Unsuccessful Projects Research Articles

Unfulfilled water impact forecasts, plans and projects

The article presents a retrospective review of some forecasts, plans and projects of anthropogenic impact on water resources that did not materialize, were not implemented by the planned date or were incomplete. Values of full (water intake) and irrevocable water consumption for 2000, predicted in the 1960s and 1970s by well-known domestic and foreign researchers, are compared with the actual water consumption in 2000 in the world, the USA, and our country. It is shown that most of water consumption forecast parameters turned out to be significantly higher than the actual one, which gives reason to consider these forecasts were not borne out. In the Water Strategy of the Russian Federation, developed in 2009 for the period up to 2020, these values were also significantly overestimated (by tens of percent). Incomplete implementation of various programs did not lead to the expected significant improvement in the water quality of rivers, including the Volga, and reservoirs in Russia. Such failed projects as NAWAPA in the USA and Canada, projects of interzonal redistribution of water resources in the USSR, projects of Nizhneobskaya and Turukhanskaya (Evenkijskaya) hydroelectric power plants, partially implemented projects of Cheboksary and Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power plants, as well as a number of others are considered. Among the main reasons for unsuccessful forecasts, unfulfilled plans and projects are the lack of reliable data, incomplete knowledge about laws of nature and society development, financial problems, environmental demands, and the dramatically changed economic and political situation.

Project Management theories and Corporate Governance: Towards Effective Management of Small Farming Cooperative Projects

Project management is defined as the process of applying project knowledge, skills, tools and processes to the established tasks of a project to fulfil the objectives of the project. The planning, execution, controlling, monitoring and closure processes are guided by domains of expertise such as integration, scope, budget, schedule, quality, procurement, communication, human resources, stakeholder management and risk management. This paper sought to analyze theories of project management and corporate governance for effective management of small farming cooperatives. The study adopted a conceptual approach to demonstrate the managerial processes of the theories of project management and corporate governance and how they relate to one another. In the process the literature has revealed that project management is seen by organizations as new methods to plan and manage changes. These planned activities, if not properly coordinated using project management skills, may lead to an unsuccessful project. Project success depends on number of factors ranging from project efficiency, impact on the customer, impact on the project team impact and business or organizational success. The Corporate governance (CG) has been increasingly prevalent in organizations in recent years, and its significance is now acknowledged on a global scale. It has even been adopted by countries where regulations governing the use of CG in organizations have yet to be implemented. The reason for CG's universal appeal is that it serves as the cornerstone of an organization’s operational structure. The article concludes with the relevance of these theories towards effective management of small farming cooperatives.

Extended Aquifer System Pressure Behavior under Carbon Storage

Summary Most reported carbon storage projects have involved inexpensive carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from gas processing plants or ethanol refineries. However, widespread carbon capture and storage (CCS) application must avoid any risk that high capital investment cost for carbon capture from stationary point sources leads to unanticipated issues related to the aquifer storage. This paper reviews successful and unsuccessful carbon storage projects and explains simple extended aquifer system fundamentals that must be considered in selecting a storage aquifer. This study begins by evaluating reported carbon storage projects in the context of an extended aquifer system with specific attention to initial formation pore pressure and potential or known hydraulic vertical or lateral communication with hydrocarbon accumulations and/or fresh water. Further study focuses on how the contrast between injection well and aquifer pressure evolution enables understanding of the overall aquifer material balance. Finally, we consider implications of brine migration during and after long-term CO2 injection in unconfined aquifers. Experience in the petroleum industry with aquifer behavior includes presence or lack of water influx and production from hydrocarbon reservoirs that share a common aquifer. Of particular importance is the observation that hydrostatic initial formation pressure indicates the possibility that a petroleum system, or an extended aquifer system without hydrocarbon accumulation(s), connects to atmospheric pressure through an unconfined aquifer. In such cases, indefinite injection will never increase the regional aquifer pressure. Furthermore, initial formation pressure that exceeds hydrostatic pressure implies a petroleum system or an extended aquifer system that is volumetrically limited. In such cases, injection will increase the system pressure, and pressure monitoring can detect leakage from the system. Finally, CO2 injection into an aquifer will displace brine in the direction of lower pressure that could relate to distant production from the same aquifer or from hydrocarbon reservoirs with which it communicates. Reasons for known carbon storage project interruptions have included unexpected lateral plume migration or aquifer pressure increase during CO2 injection that might have been anticipated with attention to straightforward consideration of aquifer-enabled hydraulic communication. Such extended aquifer dynamics must be included in long-term models for permanent CO2 storage during and after injection.

Contractors' Perception of Success Factors for Implementing Public Road Construction Projects

The Construction industry faces challenges and is increasingly failing to meet organizational objectives. This is evidenced by unsuccessful project implementation. Project failure oscillates between cost and schedule overruns and low-quality work, with construction organizations continuously failing to meet targets and losing significant funds annually. The public road construction subsector, which is currently in the spotlight for procurement irregularities, is equally challenged by the failures. Reports show that public road construction projects are not completed on time and within estimated budgets because of shoddy work and contract variations that negatively affect the government's goal attainment. This has resulted in several administrative reviews and investigations aimed at restoring sanity to successfully implement construction projects and meet government objectives. Studies are sprouting in the construction industry to determine successful project implementation factors that motivated this study's contribution. Based on the contractors' perception, this study aims to establish success factors for implementing public road construction projects. A cross-sectional research design using a structured self-administered questionnaire was adopted, and data was analysed in SPSS version 24 software. Findings reveal that monitoring activities and sanctions on staff are significant success factors in enhancing public road construction project implementation. At the same time, compliance with the public procurement regulatory framework, familiarity with this regulatory framework, professionalism among staff and perceived inefficiency of the regulatory framework are insignificant.

Mobilised, Isolated and Hybrid Forms of Scientific Activity

The paper discusses different versions of the definition of mobilised, isolated and hybrid scientific activity. The paper traces the evolution of mobilization projects during the Soviet epoch. The case of Gordon Research Conferences as an instrument of intensification of scientific exchanges in the isolated format is considered. Examples of contemporary successful and unsuccessful mobilization projects are presented. The success of a project depends on a correct estimation of necessary resources, on the degree of concentration of research potential, as well as on the task formulation. Re-engineering, integration and adaptation of existing solutions are preferred as feasible tasks for mobilization projects.

AN EXPLORATION OF THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN CROWDFUNDING PRODUCT DESIGN PROJECTS

AbstractCrowdfunding is becoming increasingly popular for funding projects, particularly in the domain of product design, by asking a large group of people. Previous studies have indicated that creativity plays a significant role in product design and is considered an important factor of success for new product design and development. However, these studies have not explicitly explored the role of creativity in crowdfunding product design projects. This paper investigates this issue by conducting a case study employing expert evaluations of selected successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding product design project samples. The results of the study show there is a positive relationship between the creativity of a product and the success of its crowdfunding campaign. Therefore, creativity can be considered a success factor of crowdfunding. The study also suggests creative products, especially useful ones, might have more potential to attract people's willingness to fund them. This paper has contributed to the research on design, creativity, product design and development, and funding business models. Most importantly, this paper has raised the significance of creativity in design and business.

Impact of Project Management Strategies and Project Complexity on Project Success

This article aims to investigate how project management affects project fulfillment. Connecting skills to the project environment is key to project management skills. The abilities of project managers to lead successful activities have been examined in numerous studies. The project manager wants to hold on to rigid skills that can be applied to the project's circumstances. The relationship between the project supervisor and the project group, which encourages experimentation and learning, affects how strong their skills are. A thorough literature study reveals the lack of agreement on project complexity as a moderator between project success and project management skills, which also offers a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the underlying ideas. This investigation's main goal moved to determine project success outcomes by considering project complexity as a moderator between project management skills and project success. To do so, this analysis looks at accumulated data on the complexity of and problem management abilities. The statistics were gathered through online surveys, and the results were examined using logistic regression models. How well project management understanding predicts project fulfillment, the original research question, has been answered. The findings demonstrate that combining project management abilities with problem complexity can help anticipate project success, which was to be expected. There was no statistically significant association between effective project management and unsuccessful projects.

A Literature Review on Developing Causes and Mitigation Strategies of Delay in Construction Projects: Gaps Between Owners and Contractors in Successful and Unsuccessful Projects

The construction industry is known for its high risk of project delays, which can lead to cost overruns and reduced project performance. This literature review examines the causes of delays in construction projects, as well as the mitigation strategies used by owners and contractors to address these issues. The study also explores the gaps between owners and contractors in successful and unsuccessful projects, highlighting the need for improved communication and collaboration between these two groups. The review found that the most common causes of delay in construction projects are design changes, poor project management, labour shortages, and material shortages. To mitigate these issues, owners and contractors employ various strategies, including scheduling and resource allocation, risk management, and project monitoring and control. The study also revealed that successful projects are characterized by effective communication and collaboration between owners and contractors, while unsuccessful projects often result from a lack of trust and cooperation. The review suggests that owners and contractors can improve project outcomes by establishing clear project goals, developing a shared understanding of project risks and requirements, and fostering open communication throughout the project lifecycle. Overall, this literature review highlights the importance of addressing the causes of delay in construction projects through effective mitigation strategies and improved collaboration between owners and contractors. By implementing these measures, stakeholders can improve project outcomes and reduce the risk of costly delays and overruns.

Analysis of the nuclear energy systems as an alternative propulsion system option on commercial marine vessels by utilizing the SWOT-AHP method

The utilization of alternative fuels such as LNG, methanol, hydrogen, ammonia, and nuclear energy on marine vessels is quite critical to cope with the challenging air pollution regulations set by IMO and to realize global de-carbonization strategies. Nuclear energy has come to the fore with high and sustainable energy density as well as a carbon-free feature among the other potential alternative maritime fuels. Nuclear energy has been used successfully for icebreakers, submarines, and naval vessels up to now and it has been researched for commercial ships, despite a few unsuccessful projects because nuclear energy brings certain difficulties during its utilization, especially in commercial ships. That’s why a SWOT analysis has been performed to determine all internal and external factors on the utilization of nuclear energy in commercial ships as a maritime fuel. The SWOT factors and sub-factors have been established with the aid of comparable energy studies in the literature and maritime sector reports. Twelve marine experts with an average of 12.8 years of experience have participated in a survey to determine the priority weight of each main and sub-factors. Opportunity and strength aspects have the highest weight with 0.362 and 0.302 respectively. On the other hand, threats have a substantial amount of weight with 0.212. Being eco-friendly, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and preventing fuel fluctuations constitute the three most prominent features among the sub-factors. However, safety and security challenges, which are 4th place among the sub-factors, should be eliminated as much as possible for successful applications of nuclear energy. Experience gathered from past and existing nuclear-powered marine vessels will have been beneficial to overcome difficulties in the utilization of nuclear energy in commercialships.

Introduction to the Virtual Special Issue: Strategy Science’s Contributions to Doctoral Reading Lists

Introduction to the Virtual Special Issue: <i>Strategy Science</i>’s Contributions to Doctoral Reading Lists

Simple but not simplistic: Findings from a theory-driven retrospective evaluation of a small projects program

Background and purposeFrom 2010–2019, the United States Peace Corps Volunteers in Georgia implemented 270 small projects as part of the US Peace Corps/Georgia Small Projects Assistance (SPA) Program. In early 2020, the US Peace Corps/Georgia office commissioned a retrospective evaluation of these projects. The key evaluation questions were: 1) To what degree were SPA Program projects successful in achieving the SPA Program objectives over the ten years, 2) To what extent can the achieved outcomes be attributed to the SPA Program’s interventions, and 3) How can the SPA Program be improved to increase likelihood of success of future projects. MethodsThree theory-driven methods were used to answer the evaluation questions. First, a performance rubric was collaboratively developed with SPA Program staff to clearly identify which small projects had achieved intended outcomes and satisfied the SPA Program’s criteria for successful projects. Second, qualitative comparative analysis was used to understand the conidtions that led to successful and unsuccessful projects and obtain a causal package of conditions that was conducive to a successful outcome. Third, causal process tracing was used to unpack how and why the conjunction of conditions identified through qualitative comparative analysis were sufficient for a successful outcome. FindingsBased on the performance rubric, thirty-one percent (82) of small projects were categorized as successful. Using Boolean minimization of a truth table based on cross case analysis of successful projects, a causal package of five conditions was sufficient to produce the likelihood of a successful outcome. Of the five conditions in the causal package, the productive relationship of two conditions was sequential whereas for the remaining three conditions it was simultaneous. Distinctive characteristics explained the remaining successful projects that had only several of the five conditions present from the causal package. A causal package, comprised of the conjunction of two conditions, was sufficient to produce the likelihood of an unsuccessful project. ConclusionsDespite having modest grant amounts, short implementation periods, and a relatively straightforward intervention logic, success in the SPA Program was uncommon over the ten years because a complex combination of conditions was necessary to achieve success. In contrast, project failure was more frequent and uncomplicated. However, by focusing on the causal package of five conditions during project design and implementation, the success of small projects can be increased.

Procurement Procedures and Implementation of Kenya Ports Authority Projects, Mombasa County

The Kenya Port Authority aims at aligning its policies and projects to the government’s Big Four development agenda: Food Security, Manufacturing, Universal Healthcare and Affordable Housing. However, most projects have faced key challenges on time and costs management which have led to lack of project completion within the specified time and thus increases the costs involved. The intended benefits are partly or never realized due to many unsuccessful project implementations. The main objective of the research study was to investigate the influence of procurement procedures on the implementation of Kenya Ports Authority Projects, Mombasa County. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the influence of procurement planning, supplier selection, contract monitoring and control and inventory management. The study was guided by grey system theory and lean inventory theory. This study utilized descriptive research design. The unit of observation was the project managers and project team who are directly involved in the implementation of projects undertaken by KPA. Therefore, the targeted respondents were 100 comprising of 15 project managers and 85 project team members. A census of 100 respondents was carried out. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. Piloting of research instruments was carried out within the organization involving 10 respondents who were not involved in the final study. Content validity was employed in this study to determine how well the research instruments will measure what they were designed to measure. Cronbach’s alpha method was used to check for the internal consistency of the items in the questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. In order to test the relationship between variables and the extent to which they are influence each other multiple regression analysis was applied. The study concluded that procurement planning increases efficiency and reduces procurement time which enables procurement arrangements to be more appropriate to the contracts being procured, delivering faster processing of activities and more efficient contract implementation. Supplier selection based on quality factors improves quality project implementation in Kenya Ports Authority. contract monitoring and control ensures that products are delivered as and when they are ordered. Procurement activities are assessed continuously to ensure that contracts are honored, and all purchasing processes have been followed. Effective inventory management allows the organization to fulfill orders on time and accurately. The study recommended that during the procurement process the organization should consider procurement objectives, the savings and benefits opportunities and the measures and targets and the approach to risk management. When selecting suppliers the organization should consider their reliability and quality of suppliers which needs to be consistent. The organization should standardize contract creation using a set of terms, conditions, and legal language that applies to a large subset of contracts. The organization should set minimum stock levels for each item that allows it to order new stock in before it runs out, understand its supply chain and minimize shrinkage.&#x0D;

Sustainable Mobility and the Environment: How our transportation choices shape our future

This article is an overview of how travel behavior and urban mobility are shaping and influencing each other. The paper is structured in two parts. The first one presents the factors that influence travel behavior and in the second one, a few examples of good practices and unsuccessful projects are analyzed in order to determine how community collaboration affects the planning and decision-making process. The behavior patterns are influenced by socio-demographic factors, land use, transportation, or travel costs. Lifestyle represents one of the important factors in choosing transportation services. Thus, understanding the user’s mobility patterns is a complex process and varies depending on the context and the needs.

Importance of credentials for in-house or outsourced leader appointments in successful versus unsuccessful large public IS contract awards

The goal was to examine the importance of credentials and other factors for in-house versus outsourced procurement project leader appointments, in large public information services (IS) contracts. This research was needed because 45%-50% of public procurement projects around the world have failed in the last decade, and while there was no clear evidence why, some findings pointed to leadership-related factors. To investigate this research question, contract award managers were surveyed to determine which factors were related to leader appointments (in-house versus outsourced) in successful as well as unsuccessful projects. Contract managers rated the importance of award criteria for leader experience, age, gender, education, team size, budget and certification, for successful and unsuccessful expensive public service contracts. The results indicated no single criterion could explain all leadership appointment decisions, but professional certification was a more important factor for in-house versus outsourced information service contracts.

Development of a mathematical model for planning team readiness for IT solution implementation projects

Due to the emergence of new business lines and areas requiring automation, there is a need for planning and managing project work. Information technology (IT) projects contribute to organizational transformation and business growth. Despite the contribution of project management methodologies and structures, the share of unsuccessful IT projects remains high; thus, the study of critical success factors of IT projects remains an important problem for researchers and practitioners [1]. An analysis of the success of IT projects shows that 17% of projects are completed so unsuccessfully that they can threaten the state of the entire company as a whole. 45% of projects go beyond the budget. 56% of projects bring less profit than expected. 109 million dollars - average losses for every 1 billion dollars spent on projects [2]. The working conditions of the Information Technology department presuppose the existence of an effectively organized project work process. The success of the tasks depends largely on the distribution of the load between the members of the project team. The correct allocation of labor resources determines the timing and quality of project implementation.

«Громадная пиявка, присосавшаяся к государственному сундуку»: Китайско-Восточная железная дорога в оценках российской прессы начала XX века

The article examines the attitude of the Russian press of the early 20th century to the large-scale project of construction and operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), which began in the 1890s. Despite the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, state interests did not allow the Russian government to abandon expansion in Manchuria. However, the new domestic political conditions forced it to redefine its goals and objectives in the colonization of the Far East. The Chinese Eastern Railway, built on desolate Chinese lands, over a short time turned into a kind of “state within a state” with its own head (manager), ministries (Land Department, Traction Service, etc.), police and army (Border Guard of the Zaamursky District), court, system of municipal government, education, and healthcare. Since the operation of the road required significant financial costs, this circumstance could not go unnoticed by journalists and the public. The problems of financing railway construction were the subject of consideration at the State Duma meetings. The data of the Budget Commission of the Duma became public. This resulted in appearance of a number of publications in the press. The state of the CER affairs was widely discussed in various circles. Of greatest interest were the publications of people who knew the situation from the inside. They sharply criticized the Manchurian project of penetration into the East, considering it erroneous. Since it was impossible to liquidate the unsuccessful commercial project in foreseeable future, a number of measures were proposed to streamline the operation of the road. These were to include introduction of state control over the CER, reduction in funds allocated for the maintenance of the Road Administration and the Board of the CER Society, as well as reduction of official transportation. It seemed to minimize the losses in the road operation.

Importance of traditional knowledge to understanding Plebeina armata (Apidae, Meliponini) ecology in the savanna woodland in northeast of Burundi

Research on African bees remains scarce. For instance, the mechanism underlying ecology for ground-nesting stingless bees in ecosystems remain poorly documented. The main goal of this study was to assess what determines habitat preference for stingless bees playing an important role in plant pollination. The case of Plebeina armata (Magretti, 1895) (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) was taken as a model. We collected information from an unsuccessful project of beekeeping of P. armata recently ran in the Ruvubu National Park, the widest protected area in Burundi in northeast of the country. We also conducted semi-structured interviews among people, mainly beekeepers, neighboring the park to document local traditional knowledge of stingless bees. Since our respondents indicated that Plebeina nested in termite mounds, we extensively sampled termite species associated with mounds in the area. We also collected soil samples from mounds with and without the bee. Wilcoxon tests were used to compare soil properties of mounds according to the occurrence of P. armata. The results of our study showed that people neighboring the Ruvubu National Park had deep knowledge on the ecology of stingless bees. Our findings also suggested that the beekeeping of Plebeina would have failed in the area due to the lack of its specific nesting requirements. This bee nested in active Macrotermitinae mounds, probably in search of optimal conditions of humidity, temperature and for security. Mounds with a sol rich in coarse silt seemed not to attract Plebeina; probably, those termitaria may not be strong to serve as a bulwark against thermal fluctuations. Our results raise the question of taking account of the traditional knowledge to any attempt to species domestication. Understanding the ecological adaptation of ground-nesting stingless bees is particularly important for restoration and conservation of their habitats and to any attempt to their beekeeping or meliponiculture in an area.

What (specifically) differentiates the successful and unsuccessful systems delivery projects (SDPs)

PurposeAgainst the backdrop of management, planning, temporary organizations, Shannon–Weaver theory of communication and evaluation theories, the purpose of this research paper is to examine the relative importance of specific project management tasks in the various phases of system delivery projects in distinguishing successful and unsuccessful projects.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was used (N = 3,129) to collect data from the customers of a major systems delivery project management company operating in the facilities management industry. Logistic regression was used to analyze the capability and relative importance of the tasks in discriminating successful and unsuccessful projects.FindingsThe results of the paper indicate that three out four installation tasks were among the top three in their ability to differentiate the successful and unsuccessful systems delivery project. Especially critical tasks were “Meeting milestones” and “Allocation of appropriate resources” so that the project could be completed on-time. Relatively less important tasks were “Advice and suggestions regarding the development of specifications for the project” and “Proposal to meet the intent of the company’s specifications” in the proposal phase of the project, and “Resolving warranty issues as defined by the warranty process” in the commissioning phase.Originality/valuePrevious research has assessed the importance of the various project management phases. This research examines the capability of the more minutiae tasks to distinguish the successful and unsuccessful projects in the various phases of systems delivery projects, i.e. proposal, installation and commissioning.

An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Project Governance and Information Technology Governance on Project Delay

Project delay adversely affects the cost overrun, poor quality and stakeholder’s disputes thus resulting in unsuccessful projects. Project delay has a number of antecedents including the governance of project and information technology. The study provides empirical analysis of determinants of schedule delays in project completion. This will test the hypothesis that assumes that project governance and information technology governance are major predictor of project schedule delays. The study considers the software industry located in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. According to the Pakistan Security and Exchange Commission, there are 245 software houses registered in Islamabad while 80 are registered in Rawalpindi. The study has used survey questionnaires to gather required information. Data was collected through simple random sampling techniques from 220 respondents. The data collected was analysed by doing structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the said relationships. The reliability and validity of the instrument is established by the Cronbach’s α, composite reliability, and average variance extracted having values above threshold of 0.7, 0.7, and 0.5, respectively. The regression weight for first hypothesis (H1) assuming negative relationship between ITG and PD is −0.292. The second hypothesis (H2) assuming negative relationship between PG and PD has regression value of −0.418. The values of both hypotheses are significant. The study empirically tests the relationship between ITG, PG, and PD. The results suggest that better project governance (PG) reduces project delay (PD) and vice versa. Similarly, an appropriate information technology governance (ITG) also reduces the project delay (PD).

Unlocking Barriers to Circular Economy: An ISM-Based Approach to Contextualizing Dependencies

Despite it being imperative to a sustainable development, a circular economy remains scarcely adopted by companies. Barriers towards this are extensively explored yet with little focus on their mutual dependencies. Neglecting dependencies is argued to cause suboptimization and lead to unsuccessful circular projects. To counter this and strengthen companies in assessing dependencies among context-dependent barriers towards a circular transition, this study proposes a practice-oriented approach based on an interpretive structural modelling methodology. This is validated through a case study with a Danish mechatronics manufacturer with which fourteen semi-structured interviews, a survey, and a workshop were conducted. Findings reveal an interwoven network of barriers with numerous chain mechanisms across managerial, market-related, financial, technical, and regulative aspects, which underpins the need to approach the circular transition systemically. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the ability of the methodology to facilitate discussions and assist industrial practitioners, both on a strategic and operational level, in systematically untangling the complex interrelations to identify root causes for inertia and prioritize mitigation measures.