scholarly journals The Effect of Expertise on Project Complexity

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Isaac Kashiwagi
Keyword(s):  
Project Performance ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Interview Research ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Multimethod Approach

Project complexity has commonly been cited as a major cause of poor project performance (Al-ahmad et al, 2019). Although literature has identified various methods to measure and define project complexity, research insights did not find an explanation of how to reduce project complexity or its effect on project performance. Expertise has been identified as a potential solution; however, little is known about the extent of impact that expertise may have on project complexity. Using a multimethod approach inclusive of literature, survey and interview research we investigate the “effect’ of expertise on project complexity. We analyzed the effect of expertise on 22 unique project complexity factors. Data consists of 97 survey respondents and 15 interview participants. The research led to the following results which should be incorporated into future models: (1) expertise reduces project complexity, (2) experts do not perceive ICT projects as complex while nonexperts perceive ICT projects as complex, and (3) experts’ challenges that relate to project complexity factors correspond to project stakeholders as they ultimately fall outside the control of the expert.

scholarly journals Computational Experiment Study on Selection Mechanism of Project Delivery Method Based on Complex Factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Ding ◽  
Zhaohan Sheng ◽  
Jianguo Du ◽  
Qian Li
Keyword(s):  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Design Build ◽  
Delivery Planning ◽  
Project Delivery Method ◽  
Design Construction

Project delivery planning is a key stage used by the project owner (or project investor) for organizing design, construction, and other operations in a construction project. The main task in this stage is to select an appropriate project delivery method. In order to analyze different factors affecting the PDM selection, this paper establishes a multiagent model mainly to show how project complexity, governance strength, and market environment affect the project owner’s decision on PDM. Experiment results show that project owner usually choose Design-Build method when the project is very complex within a certain range. Besides, this paper points out that Design-Build method will be the prior choice when the potential contractors develop quickly. This paper provides the owners with methods and suggestions in terms of showing how the factors affect PDM selection, and it may improve the project performance.

scholarly journals Four stages of making project management flexible: insight, importance, implementation and improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2117-2136
Author(s):  
Afshin Jalali Sohi ◽  
Marian Bosch-Rekveldt ◽  
Marcel Hertogh
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Management Flexibility

Abstract Increased project complexity, project dynamics and changes in clients’ requirements are a few examples that suggest the necessity for flexibility in project management in order to deliver successful projects. Despite the fact that literature suggests adding flexibility to project management, there is no existing framework that provides a practical method for adding flexibility into the practice of project management in the construction industry. Therefore, this research is aimed at proposing a practical framework that helps practitioners in embedding project management flexibility into their project management practice. The research question is as follows: how to embed flexibility in the practice of project management in the early project phases? To answer the research question, four sub-questions have been formulated, which have been separately researched. The main question is answered by proposing a flexibility framework. This framework comprises four stages: understanding the current situation, practitioners’ perspectives on flexible project management, choosing enablers to become flexible and applying selected enablers to improve project performance. The framework is validated using the examples given by practitioners from 24 cases. Considering the movements towards flexibility and adaptability concepts, this research fills the gap in literature by providing a practical framework for project management flexibility. Moreover, it provides a step-by-step guideline for practitioners to embed flexibility in practice.

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.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Exploring Project Complexity Relations to Scope Changes in Construction Projects: A Case Study of NEC Projects in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Themba Lukhele ◽  
Brink Botha ◽  
Sijekula Mbanga
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Initiation Phase ◽  
Execution Phase ◽  
Planning Approach ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Multiple Case

Construction projects are of very complex nature, and subject to circumstances of high uncertainties and risks due to the interdependences of activities and processes in the project performance.  As a result of the dynamic complexities inherited in construction projects, changes in the scope of work are inevitable. Of particular concern is that, when scope changes are introduced in a project, contractors follow a systematic procedure in managing the changes, but with poor planning and implementation thereof because the project complexities that underpin the scope changes are not fully understood. Therefore, despite that complexity is an inherent and defining feature of construction projects, studies in the literature have failed to grasp and present the dynamics of project complexity which underlie the scope changes in the delivery of construction project. The TOE (Technical Organizational Environmental) framework was adopted and applied on a multiple-case study research design in order to explore and denote project complexity relations to scope changes in construction projects. Through a content analysis procedure, six key elements of project complexities that relate to scope changes in the construction projects has emerged. Understanding these complexity elements could enable the project management team to apply a front-end planning approach in the initiation phase of the projects in order to better manage scope changes in the execution phase of the project, and eventually to improve the project performance.

scholarly journals The Conditional Limitation of Relational Governance: The Moderating Role of Project Complexity

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Qian Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Relational Governance ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Governance Effectiveness ◽  
General Contractors ◽  
Moderating Role

Relational governance is generally concerned with the framework of project governance. However, this governance still has its limitations, which vary depending on contextual factors. Using transaction cost economics theory, this study considers project complexity as the moderator in studying the influence of trust as the most representative factor of relational governance in project performance. Empirical analysis with 302 owners and general contractors as a sample reveals that trust can effectively improve project performance and has a negative correlation with opportunism. The influence path of “trust–opportunism–project performance” is emphasized. The test of moderating effects shows that high project complexity increases the governance effectiveness of competence-based trust on project performance but weakens the governance effectiveness of goodwill-based trust on project performance. At the same time, high project complexity increases the governance effectiveness of goodwill-based trust on opportunism but weakens the governance effectiveness of competence-based trust on opportunism. The conclusion of this work can be used as a reference for the rational application of relational governance factors to various complex projects. This research also provides important inspiration for selecting appropriate relational governance directions to enhance project performance.

scholarly journals The Relation between Pre-planning, Commissioning and Enhanced Project Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Kranker Larsen ◽  
Søren Munch Lindhard ◽  
Thomas Ditlev Brunoe ◽  
Kim Noergaard Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Construction Period ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Deadline Pressure

Pre-planning of construction projects is important for the performance of cost, time, and quality. However, recent research finds that quality related to final testing, adjustment, and balancing of HVAC systems are often overlooked due to deadline pressure. Consequently, this results in poor energy performance and dissatisfied end-users. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between pre-planning, commissioning, and project performance. A publicly funded project with a compressed construction period was followed as a case study. During the case study, passive observation, semi-constructed interviews, and questionnaires were applied. This study showed that by implementing commissioning, project pre-planning and organizational support is increased. Moreover, the commissioning process creates awareness and fosters proactivity between the project participants, thus complications are discovered and handled earlier. By improved pre-planning and organizational support, and increasing proactivity, the project’s cost, time and quality performance is improved. This underlines the importance of prioritizing pre-planning. Moreover, increased energy and technical demands increase project complexity which makes project success even more dependent on the quality of the plans.

Customer Participation and Project Performance: A Moderated-Mediation Examination

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Chuan Yu
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Managerial Implications

This article proposes a theoretical model to understanding how and why customer participation can promote project performance. The research model was empirically examined by collecting data from 245 software development projects. The research found that knowledge integration mediates the positive relationship between customer participation and project performance. Additionally, project complexity strengthens the main effect of customer participation and an indirect effect of knowledge integration was found. Theoretical and managerial implications for project management and research limitations are also discussed.

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.

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