Olav Torp

Project ownership: implications on success measurement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss measurement of project success in an ownership perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a case study of owner structures in 11 projects. For each case, an analysis was made of which stakeholder that held six different roles related to project ownership. Multiple sources of information are used, including archives, interviews and observations.Findings – Results from the study indicate that owner responsibilities are not always concentrated to one individual stakeholder in a project. While a traditional owner can be identified for some projects, it is a more complex picture for many other projects.Research implications/limitations – This paper has primarily analysed project ownership on a macro level, between organisations. Challenges related to identifying owners can to a certain extent also be found on a micro level, within the most involved organisations, but this has not been the aim of the research.Practical implications – Meas...

Good and simple – a dilemma in analytical processes?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the transfer of experiences to improve the basis for overcoming the dilemma of trying to achieve analyses and systems that are both good and simple. The quality of decisions relating to projects depends on how well the assumed basis for the project actually fit the reality of the situation in which the consequences occur. Good value and cost estimations support good decisions about projects insofar as the assumptions on which they are based mirror the reality, and the decision makers can understand the analysis.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a longitudinal case study and qualitative analysis. Data relating to a large number of cases have become available to the authors through many years of research and consulting activities. Through joint experience and discussion the patterns are analysed. This paper is descriptive with respect to the challenges and empirical examples. The analysis itself ends with a rather normative conclusion.Findings – ...

Performance measurement in the building design process: a tool for building design managers

This paper presents a framework and a tool for performance measurement of the building design process, to allow better control of the process and the quality of design deliveries. Developing a consistent measurement system supporting the building design management requires a well-defined and thorough process. Although we have commenced real-life testing of parts of the framework, the purpose of this paper is to publish this framework in the academic community, to allow commenting prior to more extensive empirical validation. The rationale for our research is a general lack of comparable measures to control the design process and the quality of the output. The research is based on a general mapping of relevant literature, stakeholder interviews, workshops with experts, and initial testing in a pilot study. The resulting product is a tool for the design manager to efficiently employ to monitor, analyse, and manage the design process in a constructive way.