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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the absorptive capacity (AC) of a firm and project success (PS), with particular attention to the mediating role of customer knowledge management capability (CKMC) and the moderating role of environmental complexity (EC). By using data collected from Turkish SMEs across different sectors, the study seeks to understand how AC impacts project success, how CKMC mediates this relationship, and how EC moderates the link between AC and CKMC. The research contributes to both theory and practice by providing insights into these relationships and suggesting future research directions.

This study focuses on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey, specifically within the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Konya. To gather data, the researchers utilized a non-probabilistic convenience sampling method and distributed self-administered surveys to a selected pool of 918 respondents including shift supervisors, project managers, and team members within these SMEs. The surveys were translated to Turkish to avoid language issues. Out of the surveys distributed, 401 valid responses were collected, resulting in a response rate of 43.68%.

The main findings of the study indicate that a firm’s absorptive capacity (AC) positively impacts project success and customer knowledge management capability (CKMC). Furthermore, CKMC plays a mediating role, positively influencing project success. Additionally, the study reveals the moderating effect of environmental complexity (EC) on the relationship between AC and CKMC, suggesting that as EC becomes more complex, it strengthens the link between AC and CKMC. Moreover, CKMC was found to mediate the moderating effect of EC on the relationship between AC and project success, emphasizing the significance of environmental complexity in this interaction.

This study’s limitations stem from its cross-sectional approach, which limits the ability to establish causal relationships between the constructs of absorptive capacity (AC), customer knowledge management capability (CKMC), and project success. It does not examine other potential mediators, such as customer relationship capability and innovation capability. Furthermore, the existing literature on this topic is scarce, suggesting a need for further research, particularly on constructs like team skills for managing CKMC. There is also an unexplored area around the effects of different forms of complexity, such as resource and technical complexity. Finally, further research is needed to understand how SMEs, which often face resource constraints, leverage AC in different functional domains for successful new product development.

The study’s findings have significant practical implications for SMEs, highlighting the importance of absorptive capacity (AC) and customer knowledge management capability (CKMC) in promoting project success, particularly under conditions of environmental complexity. As businesses navigate uncertain environments, external knowledge acquisition becomes crucial for improvement and innovation. Efficient transformation of this knowledge can enhance project success rates. Thus, firms should cultivate a proactive, innovative, and risk-taking climate. Also, firms should regularly assess their AC and CKMC in the face of shifting stakeholder expectations and market competition. The ability to detect, integrate, and apply external knowledge in product and service development can significantly enhance project success rates.

This study’s originality lies in its exploration of the complex interplay between a firm’s absorptive capacity (AC), customer knowledge management capability (CKMC), environmental complexity (EC), and project success (PS). By examining Turkish SMEs across various sectors, the study uncovers the mediating role of CKMC and the moderating role of EC in the relationship between AC and PS. Furthermore, it reveals how the effect of AC on PS through CKMC strengthens with increasing environmental complexity. These findings offer fresh insights into the complexity theory and the factors influencing project success, providing a unique perspective for both academics and practitioners, with practical implications for managing SMEs in complex environments.

This study delves into the dynamics between Agile Response to Change (AR), Adaptive Scoping (AS), Stakeholder Engagement (SE) and Project Performance (PP), with a special focus on the moderating influence of Project Complexity (PC). The research, grounded in a thorough literature review, identifies critical gaps in these areas and examines the extent to which PC moderates the effects of AR, AS and SE on PP, offering new perspectives for managing complex projects.

The research develops a conceptual model based on a critical analysis of existing literature. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed, incorporating 28 items to measure AR, AS, SE, PP and PC. Data was collected from 136 project managers across various industries, and the responses were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the complex interplay between these variables.

The analysis revealed that internal AR (ARint) significantly enhances both quantitative (PPqt) and qualitative aspects of PP (PPql). AS and SE were found to positively influence PPql, but their impact on PPqt was not significant. Interestingly, PC was observed to negatively moderate the relationship between ARint and PPql, while its moderating effect on the relationship between ARint and PPql was not significant. The study also notes that PC does not significantly alter the positive correlations between AS, SE and PPql.

This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by elucidating the relationships between ARint, AS, SE and different dimensions of PP. It uniquely explores the role of PC as a moderating variable in these relationships, offering valuable insights for practitioners and researchers in the field of complex project management.

This study aimed to address a gap in subcontractor management by focusing on previously unexplored complexities surrounding subcontractor management in developing countries. While past studies concentrated on selection and relationships, this study delved into how effective subcontractor management impacts project success.

This study used the Bayesian Network analysis approach, through a meticulously developed questionnaire survey refined through a piloting stage involving experienced industry professionals. The survey was ultimately distributed among participants based in Accra, Ghana, resulting in a response rate of approximately 63%.

The research identified diverse components contributing to subcontractor disruptions, highlighted the necessity of a clear regulatory framework, emphasized the impact of financial and leadership assessments on performance, and underscored the crucial role of main contractors in Integrated Project and Labour Cost Management with Subcontractor Oversight and Coordination.

Previous studies have not considered the challenges subcontractors face in projects. This investigation bridges this gap from multiple perspectives, using Bayesian network analysis to enhance subcontractor management, thereby contributing to the successful completion of construction projects.

Official development assistance (ODA) education projects have played a crucial role in improving education and training fields in developing countries, but are often facing several considerable challenges (e.g. long implementation time). Thus, this study aims to identify critical success factors (CSFs) in ODA education projects and investigate the influences of CSFs on ODA project performance measured by 11 nonprofit outcomes (NPOs).

A comprehensive literature review and expert interviews were conducted to compile a list of 35 potential success factors for ODA education projects. Using a survey questionnaire, 143 valid responses were collected from practitioners joining ODA projects in Vietnam. Various statistical methods (e.g. mean score method, Spearman rank correlation test, analysis of variance test, factor analysis and regression analysis) were used to analyze the collected data.

This research identified seven CSFs for ODA education projects in Vietnam: comprehensive project management competency (C1), clarity and compliance in project execution (C2), transparency and committed funding (C3), external context conditions (C4), well-controlled design and project management procedures (C5), preparations in equipment and complexity insight (C6) and punctual site delivery (C7). Furthermore, the results of regression analysis indicated that comprehensive project management competency (C1) and transparency and committed funding (C3) could significantly affect various NPOs.

This study offers significant insights for practitioners (e.g. project managers) to improve ODA projects’ performance and effectiveness in the education and training sector of a developing country context (like Vietnam).

Insufficient time allocation for the bidding period occurs, causing drawbacks to both parties, the client and the bidder. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the time allocated for preparing a bid proposal as per the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) in the Sri Lankan context.

The study has adopted a mixed method approach and expert interviews and document review to detect, analyse and validate the issues, and solutions based on NCB along with the adequacy of the allocated bidding period used as main data collection tools. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analysed through manual content analysis and inferential analysis respectively.

Overall, 24 local issues with the existing competitive bidding process and solutions for each were identified. Among the 24 local issues, it was unanimously agreed by all interviewees that three specific issues require attention and improvement. These issues are related to the standard and incompleteness of bidding documents, inaccurate BOQ quantities measured by the consultant or the main contractor, and the excessive number of bidding document amendments by the consultant. It was revealed that a maximum of 42 calendar days (6 weeks) is sufficient for the bidding process while a minimum of 21 calendar days (3 weeks) is insufficient.

The findings of this study would be recommended that Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) understand the necessity of revising the NCB reference to the time allocated for the preparation of bids. By recognising the importance of sufficient time allocation for bid preparation, this research serves as a practical guide for authorities involved in policy formulation, aiding them in implementing revisions that align with the dynamic requirements of bidding procedures.

The global construction industry has a history of poor project success, with evident and frequent overruns in cost and schedule. This industry is a highly interconnected and complex system in which the components, i.e. suppliers, contractors, end-users, and stakeholders, are delicately linked to each other, the community, and the environment. Therefore, defining and measuring project success can be challenging for sponsors, contractors, and the public. To address this issue, this study develops and analyzes a more comprehensive set of success criteria for medium and large construction projects.

After reviewing the existing literature, this study identified 19 success criteria for medium and large construction projects, which were categorized into five groups. The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy DEMATEL) method was used to gain further insight into the interrelationships between these categories and explain the cause-and-effect relationships among them. Next, this study applied the modified logarithmic least squares method to determine the importance weight of these criteria using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.

28 project managers working in the construction industries in Australia and New Zealand participated in this study. Results suggest that “project efficiency” and “impacts on the project team” are cause criteria that affect “business success,” “impacts on stakeholders,” and “impacts on end-users.” Effective risk management emerged as the most crucial criterion in project efficiency, while customer satisfaction and return on investment are top criteria in “impacts on end-users” and “business success.”

Although numerous studies have been conducted on project success criteria, multicriteria analyses of success criteria are rare. This paper presents a comprehensive set of success criteria tailored to medium and large construction projects. The aim is to analyze their interrelationships and prioritize them thoroughly, which will aid practitioners in focusing on the most important criteria for achieving higher success rates.

Stakeholders in complex capital projects are characterized by complicated interactions, adversarial short-term relationships and cooperative demand for deliverables. Unhealthy interfaces between stakeholders often lead to significant interface conflicts, which gradually become apparent in the construction stage. However, stakeholder interface health (SIH) has not been well understood and measured in the construction industry by either scholars or practitioners. It is essential to identify unhealthy interface relationships between stakeholders by comprehensively assessing SIH for enhancing project performance.

The study provided a comprehensive framework to assess SIH. The assessment was based on Wuli-Shili-Renli theory. Moreover, the CRITIC and Grey-TOPSIS methodologies were applied to precisely evaluate the SIH level. Besides, graph-based interface networks were developed to visualize SIH. At last, the framework was applied to a mass rapid transit project in China to test the validity of the study.

The result showed that stakeholder interfaces with strict contract constraints are healthier. On the other hand, IM behaviors make up for the soft coordination mechanism without contract constraints to a certain extent. The results of the case study were consistent with the actual project practices. The proposed framework provided a useful IM tool for assessing and visualizing SIH.

The limitation of this study is that only the mass rapid transit project was selected for empirical analysis to validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. It is recommended that the proposed framework be applied to other types of complex capital projects to further discussions in IM.

Theoretically, this study introduces a comprehensive framework to measure the health of stakeholder interfaces in complex capital projects, which helps to provide a theoretical basis and methodological support for stakeholder interface management.

Practically, applying SIH assessment to existing interface management procedures can help the project manager identify interface conflicts between stakeholders in time and eventually contribute to the improvement of PM performance. At the same time, the interface management team tracks the responsibilities of unhealthy interface stakeholders and requires them to take measures to improve the SIH level. Stakeholder interfaces with lower health scores should be given more attention. The proposed framework can serve as a novel IM approach to identify weaknesses in IM and take targeted management measures to alleviate unhealthy stakeholder interface relationships.

The study provides an innovative method for scientifically and accurately assessing SIH. This research can help scholars and practitioners in the project management field facilitate the diagnosis of unhealthy interface relationships and provide decision support for the project management theoretical foundation.

Project managers bear the responsibility of selecting and developing resource scheduling methods that align with project requirements and organizational circumstances. This study focuses on resource-constrained project scheduling in multi-project environments. The research simplifies the problem by adopting a single-project perspective using gain coefficients.

It employs uncertainty theory and multi-objective programming to construct a model. The optimal solution is identified using Matlab, while LINGO determines satisfactory alternatives. By combining these methods and considering actual construction project situations, a compromise solution closely approximating the optimal one is derived.

The study provides fresh insights into modeling and resolving resource-constrained project scheduling issues, supported by real-world examples that effectively illustrate its practical significance.

The research highlights three main contributions: effective resource utilization, project prioritization and conflict management, and addressing uncertainty. It offers decision support for project managers to balance resource allocation, resolve conflicts, and adapt to changing project demands.

Organizations are full of contradictions and leadership dilemmas. Managers often face challenges such as selecting between two contradicting options such that which one is more important can hardly be judged. To manage contradicting dynamics, today’s managers can adopt the paradoxical leadership approach. We build a theoretical model to investigate the influence of paradoxical leadership on multi-dimensional project agility (proactivity, adaptability, and resilience), and multi-dimensional project success (management, investment, and ownership success).

Drawing on survey-based data from the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) megaproject (N = 209), we performed covariance-based structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model.

The findings show that (1) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive impact on megaproject success, (2) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive influence on project agility, (3) project agility has a significant positive effect on megaproject success, and (4) project agility has a significant effect that mediates the link between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success. This research provides a theoretical and practical comprehension of paradoxical leadership with a new perspective on megaprojects.

This study provides an extension of the existing studies on paradoxical leadership and identifies the role of contradicting dynamics and their impact on multiple facets of megaproject success. It not only clarifies the relationship between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success, but also identifies the mediating role of project agility that can play an effective role in mobilizing success in megaprojects.

Trust is the glue that holds cooperative relationships together and often exists in an asymmetric manner. The purpose of this study is to explore how to mitigate the issue of losses or increased transaction costs caused by opportunistic behavior in a soft environment where trust asymmetry is quite common and difficult to avoid.

This study focuses on examining asymmetric trust between the government and the private sector in public-private partnership (PPP) projects. Drawing upon both project realities and relevant literature, the primary conditional variables influencing asymmetric trust are identified. These variables encompass power perception asymmetry, information asymmetry, interaction behavior, risk perception differences and government-side control. Subsequently, through the use of a survey questionnaire, binary-matched data from both the government and the private sector are collected. The study employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct a configurational analysis, aiming to investigate the causal pathways that trigger asymmetric trust.

No single conditional variable is a necessary condition for the emergence of trust asymmetry. The pathways leading to a high degree of trust asymmetry can be categorized into two types: those dominated by power perception and those involving a combination of multiple factors. Differences in power perception play a crucial role in the occurrence of high trust asymmetry, yet the influence of other conditional variables in triggering trust asymmetry should not be overlooked.

The findings can contribute to advancing the study of trust relationships in the field of Chinese PPP projects. Furthermore, they hold practical value in facilitating the enhancement of trust relationships between the government and the private sector.