Project success is a measure of both project manager efficacy and stakeholder satisfaction. One of the primary measures of success for construction projects is meeting cost targets and yet recent data indicates up to 9 out of 10 construction projects fail to meet this target. Unsuccessful construction projects can have ramifications that affect project teams, internal stakeholders, customers and the local community. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between project managers' well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability and project success using Petrides and Furnham's theoretical framework of trait emotional intelligence. Using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire short form self-assessment instrument, data were collected from a sample of 104 construction project managers in the United States who had executed a project in the last 5 years. Data analysis revealed both the combination of the four predictor variables, and the self-control variable taken individually, resulted in a statistically significant relationship to project success at the p < .05 level with each having a p value of .001. Hiring managers and organizational leadership can use this information to guide hiring processes and training programs to help improve success rates in the construction industry. Improved project success could result in positive social change through the stabilization of the job market and improved partnerships between construction organizations, local governments, and the community.

There has been a rise in remote and virtual employees over the last 10 years with roughly 20-30 million Americans working remotely at least 1 day each week. This growth in virtual employees increases business and organizations' dependency on technology and on effective strategies to lead virtual teams. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this explanatory case study was to explore strategies e-leaders use in leading virtual teams effectively. The study population comprised a virtual company headquartered in the United States. The data included semistructured interviews with e-leaders with at least 1 year of experience in leading successful virtual teams, an analysis of technological tools, and a review of company documentation. Thematic analysis was conducted on the data collected via tool analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: focusing on results-based performance, enabling communications and collaborations through the right technologies, and investing in building and modeling the company's culture. The study's implications for positive social change include the potential to provide similar organizations with effective strategies to train their e-leaders in developing and leading more successful virtual teams. Additionally, using virtual teams can enable firms to lower direct and indirect green gashouse emissions by using fewer resources at worksites and to reduce carbon dioxide through decreased travel.

Thesis (M.Ed)--University of Limpopo,2009. / This report describes the research carried out at both the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project established at Newlands village (Mashashane), of Polokwane Municipality of the Capricorn region of Limpopo Province in South Africa. This research is about the sustainability of projects in Limpopo Province of South Africa. For this purpose, the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project is the case of this study. The study aimed at evaluating the sustainability of the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project, so as to make authorities aware of the difficulties experienced in sustaining projects, and to highlight those factors that make projects succeed. The following research questions were formulated for this study: • What are the critical factors that determine sustainability of projects? • What can be the role of adult education in this project? The intention of this study was to investigate why most projects collapse; and what kept the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project to exist for such a long time. In Chapter 2 of this study, I formulated assumptions about the sustainability of projects. I suggested certain factors to be considered for the purpose of sustaining a project. My assumptions were needs analysis; organising people; communication; competition; management; deliverables; lack of skills; ability to plan; project ownership and participation; the role of the government; and time table (schedule). In Chapter 3, the methodology is outlined. This study followed the qualitative approach. Instruments used for the collection of data are also explained. I discussed the main learning area, outlined the difficulties in carrying out the research activities and concluded the chapter by the model of data matrix. In Chapter 4 of this study, findings from Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project are outlined, based on documents, interviews and observations of activities of the project. I formulated variables informed by Chapter 2 of this study. I report on the setting of the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery Project. In Chapter 5, I have outlined conclusions based on the study. The suggested points about a good project are tabled. Inclusive of the challenges faced by the Mashashane Breeder Farms and Hatchery project are, namely: mortality; infertility; no income period; and education and training of employees. In Chapter 6, I have given recommendations for this study. Some of the recommendations specifically for this project are, namely: more projects should be established to address unemployment and poverty; feedback should be given to employees; communication should be reciprocal, prior work experience be recognised; adult education should be introduced for employees to upgrade their skills and develop some; workshops should be arranged to improve lives of employees; and increasing production and competition is to be encouraged at all levels (internally and externally).

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / This research project unfolds within the Shigalo wa Muhunguti Communal Property Association farms at Tshitungulu, (Levubu) area, under Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province, with the purposes to evaluating the sustainability of that Land Restituted farming project. This is a case study research project where both the qualitative and the quantitative research strategies were used. Data was collected through structured and semi-structured interviews. The analysis reveals that while the Land Reform programme has managed to restore land rights to the legitimate owners, the sustainability and continued productivity of such properties in the hands of the new owners remains a cause for major concern. The findings reveal among other things the low literacy level, lack of farming skills, low interest and passion for farming, and high level of dissatisfaction of employees. Poor marketing of produce is also a cause for great concern. Recommendations to address the above findings suggest that the Department of Agriculture should implement massive training programmes on beneficiaries, young farmers should be exposed to modern production system, regular meetings with employees could reduce their dissatisfaction, while the executive members could undergo vigorous training to get marketing skills to negotiate the sale of their produce.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Though strides have been taken to ensure the availability and application of technology, there still exists some disparity between the envisaged use compared to the actual one (Ross, Romich & Pena, 2016:48). The application of technology, such as project management software (PMS), could be the answer to unlocking success in projects especially where a large scope and high degree of complexity can sometimes prove to be very challenging. The research explored how the application of PMS influences project success. A case of NPOs in the Western Cape Province, South Africa was used. The research objectives were to (1) establish if PMS is applied in the NPO’s work, (2) determine employees’ interactions with PMS relative to project success, and (3) identify the limitations of current PMS being used. A non-experimental and quantitative approach was taken to conduct the research. Out of a potential 200 units of analysis, a sample group consisting of 132 project-implementing NPOs in the Western Cape was used. Ninety-four responses were received setting the response rate at 71%. The research instruments used were questionnaires, which were administered physically and online. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. There is high project success rate among NPO projects in the Western Cape at 77%. The research revealed that PMS is utilised in a significant number of organisations with the most popular ones used being Microsoft Project, Project Manager and Jira. Most project offices utilise PMS on a weekly or monthly basis especially during the project planning and execution stages. The limitations of the software include that it can over-complicate issues, be time-consuming, and costly. In light of the above, respondents revealed that they believe PMS does have a positive influence on project success. Furthermore, based on the findings and conclusions derived from this study, the researcher made a few recommendations. For example, persons in academia need to widen the scope of the study to different geographical locations and use a different research approach. Another is that software engineers/developers must consider localised support for PMS as well as improve on scalability issues. To NPOs, recommendations were made on potential training sessions to capacitate the sector to be more adept to information and communication technology (ICT) and eventually make more use of PMS.

A atuação de empresas internacionais no setor da construção civil no Brasil tem se tornado cada vez maior e essa atuação exige uma articulação eficiente na gestão dos projetos para seu sucesso. Diante dos desafios do processo de internacionalização, as empresas precisam adaptar-se ao ambiente local, por meio da integração dos conhecimentos, estratégias e processos bem definidos, uma vez que, se as empresas concentrarem-se apenas em um aspecto e negligenciarem o outro, a eficácia dos projetos pode reduzir. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar como a gestão de projetos influencia o sucesso dos empreendimentos de infraestrutura executados por empresas brasileiras e empresas estrangeiras, atuantes no mercado de construção civil brasileiro. Essa análise foi elaborada por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica e de seis estudos de caso, nos quais foram entrevistados gerentes dos empreendimentos e coordenadores de projetos de quatro empresas, uma de origem espanhola, uma de origem argentina e duas de origem brasileira. Por meio de um comparativo entre os processos adotados por essas empresas, foi possível identificar os pontos críticos e as dificuldades nos processos de gestão de riscos, gestão do processo de projeto (design), gestão da informação e do conhecimento e gestão da comunicação para execução de empreendimentos. Como resultado, foram propostas diretrizes aos agentes envolvidos, visando à melhoria contínua dos processos adotados. Pretende-se que o resultado desta pesquisa seja útil à definição de referências sobre a internacionalização no mercado da construção civil e as características que devem ser consideradas na gestão de projetos. / The performance of international companies in the civil construction sector in Brazil has grown significantly and this requires an efficient articulation in the project management for its success. The companies need to adapt to the local environment by integrating knowledge, strategies and well-defined processes due to the challenges of this process, since, if the companies focus only on one of these aspects and neglect others, their projects performance may reduce. The aim of this paper is to analyze how project management impacts on the success of infrastructure projects executed by Brazilian and foreign companies operating in the Brazilian civil construction. This analysis has been developed through literature review and case studies, in which, project managers and project coordinators of four companies, one of Spanish origin, one of Argentine origin and two of Brazilian origin were interviewed. Through a comparison of the processes adopted by these companies, it was possible to identify the critical points and difficulties in the processes regarding risk management, design process management, information and knowledge management, and communication management for the project execution. As a result, guidelines were proposed to the agents involved, aiming the continuous improvement of the processes adopted. The research results shall be useful to the definition of references on internationalization in the construction sector and the characteristics that should be considered in project management.

Abstract not available

The research aims to develop an understanding of the extent to which collaboration occurs through the use of online technologies in the project management environment. Given the breadth of the technological landscape, this research focuses on the use of online collaborative toolsets (OCTs). The research investigates six Project Management Environments (PMEs) and their use of OCTs, and uses a Collaboration scale developed specifically to measure the level of collaboration existing within each PME. The Collaboration scale presents collaboration not as a single entity, but as a scale ranging from low to high across six elements. Central to this theory is that for collaboration to exist, all elements must rate highly against the scale. The research argues that although all collaborative elements are found within a PME, it is the level of each element that determines the degree to which collaboration is occurring. A case study approach incorporated three broad strategies to collect data. The first strategy included a Likert questionnaire using the Dichotomous scale, which was administered to collect data on the operations of the individual projects. The second strategy included interviews that asked the project manager of each case specific questions regarding the PME. The third strategy involved desk research to scan for literature and web artefacts. The conclusions drawn from this research are: 1. OCTs can contain a variety of features, several of which are common amongst all. The research identified common requirements and use of the OCTs within the cases. 2. Although OCTs are capable of facilitating a high level of collaboration, Project Managers do not use OCTs for this purpose. The different project environments reviewed are not necessarily collaborative, nor do they use OCTs to assist with collaborative exercises. 3. OCTs are used predominantly for cooperation and coordinating activities within the PME. 4. Collaboration in the PMEs reviewed exists in degrees, at times being identified with cooperative functions, and at other times coordinating functions. 5. The findings demonstrate a pattern of collaboration, which is consistent across all cases. This pattern demonstrates a variation in the collaborative elements across the PME, and indicates a priority that may exist in regard to how these elements are prescribed within the actual project environment.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is faced with the rapid rate of urban deterioration. With the unique and densely populated nature of the city, the road to urban revitalisation can be envisaged to be a long and painful one. The government is determined to expedite the urban renewal work by establishing of the Urban Renewal Authority in May 2001 to replace Land Development Corporation that was established in 1988 to tackle the issue. The new set up is to operate with more public accountability and transparency as demanded by the community at large. It is also commissioned with the task of completing 225 projects in the next 25 years involving an estimated cost of over A$75 billion. The government has also decided to make Hong Kong Special Administrative Region a truly sustainable city by incorporating both urban sustainability and quality in urban renewal. Thus, a re-thinking of the project management application to enhance urban renewal project implementation is necessary and is beneficial in terms of finance, public confidence and maintenance of the sustainable competitive advantage of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This research is therefore justified. The research question formulated is:How can the project management body of knowledge and practice be applied to enable effective and efficient implementation of urban renewal projects in Hong Kong SAR?.Investigation of the extant literature in chapter 2 identified gaps in the body of knowledge and practice of applying professional project management principles and practices to urban renewal projects. A project management application model was formulated with five research issues that need to be resolved before the research question could be answered. These five research issues covered:• project organisational structure• team structure• attributes of team members• stakeholder management• communication and information technology enablersThe five research issues considered were:• Research Issue 1: What are the effects of projectised type organisational structure with integrated and multidisciplinary teams, corporate communication team, social services teams and informal project management community for each targeted district on urban renewal projects implementation?• Research Issue 2: What are the effects of a headquarters organisational structure with formal project management community, project auditing team, project support group and functional specialist advisory group on supporting the projectised organisational structure for each targeted district?• Research Issue 3: What are the effects of a flattened hierarchical structure with team members possessing sustainability knowledge and project managerial leaders being generalising specialists on the project team performance?• Research Issue 4: What are the effects of involving stakeholders at the outset of and throughout the projects with partnering relationship and formation of district advisory committee/community on urban renewal project implementation? • Research Issue 5: What are the effects of adopting information technology enablers by establishing computerised project management information system interlinked to Web site accessible to the public on communication to stakeholders?The case study research methodology was adopted to answer each of the research issues. In depth studies of Urban Renewal Authority with functional departments as embedded subunits were designed. Less in-depth case studies were also conducted for overseas cases in developed countries like Australia, United State of America, United Kingdom, Singapore, Denmark, Austria, Ireland and Spain for cross-case analysis. A total of 13 personal interviews with different levels of staff were conducted for seven embedded sub-units in the Urban Renewal Authority case. Information was obtained from ten overseas cases from their Web site and also via e-mail correspondence with the appropriate staff in the organisations.The data obtained were then analysed to show the patterns of the results for each of the five research issues developed in the literature review and also for the new findings that were not planned from the literature review. The findings were then compared with the extant literature to identify the contributions that this research makes to understanding how the project management body of knowledge and practice can be applied to enable effective and efficient implementation of urban renewal projects in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The application model for effective and efficient implementation of urban renewal projects modified to take into account the resolution of the research issues and the new findings is subsequently concluded.This research has contributed to both the knowledge of project management and urban renewal. The project management body of knowledge may need to put more emphasis on aspects of sustainability, multi-disciplinary and integrated approach, team hierarchical structure, team member attributes, stakeholder involvement and information technology enablers. Government support in both policy and implementation levels are of paramount importance in urban renewal work and needs more attention and focus. This research also provides some suggestions on the practice and policy especially on change management for introducing the application model in the existing organisation and the need of new legislation to supplement the existing one, on which the operation of Urban Renewal Authority is based.Finally, suggestions for further research are presented. These include quantitative research to test the application model built, generalisation of the research to other places with different operating environments for both governmental and non-governmental organisations, strategy for urban renewal, attributes of top management for managing urban renewal organisation, and cultural risk in managing urban renewal projects.

Projects are important to society, and yet they often fail. This is despite the application of widely accepted project management standards, training, and processes. In this context, there is growing awareness that projects are often highly complex and therefore cannot be managed effectively solely by using process-based project management techniques. An alternative approach is now emerging, and that is recognising and dealing with the dynamic complexity, feedback and uncertainty inherent in most large projects today. When a project does fail, it follows that there has also been a failure in the management of risks to the project. Given this, it is possible to obtain insight into failures in complex projects by investigating how risk is managed. During this research, the management of internally generated risks in projects was of particular interest. These are the risks that projects create for themselves by the way they are set up or operate. If it is established that such risks are common, important and not well managed, it could provide valuable insight into why projects fail. Nine complex projects were investigated to identify, document and analyse internally generated risks to their success. Using data gathered from workshops and confidential interviews, five hypotheses were tested to understand the role played by internally generated risks in projects. A key part of the research method was the use of risk maps, an adapted form of cause-and-effect diagrams, as the basis for the dialogue necessary to create a shared understanding of each risk. Statistically significant results were obtained to support the conclusion that internally generated risks are common in complex projects, have the potential to significantly impact upon project success, and yet are generally poorly managed. It was also concluded that internally generated risks are important as a class of project risk, with potentially large impacts upon the success or otherwise of complex projects. Given this, further research to better understand how such risks arise and how they can be recognised and managed is appropriate.