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Repetitive project failures or underperformance and ever increasing competition have given impetus for the need to drastically improve project performance within professional services organisations. This realisation has prompted actions to drive restitution efforts to enhance successful delivery and overall project management throughout the organisation. However, the desired outcomes to improve project management processes at an organisational level have not always been forthcoming in light of improvement activities implemented through various changes in operating procedures. The purpose of study is to investigate and identify, from an intra-organisational perspective, the factors required to bring about enhanced implementation and continuous improvements in project management processes; and to determine how they must be aligned to a successful strategy implementation for attainment of higher states of organisational project management maturity. The study focuses on project intensive organisations, mainly implementing information communication technology (ICT), business services and financial related projects. Through the use of a literature review, augmented by a quantitative survey, the perceived impacts and values of the determined factors on project management maturity were gathered. The research study shows that companies wanting to improve project management maturity must steer away from focussing only on certain processes, but must take a holistic view, encompassing a variety of internal factors, ranging from components of organisational learning, to change management and strategy implementation. The identified factors will provide impetus for organizations to create and leverage the drivers, fostering a climate for continuous project performance improvements and ultimately giving them the ability for moving to higher levels of maturity. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / (M.B.A.)

An international consortium of more than 150 organisations worldwide is studying the feasibility of future particle collider scenarios to expand our understanding of the inner workings of the Universe. The core of this Future Circular Collider (FCC) study, hosted by CERN, an international organisation near Geneva (Switzerland), is a 100 km long circular particle collider infrastructure that extends CERN's current accelerator complex. As a first step, an intensity frontier electron-positron collider is assumed. The ultimate goal is to build a proton collider with an energy seven times larger than the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Such a machine has to be built with novel superconductive magnet technology. Since it takes decades for such technology to reach industrial maturity levels, R&D has already started. The superconducting magnet system is considered the major cost driver for construction of such a proton collider. A good cost-benefit balance for industrial suppliers is considered an important factor for the funding of such a project. Aim The aim of this investigation was to identify the industrial impact potentials of the key processes needed for the manufacturing of novel high-field superconducting magnets and to find innovative additional applications for these technologies outside the particle-accelerator domain. Suppliers and manufacturing partners of CERN would benefit if the know-how could be used for other markets and to improve their internal efficiency and competitivity on the world-market. Eventually, being more cost-effective in the manufacturing and being able to leverage further markets on a long-time scale will also reduce the cost for each step in the manufacturing chain and ultimately lead to lower costs for the superconducting magnet system of a future high-energy particle collider. Method The project is carried out by means of the Technology Competence Leveraging method, which has been pioneered by the Vienna University of economics and business in Austria. It aims to find new application fields for the three most promising technologies required to manufacture novel high-field superconducting magnets. This is achieved by gathering information from user-communities, conducting interviews with experts in different industries and brainstorming for new out-of-the-box ideas. The most valuable application fields were evaluated according to their Benefit Relevance and Strategic Fit. During the process, 71 interviews with experts have been carried out, through which 38 new application fields were found with credible impacts beyond particle accelerator projects. They relate to manufacturing "superconducting Rutherford cables" (15), "thermal treatment" (10) and "vacuum impregnation with novel epoxy" (13). Superconducting magnet manufacturing technologies for market-oriented industries Report. Results: A short description of all application fields that were classified as "high potential" can be found here: Superconducting Rutherford cable * Aircraft charging: Commercial airplanes only spend around 45 minutes on the ground at a time to load and unload passengers. For future electric aircraft this time window would be to small to charge using conventional cables. The superconducting Rutherford cable could charge an electric plane fast and efficiently. * Electricity distribution in hybrid-electric aircraft: On a shorter time scale, hybrid-electric aircraft is an appealing ecological technology with economic advantages. In this case, electricity for the electric engines is produced by a generator. Cables with high current densities are needed inside the aircraft to distribute the energy. The superconducting Rutherford cable could be a candidate for this task. * Compact and efficient electricity generators: Using the superconducting Rutherford cable, small and light engines and generators can be constructed. One end-use example is for instance the generation of electricity using highly-efficient wind turbines. Thermal treatment: Heat treatment is needed during the production of superconducting magnet coils. In this processing step, the raw materials are reacted to form the superconductor. This processing step is used for certain lowtemperature superconductors as well as for certain high-temperature superconductors. * Scrap metal recycling: Using a large-scale oven with very accurate temperature stabilisation over long time periods, melting points of different metals can be selected. This leads to more efficient recycling of scrap metal. It also permits a higher degrees of process automation and quality management. * Thermal treatment of aluminium: Thermal treatment of aluminium comprises technologies like tempering and hardening. The goal of this technique is to change the characteristics of aluminium and alloys containing aluminium. End-use applications include for instance the automotive and aerospace industry, where such exact treatment is necessary. Vacuum impregnation * Waste treatmnent companies currently face challenges because new legislation require more leak-tight containers. Novel epoxy resin developed for superconducting magnets in particle colliders also needs to withstand high radiation levels. Therefore, this technology can be useful in the process of managing highly-activated radioactive waste.

Repetitive project failures or underperformance and ever increasing competition have given impetus for the need to drastically improve project performance within professional services organisations. This realisation has prompted actions to drive restitution efforts to enhance successful delivery and overall project management throughout the organisation. However, the desired outcomes to improve project management processes at an organisational level have not always been forthcoming in light of improvement activities implemented through various changes in operating procedures. The purpose of study is to investigate and identify, from an intra-organisational perspective, the factors required to bring about enhanced implementation and continuous improvements in project management processes; and to determine how they must be aligned to a successful strategy implementation for attainment of higher states of organisational project management maturity. The study focuses on project intensive organisations, mainly implementing information communication technology (ICT), business services and financial related projects. Through the use of a literature review, augmented by a quantitative survey, the perceived impacts and values of the determined factors on project management maturity were gathered. The research study shows that companies wanting to improve project management maturity must steer away from focussing only on certain processes, but must take a holistic view, encompassing a variety of internal factors, ranging from components of organisational learning, to change management and strategy implementation. The identified factors will provide impetus for organizations to create and leverage the drivers, fostering a climate for continuous project performance improvements and ultimately giving them the ability for moving to higher levels of maturity. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / (M.B.A.)

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / From start to finish, implementing large public infrastructure projects, like a park, can be challenging. Funding shortages, public opposition, and physical limitations are all potential problems that can halt a project’s development. This study explores the complexities of implementation by using a proposed park designed by the Kansas City Design Center as a case study for examination. The visioning process, or first stage of implementation, is explored by examining the factors that influenced the design. Through interviews, this report then examines how the actors and processes of project implementation work together or against each other in project development. Applying the learned knowledge of implementation to the proposed park of the Kansas City Design Center presented multiple challenges, as well as opportunities for the park. After understanding implementation and its application to the Rail Park, three main strategies are proposed to move the Kansas City Design Center’s proposed park past the visioning stage. The three strategies are: to collaborate between actors, garner public support, and project phasing. General conclusions about implementation in this study found that there will be challenges and not all can be anticipated, but it is important to plan for those that can be. Being flexible and persistent to move a project forward is necessary in order to accommodate stakeholders’ concerns and unforeseen problems. Knowledge of implementation and its complexities will assist actors, developers, and students to advance visions into reality.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has a demonstrated capacity to improve safety, mobility and accessibility for multiple types of road users. In India, where road safety is an ongoing problem, the national government has supported cities’ efforts to implement BRT as a cost-effective tool to improve urban travel. The case of Indore’s iBus attests to the cultural and institutional barriers that Indian cities may face in gaining public support for BRT. After a contentious implementation process, the High Court ruled to open the dedicated bus lane to private automobiles, resulting in drops in ridership and increases in accidents and travel delay. This study examines the competing, public narratives that framed the issues during and after project construction. Contested notions of the public interest, the cause of traffic problems, and community participation informed the basis for the arguments that culminated in the court ruling.

<p>Denna fallstudie avser att titta på kritiska faktorer i projektimplementering. Projektimplementering avser hela genomförandet av projekt efter att avtal har tecknats till avslut, då kunden och leverantören har uppfyllt sina respektive åtaganden. Kritiska faktorer är kommunikation, ledningens stöd, planering, personal, teknik, kundens acceptans, kundkonsultation, samordning och problemlösning. Punkterna är sammanfattade i Schultz, Selvin och Pintos Projekt Implementerings Profilen (PIP). Projekt kännetecknas av att de, med dedikerade resurser under en begränsad tid, skall nå projektetmålet, vilket kan vara en nog så stor utmaning. Studien utgår från intervjuer med projektkonsulter från IT-bolaget EKAN Albatross AS. Syftet är att fånga hur de upplever kritiska faktorer i projektimplementering. Totalt har 8 stycken intervjuer genomförts med 5 respondenter involverade. De arbetar som projektkonsulter på Albatross kontor i Oslo och Stockholm. Två olika intervjumetoder har används, den första mer allmänt orienterade för att fånga hur konsulterna ser på sin projektverksamhet. Den andra intervju metoden är mer strukturerad frågor ställda utifrån PIP-faktorerna. Konsulterna arbetar med att utveckla och implementera affärsdatasystem till kund. Projekt implementerings profilen fångar väl konsulternas upplevelser, men tar inte upp den politiska dimensionen som kan förekomma i genomförandet av projekt.</p>

Denna fallstudie avser att titta på kritiska faktorer i projektimplementering. Projektimplementering avser hela genomförandet av projekt efter att avtal har tecknats till avslut, då kunden och leverantören har uppfyllt sina respektive åtaganden. Kritiska faktorer är kommunikation, ledningens stöd, planering, personal, teknik, kundens acceptans, kundkonsultation, samordning och problemlösning. Punkterna är sammanfattade i Schultz, Selvin och Pintos Projekt Implementerings Profilen (PIP). Projekt kännetecknas av att de, med dedikerade resurser under en begränsad tid, skall nå projektetmålet, vilket kan vara en nog så stor utmaning. Studien utgår från intervjuer med projektkonsulter från IT-bolaget EKAN Albatross AS. Syftet är att fånga hur de upplever kritiska faktorer i projektimplementering. Totalt har 8 stycken intervjuer genomförts med 5 respondenter involverade. De arbetar som projektkonsulter på Albatross kontor i Oslo och Stockholm. Två olika intervjumetoder har används, den första mer allmänt orienterade för att fånga hur konsulterna ser på sin projektverksamhet. Den andra intervju metoden är mer strukturerad frågor ställda utifrån PIP-faktorerna. Konsulterna arbetar med att utveckla och implementera affärsdatasystem till kund. Projekt implementerings profilen fångar väl konsulternas upplevelser, men tar inte upp den politiska dimensionen som kan förekomma i genomförandet av projekt.

Some authors have identified different cultural dimensions that could be used to classify people from different cultures in terms of values, believes, and behaviors which are defined by the environment where they are brought up. Among these dimensions, power distance is hi-lighted in this research in order to identify how the relationships of power among individuals would be a cause of cultural barriers that could ultimately prevent managers from the successful accomplishment of objectives. In the field of project management is during the project implementation when the interaction among stakeholders will reach its highest point of importance. This is due to the fact that all plans formulated in previous phases will be transformed into real actions. International project management required special skills and knowledge in order to achieve the right implementation of the strategy to accomplish a proper project completion. Therefore, this research is made in response to the need within the project management field for having a practical tool that could be applied to overcome cultural barriers. By gathering the point of view of managers from different backgrounds and ages, Chinese and non-Chinese, a list of practical guidelines is provided for foreigners to follow in order to avoid conflicts which could be initiated by cultural issues related to the way relationships of power are established in China. In order to develop these guidelines, a qualitative research method has been applied in this study by carrying out semi-structured interviews to a diversified group of people, Chinese and non-Chinese, in order to get the information from their experience to achieve the final objective of this research. After collecting the necessary information conveyed by interviewees, the suggested guidelines have been developed based on the findings which performed the factors of power and mechanism that describes how Face and Guanxi define the relationships of power among Chinese individuals.

Nowadays companies face continuous changes. Every change a firm face has to be carefully addressed by everyone in the organization but especially by leaders and the managerial team. However these changes not always produce monetary benefits. A change on the IS might increase productivity in one business area but it might not represent profit to the whole company. There are several change studies which can be used as guide by leaders when im-plementing a change. However none of these theories consider the possibility to improve efficiency as a result of the change. Neither to assure that after the IS change implementation the company‟s profitability increases. The theory of con-straints (TOC) is a useful tool which covers both of the issues mentioned before. This paper will combine several change theories with the theory of constraints. With this mixture of ideas we want to show leaders a new procedure on which they can relay on when dealing with the process of an IS change. This procedure should assure an increment on the productivity produce after the change. But also consider an addition to the company profitability. We studied three change related theories. We then revised the TOC and we com-pared all this recollected information with the way six leaders handled IS changes in their companies. These five companies were Dell, Cisco Systems, Desca, Ericsson, and Nortel. At the end we were able to identify critical success factors which any leader should consider when facing an IS change. These factors cover from the beginning of the IS change, the implementation of it and finally the way to make this change maximize the business performance.