Tackling grand challenges with projects: Five insights and a research agenda for project management theory and practice

The project management field has two blind spots: a focus on “run-of-the-mill” projects at the expense of pioneering “push-the-envelope” projects and a rigor-relevance gap in the research. There are simply too few scholarly works devoted to project management and grand challenges, those wicked, complex, uncertain, messy, boundary-crossing problems that confront the world. Drawing on the grand challenges of sustainable development and COVID-19 and the projects they provoke, this essay highlights five insights for theory and practice and suggests that selectionism and instructionism are worthwhile approaches, while collaborative rationality may trump linear rationality. We argue that project management for grand challenges is a promising land of “push-the-envelope” portfolios that can help overcome these two blind spots, regain relevance, avoid anomia, and revitalize theory and practice. To this end, we show that there is a concomitant need for a theory of grand challenge project behavior and offer an agenda for future research.     

基于深度访谈扎根分析的绿色建筑项目脆弱性与风险关系机理研究

脆弱性作为一个与风险密切相关的因素,由于其隐蔽性特性,在传统工程项目风险的研究中未得到足够的重视。因此,本文从风险管理的视角,试图对绿色建筑项目脆弱性的概念和内涵进行明确,探究绿色建筑项目脆弱性与风险的关系机理。首先运用经典扎根理论方法对访谈资料进行实质性编码,归纳和明确了项目脆弱性和风险2个核心范畴,进一步通过扎根理论的理论编码程序,构建绿色建筑项目脆弱性与风险的关系机理理论框架。整个研究运用扎根理论,通过深度访谈和案例分析,揭示脆弱性对项目风险的影响路径和机理,弥补现阶段绿色建筑项目风险研究忽略脆弱性的不足,研究成果可为绿色建筑项目风险管理提供科学依据。     

管理理论在燃气工程施工项目中的应用

本文说明了管理理论在燃气工程施工项目管理中的 重要作用,并就其具体应用作了介绍。     

施工项目成本控制的理论与实践初探

项目法施工是在鲁布革工程管理经验冲击中提出的，是我国建筑施工企业内部经营机制和管理方式的一项重大改革。     

Major challenges to the successful implementation and practice of programme management in the construction environment: A critical analysis

For the construction industry to survive the current turbulence in the economic atmosphere, it has the option of integrating new initiatives to march the uncertainties. Programme management is seen as an efficient vehicle to successfully deliver the improvements and changes. However, the implementation of any new system or change initiatives has always been a challenging task; some of these challenges can be faced during the implementation or at practice stage. Programme management is not exempt from such challenges, in order to successfully implement and practice programme management, the knowledge of the major challenges associated to effective implementation and practice should not be left to serendipity or sagacity. Due to the lack of clarity surrounding programme management in the construction industry, the understanding of these major challenges remains vague. To provide a deeper insight into the major challenges to implementation and practice of construction programme management, this paper conducts both a pragmatic and theoretical study by triangulating literature, industrial questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The research was conducted in the UK construction industry and other programme management sectors to analyse and exploit the knowledge of these challenges for effective implementation and practice of construction programmes. A total of 119 usable questionnaires were received and 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted, analysed and synthesised to provide a broader view on the major challenges and how to effectively implement and practice construction programmes.     

Governing projects under complexity: theory and practice in project management

In this paper we argue that the fledgling field of project and program governance has the potential to make a major scholarly and practical contribution. One that not only has the potential to mainstream project management within the broader business and management field, but to also cement its place as a dominant voice in the successful governance of the strategic intentions of organizations, societies, and nations. With this argument in mind three themes organize present discussion in this issue of International Journal of Project Management: the first concerns how we should make sense of governance, something that is clarified through a review of the current state of play in the literature; the second theme comprises papers that report research conducted on governance in projects, using insights from surveys, case studies and other systematic forms of empirical observation. The third theme focuses on theoretical models of governance, ranging from distributed knowledge management and learning perspectives on project governance to systems engineering approaches. While we do not claim that this issue is exhaustive, we do believe it provides a sign post about the current state of play, and the potential future of governance in project and program management as a mainstream domain of research, theory and practice.     

基于建构扎根理论的中国EPC工程质量监管机制研究

基于政府工程质量监管视角,通过实地调研和深度访谈,采用建构扎根理论方法对访谈资料进行实质性编码,探究EPC工程质量监管机制的核心构成要素及运行机理.在此基础上,结合案例项目资料,综合实证扎根主义方法的优点,融合解释主义理念和批判主义思维,阐述目前的工程质量监管机制"是什么",剖析目前的EPC工程质量监管机制"为什么"不...     

A grounded theory examination of project managers' accountability

26 interviews were conducted with a snowball sample of project managers to explore how project managers were influenced by accountability arrangements and how they responded to accountability demands. Using a grounded theory approach to code the interview data, this study revealed that project managers develop new skills to respond to accountability demands. These effects are facilitated by the interaction of resource-based mechanisms and reflexivity that interact with the contextual factors of the project. The study broadens the understanding of accountability in project management and suggests a model for further empirical examination.     

From open innovation projects to open innovation project management capabilities: A process-based approach

How do organizations use the experience from projects to build a systematic capability to manage open innovation projects? Drawing upon Project Management and Open Innovation capability-building frameworks, we studied the crusade of an industrial company to create an open innovation capability. In that sense, we applied an Event Structure Analysis (ESA) to evaluate the event network, which evidenced a four-stage process: closed mode, open driver, vanguard project, project-to-organization. Results demonstrate, from causal connections, that the referred capability can be leveraged from the execution of key projects, especially from a vanguard project. Our study contributes to Project Management theory by reveling that previous experiences in both project and organizational levels offer a fertile ground for the emergence of a vanguard project. For the open innovation field, this paper provides a project-oriented approach to the discussion of open innovation's adoption in mature firms.     

A spatiotemporal database approach to the management of utility work schedules in transportation projects

As more and more utility installation and/or maintenance activities are located in highly congested urban roadways, frequent pavement utility cuts in such areas may cause more traffic disruptions and reduce pavement lifespan and quality. One way to lessen such inconvenience to the traveling public is to combine utility activities together in the hope of reducing unnecessary pavement utility cuts, which requires extensive coordination of the utility owners involved and deliberate management of utility work schedules. In this research, an information model and a system based on spatiotemporal database techniques were proposed to help public road authorities manage utility work schedules better. Issues such as constraints of utility permits, pavement moratorium, and utility clearance restrictions were addressed, and examples showing real utility activities and constraints were elaborated to test the functionality of the proposed model. The model can serve as a new managerial tool to facilitate the utility coordination process between public road authorities and utility owners.     

Reprint of: From open innovation projects to open innovation project management capabilities: A process-based approach

How do organizations use the experience from projects to build a systematic capability to manage open innovation projects? Drawing upon Project Management and Open Innovation capability-building frameworks, we studied the crusade of an industrial company to create an open innovation capability. In that sense, we applied an Event Structure Analysis (ESA) to evaluate the event network, which evidenced a four-stage process: closed mode, open driver, vanguard project, project-to-organization. Results demonstrate, from causal connections, that the referred capability can be leveraged from the execution of key projects, especially from a vanguard project. Our study contributes to Project Management theory by reveling that previous experiences in both project and organizational levels offer a fertile ground for the emergence of a vanguard project. For the open innovation field, this paper provides a project-oriented approach to the discussion of open innovation's adoption in mature firms.     

建设项目工程总承包管理中的系统论

分析了当前建设项目总承包管理的现状,运用系统论的观点研究项目管理,并提出了提高建设工程总承包管理水平的几条途径,以使总承包项目的控制目标得以实现。     

Construction programme management theory and practice: Contextual and pragmatic approach

The combination of the economic pressures, maturity and limitations of project management and the dynamic nature of the construction industry clients’ requirements has triggered the need for the adoption and implementation of programme management as a de facto means of aligning, coordinating and managing a portfolio of construction projects to deliver benefits that would not be achievable if the projects were managed independently. Despite the benefits achievable in the practice of programme management, the awareness and understanding of its practice in the construction industry remains vague as a result of a lack of clarity and inconsistencies associated with its definitions. To fully understand the core essence of programme management, it is imperative that its quintessential definition, practice and context are clearly understood and documented. This research is based on a pragmatic synthesis of literature review and industrial questionnaire survey which establishes the relationship, similarities and differences between programme management and project management and subsequently draws comparisons of the practices relevant to programmes between programme and non-programme organisations. The research further highlights the implications of unawareness and lack of understanding that can affect the effective implementation and practice of programme management in the UK construction environment.     

治理对公共项目管理绩效改善的实证研究——以企业型代建项目为例

通过文献综述可知,公共项目管理绩效改善有管理和治理两大途径,前者显而易见,已得到学术界和实务界的普遍认可,而后者一直以来都被默认为是成立的而没有得到任何证实。首先借鉴产业组织理论的SCP范式,提出关于公共项目治理、管理、管理绩效3个变量之间路径的基本假设,并构建实证研究模型。而后,运用结构方程模型方法对60个企业型代建项目的数据进行统计分析,研究结果表明,公共项目治理通过管理间接贡献于公共项目管理绩效。最后,通过对研究结果的分析得出公共项目管理绩效改善的一种基本思路,即GMP分析框架,从而证实了治理确为公共项目管理绩效改善的重要途径。     

基于OEC理论的房地产项目成本组织界面管理

阐述了房产项目成本管理的组织界面障碍,在总结OEC管理方法和界面管理基本理论的基础上,提出建立流程型项目组织、成本管理绩效考核全员化和工程信息管理网络化等界面管理措施,以期实现全方位、全过程、全员的集成化成本管理。     

装备维修项目管理过程研究

随着高新技术突飞猛进的发展和现代武器装备的更新换代，装备维修在军队建设和现代战争中的地位、作用越来越突出。为谋求战略格局中的有利地位，必须不失时机地改进装备维修管理工作，调整装备维修管理方法。通过分析，认为结合项目管理理论与方法的优点，实施陆军装备维修项目管理制度非常符合现实的需要，并对具体管理过程进行了论述。     

基于流程驱动的项目进度管理研究

在简析国内企业应用项目进度管理中存在的主要问题的基础上,提出了基于流程驱动的项目进度管理方法,并给出了开发相应软件的原则要求和基础条件,以期促进国内项目进度管理实践的进步和发展。     

Knowledge formation and learning in the management of projects: A problem solving perspective

In contrast to traditional projects, which are assumed to be fully specified and then executed with little learning anticipated, complex projects cannot be fully specified at the outset and require continuous learning over their life cycles. Nevertheless, the key role of knowledge formation and learning in managing complex projects is under-developed for expanding project capability boundaries to include knowledge uncertainty and indeterminacy.     

Schedule risk analysis of infrastructure projects: A hybrid dynamic approach

Schedule risk is a major concern in infrastructure project management. Existing studies have proposed several models for schedule risk analysis, but few efforts have been made on the dynamics and uncertainty of risks and the generality and practicability of the model. To fill the research gaps, this study develops a hybrid dynamic approach for investigating the effect of risks on infrastructure project schedule performance. This approach combines system dynamics (SD) and discrete event simulation (DES) which have mainly been used to analyze the macroscopic and microcosmic construction issues in isolation, respectively. The model is then verified by data which is collected from a bridge construction project. As an application example, the effect of four selected risks on the schedule was explored. The results show that the proposed SD-DES model could be ease of modifying the model to reflect real situation, performing various sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, and showing simulation results more effectively.     

Refurbishment management: challenges and opportunities

The findings from this study involving feedback from refurbishment managers and organizations identify the challenges and opportunities facing the management of refurbishment works. For refurbishment contractors, survival will be contingent upon requisite skills, knowledge and competencies of their employees, as well as innovative processes, products, services, technologies and markets. The need for a structured approach to education and training for refurbishment management is argued as a vital component for refurbishment organizations. Les resultats de cette etude, qui donne l'avis des dirigeants d'entreprises charges des travaux de renovation, identifient les defis et les possibilites se presentant pour les chantiers de renovation. Pour les entrepreneurs charges de tels travaux, la survie dependra de la qualification, des connaissances et des competences requises de leur personnel, ainsi que des procedes innovants, des produits, services et marches. La necessite d'une demarche rationnelle en matiere d'instruction et de formation propres a la gestion de chantiers de renovation est consideree comme un element essentiel pour ces entreprises du batiment.