Structural equation model of project planning effectiveness

Previous research studies investigating the impact of situational variables on project planning effectiveness have not examined how the situational variables work together to influence planning effectiveness. A structural equation model (SEM) has been developed for describing and quantifying the influence of situational factors in project environments and organizational characteristics of performing organizations on project planning effectiveness. The individual effects of directly‐observable variables on the project planning process were evaluated using regression analysis. The SEM approach enables the modelling of multiple factors as latent not‐directly‐measurable variable sets, thus providing a theoretical insight into how individual influence factors work together to determine the effectiveness of project planning efforts. The project environment has a dominant significant influence on the potential effectiveness of project planning efforts. In contrast, the influence of organizational characteristics is relatively insignificant.     

Understanding internally generated risks in projects

This paper identifies a class of risk that is common, important and yet poorly managed in projects. Internally generated risks arise within a project management team or its host organisation, from their management systems, culture and decisions. Even when a project applies recognised risk management processes, and seems to be managing its risks well, research demonstrates that internally generated risks are a different matter altogether. This calls into question how such risks can be managed, and whether current risk management practices need to be changed.     

Where do I go from here? Motivated reasoning in construction decisions

Early stage decisions have the greatest impact on construction projects and so, attention at conception and realization of projects is imperative. Decisions are influenced by actors’ interdependencies, thus, it is important to understand how actors determine meanings of their situations and actions. Meaning is derived from situational cues that are contextually bounded and, through actions, determines decisions’ outcomes via sensemaking. The objectives of this critical essay are to examine the impact of motivated reasoning on sensemaking and, thus, decision-making through scrutinising how actors make sense of projects and contexts to yield meanings. The focus of the discussion is on the human interactional aspects of decisions to examine potential bias, effected through the vague goals held by the actors, and the assumption of rationality, extending to bounded rationality, and how that leads to traps/pitfalls in decision-making. The discussion encompasses the concepts of sensemaking and of motivated reasoning in construction decisions from the perspectives of the dominant logic and the dynamic states of flux in the construction environment – in particular, the aspects of open-mindedness and directional bias, over-optimism, and attitudinal predispositions which impact on motivated reasoning of decision-makers in construction projects. This essay concludes that motivated reasoning, as a bias vector, operates to influence how actors arrive at understandings, reach decisions and behave to generate outcomes. The motivated reasoning perspective gives insight into the nature of decision-making in many project processes and the outcomes achieved.     

Measuring the impact of a major project management educational program: The PMP case in Finmeccanica

This work aims at providing evidence of the impact of project management training programs. The research focuses on the impact of training effectiveness (higher learning) on the project managers' competencies (applied behaviors). Data have been collected within PMP-Project Management Program: a corporate training program developed and delivered through an academic–industrial collaboration between Politecnico di Milano University and the Education and Human Resources Development Department of Finmeccanica SpA. The program started in 2007 and has involved more than 2300 participants worldwide so far. The empirical analyses are based on an extensive survey conducted one year (rolling) after the training activities. The analysis of the relationships among the different variables provides evidence of the positive impact of training effectiveness on project management competencies. Moreover, the results show that two other variables, role-training matching and environment factors, have a strong conjoint effect, significantly increasing the impact of training on the project management competencies.     

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     

Development and performance evaluation of a methodology,based on distributed computing,for speeding EnergyPlus simulation

This article presents an approach for speeding EnergyPlus simulations. The computing run time of an energy simulation depends on several variables and is directly proportional to the simulation RunPeriod. In the proposed approach, data parallelization is achieved by breaking an annual simulation into several segments of smaller RunPeriod, each handled by a separate computer/processor. The speed gain achieved by running 12 one-month RunPeriod segments in parallel as compared to single simulation of 12 months is between three and six times. Segmentation of simulation has resulted in minor deviations between the results obtained through segmented simulations and annual simulations. Methods for reducing these deviations on annual and monthly basis are presented in this article using 12 benchmark models each simulated for five cities. On annual basis, a maximum deviation of 0.06% was observed in cooling, heating, and lighting consumption. In a month-to-month comparison between the segments and annual simulation, the maximum deviation was 1.7% for heating and 0.8% for cooling.     

Using an interactive schedule simulation platform to assess and improve contingency management strategies

An understanding of the dynamic interactions between resources and the management decisions that control them is critical to effectively manage contingencies during the execution phase of a project. Hence, the objective of this paper is to study each resource decision within the context of sequences of decisions. This allows the consideration of dynamic interactions between resources, and designs control responses that account for uncertain outcomes and that minimize contingencies. It is hypothesized that the success of achieving project objectives and priorities is dependent on understanding ways of developing coherent management decision sequences. For given project priorities and outcomes, such decision sequences are defined as strategies. This paper proposes and implements a simulation based method to assess and improve alternative decision strategies. The theoretical contribution of this research is that it develops foundational simulation based methods that support the study of construction decision-making as a dynamic control problem.     

Beyond the point of no return: On the management of deviations

This article explores how deviations are managed in practice in a diesel power plant project. The article builds upon an analysis of a case study of a power plant project and a true story of mountaineering. Metaphorically the paper uses mountaineering to shed light onto the management of deviations and the decisions that follow. At first sight the comparison is farfetched, but once the picture is painted there are similarities that make it worthwhile. The analysis demonstrates the impact of the point of no return on formal procedures when the actions associated with deviations are forced and how these actions are by necessity sanctioned after the solutions are found.     

Presentation of project status reports

In order for project managers to provide their superiors with a monthly summary statement of the progress of each project for which they are responsible, the project status sheet was developed. Prior to the development of this document, a trend chart was produced (using a Calcomp fast plotter) for each project, but the lines joining the successive predicted dates for each event could not be drawn by the machine but had to be drawn manually. The presentation tended to become confused if the number of selected events and the number of review dates increased significantly. To provide a more effective management presentation, the format of the chart was changed and data relating to the financial status of the project included.     

Examination of the effects of a KanBIM production control system on subcontractors' task selections in interior works

Work flow and productivity in construction project production systems can be improved through thoughtful planning with systematic avoidance of waste coupled with the use of appropriate production control systems. Collection and distribution of accurate, reliable and timeous information describing the states of the processes and products are essential. This study examined the effect of an information system based on building information modeling (BIM) on the decisions made by construction trade crews when determining their sequence of work. A prototype system, called “KanBIM”, was used by subjects working in a virtual construction site experimental setup using a virtual reality CAVE linked to a discrete event simulation engine, to guide their performance of “virtual” work in a building with sixteen apartments. The use of the system improved the process flow and eliminated waste. It gave the subjects situational awareness, leading them to perform the right work, reducing rework and time wasted.     

Data-driven simulation, dimensional accuracy and realism in a landscape visualization tool

Computer-based landscape simulation tools are used for assessing the visual impact of land-use decisions. Many systems rely on the artistic manipulation of two-dimensional scanned photographic or videotape images. The specific manipulation of an image is often not directly driven by data describing the proposed landscape modification. Also, it is difficult to move from a modified two-dimensional image to a three-dimensional real world design. This paper discusses how issues of data-driven simulation and dimensional accuracy are addressed in the Vantage Point landscape visualization tool. We describe features of the tool that contribute to image realism. We also propose how a tool with Vantage Point's capabilities would be useful for research in visual quality management and psychophysics.     

Quality control and due diligence in project management: Getting decisions right by taking the outside view

This paper explores how theories of the planning fallacy and the outside view may be used to conduct quality control and due diligence in project management. First, a much-neglected issue in project management is identified, namely that the front-end estimates of costs and benefits – used in the business cases, cost–benefit analyses, and social and environmental impact assessments that typically support decisions on projects – are commonly significantly different from actual ex post costs and benefits, and are therefore poor predictors of the actual value and viability of projects. Second, it is discussed how Kahneman and Tversky's theories of the planning fallacy and the outside view may help explain and remedy this situation through quality control of decisions. Third, it is described what quality control and due diligence are in the context of project management, and an eight-step procedure is outlined for due diligence based on the outside view. Fourth, the procedure is tested on a real-life, multibillion-dollar project, organized as a public–private partnership. Finally, Akerlof and Shiller's recent discussion in economics of “firing the forecaster” is discussed together with its relevance to project management. In sum, the paper demonstrates the need, the theoretical basis, a practical methodology, and a real-life example for how to de-bias project management using quality control and due diligence based on the outside view.     

连续梁桥动力特性的初步分析

桥梁结构的仿真计算近年来得到了快速的发展。作为有限元分析的一种手段,ANSYS仿真技术在桥梁结构的设计和计算中越来越体现出其快速、精确的优势。文章就是在这样的环境下,使用大型有限元分析软件ANSYS,并结合工程实例,对连续梁桥的动力特性进行了初步分析。     

A hybrid simulation approach for quantitatively analyzing the impact of facility size on construction projects

Sizing temporary facilities is a crucial task in construction site layout planning due to its significant impact on project productivity and cost. This paper describes a simulation-based approach for modeling the size of facilities that temporarily contain materials in construction projects. Different methods have been introduced for estimating the required size of this kind of facility; however, space limitations, particularly on congested sites, may not allow the planner to allocate the estimated space to the facilities. This study aims at quantitatively analyzing the impact of facility size on the project and modeling the managerial corrective actions to remedy the space shortage in facilities. To this end, a hybrid discrete-continuous simulation technique is adopted. Simulation is superior in modeling dynamic interactions between variables as well as modeling construction processes with inherent uncertainties. The combination of discrete and continuous simulation is used to enhance accuracy and model the project at both operational level (i.e., activity level with higher level of detail) to estimate production rate, and strategic level (i.e., macro level with lower level of detail) to account for some construction planning decisions such as material management variables. The novelty of this study is analyzing the impact of facility size on the project time and cost, while managerial actions taken to resolve space shortages are modeled, and interdependent influencing parameters of the different disciplines, such as site layout, material management, logistics, and construction process planning are integrated in a unified model. The applicability and suitability of the proposed approach is demonstrated in layout planning of a tunneling project site.     

基于“代建制”项目管理的工程监理企业发展探讨

面对政府投资项目代建制管理办法的实施,我国工程监理企业面临着新的机遇与挑战。本文探讨了工程监理企业在代建制项目管理的外部环境下如何通过自身的管理变革发展代建制项目管理业务,并提出实现这一转变的应时策略。     

REPORTING ON ART IN THE CITY: NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF PUBLIC ART IN PHILADELPHIA,NEW ORLEANS,SAN FRANCISCO,AND CHICAGO, 2001–2010

Local journalism is expected to record significant events, people, and ideas tied to the location where the journalism is practiced. Public art commemorates some of these significant events, people, and ideas, some of which encapsulate the style of the city, and all of which can become issues that gain media attention. We investigate a decade (2001–2010) of newspaper reporting and policies related to public art in four cities that are considered cultural destinations in the United States—Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Chicago—to understand how this issue is used to define and describe each of these cities and styles within media discourse. We argue that what is covered and how it is covered shed light on how journalists and those who make decisions about public art seek to develop and maintain the styles of cities.     

Preliminary signals and early warnings in industrial investment projects

Fast tracking makes growing demands on project management. The classic management methods are often too late; problems already exist. The theory of weak signals presented by Igor Ansoff raises the question of whether corresponding signals exist in the project management sector. The signals and messages are always more or less inaccurate, as indicated in the fuzzy theory. The research shows that stimuli (signals) which comply with the information theory can be found in the project environment. These signals change into information when they are received and interpreted. There are also messages which can be interpreted to be preliminary warning signals. The research analyses the character of the signals, their appearance, what project problems they are related to, and what their basic reasons are. The continuation article analyses how the signals can be exploited in project control.     

Rethinking Project Management: Researching the actuality of projects

This paper puts forth the somewhat controversial position that what is needed to improve project management in practice is not more research on what should be done or the frequency and/or use of traditional project management practices. We argue that while a great deal is written about traditional project management we know very little about the “actuality” of project based working and management. This paper formulates a research approach that takes seriously practitioner’s lived experience of projects. We explore the ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions underlying this kind of research and provide examples of some project management research originating from this perspective. We conclude by summarizing the findings from these studies and providing insights into the map ahead for future such research. In this kind of work the attention is refocused on praxis, on context-dependent judgement, on situational ethics and on reflexivity which enables social actors to see how power actually functions in context.     

Modeling managerial behavior in real options valuation for project-based environments

Project valuation, as a decision-making tool for initiating investments in projects, should be able to value project flexibilities and incorporate reasonable risk preferences of relevant decision makers. Real options valuation methods are the available approaches for valuing project flexibilities, whereas they have shortcomings in considering managers’ reasonable risk preferences in project decisions. Therefore, researchers have suggested approximating the perspective on risk of real options methods and practitioners in project management. This study proposes a fair real options valuation for project-based environments by a behavioral economic approach, which adopts binomial lattice method, Monte-Carlo simulation, and cumulative prospect theory. The results show that behavioral factors such as ‘risk attitude’ and ‘loss aversion’ should be accepted in project investment decisions while limited to an acceptable amount depending on the project conditions (e.g. uniqueness of decision-making scenarios). This research contributes to the project management domain by enhancing project investment decisions that include project flexibilities.