Thomas Lechler

Refining the Search for Project Success Factors: A Multivariate, Typological Approach

Although the causes for project success and failure have been the subject of many studies, no conclusive evidence or common agreement has been achieved so far. One criticism involves the universalistic approach used often in project management studies, according to which all projects are assumed to be similar. A second problem is the issue of subjectiveness, and sometimes weakly defined success measures; yet another concern is the limited number of managerial variables examined by previous research. In the present study we use a project-specific typological approach, a multidimensional criteria for assessing project success, and a multivariate statistical analysis method. According to our typology projects were classified according to their technological uncertainty at project initiation and their system scope which is their location on a hierarchical ladder of systems and subsystems. For each of the 127 projects in our study that were executed in Israel, we recorded 360 managerial variables and 13 success measures. The use of a very detailed data and multivariate methods such as canonical correlation and eigenvector analysis enables us to account for all the interactions between managerial and success variables and to address a handful of perspectives, often left unanalyzed by previous research. Assessing the variants of managerial variables and their impact on project success for various types of projects, serves also a step toward the establishment of a typological theory of projects. Although some success factors are common to all projects, our study identified project-specific lists of factors, indicating for example, that high-uncertainty projects must be managed differently than low-uncertainty projects, and high-scope projects differently than low-scope projects.

Social Interaction: A Determinant of Entrepreneurial Team Venture Success

An important issue to explain the success of new ventures is mostly ignored by the research of entrepreneurship: the social interaction within entrepreneurial teams. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of social interaction, which was originally developed for innovation teams in the field of entrepreneurship research and theory.The theoretical discussion proves if an adoption of the social interaction to the field of entrepreneurship is theoretically possible. Using the data of 159 German entrepreneurial teams, the effects of social interaction on new business success are empirically proven. The introduced measurement model, which consists of six dimensions, shows a high quality in the empirical test. The quality of the social interaction within entrepreneurial teams is crucial for the new venture success. An empirical comparison with the frequently used team conflicts confirm that the measurement of conflicts is not a sufficient substitute measurement for social interaction. Overall, the social interaction in entrepreneurial teams could be seen as an important but not only factor of business success.

Project management systems: Moving project management from an operational to a strategic discipline

This article illustrates one aspect of the concept of “fit” between an organizations implementation of project management and its organizational context by exploring how the underlying drivers of an organizations strategy might influence not only the nature of the projects that it undertakes, but also the appropriateness of the arrangements that it makes to manage those projects. Using a model conceptualized from the literature on strategic management, an analysis of four organizations that have made significant investments in project management over the past 5 years supports the hypothesis that the degree of “fit” between an organizations strategic drivers of value and the configuration of its project management system influences the value it obtains from project management.

Critical Chain: A New Project Management Paradigm or Old Wine in New Bottles?

Abstract: In this paper we analyze the Critical Chain (CC) approach to managing projects. Is CC as some authors assert, one of the most important breakthrough for project management since the introduction of the Critical Path concept (CP) or does CC merely consist of known concepts presented in a different way? Our discourse compares systematically CC and CPM on three conceptual levels to reveal the differences between the two approaches. We conclude that the philosophy behind the CP and CC approaches is remarkably different resulting in a different mindset for managers and a different set of management practices. The main difference is the application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in the CC case. As a result, CC focuses at improving the systems performance by laying out specific policies many of which are focused on resource management especially in multiproject environments that are not explicitly addressed by CP. We conclude that while the application of CC is complex, many of its ideas can be easily adapted by practicing managers.

Success factors of project management: the critical few-an empirical investigation

During recent years, project management has been firmly established as a concept for organizing extraordinary, innovative as well as strategic endeavors. However, still many of these projects fail. What are the recommendations that research can provide to practising managers? This paper aims to provide general recommendations regarding project management. This effort is based on the assumption that the project success depends on a relatively small number of variables-the so-called success factors.

Challenging Classic Project Management: Turning Project Uncertainties Into Business Opportunities

The management of uncertainty during a projects implementation is not well understood. In general, uncertainties are treated similar to project risks by practitioners and by scholars as negative events threatening a projects implementation. Following the arguments of economists, uncertainties are a necessary condition for the existence of opportunities. This research aims to identify specific classes of opportunities and specific contextual situations under which they occur during the implementation of projects. An exploratory case study of 20 projects was conducted. Different categories of opportunities and uncertainties were identified. All identified opportunities were connected with at least one situation of uncertainty but not every situation of uncertainty relates to opportunities. The cases unveiled that risks are misperceived as uncertainties and some situations of project improvements were misperceived as opportunities. Our study sheds light on the limitations of classic project management and suggests that future project management education needs to include a deeper exposure to business context to better equip project managers for the challenge and opportunity posed by uncertainty during project implementation.

Exploring the role of steering committees in realizing value from project management

The impact of steering committees on project performance and their role in creating value from project management capabilities is not well understood. A case study analysis was chosen to analyze the configurations and specific functions of project steering committees. A measurement model for steering committee configurations was developed to enable further survey-based studies. One of the major insights resulting from the authors’ interviews with project managers and senior managers was that they perceived the existence of a project steering committee only when the context was defined and clarified. Furthermore, a large variety of committee involvements was identified, concluding that steering committees per se are very rare. On the project level, the cases clearly demonstrate that committees with project steering functions play an important role in the selection, initiation, definition, and control of projects. On the organizational level, they are important to implement and maintain project management standards. Finally, the results clearly indicate that steering committees directly support project success and are instrumental for attaining value from an organizations investments in its project management system.

Starting conditions of successful European R&D consortia

The European Union spends large amounts of money to fund such European research programs like BRITE EURAM or ESPRIT. In these programs corporations and universities from different European countries form R&D consortia in order to cooperatively conduct research and to develop and apply new technologies. Through these programs the European Union hopes to bundle the competencies of its member countries and to develop and exploit innovative solutions based on leading-edge technologies in order to increase the competitiveness, employment and wealth of its economies.

Empirical Evidence of People as Determinants of Project Success

In this chapter the impact on project success of human factors and factors related to project form will be compared by analyzing 448 projects from a wide spectrum of German industries. Questions about how to plan and organize projects play a dominant role in many discussions about project management. In contrast empirical studies indicate a strong influence of human related factors. A framework of eight success factors derived from a meta-analysis of 44 empirical success factor studies is used to analyze the question which of these two factor classes is more important for project success. The question will be answered in consideration of causal relations between these factors. These causal relations are important for more accurate estimates of the impact of various factors on project success. Using a confirmatory LISREL-Analysis, the empirical results shed new light on the discussion about success factors. In contrast to conventional wisdom they indicate only weak influences of the formal aspects on project outcomes. On the other hand the results strongly recommend the growing trend to recognize the “human” side of project management as crucial to project success.

Identifying and Evaluating the Threat of Transitive Information Leakage in Healthcare Systems

Electronic protected health information is a priority among politicians and healthcare providers alike. Under the current circumstances with increased data breaches and their associated costs ensuring information security is essential for the success of healthcare providers. This paper presents a detailed case study of a major hospital in the NY/NJ metropolitan area demonstrating the complexity of the healthcare system and its inherent information security risks. The study shows that only a systemic perspective allows identifying all potential risks and providing solutions for improved information security. The main conclusion of this study is that transitive information risks have major implications for healthcare organizations and regulators. Identifying these risks will significantly improve information security in the healthcare environment.