fire raged for 60 h and around 72 people lost their lives. Many criticized the response of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and their lack of preparedness to respond to such an emergency. There were calls for Dany Cotton, the Chief of LFB, to resign. However, there had been a major cladding-related refurbishment at Grenfell, and subsequent investigations revealed that the use of combustible materials, a lack of compliance with the fire-safety norms and a blatant disregard for resident safety had contributed to the fire. The tragedy was a cumulative outcome of failure on two counts: effective project management and stakeholder management during the process of refurbishment, especially in the context of a low-cost housing project. Given this situation, this case considers whether Dany Cotton should own up to her responsibility and resign from her position. In the process, the case considers Grenfell refurbishment from the theoretical lens of project management in the construction management scenario to understand the factors that could have led to an “avoidable” tragedy. Complexity academic level Postgraduate students of construction management; final year undergraduate engineering students who have a foundational course on project management; and architects. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 2: Built environment.

Ranking and grouping of critical success factors for stakeholder management in construction projects

ABSTRACT Diverse sets of critical success factors (CSFs) have been proposed in the literature, emphasising various facets of stakeholder management. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the ranking and groupings of these factors. This paper seeks to uncover CSFs related to stakeholder management in construction projects in Pakistan and explore their ranking and underlying relationship. A literature study revealed the existence of 18 CSFs. A questionnaire comprising these 18 CSFs was distributed to construction professionals in Pakistan, and 89 completed surveys were recouped. “Formulating the project mission”, “Communicating with stakeholders properly and frequently (instituting feedback mechanisms)”, and “Carefully identifying and listing the project stakeholders” were identified as the top three ranking factors for stakeholder management. Utilizing factor analysis and considering the significance of the factor “Formulating the project mission”, the 18 CSFs were organized into four categories: Stakeholder Interests and Relationships, Refining Goals and Managing Stakeholder Needs, Identifying and Engaging Stakeholders, and Stakeholders’ Social Responsibilities. A framework is proposed for successful stakeholder management in construction projects incorporating these four components and their relationships. These findings elucidate thigh priority aspects and may also be utilized as a tool for evaluating the success of stakeholder management, hence facilitating the identification of areas for improvement.

Do regional characteristics influence PPP contract governance skills requirements?

PurposeThis study aims to seek, on the basis of Hofstede's culture consequences, to explore the notion that regional characteristics may influence the prioritisation of certain types of public-private partnerships (PPP) contract governance skills over others. It further sets out to determine which skills are considered the most critical between the groups of respondents surveyed.Design/methodology/approachTo bring this important and neglected perspective into the mainstream of PPP discussions, the study, being of an exploratory nature, relied on a survey of 340 respondents from around the globe. The respondents are a rich mix of public policy experts, economists, construction professionals, project finance experts, lawyers and academic researchers in PPP.s.FindingsAnalysis revealed that, regional characteristics was an important factor influencing skills prioritisation. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis with Monte Carlo principal component analysis (PCA) confirmation revealed that project management, contract design, negotiations, performance management and stakeholder management skills were very critical for successful contract management of PPP projects.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that the design and implementation of regulatory governance for infrastructure PPPs should be context-specific rather than the current one-size-fits all model. Training should be tailored to reflect regional specific characteristics.Originality/valueStudies are increasingly pointing to the absence of critical PPP skills among institutions responsible for managing PPP contracts. This lack of capacity has resulted in poor oversight of private companies providing public services resulting in poor services, and financial recklessness, which threaten the sustainability of service provision.

Stakeholder management in projects: A brief review

This article aims to carry out a systematic review of the literature on studies of stakeholder management in project management, in recent years, specifically between 2020 and 2021, in the field of articles deposited in the Journals database of Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes). For this purpose, the Main Items to Report Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Prism) protocol was used for the selection of articles. The results indicate that since the release of the version “a first look at the 7th edition PMBOK guide, there are no articles in Portuguese that address stakeholder management from the perspective of the principles present in this version. One of the limitations of the study is the fact that Capes' journal database has limitations regarding the use of search tools. For future studies, it is recommended that the theme be addressed in a systematic literature review using other databases.

Prioritizing stakeholders to boost collaborative R&I projects benefits: an analytic network process approach

A methodology was developed to prioritize stakeholders of a collaborative research and innovation (R&I) project in the circular bioeconomy area, towards enhancing its benefits from a multi-perspective point of view. The concept of R&I project benefits was broken down into criteria, evaluating different attributes related to the project outputs and outcomes, to the project management processes, and to the social, environmental and economic dimensions. The devised methodology was based on a combination of the analytic network process multicriteria decision making method and the key benefit categories from the P5 standard for sustainability in project management. The P5 standard has been shown to adequately frame the benefits to stakeholders of R&I projects in the topic of circular bioeconomy. Key benefits identified by the experts relate to the categories "society and costumers" and "consumption". The following stakeholders should have priority in the development of the project stakeholder management plan: research team members, leaders at the consortium organizations, project management team members and environmental NGOs. Future research will include a longitudinal study of the perceived stakeholder and benefit categories priority over time

Enhancing project stakeholder communication under insufficient knowledge of project management concepts

PurposeAlthough the literature is clear on what comprises effective project stakeholder management, communication between key stakeholders and project managers is often ineffective. Research is silent on stakeholders' insufficient knowledge of project management terminology, which is a barrier for such effective communication. This paper aims to identify the project management concepts that key stakeholders should understand to improve effective communication.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs a three-step research design. In the first step, based on threshold concept theory, the authors identify the key project management concepts through interviews with 20 project management practitioners, trainers and trainees. In the second step, the authors confirm the findings from the first step and identify effective approaches to enhance project stakeholders' communication through seven additional interviews with project stakeholders. In the third step, the authors construct a functional model of the research findings by employing a system-level modeling tool.FindingsThis research identifies five project management threshold concepts (TC) that are challenging for project stakeholders to understand (1) project benefits, (2) the iron triangle, (3) the critical path, (4) uncertainty and (5) project leadership. Following these knowledge barriers, the paper proposes unique approaches to develop effective project stakeholder communication.Originality/valueThis paper advances project stakeholder management research by identifying knowledge barriers and providing project managers with more effective approaches to better engage with their stakeholders.