Rianne Appel-Meulenbroek and Vitalija Danivska
Business case (BC) analyses are performed in many different business fields, to create a report on the feasibility and competitive advantage of an intervention within an existing…
Abstract
Purpose
Business case (BC) analyses are performed in many different business fields, to create a report on the feasibility and competitive advantage of an intervention within an existing organisation to secure commitment from management to invest. However, most BC research papers on decisions regarding internal funding are either based on anecdotal insights, on analyses of standards from practice, or focused on very specific BC calculations for a certain project, investment or field. A clear BC process method is missing.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper aims to describe the results of a systematic literature review of 52 BC papers that report on further conceptualisation of what a BC process should behold.
Findings
Synthesis of the findings has led to a BC definition and composition of a 20 step BC process method. In addition, 29 relevant theories are identified to tackle the main challenges of BC analyses in future studies to make them more effective. This supports further theoretical development of academic BC research and provides a tool for BC processes in practice.
Originality/value
Although there is substantial scientific research on BCs, there was not much theoretical development nor a general stepwise method to perform the most optimal BC analysis.
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Youcef J.-T. Zidane and Nils O.E. Olsson
This paper studies how the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy are used in project management literature. The concepts relate to the degree of success or failure of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper studies how the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy are used in project management literature. The concepts relate to the degree of success or failure of projects and the degree to which the results are achieved. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of the concepts of efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness in project management literature and among practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on an extensive literature review, initially from the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. The first phase involved searching the words “efficiency”, “effectiveness” and “efficacy” in all articles of the journal, and then quantifying the results. This was followed by a qualitative search of the same articles with the aim of understanding how the terms “project efficiency”, “project efficacy” and “project effectiveness” are used. A further intensive literature review was then conducted in other literatures in the field of project management, including, but not limited to, International Journal of Project Management and Project Management Journal. Finally, the authors complemented the review by including theories from deep searches of Google Scholar and Google Books using the parameters “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy” and checked how the three concepts are used in other fields.
Findings
This research reveals there is wide diversity in interpretations of the three concepts among research scholars and practitioners, which makes it challenging to apply these three concepts appropriately and clearly. As a consequence, the authors propose a model for describing these concepts.
Research limitations/implications
This research is based on an academic and non-academic literature review. It identifies a number of inconsistencies in existing literature regarding the three concepts.
Practical implications
This review enriches understanding of project management. Clarifying the understanding of project efficiency, project effectiveness and project efficacy will help and support organisational improvement. A clear and aligned view of these concepts can also be a basis for measurements based on possible developed indicators.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the gap in the literature concerning the practical use and interpretation of the concepts “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy”.
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J.K. Ssegawa and P.D. Rwelamila
This paper aims in the first part to document experiences encountered in dealing with challenges facing students embarking on their postgraduate research journey. It gives a brief…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims in the first part to document experiences encountered in dealing with challenges facing students embarking on their postgraduate research journey. It gives a brief background on the consequences for not being able to handle properly the research processes. It also identifies factors that contribute to postgraduate attrition and long completion periods focusing on the perceived major contributor to problem – the lack of skills in research on the part of students especially in the early part of the research process. Second, the paper aims to describe and discuss the proposed framework for approaching the research project definition and design process in a systematic and logical manner after formulating a research framework.
Design/methodology/approach
Experience recording method is used by reflecting on the authors' supervision experience at honours, masters and doctoral level. A reflection on these experiences is compared with good practices in research approaches to identify gaps which need to be addressed. The second part of the paper is used as a building block in producing a fully fledged research proposal. Two tasks forming the backbone of writing a research proposal at post framework are at the centre of this paper – developing an outline of literature review and the actual writing of the proposal.
Findings
It is clearly established that major reasons for the problems facing student researchers are the lack of hands‐on skills in the research process on the part of students especially in the early part of the research process (research definition and design) and hence the need for a facilitative framework. The second part of the paper discusses in detail the three main components of the research proposal. Finally, the paper reveals the “final picture” of the research proposal made out of the three components, and an emphasis is put on the need to treat the proposal as a plan which is highly likely to change depending on the research environment forces faced by researchers as they embark on the research journey in the post proposal phase.
Originality/value
The original value is two‐fold. First, there is an opportunity for educators to identify common problems facing student researchers, hence this information could be used when supervising student researchers. Furthermore, the student has an opportunity to understand the dynamics of research approaches and this provides a good base to avoid bad practices. Second, the paper provides solutions towards overcoming typical problems, and this will help both educators and student researchers to manage the dynamics of research processes. The proposed research framework in order to facilitate the research thought process in a more systematic, logical and integrated manner is an encompassing recommendation which should be used by educators and research students.
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This research aims to examine the challenges of recruiting participatory action research (PAR) in managing innovation projects. An enhanced methodology based on PAR was developed…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine the challenges of recruiting participatory action research (PAR) in managing innovation projects. An enhanced methodology based on PAR was developed to mitigate the challenges related to recruiting PAR in managing innovation projects. The proposed methodology was evaluated by comparing it to established methodologies/frameworks such as Scrum, Design Thinking (DT) and The Lean Startup (TLS). The evaluation aimed to determine the advantages and limitations of the proposed methodology in managing innovation projects.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed enhanced methodology consists of eight steps, ranging from developing an understanding of the industry and business structure to learning and knowledge management. In addition, the enhanced methodology uses other techniques, such as Force field analysis and 12 boundary questions.
Findings
The research findings indicate that using the proposed methodology can improve the formalization of collaboration in PAR, enabling the organization to respond better to market changes. It helps define the project scope more clearly, encouraging innovation, addressing communication barriers and considering different worldviews and practical issues. Based on the findings, the proposed enhanced methodology could complement other methodologies/frameworks such as Scrum, DT and TLS.
Research limitations/implications
The current research adds to the existing literature by identifying the challenges of recruiting PAR in managing innovation projects. A deductive reasoning process was utilized because there is no comprehensive research concerning the challenges of recruiting PAR in managing innovation projects. On the other hand, the PAR 4-phase cycle has been reviewed and enhanced to manage innovation projects.
Practical implications
The proposed methodology was used in a new product development project. The case study was done on one of the payment service provider companies that design, develop and deploy a digital product for marketing, installation, repair and maintenance of electronic funds transfer at point of sale devices.
Originality/value
No research has yet sought to identify the challenges of using PAR in innovation project management (IPM). Identifying the challenges associated with applying PAR in the IPM and providing an enhanced methodology to mitigate the challenges could fill a gap in IPM studies.
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Variation orders are a common occurrence in construction projects and their impacts have been studied by various authors. However, the contribution of project variations to…
Abstract
Purpose
Variation orders are a common occurrence in construction projects and their impacts have been studied by various authors. However, the contribution of project variations to construction cost and time overruns is yet to be established. The purpose of this study is to assess the significance of variations as a cause of cost and time overruns.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a questionnaire survey, responses were obtained from 50 project participants on the causes and effects of project variations. Cost and time data were also collected on 30 completed building projects. The analysis used importance indices and F‐ and t‐tests. The results indicated that variations had a significant effect and accounted for about 79 and 68 per cent of the cost and time overruns, respectively, for the projects studied.
Findings
The results indicated that variations had a significant effect on project cost and time overruns and accounted for about 79 and 68 per cent of the cost and time overruns, respectively, for the projects studied. Project type and size were found to have no significant effect on the contribution of variations to cost and time overruns. The results also showed that changes in specifications and scope, initiated mostly by project owners and their consultants, were the most prevalent sources of variation.
Originality/value
The results of this study indicates the cost and time significance of project. This will enable project owners, consultants, contractors and other stakeholders to better understand and appreciate the real impact of variations on project performance.
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Joseph Kaggwa Ssegawa and Mark Muzinda
Result-based management (RBM) is common approach used in the development sector to initiate, plan and implement projects. However, to the knowledge of the authors the approach has…
Abstract
Purpose
Result-based management (RBM) is common approach used in the development sector to initiate, plan and implement projects. However, to the knowledge of the authors the approach has hardly been used in delivering projects in other sectors, for example, information technology, infrastructure or business. The purpose of this paper is to document a case study in which the RBM approach was used to guide the delivery of a business project in Botswana.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study strategy was used to document the delivery process of the project. Data were collected from a variety of sources that included review of documents, interviews, focus discussions and a site visit. The content analysis technique was used to analyse the collected data.
Findings
The case illustrates the possibility of using the RBM approach to initiate, plan and implement a project in the business sector.
Research limitations/implications
Being a case study, the approach needs to be tested with more case studies.
Practical implications
Apart from illustrating the possible use of RBM approach, the paper illustrates systematic processes used in the case study for project delivery. It also outlines some of the resultant challenges which may be appreciated by practitioners, academics and trainees.
Originality/value
The use of RBM approach in guiding the delivery of a business project.
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Bart A. Lameijer, Jiju Antony, Hans P. Borgman and Kevin Linderman
Although scholars have considered the success factors of process improvement (PI) projects, limited research has considered the factors that influence failure. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Although scholars have considered the success factors of process improvement (PI) projects, limited research has considered the factors that influence failure. The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of PI project failure by systematically reviewing the research on generic project failure, and developing research propositions and future research directions specifically for PI projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review protocol resulted in a total of 97 research papers that are reviewed for contributions on project failure.
Findings
An inductive category formation process resulted in three categories of findings. The first category are the causes for project failure, the second category is about relatedness between failure factors and the third category is on failure mitigation strategies. For each category, propositions for future research on PI projects specifically are developed. Additional future research directions proposed lay in better understanding PI project failure as it unfolds (i.e. process studies vs cross-sectional), understanding PI project failure from a theoretical perspective and better understanding of PI project failure antecedents.
Originality/value
This paper takes a multi-disciplinary and project type approach, synthesizes the existing knowledge and reflects upon the developments in the field of research. Propositions and a framework for future research on PI project failure are presented.
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Ying Huang, Ruixiong Chen, Pan Guo and Zhaocheng Duan
This research uses the evolutionary game model theory to explore how to make decisions to maximize their own interests in the process of project claims from the perspective of…
Abstract
Purpose
This research uses the evolutionary game model theory to explore how to make decisions to maximize their own interests in the process of project claims from the perspective of small and medium-sized contractors in the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study defines the discount factor in the claim process based on the characteristics of construction claims and provides a specific calculation method. The paper analyzes the matching degree between the evolutionary game model and the process of construction claims. Further, the discount factor is introduced to construct an evolutionary game model of engineering claims with the goal of maximizing the contractor’s benefits.
Findings
The results of this study show that in the situation (C*d1-nC1*d1>0, v2-v1-g>0) and (C*d1-nC1*d1>0, v2-v1-g<0), the contractor claim decision-making strategy is a truthful claim, while in the situation (C*d1-nC1*d1<0, v2-v1-g>0) and (C*d1-nC1*d1<0, v2-v1-g<0), the contractor claim decision-making strategy is a high-price claim. The discount factor will affect the decision-making rate. It is noted that the fines and the explicit costs received during the contractor’s high-priced claim process exhibit a positive correlation with the rate of truthful claim decision-making by contractors. Meanwhile, the final revenue of high-priced claims by contractors shows a positive correlation with the rate of high-priced claim decision-making by the sensitivity analysis.
Research limitations/implications
The author simulates the process of solving the actual claim problem through the evolutionary game model in engineering claims. It is hoped that researchers will collect empirical cases and compare the actual case solutions with the model solutions to further revise the model in future studies, an evolutionary game model of engineering claim decision-making with interference factors can be constructed to analyze the evolutionary stability. Secondly, the single factor sensitivity analysis of individual parameters is carried out in this paper, and the influence of multiple factors on claim decisions can be further analyzed in the later research.
Practical implications
The analysis of the claim process based on the evolutionary game model is conducive to the contractor’s rapid claim decision-making. The introduction of the discount factor to analyze the claim process is more conducive to the accuracy of the contractor’s claim decision.
Originality/value
The proposed model provides a supplement to the existing studies on dynamic construction claim decision-making. The claim decision is conducive to controling cost for the contractor, improving the contractor’s management level and developing a healthy construction market.
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Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Richard Jimoh, Bashir Olanrewaju Ganiyu and Abdullateef Adewale Shittu
Construction process is complex and traditionally fragmented; thus, it is almost impossible to have a project completed without changes to the original plan or the construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction process is complex and traditionally fragmented; thus, it is almost impossible to have a project completed without changes to the original plan or the construction process. The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the causes of variation orders, ascertain their effects and establish the cost and time performance implication as a result of variation orders.
Design/methodology/approach
This study obtained information from 90 construction stakeholders on 30 completed educational building projects to ascertain the causes and effects of variation orders on project delivery using questionnaire survey. In addition to this, a pro forma document was designed to obtain the project characteristics, cost and time data from these 30 completed educational building projects. Factor analysis was used to categorise the causes of variation orders, while severity index was used to examine their effects on project delivery. The hypothesised statement was tested using paired t-statistics to examine whether a statistically significant difference existed between variation orders, cost and time performance of the projects.
Findings
The study identified 13 main factors as causes of variation orders and the results revealed that the most frequent effects of variations were increase in construction costs, time, client dissatisfaction, increase construction project rework and demolition and project abandonment. The results also showed that variation orders had significant effects on both cost and scheduled performance of the educational building projects with average cost and time escalation of 33.95 and 29.45 per cent of the original project cost and time, respectively, for the entire projects studied, while average cost implication of variation orders is 23.79 per cent.
Practical implications
The findings in this study will be of assistance to government agencies and management of public works in higher institutions of learning in managing variations in construction projects. The study will also add to the current literature on the impact of variation orders on educational building projects in developing countries. Finally, it will create the much-needed awareness on the severity and implication of change or variation orders on project delivery.
Originality/value
The study identified and examined the causes of variation orders, ascertained their effects and established the cost and time effects of the causes of variation order on project performance. This will assist project initiators, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to fully appreciate and understand the significant effects of variation orders on project performance.