Business Commons^™

Analysis Of Cross-Cultural Training Efforts, Competencies And Implications, And How Cross-Cultural Competency Affects The Success Of Construction Projects On Air Force Installations Overseas, Katie L. Macgregor

Theses and Dissertations

US Air Force (AF) Civil Engineer (CE) Officers stationed at overseas bases lead and manage construction and engineering efforts for projects totaling billions of dollars annually. Budget overruns in the Department of Defense (DoD) and specifically the AF, have been under stringent investigation by government officials in recent years. 92% of CE Officers overseas work with local nationals (LN) and the host nation weekly or daily, but most receive less than 2 hours of formal cross-cultural training prior to arrival overseas. Host nation partners include foreign military, local contractors, LN workforce and local government agencies. Based on a previous Delphi …

A Benchmarking Study Of Air Force Program Manager Competencies, Kristy N. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, the Department of Defense (DOD) has redesigned its acquisition process and the allocation of funding which in turned has had a major effect on the Air Force Acquisition program management workforce. The current acquisition workforce continues to face serious shortages of highly skilled program managers resulting in programs and projects overrun, undermanaged, and unexplained increased cost. Highly skilled talent with the necessary technology competencies is in high demand. These skills are critical to the success of programs and mission accomplishments.

The purpose of this benchmarking study is to determine if the Air Force are developing and …

Classification Of Schedule Management Barriers Through Concept Mapping, Gregory W. Voth

Theses and Dissertations

Barriers to adoption of schedule management processes are a matter of serious concern to the acquisition community. Schedule management has been widely accepted to contribute to the successful execution of complicated system development processes since the 1950s. However, studies of recent acquisition failures illustrate that over the last 15 years, there has been significant internal resistance to the adoption of schedule management processes. This exploratory effort used concept mapping to identify and classify the types of barriers existing in the Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC). A series of open-ended questions were posed to four experienced program managers in ASC. Units of …

Project Manager Personality As A Factor For Success, John D. Bedingfield

Theses and Dissertations

Much has been written regarding project success, and one of the factors contributing to project success is the role of the project manager. Furthermore, project success can be enhanced by selecting the best project manager, and by assigning project managers whose attributes best align with project type. We investigated the role of the project manager's personality on project success using the "Big Five" personality model. We surveyed United States Department of Defense project managers to determine specific "Big Five" personality traits which were more likely to positively predict project manager success. The findings indicate conscientiousness and openness to experience were …

A Project Manager's Personal Attributes As Predictors For Success, Vhance V. Valencia

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what personal attributes project managers (PMs) possess which leads them to project management success. Numerous attributes are identified in the literature through a variety of methods, but very few studies relate specific qualities to success. The traits identified in the literature were compiled and condensed into seven distinct skills and attributes: leadership ability, communication skill, decision making skill, administrative skill, coping ability, analytical thinking, and technical competence. A survey method was developed which involved the PM, to measure levels of each attribute, and the PM’s supervisor and project data, to provide a …

The Assessment Of Program Managers' Preceptions Of Importance Of Stability To Overall Project Outcomes, Yigit Sen

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the manager's perceptions of the importance of stability to overall project outcomes. The assessment is based on the importance and usefulness of both the general attributes of management for the activities in a specific program, and the specific measures being employed by the managers. The classical measures of Cost, Schedule, Performance were assessed as well as Earned Value and proposed measures of Stability. In this research, the scope is limited to the management of relatively complex, large-scale projects involving the design, development and delivery of military aircraft and support systems. In order to obtain data for the …

Building A Conceptual Model To Define The F-22 Supply Support Decision Process, Steven P. James

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force requires a method to determine the most effective and efficient means of supply support for new weapon system acquisitions. This study is a qualitative research effort that examines this requirement in an environment that embraces interim contractor support for the F-22. A series of six propositions are suggested to incorporate in the supply support decision-making process. A conceptual model is developed from these propositions to describe the process for determining the optimal timeframe for making long term supply support decisions. A systems approach to project management is used as the vehicle for this process, and the F-22 …

Schedule Management Competencies For Department Of Defense Program Managers, Jeffrey F. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

With ongoing public scrutiny of defense system acquisitions, due to numerous program failures resulting from cost and schedule overruns, now, more than ever, cost and schedule-management competencies are critical to program success. This research examined the schedule-management competencies required of defense program managers. A schedule-management competency model was developed from a foundation of past research. The model was evaluated through a mail survey of 484 intermediate and senior level military program managers assigned to Air Force Materiel Command. The results provided by 243 respondents indicate that 25 of the 28 competencies in the model were valuable to program managers and …

Why Schedules Slip: Actual Reasons For Schedule Problems Across Large Air Force System Development Efforts, William M. Cashman

Theses and Dissertations

The three main objectives of this research were to identify the actual reasons for schedule problems across large Air Force system development efforts, to quantity the importance of each category of reasons in terms of frequency and severity, and to demonstrate that the reasons for schedule problems are not program unique, but are common across system development efforts. To this end, this thesis contains a categorization and analysis of 549 reasons for schedule difficulties on 22 large Air Force Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) programs from 1981 to 1994. These aircraft, missile, aircraft equipment, aircraft upgrade, and simulator programs had …