Business Commons^™

Project Manager Motivation: Job Motivators And Maintenance Factors, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr, Debra T. Bourdeau

Tom G. Henkel

The present study explored the applicable motivation factors that contribute to job satisfactory in terms of job motivators and maintenance factors when working projects. Students enrolled in a university advanced project management leadership course were asked to respond to a job motivators and maintenance factors self-assessment which is a useful framework to determine the factors that contribute to their motivation when working projects (Lusser & Achua, 2016). A chi-square test was conducted to determine if the observed values were significantly different from an expected value of 18. The chi-square goodness of fit test led to the rejection of H10 and …

Project Manager Leadership Styles: Task Vs. People-Oriented, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr, Debra T. Bourdeau

Tom G. Henkel

The present study explored applicable leadership behavior in terms of concern for task and/or people-oriented when leading project teams. Students enrolled in a university Master of Science in Project Management degree program were asked to respond to the Fielder Leadership Style Self-Assessment which is a useful framework to determine task versus people-oriented leadership (Lusser & Achua, 2016). A chi-square test was conducted to determine if the observed values were significantly different from an expected value of five. With a p value

Project Manager Leadership Behavior: Task-Oriented Versus Relationship-Oriented, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr, Debra T. Bourdeau

Tom G. Henkel

In this paper, we examined managers’ leadership behavior when working on a simulated team project regarding task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavior to effectively achieve successful project completion. Managers attending an advanced project management development program responded to the Fielder Leadership Behavior Style Self-Assessment, which is a useful framework to determine task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavioral styles. The degree of task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavior styles was assessed to determine the approach taken by the managers for achieving successful project completion. A Pearson’s chi-square test was conducted to determine whether the observed values were significantly different from an expected value of …

A Profile Of Project Manager Work Engagement: A Field Survey, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr, Debra T. Bourdeau

Tom G. Henkel

Engaged employees are those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and who are most likely to drive innovation, generate new ideas, have a sense of connection with their work activities, and are involved with the demands of their job (Gallup, 2013). Nowhere is the concept of employee engagement more important than with managing an organization’s projects. Ensuring a project manager is emotionally engaged with his or her work is crucial for project success to meet greater challenges in today's 21st-century global marketplace. In this research study, project managers were asked to respond to an employee …

A Profile Of Project Manager Work Engagement: A Field Survey, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr

Tom G. Henkel

Engaged employees are those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work. Engaged employees also are those who are most likely to drive innovation, generate new ideas, have a sense of connection with their work activities, and are involved with the demands of their job (Gallup, 2013). Nowhere is the concept of employee engagement more important than with managing an organization’s projects. Ensuring a project manager is emotionally engaged with his or her work is crucial for project success to meet greater challenges in today's 21st century global marketplace. In this research study, project managers were asked …

Green Freight Asia (C): The Road Ahead, Jason Woodard, Christopher Dula

C. Jason Woodard

Green Freight Asia is a three-part case series featured in the 2014 APEX Business-IT Global Case Challenge. The case is best used for group projects or workshop assignments concerning business-IT related topics. In this case, students take on the role of a small firm pitching to collaborate with GFA on an IT solution partnership to support GFA’s programme for the adoption of green freight practices in the Asia Pacific region. The case could also be adapted for classroom facilitation with adequate preparation.

Green Freight Asia (C): The Road Ahead is the third and final part of the case series. It …

Green Freight Asia (A): Driving The Adoption Of Sustainable Supply Chain Practices, Jason Woodard, Christopher Dula

C. Jason Woodard

Green Freight Asia is a three-part case series featured in the 2014 APEX Business-IT Global Case Challenge. The case is best used for group projects or workshop assignments concerning business-IT related topics. In this case, students take on the role of a small firm pitching to collaborate with GFA on an IT solution partnership to support GFA’s programme for the adoption of green freight practices in the Asia Pacific region. The case could also be adapted for classroom facilitation with adequate preparation. The first part, Green Freight Asia (A): Driving the Adoption of Sustainable Supply Chain Practices, chronicles the formation …

Green Freight Asia (B): Navigating Toward A Successful Partnership, Jason Woodard, Christopher Dula

C. Jason Woodard

Green Freight Asia is a three-part case series featured in the 2014 APEX Business-IT Global Case Challenge. The case is best used for group projects or workshop assignments concerning business-IT related topics. In this case, students take on the role of a small firm pitching to collaborate with GFA on an IT solution partnership to support GFA’s programme for the adoption of green freight practices in the Asia Pacific region. The case could also be adapted for classroom facilitation with adequate preparation. The second part, Green Freight Asia (B): Navigating Toward A Successful Partnership, explores how a collaborative partnership between …

Project Management Decisions With Uncertain Targets, Jeffrey Keisler, Robert Bordley

Jeffrey Keisler

Project management decision rules presume that fixed and inflexible targets have been defined for the project. If a project's slack is defined as the difference between actual project performance and these targets, then these decision rules can be characterized as maximizing the probability that slack is non-negative (i.e., maximizing the probability of meeting the targets). These rules rely on z-scores to compare uncertain performance to target levels. Following these decision rules will not always suffice for the project manager to act consistently with customer preferences. In particular, actual requirements may be uncertain or subject to change, and customers may have …

Developing Soft Skills To Manage User Expectations In It Projects: Knowledge Reuse Among It Project Managers, Stacie Petter, Adriane Randolph

Adriane B. Randolph

This research explores information technology (IT) project managers' reuse of knowledge associated with soft skills when managing user expectations. Through interviews with IT project managers, several themes emerged: novelty of problems, conditions within the organization, types of available knowledge, and methods for reusing knowledge. Within this study, we discovered the need for additional research on how social norms and organizational conditions encourage or inhibit knowledge reuse. Furthermore, we identified a difference in the usefulness of knowledge captured in formal repositories according to levels of project management experience. The findings confirm, extend, and illuminate the current research associated with knowledge reuse …

Project Quality Of Offshore Virtual Teams Engaged In Software Requirements Analysis: An Exploratory Comparative Study, Dhruv Nath, Varadharajan Sridhar, Monica Adya, Amit Malik

Monica Adya

The off-shore software development companies in countries such as India use a global delivery model in which initial requirement analysis phase of software projects get executed at client locations to leverage frequent and deep interaction between user and developer teams. Subsequent phases such as design, coding and testing are completed at off-shore locations. Emerging trends indicate an increasing interest in off-shoring even requirements analysis phase using computer mediated communication. We conducted an exploratory research study involving students from Management Development Institute (MDI), India and Marquette University (MU), USA to determine quality of such off-shored requirements analysis projects. Our findings suggest …

Project Management Issues In It Offshore Outsourcing, Kathy Schwaig, Stephen Gillam, Elke M. Leeds

Kathy S Schwaig

Global partnerships are forming to take advantage of the cost savings associated with offshoring as well as other strategic benefits. Not all information technology offshoring projects, however, are successful. Cost overruns, increased complexity and defective code cause organizations to rethink their offshoring strategy and their methods for managing these projects. In this paper, project management issues associated with offshore information technology outsourcing projects are identified and specific recommendations for addressing these issues are presented.

Development Of Generic Key Performance Indicators For Pmbok® Using A 3d Project Integration Model, Craig Langston

Craig Langston

Since Martin Barnes’ so-called ‘iron triangle’ circa 1969, much debate has occurred over how best to describe the fundamental constraints that underpin project success. This paper develops a 3D project integration model for PMBOK® comprising core constraints of scope, cost, time and risk as a basis to propose six generic key performance indicators (KPIs) that articulate successful project delivery. These KPIs are defined as value, efficiency, speed, innovation, complexity and impact and can each be measured objectively as ratios of the core constraints. An overall KPI (denoted as s3/ctr) is also derived. The aim in this paper is to set …

Διαχείριση Έργου Αθλητικών Υπηρεσιών, Yanni D. Afthinos

Yanni D Afthinos

No abstract provided.

Critical Success Factors Of Projects, Fida Hussain Hussain, Ahmed Imran Hunjra, Majed Rashid

Ahmed Imran Hunjra (PhD)

Transitional Leadership In The Defence And Aerospace Industry: A Critical Analysis For Recruiting And Developing Talent, Maurice Dawson, Emad Rahim

Maurice Dawson

This article proposes a framework to create effective transitional leadership in the defence and aerospace industry. The proposed framework identifies and maps traits and skills of military personnel in a manner that can be tested and validated in accordance with principles of human resource management. Applying this framework would assist hiring managers in their selection of program or project managers from the military in transition to a defence contractor support organisation. Employing a research approach embracing a mix of both qualitative and quantitative strategies, the study examined more than 50 respondents to a 34-question survey, focusing on 14 respondents who …

Managing Projects In Context: Responding To Strategic Drivers, Lynn Crawford, Terry Cooke-Davies

Lynn Crawford

Project management as a field of practice initially focused on the standalone project and on development of generic standards, largely ignoring context. This has been challenged by attempts to provide useful categorizations of projects according to their different attributes, including aspects of context, and there is increasing interest in application of different project management approaches according to project type. Recognition of project management as an organizational capability has been a more recent development, but models and standards for organizational project management have been subject to a similar one size fits all approach. Recent research into the value of project management …

Factors That Influence And Are Influenced By Change Projects, Anat Nahmias, Lynn Crawford, Marge Combe

Lynn Crawford

Organizational changes are often achieved through disciplined project management. Change management and project management are two disciplines that draw upon different theoretical frameworks but rely on each other to achieve an organizational goal. While organizational change deals with stakeholders, relationships, and strategy, project management is focused on achieving tasks through a linear, logical process. As a result of these opposing focuses and the requirement to lead projects together, the relationship between the two can create tension. Achieving an organizational change has additional challenges beyond this potential tension between the two disciplines. The organization in which the project changes are being …

A Study Of Project Categorisation Based On Project Management Complexity, Alicia Aitken, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

This study explores the use of project complexity categorisation as a means of understanding and applying the competencies required to manage projects across a portfolio of project types including projects of an innovative nature. The data for this study includes one hundred and twenty project descriptions and ratings of complexity by project managers of their current (or most recent) project according to project management complexity factors developed to support global project management competency standards. The data was collected as part of a global study into project management competence, complexity and behaviours conducted over the course of 2005 and 2006. This …

Governance And Support In The Sponsoring Of Projects And Programs, Lynn Crawford, Terry Cooke-Davies, Brian Hobbs, Les Labuschagne, Kaye Remington, Ping Chen

Lynn Crawford

Several factors have combined to draw attention to the importance of sponsoring projects and programs. One factor is that after several decades of attempting to improve success rates of projects by focusing on project-based management and the project management competence of practitioners, convincing evidence demonstrates that success or failure of projects is not entirely within the control of the project manager and project team. Contextual issues are crucial in influencing the progress and outcomes of projects, and a key theme that has emerged is the importance of top management support. Another factor that has drawn attention to the sponsorship role …

Developing A Basis For Global Reciprocity: Negotiating Between The Many Standards For Project Management, Lynn Crawford, Julien Pollack

Lynn Crawford

Professional standards are a significant issue for professions such as IT and Project Management, where certification and licensure are either necessary to practice or to demonstrate individual competence and capability. In many professions there is no basis for international reciprocity of professional standards. This paper documents the development of a standard for global reciprocity between already existing professional standards in the field of Project Management. Data are based on personal involvement by the authors and interviews with participants. This discussion addresses different approaches to standardisation, how common issues in the standardisation process have been addressed, and how the hindering influence …

Government And Governance: The Value Of Project Management In The Public Sector, Lynn Crawford, Jane Helm

Lynn Crawford

Governance is an emerging theme that has been associated in the public sector with a real political need to satisfy stakeholders by demonstrating accountability and transparency while effectively implementing policy. Many initiatives relating to governance are generated by a need for improvement of organizational performance and ability to implement and adapt to change. These generally take the form of projects and programs encouraging a variety of project management implementations in the public sector. This article reports on examination of the expectations and realization of value from investment in project management in four Australian public-sector organizations with particular reference to the …

Exploring The Complexity Of Projects: Implications Of Complexity Theory For Project Management Practice, Svetlana Cicmil, Terry Cooke-Davies, Lynn Crawford, Kurt Richardson

Lynn Crawford

Exploring the Complexity of Projects: Implications of Complexity Theory for Project Management Practice explores the process and findings of the implications of the complexity theory for project management theory and practice. The golden triangle (project deadline, budget and output) makes the standard definition of project management processes, skills and knowledge paradoxical and divorced from practice. This monograph contains research of management processes and capabilities in innovative project settings and highlights the challenges in contemporary project management practice. This research suggests that in order to define and conceptualize project complexity, the building blocks of project must be more properly defined. These …

Senior Management Perceptions Of Effective Project Manager Behavior: An Exploration Of A Core Set Of Behaviors For Superior Project Managers, Alicia Aitken, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Successful project managers continually demonstrate a core set of behaviors that enable them to effectively lead project teams. This paper examines an exploratory study attempting to distinguish the core behaviors--as determined by senior managers--of effective project managers. In doing so, it defines the study's six interview questions that 41 senior managers were asked to answer in relation to 32 personality dimensions and 20 behavioral competencies. It overviews the key previous studies on the behavioral profiles of superior-performing project managers; it explains the authors' research methodology and reports the research findings, identifying the seven necessary personality characteristics common among successful project …

Perceptions Of Effective Project Manager Behaviour, Alicia Aitken, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Effective project management is as much about demonstration of appropriate behaviours as it is about the application of project management skills. Practitioners and researchers are interested in understanding the behavioural profile of “superior” project managers. Cheng and Dainty’s (2005) research into the behavioural profile of “superior” project managers is one of the first research steps into this field. This research identified twelve behavioural competencies that distinguished “superior” project managers in a sample drawn from the construction industry. Another aspect of the behavioural characteristics of project managers has been explored by Muller and Turner (2006) in their investigation of the differing …

Global Body Of Project Management And Knowledge, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Extract: This chapter presents an overview of the current principal project management standards and guides for project management knowledge and performance, including a comparison of their content and coverage and an indication of their use in assessment and as a basis for qualifications. Current developments and potential future directions are also reviewed. © Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007

How Standard Are Standards: An Examination Of Language Emphasis In Project Management Standards, Lynn Crawford, Julien Pollack, David England

Lynn Crawford

In light of current work toward the development of global standards for project management, this paper analyzes differences between a selection of various countries’ existing project management standards. The analysis is conducted using computational corpus linguistics techniques, resulting in the identification of similarities and differences between the standards of five countries. © Copyright Project Management Institute, 2007

Professional Associations And Global Initiatives, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Extract: Communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) are formed when people doing similar things realize they have shared interests. They recognize that there are opportunities to improve both their practices and their performance by sharing knowledge and experience. The project management professional associations as we know them today began in this way: as informal gatherings and forums for networking and exchanging ideas and information. © Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007

Developing Project Management Capability Of Organizations, Lynn Crawford, J Turner

Lynn Crawford

Extract: In the realm of multiple projects and programmes, the need for organizational capability becomes obvious if only because the management of outcomes is no longer within the confines of a single project or the responsibility and authority of a single project manager. When an organization recognises that business change and corporate strategy can be delivered through projects, there is realization that project management capability needs to be able to support doing the project right, doing the right projects and doing this consistently across all the organization's projects (Cooke-Davies 2004b). Organizational project management capability is therefore increasingly seen as a …

How Generic Are Project Management Knowledge And Practice?, Lynn Crawford, Julien Pollack

Lynn Crawford

At the heart of managing projects is a complex paradox: Projects are widely considered unique endeavors, yet the effort to implement a project usually involves using a generic set of standardized practices. This article examines the complexity involved in relying on standardized practices to manage projects, focusing on conflict of using generalized processes to realize unique endeavors. In doing so, it identifies three types of standards and overviews the literature on the benefits and the problems involved in standardizing project management practices and in implementing these practices to manage projects. It then outlines the responses to a survey that the …