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Book part
Publication date: 8 June 2007

Adam S. Maiga and Fred A. Jacobs

This study uses structural equation modeling to investigate the impact of ABC implementation factors (management support, clarity and consensus of ABC objectives, non-accounting…

Abstract

This study uses structural equation modeling to investigate the impact of ABC implementation factors (management support, clarity and consensus of ABC objectives, non-accounting ownership, and training) on quality, cost, and cycle time improvements, the relations among quality, cost, and cycle time improvements and, the influence of quality, cost, and cycle time improvement on financial performance at the business unit level. Overall, the results of the structural analyses support the theoretical model indicating that ABC implementation factors influence quality, cost, and cycle time, and partial support for the relations among quality, cost, and cycle time improvement and their effect on financial performance. When these relationships are further analyzed within the context of ABC implementation stage, adoption of advanced manufacturing practices, industry characteristics and plant size to determine if these contextual factors impact the model constructs and the relationships between the variables in the theoretical model, the results show that these contextual factors do not affect the model constructs, however, they affect the model relations.

Details

Advances in Management Accounting
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1387-7

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2020

Sayyid Ali Banihashemi and Mohammad Khalilzadeh

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate project activities' efficiency in different execution modes for the optimization of timecost-quality and environmental impacts trade-off…

752

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate project activities' efficiency in different execution modes for the optimization of timecost-quality and environmental impacts trade-off problem.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a parallel Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method for evaluation of project activities with different execution modes to select the best execution mode and find a trade-off between objectives. Also, according to the nature of the project activities, outputs are categorized into desirable (quality) and undesirable (time, cost and environmental impacts) and analyzed based on the DEA model. In order to rank efficient execution modes, the ideal and anti-ideal virtual units method is used. The proposed model is implemented on a real case of a rural water supply construction project to demonstrate its validity.

Findings

The findings show that the use of the efficient execution mode in each activity leads to an optimal trade-off between the four project objectives (time, cost, quality and environmental impacts).

Practical implications

This study help project managers and practitioners with choosing the most efficient execution modes of project activities taking timecost-quality-environmental impacts into account.

Originality/value

In this paper, in addition to time and cost optimization of construction projects, quality factors and environmental impacts are considered. Further to the authors' knowledge, there is no method for evaluating project activities' efficiency. The efficiency of different activity modes is also evaluated for the first time to select the most efficient modes. This research can assist project managers with choosing the most appropriate execution modes for the activities to ultimately accomplish the project with the lowest time, cost and environmental impacts along with the highest quality.

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2019

Marimuthu Kannimuthu, Benny Raphael, Ekambaram Palaneeswaran and Ananthanarayanan Kuppuswamy

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to optimize time, cost and quality in a multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling environment.

1077

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to optimize time, cost and quality in a multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach identified the activity execution modes in building construction projects in India to support multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling. The data required to compute time, cost and quality of each activity are compiled from real construction projects. A binary integer-programming model has been developed to perform multi-objective optimization and identify Pareto optimal solutions. The RR-PARETO3 algorithm was used to identify the best compromise trade-off solutions. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated through sample case study projects.

Findings

Results show that good compromise solutions are obtained through multi-objective optimization of time, cost and quality.

Research limitations/implications

Case study data sets were collected only from eight building construction projects in India.

Practical implications

It is feasible to adopt multi-objective optimization in practical construction projects using time, cost and quality as the objectives; Pareto surfaces help to quantify relationships among time, cost and quality. It is shown that cost can be reduced by increasing the duration, and quality can be improved only by increasing the cost.

Originality/value

The use of different activity execution modes compiled from multiple projects in optimization is illustrated, and good compromise solutions for the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problems using multi-objective optimization are identified.

Article
Publication date: 18 November 2019

Tianqi Wang, Moatassem Abdallah, Caroline Clevenger and Shahryar Monghasemi

Achieving project objectives in constructionprojects such as time, cost and quality is a challenging task. Minimizing project cost often results in additional project duration and…

1978

Abstract

Purpose

Achieving project objectives in constructionprojects such as time, cost and quality is a challenging task. Minimizing project cost often results in additional project duration and might jeopardize quality, and minimizing project duration often results in additional cost and might jeopardize quality. Also, increasing construction quality often results in additional cost and time. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze trade-offs among the project objectives of time, cost and quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The optimization model adopted a quantitative research method and is developed in two main steps formulation step that focuses on identifying model decision variables and formulating objective functions, and implementation step that executes the model computations using multi-objective optimization of Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithms to identify the aforementioned trade-offs, and codes the model using python. The model performance is verified and tested using a case study of construction project consisting of 20 activities.

Findings

The model was able to show practical and needed value for construction managers by identifying various trade-off solutions between the project objectives of time, cost and quality. For example, the model was able to identify the shortest project duration at 84 days while keeping cost under $440,000 and quality higher than 85 percent. However, with an additional budget of $20,000 (4.5 percent increase), the quality can be increased to 0.935 (8.5 percent improvement).

Research limitations/implications

The present research work is limited to project objectives of time, cost and quality. Future expansion of the model will focus on additional project objectives such as safety and sustainability. Furthermore, new optimization models can be developed for construction projects with repetitive nature such as roads, tunnels and high rise buildings.

Practical implications

The present model advances existing research in planning construction projects efficiently and achieving important project objectives. On the practical side, the optimization model will support the construction industry by allowing construction managers to identify the highest quality to deliver a construction project within specified budget and duration, lowest cost for specified duration and quality or shortest duration for specified budget and quality.

Originality/value

The present model introduces new and innovative method of increasing working hours per day and number of working days per shift while analyzing labor working efficiency and overtime rate to identify optimal trade-offs among important project objectives of time, cost and quality.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Megaproject Risk Analysis and Simulation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-830-1

Article
Publication date: 1 August 1998

Biren Prasad

It has not been enough to include “quality dimensions” into a product or a service and expect the outcome to be world‐class. Total value signifies a set of multidimensional…

1761

Abstract

It has not been enough to include “quality dimensions” into a product or a service and expect the outcome to be world‐class. Total value signifies a set of multidimensional measures towards realizing a competitive product (goods or services) that the customers would like and are willing to pay a premium price for. A “quality dimensions” set is one of its (total value) multidimensional measures. Such multidimensional value considerations would be vital for a company in maintaining a competitive edge in today’s global and rapidly changing marketplace. The first question is why a “quality dimensions” set has not been enough? The second question is what are those multidimensional sets of measures that make‐up this total value content? The last question is how to determine a cumulative total value‐index that accounts for these sets of measures so that an organization could use this total value‐index to optimize its product realization process and thereby control its (an organization’s) degree of competitiveness. The paper attempts to answer these questions.

Details

The TQM Magazine, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-478X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2008

Avninder Gill

This paper endeavors to critically examine the trade‐offs among project objectives and their underlying assumptions.

1798

Abstract

Purpose

This paper endeavors to critically examine the trade‐offs among project objectives and their underlying assumptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Effect‐cause‐effect (ECE) methodology of theory of constraints (TOC) has been applied to examine the assumptions behind successfully managing business projects.

Findings

The essence of discussion in this paper leads towards the realization that a possibility exists for time, cost and quality objectives to be pursued collectively in a project management environment.

Research limitations/implications

This paper evaluates to what extent trade‐offs among project objectives actually exist and explores the possibility of their co‐existence in a project management environment. This realization can significantly impact the project trade‐off models in existing literature.

Originality/value

Time, cost and quality have been recognized to be important objectives to successfully complete a project and several studies have acknowledged the necessity to address their trade‐offs. However, most of these studies have taken the trade‐offs for granted without critically examining the assumptions behind such trade‐offs. The present paper fills that gap by applying ECE approach of TOC to examine project management trade‐off assumptions. There‐in lies the value of the current paper.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 1 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 May 2018

Amin Mahmoudi and Mohammad Reza Feylizadeh

The purpose of this paper is to examine projects crashing based on the factors including cost, time, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine projects crashing based on the factors including cost, time, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first investigated effective factors on project crashing then proposed a grey linear programming model. In the proposed grey linear programming model, the costs of quality of works that include the cost of conformance and non-conformance of deliverables in the project were studied. The results are presented for considering the existing uncertainties using positioned programming under the sensitivity analysis table and graphs.

Findings

The lack of consideration of project risks will reduce the project success probability in future. The proposed model reduces the existing uncertainties to a significant extent by covering the project risks completely. Based on the law of diminishing returns, after a certain point technically known as saturation point, the increase of resources does not lead to the reduction of time and may even have negative impacts. Finding the saturation point for each activity prevents the excessive allocation of resources that can lead to reduction of productivity.

Practical implications

The main duty of each project manager is finishing the project in the framework of the determined objectives. In most of the cases, after the preparation of the initial project schedule by the project team, it is seen that there is a need for the time reduction. This study has used a grey linear programming model for optimum crashing of project activities. In order to make the model more realistic and applicable, the authors endeavoured to consider most of the factors that are involved in doing a project.

Originality/value

In the present study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge the factors of time, cost, quality, risk and the law of diminishing returns are simultaneously considered in project crashing for the first time and the grey theory was used for considering the uncertainties of project parameters. Also, “the law of diminishing returns” has not been considered during crashing in the studies conducted so far.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2018

Julien Pollack, Jane Helm and Daniel Adler

The Iron Triangle, also called the Triple Constraint, is a central concept to project management research and practice, representing the relationship between key performance…

17228

Abstract

Purpose

The Iron Triangle, also called the Triple Constraint, is a central concept to project management research and practice, representing the relationship between key performance criteria. However, there is disagreement about which criteria should be represented on the vertices of this triangle. The purpose of this paper is to explore which concepts are part of the Iron Triangle, and how these concepts have changed over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores 45 years of project management research, drawing on a database of 109,804 records from 1970 to 2015. Three corpora were constructed, representing the project management and Time, Cost, and Quality Management literature. Time and Cost are consistently identified as part of the Iron Triangle. However, the status of quality is contested. Key concepts in the project management literature were explored using scientometric research techniques, to understand the relationship between these concepts.

Findings

Significant links were found between Time, Cost, and Quality, verifying these concepts as the vertices on the Iron Triangle. These links were significantly stronger than links to alternatives, such as Scope, Performance, or Requirements. Other concepts that are core to the Iron Triangle were also identified, and how these have changed over time.

Originality/value

This research develops the understanding of a key project management concept by clarifying which concepts are part of the Iron Triangle, based on evidence of how the concept is used in research. This paper also reveals the context in which this concept is used, and how this has changed over the last 45 years.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Servitization Strategy and Managerial Control
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-845-1

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