Data-driven impact assessment of multidimensional project complexity on project performance

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abroon Qazi
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Bayesian Belief Networks ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Ann Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Space ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a data-driven scheme for identifying critical project complexity dimensions and establishing the trade-off across multiple project performance criteria.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a hybrid approach using Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The output of the ANN model is used as input to the BBN model for prioritizing project complexity dimensions relative to multiple project performance criteria. The proposed process is demonstrated through a real application in the construction industry.FindingsWith a number of nonlinear interactions involved within and across project complexity and performance, it is not feasible to model and assess the strength of these interactions using conventional techniques. The proposed process helps in effectively mapping a “multidimensional complexity” space to a “multidimensional performance” space and makes use of data from past projects for operationalizing this mapping scheme by means of ANNs. This obviates the need for developing a parametric model that is both challenging and computationally cumbersome. The mapping function can be used for generating all possible scenarios required for the development of a data-driven BBN model.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a data-driven process for operationalizing the mapping of project complexity to project performance within a network setting of interacting complexity dimensions and performance criteria. The results of the application study manifest the importance of capturing the interdependency across project complexity and performance. Ignoring the underlying interdependencies and relying exclusively on conventional correlation-based techniques may lead to making suboptimal decisions.

A hybrid approach for investigating impacts of leadership dynamics on project performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Luo ◽  
Limao Zhang ◽  
Xian Zheng ◽  
Guangdong Wu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
The State ◽  
Organizational Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Construction ◽  
Over Time

PurposeThis paper proposes a novel hybrid simulation approach that incorporates the structural equation model (SEM) and system dynamics (SD) to investigate the impacts of leadership dynamics on project performance under different scenarios.Design/methodology/approachSEM is used to identify and validate a correlation between leadership variables and project performance statically. On this basis, the SD model is constructed to depict a system model connecting the leadership and project performance. Different scenarios are simulated to dynamically model the variation in leadership on the evolution of project performance.FindingsResults indicate that (1) leadership can be divided into personal ability, relationship atmosphere and organizational strategy in complex construction projects; (2) personal ability, relationship atmosphere and organizational strategy positively correlate with project performance over time; and (3) L1 (stress management ability), L7 (team building) and L17 (institution support) are the leading factors influencing project performance and should be paid more attention under limited resources.Originality/valueThis research contributes to (1) the state of the knowledge by proposing a hybrid methodology that can systematically model the impacts of leadership dynamics on project performance over time and (2) the state of the practice by gaining a better understanding of the strategy of resource distribution for enhancing project performance in complex construction projects.

Fusion of Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approaches for Discriminating Risk with Relate to Software Project Performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 346-373
Author(s):  
Arun Kumar Sangaiah ◽  
Vipul Jain
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Software Project Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Control

The prediction and estimation software risks ahead have been key predictor for evaluating project performance. Discriminating risk is vital in software project management phase, where risk and performance has been closely inter-related to each other. This chapter aims at hybridization of fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approaches for building an assessment framework that can be used to evaluate risk in the context of software project performance in following dimensions: 1) user, 2) requirements, 3) project complexity, 4) planning and control, 5) team, and 6) organizational environment. For measuring the risk for effectiveness of project performance, we have integrated Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approaches. Moreover the fusion of FMCDM and TOPSIS has not been adequately investigated in the exiting studies.

scholarly journals Project risk management practices: the organizational maturity influence

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Crispim ◽  
Luiz Henrique Silva ◽  
Nazaré Rego
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Risk Management ◽  
Project Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Risk Practices ◽  
Organizational Maturity ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify patterns of project risk management (PRM) practices’ adoption, and provides empirical evidence concerning the importance (and key attributes) of organizational PRM maturity to the use of risk-related practices and project performance.Design/methodology/approachThe research involved two phases: interviews with five project managers, and a worldwide survey of project managers that resulted in the analysis of 865 valid questionnaire responses. Cluster analysis was used to classify PRM practices’ use, factor analysis to detect the structure of the relationship between the variables measuring PRM practices’ use and a multiple regression analysis (with canonical correlation) to further reveal the different degrees to which PRM practices and organizational maturity are associated.FindingsThe identified patterns of risk practices’ adoption indicate that different contexts of organization PRM maturity and project complexity influence practices selection. The PRM practices related with targets (e.g. time-phased budget plan) are the most used, and those related to tools and techniques (e.g. S-curve) are the least used. Additionally, the obtained results confirm that organizational PRM maturity influences risk practices’ usage, moderated by project complexity, and organizational PRM maturity influences project performance.Originality/valueEmpirical methods were used to investigate the relationship between organizational PRM maturity and a large set of PRM practices with project complexity as a moderator. Gaps in the use of PRM practices (i.e. areas where more PRM knowledge and training are needed) were identified. Finally, this work identifies the attributes of organizational maturity with implications in practices’ usage and project performance.

Management control structures and performance implications in international construction joint ventures: critical survey and conceptual framework

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mershack Opoku Tetteh ◽  
Albert P.C. Chan ◽  
Ernest Effah Ameyaw ◽  
Amos Darko ◽  
Sitsofe Kwame Yevu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Joint Ventures ◽  
Management Control ◽  
International Joint Ventures ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Critical Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cooperative Relationships ◽  
Construction Joint ◽  
International Construction ◽  
And Performance

PurposeManagement control is needed in international joint ventures (IJVs) for successful management and performance. While IJV management control and performance concept has been widely explored, in the construction sector, the core understanding of the design of the two concepts is still lacking. This has resulted in the neglect of important questions and directions for research and practice improvement. This study aims to conduct a critical survey of prior studies addressing the conceptualization of management control and performance in IJVs and to propose a framework for studying the performance implications of management control in international construction joint ventures (ICJVs).Design/methodology/approachUsing Scopus database and search terms, a systematic desktop search was conducted to retrieve empirically related peer-reviewed papers for this study.FindingsDrawing on the transaction cost, institutional and relational logic, the first inclusive hypothetical model for studying the relationship between different dimensions of management control mechanism and multiple performance criteria in ICJVs is presented. The model proposes a measurement method for both the management control and performance and explains how they can be established in ICJVs.Practical implicationsThe proposed framework provides a methodology to understand the dynamics of management control and performance implications in ICJV. Specifically, uncovering the critical paths will assist ICJV frontliners to approach management control in a more holistic and systematic way to promote achievement of ICJV goals.Originality/valueThe study gives a firm ground to the construction industry, which is accurate and educational for related fields concentrating on several other forms of cooperative relationships.

Lean implementation in small- and medium-sized enterprises

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumyaranjan Sahoo ◽  
Sudhir Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Lean Tools ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which lean management practices are adopted by small- and medium-sized manufacturing organizations in India and their impact on firm’s operational performance (OP). Also, the paper makes an attempt to identify the barriers and challenges faced by Indian SMEs that are striving to succeed with improvement efforts based on lean manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, acceptability and implementation of lean manufacturing in Indian Manufacturing SMEs were analyzed using three constructs, namely, process improvement (PI), flow management (FM) and waste minimization (WM). The responding firms were categorized into “lean-Beginners,” “In-transition lean” and “lean” group based on their phases of lean implementation. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 121 manufacturing SMEs in India. Lean tools and barriers, identified from the literature review, were also included in the survey. The reliability and validity of the practice and performance measures were evaluated. Correlation analysis was employed to investigate the effects of three constructs on OP. Findings The results indicate that all the three lean constructs are significantly related to OP. In the context of Indian manufacturing SMEs, “PI” and “WM” practices have shown a higher level of significance on OP, compared to “FM” practices. “5S -workplace organization” was found to be the most practiced lean tool. “Attitude of workmen” was highlighted as the main obstacle in successfully implementing lean. The findings suggest overall positive effects as a result of applying lean tools and philosophy in Indian SMEs. Research limitations/implications The research results may lack qualitative justification because of the chosen research approach. Therefore, the researchers are encouraged to explore the inter-relationship among various lean tools/practices and performance criteria by conducting a qualitative study in the form of a case study or action research. Practical implications This paper is a beneficial source of information that highlights the contribution of lean implementation in enhancing manufacturing productivity. The major tools and techniques used by Indian SMEs have been highlighted and discussed; it could be a genuine source of motivation to lean practitioner and entrepreneurs of SMEs to go in for lean implementation. The findings are also expected to benefit the lean practitioners and entrepreneurs of SMEs to focus on vital issues to facilitate successful lean implementation in an organization. Originality/value The paper demonstrates that practical implication of lean implementation can bring real breakthroughs in productivity to small- and medium-scale manufacturing firms.

Effects of team diversity on project performance in construction projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangdong Wu ◽  
Xianbo Zhao ◽  
Jian Zuo ◽  
George Zillante
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Diversity ◽  
Different Types ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is fourfold: first, to investigate the effect of team diversity on different types of conflicts; second, to determine if team diversity is significantly correlated with project performance; third, to investigate the mediating effect of project conflicts on the relationship between team diversity and project performance and fourth, to examine the relationship between different types of conflicts and project performance in construction projects. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model was developed and a questionnaire survey was conducted with 246 professionals. The structural equation modeling technique was applied to analyze the data. Findings The results showed that: team diversity was positively associated with project performance; the introduction of conflicts significantly weakened the effect of diversity on performance; conflicts have both constructive and destructive effects on project performance; and team diversity affected project performance through the mediating effects of task conflict and relationship conflict, thus adding both positive and negative effects on performance. Research limitations/implications There are other factors which may affect conflicts and project performance such as communication, trust and contract. Future research could be conducted to determine the role of these variables in determining the effects of team diversity on performance. Practical implications It is necessary to reduce the relationship conflict whereas maintaining a “healthy” level of task conflict. In light of this, the conclusions of this study highlight practical implications as follows: project teams should attach importance to diverse partner selection and select cooperative partners whose value orientations are similar; when implementing a construction project, the structure of diverse project teams should keep relatively stable, avoiding too many teams entering or exiting the project in a short period; project teams should make greater efforts to deal with destructive conflicts via relational governance such as trust and communication. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature in three areas. First, this study investigated the dynamic mechanism between team diversity, conflicts and performance in construction projects. Second, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on validating the mediating effects of conflicts on the relationship between team diversity and performance. Third, this study validated the positive and negative effects of team diversity on performance with different types of conflicts as mediation variables in construction projects.

Determining the relationship between conflict factors and performance of international construction projects

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eyad Zouher Al-Sibaie ◽  
Ali Mohammed Alashwal ◽  
Hamzah Abdul-Rahman ◽  
Umi Kalsum Zolkafli
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Path Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
International Construction ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
And Performance

Purpose – Conflict was recognized as a major cause of inefficiency and limited performance of construction projects. Factors pertaining to conflict in construction are vast; however, there have been less recognition of these factors in international construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to provide in-depth understanding of conflict in this context and analyze how it influences project performance. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 161 professionals working in Malaysian companies, which are undertaking construction projects overseas. Findings – Analyzing the data using factor analysis revealed six new factors of conflict: external, internal, control-related, knowledge-related, mismanagement, and social conflicts. Further analysis of the data using partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) affirmed a significant relationship between project performance and two factors of conflict only: internal and social. The results also showed that conflict contributes to about 27 percent of the variance in project performance. Originality/value – This paper provided a clear picture for project managers and team members about specific aspects of conflict and how to mitigate them to attain better performance of international construction projects.

scholarly journals Does flexibility in project management in early project phases contribute positively to end-project performance?

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afshin Jalali Sohi ◽  
Marian Bosch-Rekveldt ◽  
Marcel Hertogh
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Management Flexibility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of project management flexibility in early project phases on end-project performance including its mediating role on the effect of complexity over project performance. Design/methodology/approach Out of 13 hypotheses, 6 hypotheses regarding the relationships between areas of flexibility and project performance, 1 regarding the effect of complexity on performance and 6 other hypotheses regarding the mediating effect of six areas of flexibility were formulated. Statistical analysis was performed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling on data gathered from 111 surveys. Findings Research results revealed that flexibility of “how-attitude” and “how-organization” has positive significant effects on project performance. “How-attitude” contributes to the flexibility of project management processes by having an “open attitude,” “wide approach” and “proactive attitude” while “how-organization” put the emphasis of flexibility on “facilitate planning,” “outer organization” and “inner organization.” Moreover, this research confirmed that complexity has a negative effect on project performance. Among the six areas of flexibility, flexibility of “how-organization” mediates the effect of complexity on project performance. Originality/value The increased project complexity requires some degree of flexibility in project management to deal with project dynamics. However, whether such flexibility in early project phases has an effect on end-project performance has not been empirically investigated. This research contributes to filling the gap in literature about the relationship between project management flexibility and project performance. Such effect was investigated by studying the direct effect of flexibility on project performance and the mediating role of flexibility on the negative effect of project complexity on project performance.

scholarly journals Socio-Organo Complexity, Project Schedule Performance and Underdamped Transient Motion

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dimitris N. Antoniadis
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Schedule ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Control ◽  
Made In ◽  
Main Factor

Complexity is an inherent property of all systems and a result of interconnections. In projects various systems come together to deliver the required outcome(s). The most common type of project complexity mentioned / considered in practice is the technical complexity and this has always been considered a main factor which affects project performance. Despite that, projects are delivered by people who interface ontinuously and therefore are effected by complexity, and in particular that caused by socio-organo interfaces and the boundaries between the various teams and parties. This has not been investigated. ocio-organo complexity leads to reduction in performance if interconnections are not managed. Research has been carried out to understand the effects of complexity through project management processes on project schedule and performance, aiming towards the development of a tool and identification of actions that will enable the management of these effects. The author presents results of five case studies, which demonstrate that socio-organo complexity affects performance and these results have similarities with the behaviour of underdamped control systems. The results have significant implications on the way socioorganisational complexity can be managed, how processes are implemented, but also enable parallels to be drawn between the fields of project management and control systems. Considering control systems theory proposals are made in this paper for actions to be taken which will contribute towards the management of the effects of socio-organo complexity on projects.

scholarly journals Construction project performance: the role of client knowledge and procurement systems

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abimbola Windapo ◽  
Abdulrauf Adediran ◽  
James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi ◽  
Nnedinma Umeokafor
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Outcome ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Client Knowledge ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether clients’ knowledge about construction procurement systems influence project performance objectives and the role of procurement systems on project performance objectives in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-round survey, 90 usable questionnaires from construction professionals in South Africa plus 3 expert clients were collected. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics – means, percentages and the analytical hierarchy process to determine the rank of client project performance criteria, while inferential statistics – Pearson product-moment correlation was used in establishing the relationship between the level of clients’ knowledge and project performance. Findings It was found that the common procurement systems used are traditional, followed by management-oriented and integrated procurement systems. In addition, it emerged that client’s knowledge of procurement systems shows a positive relationship with the achievement of project performance objectives. Based on these findings, it is concluded that some procurement systems being selected by clients in South Africa are inappropriately selected. This is despite the emergence of more efficient procurement systems. If procurement systems are selected based on the knowledge of the client, it will give better chances of a successful project outcome. Practical implications The research suggests the need for clients to seek ways to improve their understanding or increase their knowledge of procurement systems in construction. Policymakers’ responsibilities in driving policies that will place responsibilities on clients to seek a reasonable way to improve their knowledge where possible is implied in the study. Originality/value It contributes to improving project performance by examining whether the level of knowledge possessed by a client influences project performance.

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