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Project Performance (project + performance)
Selected AbstractsModeling the knowledge perspective of IT projectsPROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue S1 2008Blaize Horner Reich Abstract Information technology (IT) projects are often viewed as arenas in which action is paramount, and tasks, budgets, people, and schedules need to be managed and controlled to achieve expected results. This perspective is useful because it encourages the project manager to scope work, manage time and budget, and monitor progress. Another perspective views a project as a place where learning and knowledge is paramount. In this view, projects are seen as a conduit for knowledge, which enters through people, methodologies, and prior learning. During the project, knowledge must be transferred, integrated, created, and exploited to create new organizational value. Knowledge is created, and knowledge can be lost. Within an IT project, this focus on knowledge yields new insights, because IT projects are primarily knowledge work. From this perspective, the project manager's primary task is to combine multiple sources of knowledge about technologies and business processes to create organizational value. These and other views of the IT project are complementary. However, this article focuses only on the knowledge perspective, leaving aside other views. This article is designed to bring together the empirical literature, which has investigated the impact of knowledge perspectives on IT project performance, and to suggest a temporal model of this perspective. In the first part of this article, we consider the knowledge-based view of an IT project and suggest definitions and a typology of knowledge. Then the knowledge risks model (Reich, 2007) is used as a framework within which to collect and examine the empirical data that support the knowledge-based view of an IT project. In the third part of this article, the problem of modeling knowledge and learning within IT projects is addressed. The study begins with the Temporal Model of IT Project Performance (Gemino, Reich, & Sauer, 2008) and discusses evidence that its knowledge-based constructs and subconstructs are influential with respect to project performance. The article ends by proposing a temporal model of the knowledge perspective of an IT project. There are five constructs in this model: knowledge resources, knowledge creation, knowledge loss, project performance, and learning. The content of these constructs and their expected interaction is discussed. Although this stream of work is at its early stages, hopefully it will convince researchers that further investigation into knowledge and learning within projects is warranted because it has the potential to impact both the theory and performance of IT projects. [source] Modeling the Dynamics of an Infrastructure ProjectCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005Long Duy Nguyen These problems result in low project performance and poor project outcome. A dynamic simulation model is proposed to capture the dynamics of construction projects in the construction phase. Eight key feedback structures from previous models of project dynamics and the unique characteristics of construction projects are identified as dynamic hypotheses. They include the structures of labor, equipment, material, labor and equipment interaction, schedule, rework, safety, and quality. Subsequently, a formal simulation model is mathematically formulated in terms of stock and flow diagrams. The model is then calibrated into a real project under construction. Part of testing indicates that the simulated behavior of the model and the actual behavior of the project are similar. This implies that the model is able to simulate the dynamics of the project and, consequently, to enhance project monitoring and control. [source] Senior Management Support in the New Product Development ProcessCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2001Jorge Gomes This paper studies the relationship between senior management support to new product development activities by means of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of questionnaire and interview data collected in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The quantitative analysis showed that there is a small to medium association between senior management support to new product development and project performance in the dimensions of time, cost, and end product quality. The qualitative analysis suggests that these weak links could be explained by separating the influence of senior management support on new product development activities into direct and indirect effects. Direct effects include issues such as the use of multifunctional senior teams and process champions, whereas indirect effects include issues such as organization mission and goals, and learning and knowledge management systems. [source] Managing Interdependence: The Effects of Outsourcing Structure on the Performance of Complex Projects,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 1 2008Pamsy P. Hui ABSTRACT The outsourcing of complex activities has become a common organizational practice. Yet very little research has focused on the implications of how these activities are divided up among outsourcing partners. Drawing on structural contingency theory, we argue that: (1) because activities within stages of complex projects are highly interdependent, outsourcing structures where owner firms do not maintain high levels of dominance over the activities that are performed will pose control and coordination challenges, leading to poor project performance; (2) the adverse effects of poorly structured outsourcing arrangements will spill over to subsequent project stages when activities are interdependent across project stages; and (3) dividing activities among large numbers of contractors or distributing work evenly among contractors exacerbates coordination and control problems further contributing to poor project performance. Our empirical analysis of 323 capital facility construction projects supports our predictions. Overall, these results provide strong evidence that some outsourcing structures are more costly than others and that because of the nature of complex projects the detrimental effects of poorly structured outsourcing are often not completely observable at the time activities are completed. We discuss the implications of our findings for capital construction and for outsourcing more generally. [source] A model of information systems development project performanceINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000Philip Yetton abstract. Performance in information systems development (ISD) projects can be critical to business success. But, while project performance has been the subject of much debate, there has been little empirical research into its determinants. A survey of IS projects in the UK and New Zealand is analysed to test hypotheses concerning performance in terms of both project completion and budget (time-cost) variances. Subsequently, a secondary analysis of the findings is used to build a more complete empirical model of project performance. The paper helps to develop the theory of IS development project performance and also has significant implications for practice. Discussion of the findings highlights the importance of project team dynamics, risk management, senior management support for strategic projects and user participation in ensuring successful IS project performance. [source] Practice, power and meaning: frameworks for studying organizational culture in multi-agency rural development projectsJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2003David Lewis Culture has received increasing attention in critical development studies, though the notion that there are important cultural differences within and between development organizations has received less consideration. This paper elaborates elements of a framework for studying organizational culture in multi-agency development projects. It draws on selected writings in anthropology and in organizational theory and suggests that these two bodies of literature can be usefully brought together, as well as on insights from ongoing fieldwork in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Peru. At the centre of this framework is the analysis of context, practice and power. Where development projects involve multiple organizations (such as donors, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and grassroots groups) an analysis of cultures both within and between organizational actors can help explain important aspects of project performance. The paper argues that organizational culture is constantly being produced within projects, sometimes tending towards integration, often towards fragmentation. This fragmentation, indicative of the range of cultures within development organizations, is an important reason why some projects fail, and why ideas stated in project documents are often not realized, especially in the case of the newer and more contentious objectives such as ,empowerment'. © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modeling the knowledge perspective of IT projectsPROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue S1 2008Blaize Horner Reich Abstract Information technology (IT) projects are often viewed as arenas in which action is paramount, and tasks, budgets, people, and schedules need to be managed and controlled to achieve expected results. This perspective is useful because it encourages the project manager to scope work, manage time and budget, and monitor progress. Another perspective views a project as a place where learning and knowledge is paramount. In this view, projects are seen as a conduit for knowledge, which enters through people, methodologies, and prior learning. During the project, knowledge must be transferred, integrated, created, and exploited to create new organizational value. Knowledge is created, and knowledge can be lost. Within an IT project, this focus on knowledge yields new insights, because IT projects are primarily knowledge work. From this perspective, the project manager's primary task is to combine multiple sources of knowledge about technologies and business processes to create organizational value. These and other views of the IT project are complementary. However, this article focuses only on the knowledge perspective, leaving aside other views. This article is designed to bring together the empirical literature, which has investigated the impact of knowledge perspectives on IT project performance, and to suggest a temporal model of this perspective. In the first part of this article, we consider the knowledge-based view of an IT project and suggest definitions and a typology of knowledge. Then the knowledge risks model (Reich, 2007) is used as a framework within which to collect and examine the empirical data that support the knowledge-based view of an IT project. In the third part of this article, the problem of modeling knowledge and learning within IT projects is addressed. The study begins with the Temporal Model of IT Project Performance (Gemino, Reich, & Sauer, 2008) and discusses evidence that its knowledge-based constructs and subconstructs are influential with respect to project performance. The article ends by proposing a temporal model of the knowledge perspective of an IT project. There are five constructs in this model: knowledge resources, knowledge creation, knowledge loss, project performance, and learning. The content of these constructs and their expected interaction is discussed. Although this stream of work is at its early stages, hopefully it will convince researchers that further investigation into knowledge and learning within projects is warranted because it has the potential to impact both the theory and performance of IT projects. [source] Practical assessment of project performance: the ,potential impact' approach,PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2000Michael Hubbard This article sets out an approach to assessing project performance, using ,potential impact' of the project. Its purpose is to assist project design and evaluation. In project design, potential impacts of alternative activities on the project objective are compared, in order to select activities with the greatest impact. In project evaluation, potential and actual impacts of a project are compared. Additional benefits of the approach are that it indicates ,value for money' of development assistance invested in projects, and easier tracing of reasons for underachievement in projects to weaknesses in their design or management. Limitations are that it relies on informed judgement of the planners or evaluators and the categories for rating performance may unavoidably be broad. It complements the logical framework approach by providing a practical design and evaluation tool. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dimensions of uncertainty and their moderating effect on new product development project performanceR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2008Hélène Sicotte In this study, we measure the dimensions of uncertainty, starting from the definitions constructed for and generally used in innovation projects. We then evaluate their direct and indirect effects on the performance of product and service development projects. Four dimensions of uncertainty are delimited with satisfactory validity and reliability, suggesting a differential moderating effect of the four types of uncertainty (technical and project uncertainty, market uncertainty, fuzziness and complexity) depending on the performance dimension (effectiveness and efficiency) and co-moderator (project methods and human resource adequacy). Of the four dimensions explored, technical and project, and market uncertainty are true moderators and have the largest interactive effect, fuzziness has a strong direct effect on both performance dimensions whereas complexity weakly directly influences effectiveness. The latter two also influence the relations between performance and the factors related to human resources and project management methods. [source] Software innovativeness: outcomes on project performance, knowledge enhancement, and external linkagesR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006Gary Jordan The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between product innovativeness and groups of outcomes flowing from the computer software product development process and the associated knowledge acquisition process. Data from interviews of managers in 94 software projects are analysed, and three groups of outcomes are measured: project performance, knowledge enhancement, and the strengthening of linkages to external actors/sources. The high innovative products show higher project performance for all measures of project performance compared with low innovative products. Similar results were found for all measures of personnel knowledge enhancement outcomes. Changes in the importance of linkages to nine different external sources of knowledge used by the firms during the knowledge acquisition process, also show some positive outcomes with respect to rising innovativeness levels. Strengthening of external linkages is found for 66% of the investigated linkages between one or two innovativeness levels. Of these, the linkages to hardware manufacturers, co-operation partners, and universities and other research institutions show strengthening when high innovativeness products are compared with low-level products. As the project performance and knowledge enhancement outcomes are due, in part, to knowledge gained within linkages to external actors/sources, managers could consider whether giving special attention to managing these linkages would be a winning innovation strategy for their particular firm. [source] Individual differences, environmental scanning, innovation framing, and champion behavior: key predictors of project performanceTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001Jane M. Howell Although increasing evidence points to the importance of champions for keeping product innovation ideas alive and thriving, little is known about how champions identify potential product innovation ideas, how they present these ideas to gain much needed support from key stakeholders, and their impact on innovation project performance over time. Jane M. Howell and Christine M. Shea address this knowledge gap by using measures of individual differences, environmental scanning, innovation framing and champion behavior to predict the performance of 47 product innovation projects. Champion behavior was defined as expressing confidence in the innovation, involving and motivating others to support the innovation, and persisting under adversity. Interviews with 47 champions were conducted to collect information about the innovation projects and the champions' tendency to frame the innovation as an opportunity or threat. Survey data were obtained from three sources: 47 champions provided information on their personal characteristics (locus of control and breadth of interest) and activities (environmental scanning), 47 division managers subjectively assessed project performance at two points in time, and 237 innovation team members rated the frequency of champion behavior. The results revealed that an internal locus of control orientation was positively related to framing the innovation as an opportunity, and breadth of interest was positively related to environmental scanning. Environmental scanning of documents and framing the innovation as a threat was negatively related to champion behavior, while environmental scanning through people was positively related to champion behavior. Champion behavior positively predicted project performance over a one-year interval. Overall, the findings suggest that in scanning the environment for new ideas, the most effective source of information is the champion's personal network of people inside and outside the organization. Also, the simple labeling of an idea as a threat appears to diminish a champion's perceived influence and erode credibility in promoting an innovation. From the perspective of division managers, champions make a positive contribution to project performance over time, reinforcing the crucial role that champions play in new product development process. [source] | |||||||||||||