In the current market situation today which is changing rapidly, many companies have decided to adopt the project-based organisational structure. However, the literature on this area has been lacking, particularly in the multi-project environment. This is an important subject to explore since it has a substantial impact on a company’s productivity. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to expand the knowledge on project resource management in multi-project organisations. The methodological approach of this work was a case study, where interviews and observations were conducted at a large PBO running multiple new product development projects. The unit of analysis in the case was the way of working in projects and PRM techniques used in the context of two new product development projects. Waterfall Method and APM was identified as two fundamental ways of running a project. Additionally, RBS and RBV, Kitting, CONWIP and Project Freezing and finally CCPM were identified as techniques that can be used in project management. Several similarities and differences were identified when comparing the case study with previously conducted studies. Particularly, similarities regarding the experienced pressure and how resource conflicts caused by this were managed. Lastly, improvement proposals to current PRM techniques were identified. By using both Waterfall Method and APM together, their strengths could be combined. Moreover, HRM has become an increasingly more important task for the line managers, which should be taken into consideration when stating the work description. The results of this study will contribute both theoretically and practically. This work supports the evolution of the PRM techniques by evaluating them in a practical context. Finally, the conclusions of this work provide recommendations which are more practically applicable for PBOs.

It has become more common for organization to operate a lot of projects at the same time. These projects affect each other, either in way of resources or technical. Projects in a multi-project environment depend and affect each other, and in most cases they rival about resources, decision-makings and priority. To lead a project portfolio with several projects is a major challenge. The most common problems that occur are vague objective, unclear working conditions, resource shortage and problems of priority. To be able to avoid these problems and lead the projects successfully, an effective and working resource plan is essential, which an IT-support can provide with. The company that is describes in this study is Spinn Action Marketing which specializes in creative solutions for communication that operates sales in short and long runs. The projects that the company leads, operates in a multi-project environment and the project management have challenges with the resource planning. The purpose of this study is to research how to make resource planning in a multi-project organization more effective with an IT-support. It has been theoretically researched with a literature study about problems and success factors in multi-projects environment and the pros and cons with an IT-support for project and resource planning. Empirical data has been collected through interviews, participating in weekly plan meeting and by analyzing the company’s existing documentation about resource planning. The result of this study shows how a multi project organization does its resource planning, what kind of demands there are on an IT-support and it also shows results in a poll which researches what kind of IT-support different company’s use to plan their projects and resources. / Det har blivit allt mer vanligt för organisationen att driva många projekt samtidigt som påverkar varandra, resursmässigt eller tekniskt. I en multiprojektsmiljö är projekten beroende av arandra och i många fall konkurrerar de med varandra om resurser, beslut och uppmärksamhet. Att leda n projektportfölj med många projekt är en betydande utmaning. De vanliga problemen som ppstår är otydliga mål, otydliga arbetsformer, resursbrist, samt prioriteringsproblem. För att undvika de vanliga problemen och driva projekten framgångsrikt är en effektiv och fungerande esursplanering väsentligt, vilket ett IT-stöd möjligen kan bidra till. Företaget som beskrivs i studien är Spinn Action Marketing som specialiserar sig på kreativa kommunikationslösningar som driver försäljning på kort och lång sikt. Projekten i företaget drivs i en multiprojektsmiljö och projektledningen upplever svårigheter med resursplaneringen. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur man kan effektivisera resursplaneringen ed ett IT-stöd. Det har undersökts teoretiskt om kända problem och framgångsfaktorer inom multiprojektsmiljöer, för- respektive nackdelar med ett IT-stöd för projekt- och resursplanering genom en litteraturstudie. Det har samlats in empirisk data genom intervjuer, deltagande i veckoplaneringsmöte och statusmöten veckovis samt genomgång av företagets befintliga dokumentation om resursplaneringen. Resultatet av studien visar hur en ultiprojektsorganisation resursplanerar, vad det finns för krav på ett IT-stöd och en enkätundersökning om undersöker vilka IT-stöd andra liknande företag använder för att planera projekt och resurser.

Previous research has shown that sensemaking structures within organizations are not only present, but vital in project settings. Informal individually produced sensemaking structures, such as task lists, are a mean to formulate ones' own project work into individual actions. These have shown to be essential, but some drawbacks have also been shown to exist. However, the lens has previously been mainly on the individual level, and organizational implications have got little attention in research. This study aims to explore projects' implications when such individual structures are dominant in the process. To do so, the reasons for production of said structures are analysed as well as the source of them. As a mean to identify such implications, a qualitative single-case study was performed at a Swedish consultancy company, where in total 16 interviews were held with employees at various positions and hierarchical levels. As expected, sensemaking structures were widely used in several formats, produced both for individual and collective purposes. The study further reveals that depending on the source of inspiration for the task lists, there is a risk that multiple views of the projects' goal are formed, which in turn affects the projects' progress. Also, the responsibility of the project leaders was shown to be of importance as a mean to minimize individual prioritization and instead build a uniform perception of projects' priorities, thus through communication and transparency. As the study finds a clear connection between individuals' sensemaking structures and organizational implications, further and more broad research on sensemaking structures through an organizational lens is suggested. / Tidigare forskning visar på att meningsskapande strukturer [eng: sensemaking structures] i organisationer existerar och håller en avgörande del i projektsammanhang. Informella individuella strukturer, så som uppgiftslistor, används och produceras för att bryta ner projektarbetet till mindre uppgifter. Dessa strukturer har visat sig vara av stor betydelse, men nackdelar har även visat sig förekomma. Tidigare forskning har huvudsakligen fokuserats kring individen, men mindre uppmärksamhet har lagts på organisatoriska aspekter. Denna studie syftar till att utforska de konsekvenser projekt kan erhålla då individuella strukturer är dominanta i projektarbetet. I ett försök att finna dessa konsekvenser så har både skälen till produktionen av dessa strukturer samt dess källa analyserats. För att identifiera dessa konsekvenser har en kvalitativ fallstudie utförts på ett svenskt konsultföretag, där resultatet samlades in genom att intervjua 16 anställda verksamma på olika positioner och hierarkiska nivåer. Användandet av meningsskapande strukturer var som väntat stort, då syftet till dess användning både var individuellt och kollektivt. Studien visar att källan till de individuella listorna skiljer sig åt,vilket bidrar till risken att det formas flertalet synsätt på projektets mål, vilket i sin tur påverkar projektets utveckling. Projektledarens ansvar att kommunicera och vara transparent har visat sig vara av betydelse i syfte att minimera individuella prioriteringar och därav bör det byggas en mer enhetlig syn på projektets prioriteringar. Då författarna av studien finner tydliga kopplingar mellan individuella meningsskapande strukturer och organisatoriska implikationer föreslås vidare forskning på meningsskapande processer genom en organisatorisk lins.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka projektledares upplevelse av sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö när de arbetar i multiprojektmiljöer inom offentlig sektor. Projektledarnas psykosociala arbetsmiljö har undersökts utifrån upplevelsen av de krav som följer projektledarna när de hanterar parallella projekt, kontrollen de har över sitt arbete samt hur de upplever socialt stöd. För att konkretisera syftet har två frågeställningar formulerats: Hur upplever projektledare sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö när de arbetar med flera parallella projekt i multiprojektmiljöer inom offentlig sektor till följd av de krav som ställs? och Vilken betydelse har upplevd kontroll över arbetet och socialt stöd för projektledares välbefinnande när de hanterar flera parallella projekt, i en multiprojektmiljö inom offentlig sektor? För att besvara forskningsfrågorna och därmed adressera studiens syfte användes en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Teorin som ligger till grund för studien är Karasek och Theorells (1990) krav-kontroll- och stödmodell, en välanvänd teori som legat till grund för många undersökningar gällande just psykosocial arbetsmiljö. Nio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med projektledare alla verksamma inom offentlig sektor och i en roll där de hanterar flera parallella projekt. Intervjuerna analyserades sedan med hjälp av en tematisk analys och tre förutbestämda teman som skapades med utgångspunkt i krav-kontroll- och stödmodellen.  Studiens resultat visar att det finns många krav kopplat till att driva parallella projekt i en multiprojektmiljö inom offentlig sektor. Trots en stor mängd krav med av karaktär visar resultatet att samtliga projektledare har en positiv upplevelse av deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Projektledarna upplever också att kontrollen och det sociala stödet har en stor betydelse för deras välbefinnande. Det är till stor del baserat på deras upplevda autonomi och det stöd de känner i och med förtroendeingivande och tillitsfulla relationer med sina närmsta chefer. / The purpose of the study was to investigate project managers' experiences of their psychosocial work environment when working in multi-project environments within the public sector. The psychosocial work environment of project managers has been examined based on their experience of the demands they face when managing parallel projects, the control they have over their work, and their perception of social support. To concretize the purpose, two research questions were formulated: How do project managers experience their psychosocial work environment when working with multiple parallel projects in multi-project environments within the public sector as a result of the demands placed on them? and What significance does perceived control over work and social support have for project managers' well-being when managing multiple parallel projects in a multi-project environment within the public sector?  To answer the research questions and thus address the purpose of the study, a qualitative method with a deductive approach was used. The theory underlying the study is Karasek and Theorell's (1990) demand-control-support model, a well-established theory that has been the basis for many investigations into psychosocial work environments. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with project managers all working in the public sector and in a role where they manage multiple parallel projects. The interviews were then analyzed using thematic analysis and three predetermined themes were created based on the demand-control-support model. The results of the study show that there are many demands associated with managing parallel projects in a multi-project environment within the public sector. Despite a large number of demands with varying characteristics, the results indicate that all project managers have a positive experience of their psychosocial work environment. The project managers also consider that control and social support are of significant importance for their well-being. This is largely based on their perceived autonomy and the support they feel through trusting and supportive relationships with their immediate supervisors.

大型及多重專案管理須面對繁複關聯的組織、複雜變動的流程、交疊共用的資源等，其績效控制及資訊系統建置等問題素為專案管理領域中關鍵性的研究課題。本文旨在提出為提昇大型及多重專案管理績效的全球資訊網資訊系統設計方法，並舉出營建業工程專案作為所提方法促成電子化應用之實例說明。系統之應用領域分析採用超媒體方法，概念設計採用物件導向之混合模式方法，系統建置則以全球資訊網為環境，並透過物件導向程式設計及軟體整合方法達成。 / Since large-scale and multiple project management involves interdependent organizations, dynamic processes, as well as shared resources, the methodologies related to project performance control and information system development have become critical research topics in the project management domain. The goal of this paper is to propose a web design method for developing information system to efficiently and effectively support the multi-project management processes. A construction project is used as an example to illustrate how the proposed approach is applied to enable electronic applications for the construction business. A hybrid modeling technique is adopted during the application analysis and conceptual design stages that integrates hypermedia node-link model and object-oriented model. As for physical implementation on the WWW environment, object-oriented programming design and software integration approaches are used to achieve the goal.

This work focuses on the need for new knowledge to allow hierarchical multi-project management to be conducted in the construction industry, which is characterised by high uncertainty, fragmentation, complex decisions, dynamic changes and long-distance communication. A dynamic integrated project management approach is required at strategic, tactical and operational levels in order to achieve adaptability. The work sees the multi-project planning and control problem in the context of supply chain management at main contractor companies. A portfolio manager must select and prioritise the projects, bid and negotiate with a wide range of clients, while project managers are dealing with subcontractors, suppliers, etc whose relationships and collaborations are critical to the optimisation of schedules in which time, cost and safety (etc) criteria must be achieved. Literature review and case studies were used to investigate existing approaches to hierarchical multi-project management, to identify the relationships and interactions between the parties concerned, and to investigate the possibilities for integration. A system framework was developed using a multi-agent-system architecture and utilising procedures adapted from literature to deal with short, medium and long-term planning. The framework is based on in-depth case study and integrates time-cost trade-off for project optimisation with multi-attribute utility theory to facilitate project scheduling, subcontractor selection and bid negotiation at the single project level. In addition, at the enterprise level, key performance indicator rule models are devised to align enterprise supply chain configuration (strategic decision) with bid selection and bid preparation/negotiation (tactical decision) and project supply chain selection (operational decision). Across the hierarchical framework the required quantitative and qualitative methods are integrated for project scheduling, risk assessment and subcontractor evaluation. Thus, experience sharing and knowledge management facilitate project planning across the scattered construction sites. The mathematical aspects were verified using real data from in-depth case study and a test case. The correctness, usefulness and applicability of the framework for users was assessed by creating a prototype Multi Agent System-Decision Support System (MAS-DSS) which was evaluated empirically with four case studies in national, international, large and small companies. The positive feedback from these cases indicates strong acceptance of the framework by experienced practitioners. It provides an original contribution to the literature on planning and supply chain management by integrating a practical solution for the dynamic and uncertain complex multi-project environment of the construction industry.

Le contexte d’application de cette recherche a été le projet CRIBA. CRIBA vise à industrialiser une solution intégrée de rénovation et d’isolation de grands bâtiments. De ce fait, une part importante de la valeur ajoutée est transférée des chantiers de rénovation vers des usines de fabrications devant être synchronisées avec les chantiers. La planification est l'une des étapes importantes de la gestion de projets. S’adaptant à une organisation, elle vise une réalisation optimale en considérant les facteurs de temps, coût, qualité ainsi que l’affectation efficace des ressources. Cette affectation est d’autant plus complexe lorsqu’un ensemble de projets se partagent les ressources, renouvelables ou non renouvelables. L'objectif global de notre étude est de développer un outil d’aide à la décision pour un décideur visant à planifier plusieurs projets en intégrant l'allocation des ressources renouvelables, et la planification des flux de ressources non-renouvelables vers ces projets. Dans ce cadre, les ressources non renouvelables telles que les machines et la main-d'œuvre ont une disponibilité initiale limitée sur les chantiers. Cependant, nous supposons que des quantités limitées supplémentaires peuvent être achetées. En outre, nous prenons en compte la volonté des coordinateurs des projets pour l’approvisionnement des chantiers en juste à temps (just in time), en particulier pour les ressources peu demandées, encombrantes et à forte valeur. Ceci oblige à étendre le cadre du modèle de la planification des projets en incluant la planification de la chaîne logistique qui approvisionne les ressources non renouvelables des chantiers. Enfin, pour répondre au besoin d’outils décisionnels responsables sur le plan environnemental, le modèle prévoit le transport et le recyclage des déchets des chantiers dans les centres appropriés. Un modèle linéaire mixte du problème est ainsi posé. Puisqu’il rentre dans la classe des modèles d'optimisation NP-durs, une double résolution est proposée. D’abord à l’aide d’un solveur puis une méta-heuristique basée sur un algorithme génétique. De plus, pour faciliter l'utilisation du modèle par des utilisateurs peu familiers avec la recherche opérationnelle, un système d'aide à la décision basé sur une application web a été développé. L’ensemble de ces contributions ont été évaluées sur des jeux de test issus du projet CRIBA. / The application context of the current study is on a CRIBA project. The CRIBA aims to industrialize an integrated solution for the insulation and thermal renovation of building complexes in France. As a result, a significant part of the added value is transferred from the renovation sites to the manufacturing centers, making both synchronized. Planning is one of the important steps in project management. Depending on the different viewpoints of organizations, successful planning for projects can be achieved by performing to optimality within the time, cost, quality factors as well as the efficient assignment of resources. Planning for the allocation of resources becomes more complex when a set of projects is sharing renewable and non-renewable resources. The global objective of the study is to develop a decision-making tool for decision-makers to plan multiple projects by integrating the allocation of the renewable resources and planning the flow of non-renewable resources to the project worksites. In this context, non-renewable resources such as equipment and labor have a limited initial availability at the construction sites. Nevertheless, we assume that additional limited amounts can be added to the projects. In addition, we take into account the interest of the project coordinators in supplying the non-renewable resources in a just-in-time manner to the projects, especially for low-demand resources with a high price. This requires extending the framework of the project planning by including the planning of the supply chain which is responsible. Finally, in order to meet the requirements for environmentally responsible decision-making, the model envisages the transportation and recycling of waste from project sites to appropriate centers. A mixed integer linear model of the problem is proposed. Since it falls within the class of NP-hard optimization models, a double resolution is targeted: first, using a solver and then a metaheuristic based on the genetic algorithm. In addition, in order to facilitate the use of the model by users unfamiliar with operational research, a web-based decision-making support system has been developed. All the contributions are evaluated in a set of case studies from the CRIBA project.

The study explores the project manager’s perception of the competitive dynamic amongst the projects that utilize the same organizational resources in the multi-project context.   The method used is a qualitative research design with an inductive approach where the data corpus was analyzed through thematic analysis. Ten project managers with experience in multi-project environments participated in the study. The analysis resulted in three themes. Theme 1: Competing is outdated and unsavory with the sub-themes No competition, we work together, and Friendly competition for a common goal. This theme reflects the respondents’ perception of the competitive dynamic between the projects. Theme 2: Organization set precedent with the sub-theme Governance of projects shows the respondents’ perception of their work situation with the complex nature of projects. Theme 3: Obstacles are unsolved solutions with the sub-theme Do the best you can with what you got and be a good sport about it; demonstrates the respondents’ attitudes, behavior, and view of their part in the dynamic between the other projects, the project managers, and the rest of the organization. Unexpectedly, the respondents did not appear to agree that there are competing dynamics amongst the projects that utilize the same organizational resources in multi-project organizations. Instead, many respondents were averse to competing and saw it as outdated and problematic for the organization’s success and the work environment. The results show that the respondents prefer cooperation instead of competing and choose to prioritize interpersonal relationships with their fellow project managers instead.