A new approach for project scheduling using fuzzy dependency structure matrix

As an alternative solution, the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is a useful tool in project scheduling when approaching information dependency issues between activities. However, the current DSM approach faces the dilemma that the overlap of activities cannot be precisely estimated in the planning stage of a project, and the solution calls for a robust methodology for managing schedules within uncertain conditions of information dependency. The aim of our research is to propose an approach that utilizes fuzzy set theory to solve the problem within an uncertain environment. As an extension of traditional DSM-based scheduling, we describe the overlap and duration of activities as fuzzy numbers and put forth a systematic algorithm to calculate the time variables of activities and project duration thereof. An example is also provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.     

An integrated model of factors influencing project managers' motivation — Findings from a Swiss Survey

The imperative need for increasing project managers' motivation is a major concern for organizations. We developed and evaluated an integrated model of factors influencing project managers' motivation, the ‘Motivational Factor Inventory’ (MFI). The MFI consists of 47 items grouped in 6 motivational dimensions. These dimensions are: 1) interpersonal interaction, 2) task, 3) general working conditions, 4) empowerment, 5) personal development, and 6) compensation. Results of this study showed that the MFI was a valid instrument and that all identified items were relevant for project managers' motivation. A clearly defined, interesting task, working with a supportive and goal oriented team, getting the necessary information and financial and personnel resources, and having the possibility to influence important decisions have been identified as the most important motivators for project managers working in Switzerland. Factors related to compensation were the least important motivators. Results are discussed, and practical conclusions and recommendations for further research are formulated.     

A memetic paradigm of project management

This paper aims to fuel the discussion on examining project management research from different perspectives. A new memetic approach to project management is presented that promotes a new way to examine the discipline of project management. Project management is claimed to be a memeplex with the language and stories of its scholars and practitioners at its core; shaping and restricting human behaviour, and creating impoverished mental models of project management. The paper suggests that a new memetic approach to project management will help lift restrictions imposed by the traditional research approach, and enrich our mental maps of project management to serve us better.     

Extending project management research: Insights from social theories

Our article answers the call for renewing the theoretical bases of project management in order to overcome the problems that stem from the application of methods based on decision-rationality norms, which bracket the complexity of action and interactions in projects. By grounding our reflection in the practice perspective and by adopting Nicolini's (2013) toolkit approach, we suggest ways that could help practitioners and theorists make better sense of aspects that are highly relevant for project management but are usually overlooked. The paper discusses Nicolini's five dimensions of practice and three social theories (activity theory, actor–network theory and structuration theory) to highlight the combinations that are most appropriate and fruitful for addressing various theoretical and practical issues requiring the attention of project management researchers.     

浅谈施工项目管理信息化建设

信息化建设是建设项目施工过程管理的迫切需要.本文分析了施工项目管理信息化的必要性,并探讨如何建立施工项目管理系统.     

Measuring the efficiency of project control using fictitious and empirical project data

Dynamic scheduling refers to the integration of three important phases in the life cycle of a project: baseline scheduling, schedule risk analysis and project control. In this paper, the efficiency of controlling a project is measured and evaluated using a Monte-Carlo simulation study on fictitious and empirical project data. In the study, the construction of a project baseline schedule acts as a point-of-reference for the schedule risk analysis and project control phases. The sensitivity information obtained by the schedule risk analyses (SRA) and the earned value management (EVM) information obtained during project control serve as early warning control parameters that trigger corrective actions to bring projects back on track in case of problems. The focus in this paper lies on the time performance of a project, and not on the prediction and controlling of the project costs.     

Advancing project and portfolio management research: Applying strategic management theories

This paper focuses on the application of strategic management theories to Project Management and Project Portfolio Management research, specifically the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities, and Absorptive Capacity. A literature review and four research experiences illustrate the advances achieved through the use of these three theoretical perspectives, and contribute to the development of this field by providing examples and guidance for theory development and future research. Commonalities between the research examples include a strong strategic focus, recognition of the importance of knowledge and learning, and research questions seeking understanding and explanation. These research experiences outline the successful application of strategic management theories to a wide range of contexts, using diverse methodologies at a variety of levels of analysis. The findings indicate a broad potential for further fruitful research stemming from the relatively recent application of strategic management theories to Project Management and Project Portfolio Management research.     

Perceptions of owners in German construction projects: congruence with project risk theory

The construction industry is a major user of formal project risk management practices, yet risk is often dealt with inadequately, which is a contributory factor to poor performance. Conceptual developments propose a holistic view of risk incorporating threats and opportunities and the management of uncertainty. To optimize a risk management process there needs to be a reflection of this holistic view in management practice. A key project participant is the owner and understanding the perceptions of project risk of construction owners is an important step in assessing the degree to which practices reflect theory. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 practitioners in German construction owner organizations to explore their perceptions of project risk. The results showed no common definition of project risk and a general belief that risk equated to threat. Some owners did manage opportunities and saw a link between threats and opportunities, yet this practice seemed more the result of experience than an awareness that it was an integral part of a theoretical risk management framework. Most owners perceived risk to encompass uncertainty and the sources of uncertainty perceived as most important were those linked to a longer timescale, such as the ability to let out buildings.     

HRM in project groups: The effect of project duration on team development effectiveness

The literature has found contradictory results regarding the impact of human resource management on project success. This paper focuses on one important human resource management process – team development – to investigate its importance in the project environment. Results show that most team development practices that work well in the operational business environment do not have a significant influence on project success. However, project duration was found to moderate the relationship between team development and project success: the effectiveness of team development increases in longer projects. The paper identifies and analyzes team development practices that have a positive impact on project success exclusively in long projects.     

The transformative effect of top management governance choices on project team identity and relationship with the organization — An agency and stewardship approach

This study focuses on the relationship and identity changes within and between a project team and its organization following top management intervention in the context of a large international construction project. The study follows the project-as-practice orientation, examining the actions and behaviors of the project team through participant ethnography in the “praxis” of the project site over its entire duration. The longitudinal case allows the examination of the way the transition process established a new governance culture undermining the initial trust-based one and changed it from a virtual absence of mechanisms toward far more potent mechanisms of control, monitoring, and punishment. Simultaneously, the initial stewardship relationships and collectivist identity of the project team shifted toward agency relationships and individualistic identity. The triggers for the transformation process were identified as CEO succession, project failure, top management intervention driven changes in governance mechanisms, and perception of organizational betrayal of the project team.     

工程项目管理中的博弈分析

从管理博弈论出发,通过对工程项目管理过程中业主与承包商所面临的风险进行了分析,提出如何避免风险,如何在博弈过程中更好地实现自己的利益的解决方法,从而为更好地进行工程项目管理提供了切实可行的管理思想、方法与手段。     

Investments in project management are profitable: A case study-based analysis of the relationship between the costs and benefits of project management

Project management (PM) has progressed through several evolutionary stages and has become established as a well-known management method. Despite its increasingly widespread use in all industry sectors, a central question remains: what demonstrable economic benefit does PM provide? Because past research does not conclusively answer this question, we developed a model to determine the return on investment (ROI) of PM and to unite the costs and benefits of PM. As a case study, the necessary cost and benefit data were obtained from an insurance company over a nine-year period. The relationships between various aspects of costs and benefits were analyzed. The results show clear relationships both between the costs of and investments in PM as well as between the qualitative and quantitative benefits of PM.     

Project complexity and team-level absorptive capacity as drivers of project management performance

Many believe that project complexity reduces project management performance. However, so far research has failed to establish this causal relationship conclusively. We extend research on project complexity by introducing the concept of team-level absorptive capacity and by studying its role as mediator between project complexity and project management success. Applying structural equation modelling to a sample of 285 respondents, we find an unequivocal, direct and positive statistical association between project complexity and delays and overspending. Further, we show that team-level absorptive capacity is critical for successful project management, but also that absorptive capacity can only partially offset the harmful impact of project complexity. Beyond adding to project management theory, the paper contributes to the wider management literature. We establish complexity as an antecedent of absorptive capacity and demonstrate how each dimension of absorptive capacity has unique determinants and outcomes.     

Technological invention to product innovation: A project management approach

The optimal allocation of resources at the firm level to transform emergent technological invention into commercially successful products depends on the effective assessment and selection of projects. This study develops a multidisciplinary model for differentiating, prioritizing, and selecting investment in technological projects within an organization’s portfolio. Approaches from project portfolio and strategic technology management are integrated to explore how a particular product within a diverse project portfolio may be prioritized and developed. Our results suggest that the application of the suggested model to a portfolio of biotechnology projects may enhance the assessment of internal capabilities and external competitiveness, thereby providing a basis for firms to prioritize and preferentially allocate scarce resources within a portfolio of heterogeneous technologies.     

The integration of CPM and material management in project management

The problem of scheduling a project for which expensive, long-lead inventory items have to be ordered from outside vendors is addressed. A logic aimed at minimizing the cost of such projects is presented along with an illustrative example. The logic is based on adding a material management module to the CPM analysis, evaluating the feasibility of the CPM schedule, and rescheduling the project in case long-lead items make the schedule generated by CPM infeasible. An attempt to integrate CPM and material management in a large-scale construction project is reported and possible extensions of this research are suggested.     

Enforcing strategic fit of project portfolios by project termination: An empirical study on senior management involvement

Project portfolios are vehicles for strategy implementation. Senior management should terminate projects no longer conforming to corporate strategy in order to ensure strategic fit. This paper investigates how rigorous termination of bad and troubled projects affects portfolio effectiveness and senior management's decisive role in this context. We introduce the concept of project termination quality, analyse its consequences for strategic fit and how it is affected by senior management involvement. Using a quantitative longitudinal study of a sample of project portfolios, we show that termination quality positively affects strategic fit. We also show a positive, but inverted u-shaped relationship between senior management involvement and termination quality. We conclude that there is an optimal degree of involvement, beyond which an additional involvement of senior managers results in negative effects.     

Effect of project role,age and gender differences on the formation and revision of project decision judgements

In this study, the authors examine how demographic variables such as project role, age and gender moderate the formation and revision of explicit decision judgements in a project by practitioners over the lifecycle of that project. Understanding the impact of these moderating factors on decisions made by project management practitioners can contribute to more effective managerial decision making; for example when decisions are being taken on whether or not to abandon a project. Empirical data are obtained from a quantitative survey of 1313 project management practitioners across seven countries. Data analysis is undertaken using log-linear modelling in SAS9.2. The results show that while project role and age of practitioners served as influencing factors when forming or revising decision judgements at any stage in the lifecycle, gender was not found to show any significant effect.¹     

The impact of project capabilities on project performance: Case of open source software projects

Open Source Software (OSS) projects are contingent on volunteer developers and voluntary contributions from users, accordingly, traditional performance measures used for software projects, like being on time and budget, and satisfying specifications, may not be relevant for such projects. Although researchers have studied some predictors of OSS project performance, there is a lack of empirical work that studies the impact of project capabilities on the performance of OSS projects. Therefore, this paper studies project capabilities as potential predictors of OSS project performance. The data, gathered from 607 OSS projects over time (in two snap-shots), were consistent with Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT). In other words, the results showed that in order to achieve higher project performance, OSS projects need to have strong capabilities in terms of proactive and efficient defect-removal as well as proactive and efficient functionality-enhancement. The implications of these results for the OSS research community are discussed, followed by recommendations for OSS practitioners.     

Stakeholder management influence on trust in a project: A quantitative study

This article aims to analyze the influence of stakeholder management on trust in project environments. Data was collected from 130 project professionals in companies from several national and multinational segments operating in Brazil. PLS-PM was applied for treatment and for data analysis. The results show that the relational stakeholder management influence on the three types of trust is relevant and significant. Therefore, it is important that the project manager not fail to consider actions such as communication with empathy as of the beginning of the project.