This thesis is written for the Finnish company Wärtsilä and looks into the project processes of an EPC solar project and an EPC Engine power plant project to find similarities, by looking into both qualitative and quantitative aspects. This is done so that Wärtsilä may use the information gained from the engine power plant projects to further their solar projects by cutting down the total project time. These comparisons are done by collecting data from interviews and from constructing a project network for both projects, which is then remade into a linear program, solved, and then evaluated by sensitivity analysis and looking into the critical paths and slack times of both networks. This data is then used to present a recommendation to Wärtsilä on which activities should be prioritised when trying to improve the project time. These recommendations include looking into container usage, the installation process of posts and photovoltaic panels, as well as allocation of manpower for civil work.

Chinese construction firms like any other construction firms, have to face a lot of challenges when dealing with the African construction environment, but unlike the others their success is heavily related to the network they have with their government as well as the African local government. A successful project marketing couple with a good mapping network as well as a clear understanding of the African business environment will then be the tools to be effectively competitive in that market. The main problem arising is therefore how Chinese construction firms can use project marketing to achieve a tangible competitive advantage against their competitors. Angola, an African country, was used as our single-case study. While relying on secondary data, we have discovered a country where most of the institutions were not fully established yet, and where the construction market was influenced to a certain level by the bilateral agreements between the Angolan government and the country of origin of the companies involved. Such bilateral agreements are closely related to the oil production of Angola. Our findings indicate that Chinese government is of great influence when it comes to the project marketing of Chinese construction firms before and after entering Angola but also that Chinese construction firms are already competitive in the market. Our conclusion on how a construction firm can be successful in African countries using project marketing is explained in a model that we have created for every company wishing to invest in the African construction market. Africa countries are nowadays a profitable market for construction firms and the availability of funds from the bilateral agreements makes those construction projects affordable for the African government. That is why we came into the conclusion that not only a good understanding of the African environment may help the construction firms succeed but also a strategic use of project marketing.

<p>Chinese construction firms like any other construction firms, have to face a lot of challenges when dealing with the African construction environment, but unlike the others their success is heavily related to the network they have with their government as well as the African local government. A successful project marketing couple with a good mapping network as well as a clear understanding of the African business environment will then be the tools to be effectively competitive in that market. The main problem arising is therefore how Chinese construction firms can use project marketing to achieve a tangible competitive advantage against their competitors.</p><p>Angola, an African country, was used as our single-case study. While relying on secondary data, we have discovered a country where most of the institutions were not fully established yet, and where the construction market was influenced to a certain level by the bilateral agreements between the Angolan government and the country of origin of the companies involved. Such bilateral agreements are closely related to the oil production of Angola. Our findings indicate that Chinese government is of great influence when it comes to the project marketing of Chinese construction firms before and after entering Angola but also that Chinese construction firms are already competitive in the market. Our conclusion on how a construction firm can be successful in African countries using project marketing is explained in a model that we have created for every company wishing to invest in the African construction market.</p><p>Africa countries are nowadays a profitable market for construction firms and the availability of funds from the bilateral agreements makes those construction projects affordable for the African government. That is why we came into the conclusion that not only a good understanding of the African environment may help the construction firms succeed but also a strategic use of project marketing.</p>

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-06-25T21:44:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 35.pdf: 26253336 bytes, checksum: fbdd327537205ae1b0ded9b494b97340 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-25T21:44:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 35.pdf: 26253336 bytes, checksum: fbdd327537205ae1b0ded9b494b97340 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Nenhuma / A presente pesquisa analisou a evolução da rede projetual durante o desenvolvimento de um projeto de codesign envolvendo atores de diferentes organizações (interorganizacional), de várias disciplinas de conhecimento (interdisciplinar) e com distintos cargos e tarefas (interfuncional). Utilizou-se do método de análise de que é voltado a entender como se relacionam os atores que constituem uma rede. Os atores que participaram da rede projetual objeto deste estudo são designers, especialistas de outras disciplinas e os futuros usuários de uma plataforma digital para compartilhar conhecimento na comunidade de Taquara/RS. Foram coletados dados sobre as relações sociais entre os participantes e sobre os fluxos de informações durante o desenvolvimento do projeto. Dessa forma, foi possível desenhar os mapas de relações e calcular os índices de centralidade dos atores, ou seja, foi possível visualizar quem forneceu e quem recebeu informações, quais atores engajaram-se no processo servindo com intermediários das informações, os agrupamentos organizacionais, entre outras informações. O resultado do cruzamentos dos dados indicou que: os designers inseriramse na rede tornando-se fonte das informações projetuais; o gestor do projeto desempenhou o papel de gestor das relações provocando o adensamento das relações projetuais; alguns designers e um especialista tornaram-se fontes das informações de aprendizado das ferramentas projetuais. Tais resultados podem servir de insumos estratégicos para o trabalho em redes projetuais, auxiliando os designers no entendimento de suas funções projetuais quando operando projetos colaborativos interorganizacionais, interfuncionais e interdisciplinares. / The present study examined the evolution of design network during the development of a codesign project involving actors from different organizations (interorganizational) from various disciplines of knowledge (interdisciplinary) and with different positions and tasks (interfunctional). We used the method of social network analysis which is addressed to understand the actor’s relationship who constitute a network. The actors who participated of the project’s network, object of this study, are designers, specialists from other disciplines and future users of a digital platform for sharing knowledge in Taquara / RS community. It were collected data about the social relationships between the participants and about the flow of information during the development of the project. Thus, it was possible to draw maps of relationships and calculating the actor’s centrality, ie, it was possible to see who gave and who received information, which actors engaged in the process serving with intermediaries of information, organizational clusters, among other information. The result of the data’s intersections indicated that: the designers were inserted in the network becoming source of project's information; the project manager acted as manager of the relationships causing thickening of project relations; some designers and one expert become information’s source for learning of the project tools. These results may provide strategic inputs to work in project networks, helping designers in understanding its functions when operating interorganizational, interfunctional and interdisciplinary collaborative projects.

With the growing need to maintain roadway systems for provision of safety and comfort for travelers, network level decision-making becomes more vital than ever. In order to keep pace with this fast evolving trend, highway authorities must maintain extremely effective databases to keep track of their highway maintenance needs. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), as a leader in transportation innovations in the U.S., maintains Pavement Condition Survey (PCS) database of cracking, rutting, and ride information that are updated annually. Crack rating is an important parameter used by FDOT for making maintenance decisions and budget appropriation. By establishing a crack rating threshold below which traveler comfort is not assured, authorities can screen the pavement sections which are in need of Maintenance and Rehabilitation (M&R). Hence, accurate and reliable prediction of crack thresholds is essential to optimize the rehabilitation budget and manpower. Transition Probability Matrices (TPM) can be utilized to accurately predict the deterioration of crack ratings leading to the threshold. Such TPMs are usually developed by historical data or expert or experienced maintenance engineers' opinion. When historical data are used to develop TPMs, deterioration trends have been used vii indiscriminately, i.e. with no discrimination made between pavements that degrade at different rates. However, a more discriminatory method is used in this thesis to develop TPMs based on classifying pavements first into two groups. They are pavements with relatively high traffic and, pavements with a history of excessive degradation due to delayed rehabilitation. The new approach uses a multiple non-linear regression process to separately optimize TPMs for the two groups selected by prior screening of the database. The developed TPMs are shown to have minimal prediction errors with respect to crack ratings in the database that were not used in the TPM formation. It is concluded that the above two groups are statistically different from each other with respect to the rate of cracking. The observed significant differences in the deterioration trends would provide a valuable tool for the authorities in making critical network-level decisions. The same methodology can be applied in other transportation agencies based on the corresponding databases.

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. Project Management Information System is tightly connected with organizational structure and particularity of executed projects. However the main objective of this research was to identify project management model that would be universal, helpful and easily used with small and medium projects In analysis phase we reviewed different methodologies, project management processes and methods, that are used to implement these processes. For our model we’ve chosen Adaptive Project Framework and basic process groups, such as time, resource management and some other, that can be effectively used in computer-driven system. During research we compared our project management system prototype with existing solutions to ascertain suggested model for its universality, helpfulness and easy use. The comparison showed that our model fits the requirements, though its not the most useful, but the proportion of functionality and usefulness is the best.

The diploma thesis deals with a problematics of project management. The major point is to create a project that is aiming on expanding field of aktivity in selected company with the use of theoretical knowledge of project management. This knowledge is desribed in first chapter of the diploma thesis. The second chapter contains basic informations about company and the analysis of company surroundings. The last part of the thesis solves proposals and desribes benefits created by these solutions in monitored company.

This thesis describes the design of a project for upgrading network infrastructure including devices connected to the network. Specifies the basic concepts and methods of project management. Thesis analyzes the current state of society and the environment. Thesis specializes in the design project.

[pt] Uma Rede Organizacional Virtual é uma organização de cooperação interorganizacional, com uso intenso de Tecnologia de Informação e Comunicação, típica do ambiente globalizado. Nesta dissertação, busca-se caracterizar esse padrão de rede e propor instrumentos para seu gerenciamento. O termo Redes Organizacionais Virtuais é introduzido, a partir da caracterização e da classificação das Redes de Cooperação e das Organizações Virtuais. Propõe- se a Metodologia de Reticulação para o planejamento e formação dessas redes e explicita-se a necessidade de instrumentos de coordenação, controle e avaliação para assegurar o seu melhor desempenho. Com essa fundamentação, analisa-se a Rede de Projeto e Desenvolvimento de Turbinas a Gás - RTG, determinando-se suas características e propondo-se metodologias de planejamento, coordenação e controle para sua administração. Recomenda-se, ainda, a implementação de um sistema de informações como instrumento reticulador. / [en] A Virtual Organizational Network is an inter-organizational cooperation organization, based in Communication and Information Technology, typical of the global environment. The objective of this dissertation is to characterize this network and propose appropriate management tools for its adequate functioning. The term Virtual Organizational Network is introduced based on the characteristics and taxonomy of Cooperation Networks and Virtual Organizations. To form, consolidate and plan this network, the Reticulation Methodology is proposed. The necessity of coordination, governance and performance evaluation tools for these networks is made explicit. This constitutes the basis for the analysis of the Gas Turbine Development and Project Network- RTG. Its characteristics are identified and methodologies for its planning, coordination and governance are proposed, as well as an Information System, as instrument for reticulation.