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Article
Publication date: 16 October 2020

Gopal Sekar, Murali Sambasivan and Kuperan Viswanathan

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the impact of project-factors and organization-factors on five indicators of project performance for small and medium…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the impact of project-factors and organization-factors on five indicators of project performance for small and medium enterprise (SME) and large construction contracting firms that are fully responsible for the successful completion of the projects. The five performance indicators are time, cost, safety, quality and financial.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted to solicit responses from project managers/directors from 342 construction firms in Malaysia. The construction firms included in this study came from various sectors: civil, building and infrastructure; oil and gas; marine and multidiscipline. Hierarchical multiple-regression was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The salient findings are as follows: (1) impacts of project-factors and organization-factors on performance indicators are different for SMEs and large construction firms and (2) relative impact of organization-factors on performance is much higher than the project-factors.

Originality/value

Analyzing the relative impact of project- and organization-factors on the performance of SMEs and large construction firms can significantly enhance the body of knowledge about performance levels and boost best practices in this respect related to construction industry.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2003

Hamid R. Nemati and Christopher D. Barko

Project management factors affecting the implementation of IT projects have been widely studied; however, there is little empirical research investigating the implementation of…

4257

Abstract

Project management factors affecting the implementation of IT projects have been widely studied; however, there is little empirical research investigating the implementation of organizational data‐mining (ODM) projects. ODM is defined as leveraging data‐mining tools and technologies to enhance the decision‐making process by transforming data into valuable and actionable knowledge to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations of all sizes are developing and implementing ODM technologies. A cross‐sectional survey based on The Square Route Framework was conducted to determine the relationship among project factors affecting ODM implementations. Findings from 111 organizations indicate that a number of implementation factors have a significant influence on the successful implementation of ODM projects.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 103 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2009

Tommaso Federici

Small enterprises are very different in size and organisation, and cannot be considered scaled‐down larger companies. Thus the adoption of ERP by an SME may occur in a highly…

3542

Abstract

Purpose

Small enterprises are very different in size and organisation, and cannot be considered scaled‐down larger companies. Thus the adoption of ERP by an SME may occur in a highly different environment and cannot directly leverage on corporate experiences. Therefore, finding this subject interesting, this paper aims to analyse the peculiarities of this innovation in SMEs and specifically to cross‐assess the benefits obtained with context/project factors that could influence them.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was explicitly focused on an ex post evaluation of a panel of Italian SMEs which completed the introduction of an ERP system. Data about actual achievement, advantages and context/project characteristics were collected through direct interviews with SMEs' managers. A factors‐outcomes model is proposed, discussed and finalised in its most significant variables.

Findings

ERP introduction is considered successful to a greater extent than was expected. The most frequently observed benefits are internal procedure simplification, much easier information retrieval, improved performance management, and some production efficiency increases. The factors that seem to mostly affect them are depth of organisational change and type of chosen ERP producer.

Practical implications

Possible associations between each context/project variable and every outcome were identified and their intensity evaluated to suggest which decisive factors to manage.

Originality/value

The key aspects of the research are exclusive focus on the SME segment and the choice of the post‐introduction phase as the moment to assess ERP outcomes. From a review of the literature, no study seems to have adopted a similar perspective.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 22 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2015

Arthur Ahimbisibwe, Robert Y Cavana and Urs Daellenbach

While the choices available for project management methodologies have increased significantly, questions remain on whether project managers fully consider their alternatives. When…

9153

Abstract

Purpose

While the choices available for project management methodologies have increased significantly, questions remain on whether project managers fully consider their alternatives. When project categorization systems and criteria are not logically matched with project objectives, characteristics and environment, this may provide the key reason for why many software projects are reported to fail to deliver on time, budget or do not give value to the client. The purpose of this paper is to identify and categorize critical success factors (CSFs) and develop a contingency fit model contrasting perspectives of traditional plan-based and agile methodologies.

Design/methodology/approach

By systematically reviewing the previous literature, a total of 37 CSFs for software development projects are identified from 148 articles, and then categorized into three major CSFs: organizational, team and customer factors. A contingency fit model augments this by highlighting the necessity to match project characteristics and project management methodology to these CSFs.

Findings

Within the three major categories of CSFs, individual factors are ranked based on how frequently they have been cited in previous studies, overall as well as across the two main project management methodologies (traditional, agile). Differences in these rankings as well as mixed empirical support suggest that previous research may not have adequately theorized when particular CSFs will affect project success and lend support for the hypothesized contingency model between CSFs, project characteristics and project success criteria.

Research limitations/implications

This research is conceptual and meta-analytic in its focus. A crucial task for future research should be to test the contingency fit model developed using empirical data. There is no broad consensus among researchers and practitioners in categorizing CSFs for software development projects. However, through an extensive search and analysis of the literature on CSFs for software development projects, the research provides greater clarity on the categories of CSFs and how their direct, indirect and moderated effects on project success can be modelled.

Practical implications

This study proposes a contingency fit model and contributes towards developing a theory for assessing the role of CSFs for project success. While future empirical testing of this conceptual model is essential, it provides an initial step for guiding quantitative data collection, specifies detailed empirical analysis for comparative studies, and is likely to improve clarity in debate. Since previous studies have not rigorously assessed the impact of fit between project characteristics, project environment and project management methodology on project success, additional empirically robust studies will help to clarify contradictory findings that have limited theory development for CSFs of software development projects to date.

Originality/value

Previous research for software development projects has frequently not fully incorporated contingency as moderation or contingency as fit (traditional vs agile). This research sets out to develop fully a contingency fit perspective on software development project success, through contrasting traditional plan-driven and agile methodologies. To do this, the paper systematically identifies and ranks 37 CSFs for software projects from 148 journal publications and holistically categorizes them as organizational, team, customer and project factors.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 July 2021

Nguyen Van Tam, Nguyen Quoc Toan, Vu Van Phong and Serdar Durdyev

This study aims to investigate the impact of primary building information modelling (BIM)-related factors, extracted from the literature on the subject, on construction project…

1648

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of primary building information modelling (BIM)-related factors, extracted from the literature on the subject, on construction project performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from 134 BIM users, this study used structural equation modelling to assess the impact of these factors in five main BIM-related factor clusters.

Findings

The results of the analysis confirmed the reliability and validity of the research design and outcomes. The findings indicated that the BIM-related external factors cluster is the most influential cluster affecting construction project performance. BIM-related project factors and BIM-related technological factors also had a significant impact on project performance. These were followed by the BIM-related management factors cluster, while the BIM-related human factors cluster had a low impact on project performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study will contribute to fostering BIM adoption and implementation in the construction industry in developing countries.

Originality/value

This study has filled a crucial knowledge gap by providing information on manageable primary BIM-related factors affecting construction project performance.

Details

International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4708

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 July 2018

Kamalendra Kumar Tripathi and Kumar Neeraj Jha

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and rank the success attributes and success factors of the construction organisations.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and rank the success attributes and success factors of the construction organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The viewpoints of the experts engaged in Indian construction industry were used to apply factor analysis and fuzzy preference relation with the help of a questionnaire survey.

Findings

The findings indicate that project factor is the most important factor, whereas favourable market and marketing team is the least important factor. Among the success attributes, the availability of qualified staff is the most important attribute, and health and safety management plan is the least important attribute.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this study are based on the viewpoint of the experts of construction organisations engaged in building projects in India.

Practical implications

The study can be used as a yardstick for the top management of construction organisations to manage their resources efficiently and to develop a strategy to be successful in this business.

Social implications

Indian construction industry provides direct and indirect employment to the people of India. Hence, the success of construction organisation will contribute to the development of the society and ultimately the nation.

Originality/value

In the earlier studies, researchers have used various statistical tools to identify and evaluate the alternatives for the success factors of construction organisations, but very few of them have tried to assign weights to those alternatives. The simple ranking of alternatives using various statistical analyses, such as mean and standard deviation, relative importance index, etc., is not much useful unless their relative weights are known. With the help of the present study, the authors have tried to overcome the shortcomings of the previous research works.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2019

Seher Razzaq, Jianglin Huang, Hongyi Sun and Min Xie

The research on people and project factors is found extensively in general but not specific to software engineering. Secondly, the existing research has not concentrated on the…

Abstract

Purpose

The research on people and project factors is found extensively in general but not specific to software engineering. Secondly, the existing research has not concentrated on the communication and time complexity of the teams on software economics. The purpose this paper is to develop a model to investigate and quantify the impact of time pressure (TP) on software economics through the communication influence of software team sizes (TS).

Design/methodology/approach

A research model and five hypotheses are developed based on the gaps in the literature. The data set from International Software Benchmarking Standards Group repository is used for testing the hypotheses.

Findings

Important findings include: smaller TS tends to exert less TP on average; TP is directly proportional to software economics, however; and TP does not affect the productivity required for the software.

Research limitations/implications

The study has the following implications: Selection of an appropriate TS for project completion that ensures minimum pressure on team members; and maximize software outcomes in stress-free environment.

Practical implications

This work is useful for organizations carrying out software projects with teamwork. The project managers can benefit from the results while planning the team factors for achieving the project goals.

Social implications

The results uphold not to exert pressure on the team as it will not only affect the duly completion of the project but also the well-being of employees.

Originality/value

The paper is the first one where the proposition of TP estimation is done using TS and communication complexity, and empirically evaluating the impact of TP on four major software economics are the major key contributions of this research work.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2021

Peipei Wang, Peter Fenn, Kun Wang and Yunhan Huang

The purpose of this research is to advise on UK construction delay strategies. Critical delay factors were identified and their interrelationships were explored; in addition, a…

536

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to advise on UK construction delay strategies. Critical delay factors were identified and their interrelationships were explored; in addition, a predictive model was established upon the factors and interrelationships to calculate delay potentials.

Design/methodology/approach

The critical causes were identified by a literature review, verified by an open-ended questionnaire survey and then analysed with 299 samples returned from structured questionnaire surveys. The model consisted of factors screened out by Pearson product–moment correlational coefficient, constructed by a logical reasoning process and then quantified by conducting Bayesian belief networks parameter learning.

Findings

The technical aspect of construction project management was less critical while the managerial aspect became more emphasised. Project factors and client factors present relatively weak impact on construction delay, while contractor factors, contractual arrangement factors and distinctively interaction factors present relatively strong impact.

Research limitations/implications

This research does not differentiate delay types, such as excusable vs non-excusable ones and compensable vs non-compensable ones. The model nodes have been tested to be critical to construction delay, but the model structure is mostly based on previous literature and logical deduction. Further research could be done to accommodate delay types and test the relationships.

Originality/value

This research updates critical delay factor list for the UK construction projects, suggesting general rules for resource allocation concerning delay avoidance. Besides, this research establishes a predictive model, assisting delay avoidance strategies on a case-by-case basis.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2022

Zhen Chen, Yaqi Zhao, Xia Zhou, Shengyue Hao and Jin Li

Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is an emerging research field for the construction industry along with construction robot adoption, but its implementation remains limited in…

Abstract

Purpose

Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is an emerging research field for the construction industry along with construction robot adoption, but its implementation remains limited in construction sites. This paper aims to identify critical risk factors and their interactions of HRC implementation during engineering project construction.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature research, expert interviews, a questionnaire survey and a social network analysis (SNA) method were used. First, literature research and expert interviews were employed to identify risk factors of HRC implementation and preliminarily understand factor interactions. Second, a questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the degree of interactions between risk factors. Third, based on the data collected from the questionnaire survey, SNA metrics were used to find critical risk factors and critical interactions.

Findings

The critical risk factors consist of robot technology reliability, robot-perceived level, conflict between designers and users of construction robots, organisational culture, organisational strength, project cost requirements, changeability of project construction, project quality requirements and project safety requirements. The interactions between risk factors are strong and complex. Robot technology risk factors were relatively fundamental risk factors, and project risk factors had a direct influence on the risk of HRC implementation. The implementation cost of HRC was not identified as a critical risk factor. Individual risk factors could be mitigated by improving technical and organisational factors.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of both HRC behaviours and its risk management in construction project management. Identifying the critical risk factors and their interactions of HRC implementation in the construction industry and introducing social network theory to the research on critical risk factors are the innovations of this paper. The findings and proposed suggestions could help construction professionals to better understand the HRC risk factors and to manage the risk of HRC implementation more effectively.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2017

Huong Thanh Nguyen and Bonaventura Hadikusumo

The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of human resource development (HRD) on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project success (PS), human resource…

1527

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of human resource development (HRD) on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project success (PS), human resource competency (HRC), job performance (JP), and the interrelationship among them. This paper also investigates the impact of EPC project factors (PF) on PS, the factors affecting HRD, including internal factors (IF) and external factors (EF) during EPC project implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling (SEM), SPSS, and AMOS software were used to test nine proposed hypotheses. The respondents comprised 800 participants involved in EPC projects throughout Vietnam.

Findings

The results show that HRD positively affects HRC, JP, and PS. HRD is influenced by IF but not influenced by EF. HRC positively impacts on JP and PS, while PF directly impacts on PS.

Originality/value

The study indicates that the development of competent human resources for EPC project implementation plays a considerable role in EPC PS. The findings also give project professionals a tool for improving HRD, and HRC to increase the likelihood of PS.

1 – 10 of 309