Both sustainability and strategic goals are realized in the course of implementing projects and in this way, projects are crucial for companies. Despite the growing importance of projects and the ...vast resources allocated to them, the success rates achieved by these projects are still considered low. Numerous reasons have been identified in the literature for why a project might succeed or fail, and it has also been revealed that a competent project manager is a key factor in this process. However, papers have mainly focused on analyzing the required competencies in general, while the sector involved is rarely considered. Thus, this paper investigates, within an exploratory framework, the success and failure rates of projects and project management competencies in Hungarian public- and private-sector organizations by using the Mann–Whitney test. Based on the results, the authors reject the idea that public-sector organizations perform better than those in the private sector, but the analysis of the data also revealed that there were differences in the perceived importance of skills in the two sectors. Customer orientation and business acumen were considered significantly more important in the private sector than in the public sector, based on the sample available. This study also revealed possible correlations among the knowledge areas and skills required. In addition to contributions to the understanding of project success, this paper can also help to improve the project management frameworks applied in public and private companies. Furthermore, the findings can be adapted for projects that require a special attribute, such as sustainability.
This study aims to propose and to validate a research model on project sustainability management. Moreover, it investigates the relation between project sustainability management and project success. ...The methodological approach is a survey-based research, using structural equation modelling to validate the research model. The hypotheses were tested based on a field study involving 222 projects distributed among eight industries and two countries. The results show a low degree of commitment to social and environment aspects of the surveyed projects. The structural model proposed shows a significant and positive relation between project sustainability management and project success and in reducing the social and environmental negative impact.
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•A project sustainability management (PSM) model is proposed and validated.•More than 200 projects were surveyed in different industry sectors.•The results show a positive and significant impact of PSM on project success dimensions.•There is a positive and significant impact of PSM on social and environmental performance.•The use of sustainability practice in the surveyed companies is still low.
This Book is a Printed Edition of the Special Issue which covers sustainability as an emerging requirement in the fields of construction management, project management and engineering. We invited ...authors to submit their theoretical or experimental research articles that address the challenges and opportunities for sustainable construction in all its facets, including technical topics and specific operational or procedural solutions, as well as strategic approaches aimed at the project, company or industry level. Central to developments are smart technologies and sophisticated decision-making mechanisms that augment sustainable outcomes. The Special Issue was received with great interest by the research community and attracted a high number of submissions. The selection process sought to balance the inclusion of a broad representative spread of topics against research quality, with editors and reviewers settling on thirty-three articles for publication. The Editors invite all participating researchers and those interested in sustainable construction engineering and management to read the summary of the Special Issue and of course to access the full-text articles provided in the Book for deeper analyses.
The importance of projects has resulted in increased international standards, academic research, and education and training on project management concepts. However, studies show that the number of ...successful projects has not changed significantly. As conventional wisdom emphasizes organizational project management maturity, the aim of this research effort is to study the relations between project success and project performance factors, and organizational project management maturity.The results of this study suggest that having a project portfolio management function within the organization improves the likelihood of assigning priority for projects and meeting quality expectations and project objectives. The presence of formalized project management processes may influence the assigning of project priority and the use of project planning tools and techniques. Furthermore, organizations with project policies and procedures in place are more likely to require project managers to have their PMP certification. Results show that customer satisfaction is considered the most important project success factor and more so for organizations with portfolio management in place.
This study looks at the relationship between the use of a project management methodology (PMM) and project success, and the impact of project governance context on this relationship. A ...cross-sectional, world-wide, online survey yielded 254 responses. Analysis was done through factor analysis and moderated hierarchical regression analysis. The results of the study show that the application of a PMM account for 22.3% of the variation in project success, and PMMs that are considered sufficiently comprehensive to manage the project lead to higher levels of project success than PMMs that need to be supplemented for use by the project manager.
Project governance acts as a quasi-moderator in this relationship. The findings should benefit project management practitioners by providing insights into the choice of PMM in different governance contexts. Academics should benefit from insights into PMMs' role as a success factors in projects.
•Determined the relationship for a project management methodology (PMM) and project success•Established the impact of project governance context on this relationship•The application of a PMM account for 22.3% of the variation in project success•PMMs considered comprehensive lead to higher levels of success than those that are supplemented•Governance is a quasi-moderator in the relationship between PMM and project success•Governance impacts choice of PMM
The importance attached by project managers to project success criteria and the associated rates of project success were assessed for different types of projects, industries and traits of project ...managers. 959 responses to a web-based survey showed that importance attached to project success criteria and project success rates differ by industry, project complexity and the age and nationality of the project manager. However, the underlying criteria are different and are explained herein. Modeling the relationship between importance assigned to success criteria and reported project success against these criteria showed a link between importance and actual achievements. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.
Project escalation involves the continued, persistent commitment to a failing project. Through a qualitative meta-analysis of 15 published cases of large information systems (IS) projects in ...escalation situations, we develop an institutional perspective on IS projects in escalation situations. This perspective describes how project persistence emerges from a plurality of legitimizing institutional logics that decision-makers draw upon at different project stages to maintain and reduce their commitment to the project. Logics related to the project's approval are not the same logics that guide decisions throughout the project. For example, while we find that innovation and economic logics of return on investment are salient before approval, economic costs tend to be more salient after approval, along with technical impositions and managerial concerns. We further find that managerial logics are particularly salient in reducing commitment to projects, and we detail the differences and point out contextual triggers of external scrutiny and leadership changes that can contribute to reduced commitment to a project and eventual de-escalation.
The success of ERP has been discussed extensively throughout the last decade. However, this research offers a new lens for understanding this success through combining project management theory with ...institutional theory. Based on neo-institutional theory, it is proposed that the more the Project Management (PM) and Benefits Management (BM) are used as practice and governance frameworks in an organization, the more it is able to use them in ERP projects since they become part of its institutional logic in managing its projects. Therefore, ERP investment success is hypothesized to be associated with the organization's project and benefits management institutional logics. After analyzing 130 questionnaires using Structural Equation Modeling, it is found that these hypotheses are supported. Furthermore, the organizations that have both logics outperform others which have not. This research implies that project management is not responsible for the project investment success. This is the responsibility of business change management.
•Institutionalizing project management practices improve the success of transformational projects.•Routinizing benefits management practices improves the performance of business change managers in transformational projects.•Routinizing project benefits governance framework improves the success of transformational projects than applying any of them alone.•The responsibility of the project manager is not to deliver the investment success. This is the role of Business Change Manager.
