Fostering engagement and dealing with stress in projects that effect change

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-143
Author(s):  
H. Frank Cervone
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Successful Management ◽  
Effect Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Change Efforts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors that can contribute to successful management of these issues by project managers. Frequently, projects involve significant change efforts. To achieve project success, project managers must have the skills and understanding to manage the personnel issues related to change and stress related to change. Design/methodology/approach – By reviewing the definitive literature related to change management, the author provides some criteria for project managers to consider as they foster engagement and manage stress related to change in projects. Findings – There are three primary strategies project managers can use to successfully manage both engagement and stress in projects that involve significant change efforts. Originality/value – While the issues related to change management have been discussed generally, the application of these theories and practices to project management has not been extensively explored in the literature. This article provides a general overview of the major theories in direct relationship to project management.

Innovation in infrastructure projects: an Australian perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soroush Maghsoudi ◽  
Colin Duffield ◽  
David Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
New Products ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Effective Implementation

Purpose Unlike manufacturing and research and developments, major infrastructure projects rarely emphasize or drive their objectives on the basis of innovation. This is in part because of a risk-averse culture, yet conceivably great benefits and opportunities are being lost because of this behavior. Design/methodology/approach The case for focusing on innovation in infrastructure projects is that the reasons driving innovation are not fully understood, and this impedes the effective implementation of lessons learned for the numerous innovative projects into practice more generally. The purpose of this study was to discover how innovation is produced and captured in major infrastructure projects in Australia and to understand how innovation may be replicated for future projects through refinement of design, project management, finance and procurement. Findings Engineering and project managers may find this paper helpful to better understand how innovation might happen in infrastructure projects and what different forms it can take. Originality/value The findings of this study demonstrate that people and culture drive consistent successful infrastructure outcomes more than simply the development of new products or processes.

Evolution of project management studies in the XXI century

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-888
Author(s):  
Sławomir Wawak ◽  
Krzysztof Woźniak
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Expert Analysis ◽  
Number Of Publications

PurposeThe objectives of the study were to demonstrate the suitability of methodology based on a text mining toolset for detecting trends in scientific papers and to find trends that were present in the field of project management during the research time span (2000–2019).Design/methodology/approachAn approach based on text mining tools supported by expert analysis was adopted due to an extensive number of publications in the field of project management. The novelty of the approach lies in the proposed method of trends discovery instead of the commonly used trends predefinition. The use of computer support allowed the full texts of papers, and not only abstracts, to be analysed, which significantly increased the reliability of the achieved results. Overall, 3,544 papers from seven journals were analysed.FindingsAs a result, 43 trends were discovered including seven long-lasting, four declining, 17 emerging and 15 ephemeris trends. Trends were analysed in comparison with the results of previous studies and project management frameworks. New trends and potential gaps were discussed.Originality/valueThe results highlight the topics of research that gain popularity among researchers, and which are related to the current problems that arise in project management. Therefore, the results can help focus studies on the most important areas, as well as find new ones which are not so popular yet. The knowledge of current trends is also important for those project managers who seek to improve the efficiency of their work.

Introduction of a new metric “Project Health Index” (PHI) to successfully manage IT projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayaraman Rajagopalan ◽  
Praveen Kumar Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Resource Utilisation ◽  
Health Index ◽  
It Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new comprehensive metric to successfully plan and execute IT projects. The development will be based on a study of all the variables that go into making a successful IT project. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire, containing qualitative and quantitative response questions, to gather data from practicing project managers is designed and used in an IT company. Cronbach’s alpha is used to analyze the data and multiple regression is used to find the equation relating project success to project management success. Findings A comprehensive variable called Project Health Index (PHI) has been identified. Using this variable, one can predict whether a project is likely to succeed or not. This comprehensive, composite variable is calculated by using 17 other project-related metrics identified from the responses to the questionnaire. Research limitations/implications The PHI has been calculated for the company studied. However, more studies need to be performed before it can be established that the PHI can also be used in other companies and projects. What has been established and validated is that PHI can be used in the studied company and that the methodology to calculate PHI is valid. Practical implications The PHI can be used as a predictive variable, i.e. one that can be used to take corrective and preventive actions to make a project successful. The PHI can also be used to allocate resources, prioritize the allocation and improve project management during the course of project execution. Social implications By implementing projects efficiently, resource utilisation increases and leads to waste avoidance. Improved sustainability is the end result. Originality/value The work is original. The contents and the conclusions drawn, as well as the use of the PHI will enable IT companies to implement projects efficiently, reduce cost and enhance profit.

The influencing factors of enterprise resource planning (ERP) readiness stage on enterprise resource planning project success: a project manager’s perspective

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Kirmizi ◽  
Batuhan Kocaoglu
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Life Cycle ◽  
The Right ◽  
Project Life

PurposeThis study explores the influencing factors of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) readiness stage on project success immediately after go-live from the project manager’s perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe influencing factors of the ERP readiness stage are explored through the literature and expert review sessions and are embedded in Kotter’s change management model. A survey-based empirical study is conducted among ERP project managers in Turkey in 2019 utilizing principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis to reveal the direct relation of influencing factors and project success.FindingsResults show that the proposed model explains 65.179% of the variation with four components. The association of components through regression analysis reveals that project planning and management, employee commitment and change management directly relate to the ERP project success. Yet, surprisingly top management support is not directly correlated. Therefore, the results suggest that influencing factors of such long projects are to be evaluated by the stages of the project life cycle.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to the project managers’ perspective in Turkey and the readiness stage of the project life cycle.Practical implicationsThe objectives of this research serve as a guideline for ERP project managers to consider the success factors in terms of ERP project phases. This ensures that the project manager allocates optimum resources to the right factors at the right time.Originality/valueDespite numerous studies in the ERP readiness stage, this study opens new ways of future research while filling several gaps. First, the ERP readiness phase is discussed with a theoretical approach through Kotter’s change management model. Second, the influencing factors of the ERP readiness stage on ERP project success from the project manager’s perspective are explored, and factor structures are revealed. Then, the association of the factors with ERP project success of “immediately after go-live” is empirically tested.

scholarly journals Comparison of research and industry views on project managers’ competencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Moradi ◽  
Kalle Kähkönen ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Standards Of Practice ◽  
Management Personnel ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review

Purpose The success of projects clearly relies on project management personnel and particularly on project managers. Their performance and capacities are based on the achieved competencies. The purpose of this paper is to address possible discrepancies between the views arising from the research results and standards of practice related to project managers’ competencies. Design/methodology/approach For reaching the aim of the study, a comprehensive literature review, covering previous studies and related standards of practice was conducted, and analyses of competencies in the studies and standards of practice containing the rank of competencies based on frequency of appearance were developed. Findings The findings are proposing four discrepancies between the results of previous studies and standards of practice: commonly existing/missing competencies; uneven priority of some competencies in the view of researchers vs standards of practice; uneven degree of consensus on the importance of competencies; and research results are more context-oriented than the standards of practice. In addition, 98 project managers’ competencies were identified, from which 68 were qualified as weighty ones. Moreover, a categorization of project managers’ weighty competencies was developed. Finally, a list of competencies of relevance for different project types and their targets is presented. Originality/value The findings of this study provide a contribution with respect of present knowledge over project managers’ competencies by recognizing certain discrepancies between research results and standards of practice. Another contribution of the study is the comprehensive list of competencies together with considerations of their relevance in different project contexts and in different project types.

Ambiguity acceptance and translation skills in the project management literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-450
Author(s):  
Karmin Gray ◽  
Frank Ulbrich
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Knowledge Competencies

Purpose The project management literature provides a fairly united picture of the importance of projects being successful. One success factor is represented by project managers themselves, whose personality, skills, knowledge, competencies, and traits affect project success. To better understand various project manager types, the purpose of this paper is to review the extant project management literature and propose a framework for categorising project managers based on the traits that they possess or lack. Design/methodology/approach The research commenced with identifying and collecting articles from the academic project management literature. The articles were then coded to identify different competencies and traits that a project manager needs to be successful. Based on this analysis, a framework with four main project manager types was developed. Findings The results indicate that ambiguity acceptance and translation skills are two important dimensions that project managers need to be successful. The four project manager types were arranged around two dimensions. Research limitations/implications The framework presented is based on previous research. Empirical testing of the proposed framework would be a promising direction for future research. Practical implications The framework assists reflective practitioners in identifying what kind of project manager they currently are, suggesting how they might transition into a different project manager type to increase their project management success rate. Originality/value This paper conceptualises project managers and how their personal traits relate to project success. It offers practical help to project managers in understanding their strengths and limitations, and how to become a different type of project manager.

The reality of adherence to best practices for information system initiatives

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Marnewick
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
South African ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Standards are written by practitioners for practitioners. It is therefore logical that project managers should comply with project management standards. Benefits management is a domain within programme management. The focus of benefits management is to deliver benefits of initiatives beyond the closure of a normal programme or project. This is not the case with projects within the information systems (IS) discipline, implying that IS programme and project managers are not adhering to standards. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the best practices associated with benefits management are applied to IS initiatives in order to maximise the benefits of these initiatives. Design/methodology/approach Senior and middle managers in South African organisations were interviewed to determine how benefits are managed within their various projects. The purpose of the interviews was to determine adherence to standards and especially benefits management and, second, to determine whether these organisations are achieving any benefits and ultimately value. Findings There is an overwhelming non-adherence to benefits management best practices within the IS discipline, and IS programme and project managers do not have the slightest idea how to perform benefits management. Irrespective of this, organisations do believe that they are receiving benefits and value from these IS projects. Research limitations/implications The research was only done in South Africa with the specific focus of IS. The results are thus very specific and opens the door for more comprehensive research that focusses on various industries, countries and standards. Practical implications The results have several implications ranging from how standards are written to the professionalism of IS programmes and project managers. Organisations are not achieving the optimal benefits from investments. The fact that organisations do realise benefits from a broken process, implies that more benefits can be realised when the entire benefits realisation process is followed. Governance controls should also be put in place to ensure that programme and project managers are adhering to standards. Originality/value Standards are dominating the project management discipline and there is a general assumption that programme and project managers are adhering these standards. This research queries the value of standards as the results indicate that there is limited adherence to standards and best practices.

Marketing by, for and of the project: project marketing by three types of organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Rodney Turner ◽  
Laurence Lecoeuvre
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Perspective ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Review Current

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to place project marketing within the framework of organizational project management. There has been an ongoing discussion in the project marketing literature about whether project marketing is part of project management or project management is part of project marketing. Marketing is done by organizations to create a demand for products or services that have value for customers. The authors identify three types of organization involved in the management of projects, the project, the initiator and the contractor, and review current thinking on how they market their products and services, and create networks and dialogs to bring value to stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach The authors review the literature on project marketing, and develop new models based on an organizational perspective. The authors develop propositions as a basis for further research. Findings Marketing is done by three types of organization. The authors label these as marketing BY the project, marketing FOR the project by the contractor, and marketing OF the investment made by the project by the investor. The authors draw links with marketing theory, and introduce the service-dominant logic as a new perspective on organizational project marketing. Research limitations/implications Traditionally, project marketing theory has taken the perspective of the overlap between project management and project marketing. The authors take an organizational perspective, and identify avenues for research into how the types of organization involved in the management of projects create dialog with their customers and stakeholders to exchange products and services that have value for them. Practical implications Project managers have not traditionally viewed project marketing as having relevance to them. The authors show that providing a service to stakeholders is an essential part of the management of projects. Originality/value The authors develop directions for research into project marketing as part of organizational project management.

Managing project scope creep in construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mian M. Ajmal ◽  
Mehmood Khan ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran ◽  
Petri T. Helo
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeProject scope creep is a nightmare and nearly intolerable task. Most project managers struggle to curtail the expanse and degree of scope creep. This study examines different likely project scope creep factors associated with the construction industry projects.Design/methodology/approachAfter many brainstorming sessions with construction stakeholders, several project scope creep factors were identified. Then, a detailed survey was executed in big construction projects of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).FindingsThe results derived and validated five conspicuous factors leading to project scope creep. Respectively, the highest and the lowest impact on project scope appears to be imposed by tasks/specifications and complexity/uncertainty.Practical implicationsIt offers crucial support to the project stakeholders in scrutinizing different factors that stand as hurdles to project success and allows them to seek remedies to resolve them.Originality/valueIt is among the first study in the region that identifies and validates the factors that hinder construction project success.

Does one project success measure fit all? An empirical investigation of Brazilian projects

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Souto Castro ◽  
Bouchaib Bahli ◽  
Andre Barcaui ◽  
Ronnie Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Success Criteria ◽  
Project Management Professionals ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Project Success Criteria

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to identify and accumulate knowledge on the existing developments on project success measures. The authors aim to contribute to this debate by providing both researchers and project management professionals with reliable contemporary project success criteria that permit generalization for a proper assessment regardless of the type and context of the project.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 264 Brazilian project managers from a range of industries, sectors of activities and business areas with different levels of experience. Data analysis was performed using the R software package.FindingsIn this research, the authors propose a general performance measure of project success where different projects can grade differently using the same scale. The data analysis validated five constructs of the developed model in the Brazilian setting.Originality/valueMost of the actual project success measures used in project management literature have been tested in a specific industry or sector. Combinations of the type of project, industry, sector, project nature, stakeholders and other variables make each project unique. Thus, any effort to find a context-specific tool of measure will be an endless endeavor. To fill this gap, more general project success criteria need to be explored to offer a common point of comparison between projects. This is the motivation of the present study.

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