Organizational competency in urban water infrastructure asset management

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1056-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryush Esmaili ◽  
Tamer E. El-Diraby

This paper presents an organizational performance measurement framework for guiding the development of organizational competencies to manage water infrastructure assets. The framework was validated through interviews and surveys with professionals. The framework includes three major dimensions for competency: technical activities, organizational management, and information and knowledge management. Across these levels, it presents 11 core critical success factors. It also provides a set of quantitative performance measures for municipal asset management teams and organizations. The framework serves as means to guide public policy makers in establishing policies and guidelines for enhancing municipal capacity in project management in the context of infrastructure assets. It also can help municipalities in defining gaps and areas of improvement. The framework is not intended to be universal. No model can make this claim given the drastic differences in legal and political setting in different jurisdictions. The proposed framework, however, can serve as a benchmark for other work in related contexts.

This chapter begins by describing the common problems associated with implementing IT business strategy that are faced by companies and other organizations, resulting in business planning that is not directly aligned with IT planning and IT investments not clearly supporting business strategies. It is stressed that all organizations should pursue strategic alignment practices to improve organizational performance when using IT-based resources. Case studies specific to the construction industry are presented to illustrate practical problems that companies face. With this background, the critical success factors of implementing IT business strategy are discussed. They mainly center around the goal of enabling businesses to reduce costs while at the same time improve IT’s contribution to their overall performance in terms of overall profit or net earnings. In the discussion, research finding of organizational success in strategic IT and business alignment are used to elaborate on the factors involved, both internal and external to the organization. Overall, the essential traits of successfully aligned organizations are mentioned. This is followed by describing a proposed model that is able to successfully address the alignment of business and IT by adopting a process-driven architecture that focuses on information management. Moving on, there are several aspects of preparing an organization for successful IT business strategy implementation. The next part describes some major steps of implementation like defining the goals and linking them to the performance criterion, focusing on the strategic intentions, adopting an effective plan, quantifying the cost and benefits of IT, measuring and tracking the results, and, last but not least, managing culture. Specifically on the construction industry, the chapter covers the main advantages and disadvantages of adopting IT to increase strategic competitiveness of construction companies. The illustrations from past research focus on links that are established between competitive advantage or project success and the use of technology. As background to proposing a set of recommendations on how IT business strategies can be implemented in design and construction firms, the case of IT adoption in the construction industry of Singapore is presented to serve as an overview of developments in this area. Based on the performance criteria established for these two types of firms in Singapore, appropriate enablers of implementation are suggested, including the kind of business strategy applicable to different firm types, through a process framework. The chapter concludes with a summary of the main points covered on the implementation of IT business strategy in the construction industry.


Author(s):  
Chinho Lin ◽  
Chu-hua Kuei ◽  
Christian N. Madu ◽  
Janice Winch

This paper presents a research framework for studying supply chain excellence, emphasizing two distinct paths of knowledge acquisition, that is qualitative inquiry through interviews with senior supply chain executives in Taiwan and quantitative inquiry through data collection from companies that operate in Taiwan. Four factors are considered as the antecedents of supply chain excellence, such as collaboration, organizational conditions, technology adoption, and operations. The authors use the grounded theory approach to further understand those four critical factors and relevant concepts. Organizational condition was ranked by our senior supply chain executives as the most important factor based on this qualitative investigation. The effect of four critical factors on organizational performance is also assessed through regression analyses, and the results help supply chain professionals in Taiwan determine which factors and concepts of supply chain management to focus on to improve business performance. Although these findings are situation-dependent, the proposed framework is different from existing literature and can be adopted in other international studies to enhance the body of knowledge on supply chain management.


2011 ◽  
pp. 2039-2063
Author(s):  
William Yeoh ◽  
Jing Gao ◽  
Andy Koronios

Engineering asset management organisations (EAMOs) are increasingly motivated to implement business intelligence (BI) systems in response to dispersed information environments and compliance requirements. However, the implementation of a business intelligence (BI) system is a complex undertaking requiring considerable resources. Yet, so far, there are few defined critical success factors (CSFs) to which management can refer. Drawing on the CSFs framework derived from a previous Delphi study, a multiple-case design was used to examine how these CSFs could be implemented by five EAMOs. The case studies substantiate the construct and applicability of the CSFs framework. These CSFs are: committed management support and sponsorship, a clear vision and well-established business case, business-centric championship and balanced team composition, a business-driven and iterative development approach, user-oriented change management, a business-driven, scalable and flexible technical framework, and sustainable data quality and integrity. More significantly, the study further reveals that those organisations which address the CSFs from a business orientation approach will be more likely to achieve better results.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Jaafer Y. Altarawneh ◽  
Vinesh Thiruchelvam ◽  
Behrang Samadi

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the critical success factors and the critical delays in the context of water infrastructure construction projects (WICPs) in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. In addition, the purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model to investigate the potential relationship. The literature concerning the critical success and delay factors and the related models that are available provide a starting point for developing the conceptual model. Based on the comprehensive and thorough literature review, all the dimensions of the variables are identified and discussed in detail.This study attempts to reduce the existing gap in the literature regarding the relationship between the critical success factors and critical delay. It forms a foundation upon which further local research can be conducted. In addition, it attempts to identify and point out the most critical success factors that will minimize the delay claims in water infrastructure construction projects (WICPs), as such delays would lead to some of the most difficult and controversial disputes to resolve.  Internationally, it is expected that the findings of this research may help as an evidentiary reference data on which other and further similar comparative researches could be initiated and developed in different environments in terms of cultural, social, contractual, political, and environmental mediums.Finally, the conceptual framework was developed by identifying six (6) variables for project critical success namely Project Management Process (PMP), Project Manager Competency (PMC), Project Team Members’ Competency (PTC), Project Organizational Planning (POP), Project Resources’ Utilization (PRU) and Project Organizational Commitment (POC).


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Dabestani ◽  
Allahvirdi Taghavi ◽  
Mohammad Saljoughian

Total quality management (TQM), its components, techniques and principles are extensively accepted by scholars as a comprehensive philosophy for improving organizational performance (OP). Moreover, findings suggest that a prerequisite for successfully implementing TQM is exchanging knowledge in the organization. However, the number of studies addressing the mentioned issue is limited. Also, the nature of knowledge and its interactions with TQM are not properly investigated. Current study investigates the role of employees’ different forms of knowledge sharing appreciation in their tendency to use TQM critical success factors (CSFs). In order to do so, knowledge sharing was divided into two categories of explicit and tacit, and the employees of the IT department of one of the largest companies in Middle East were selected and grouped based on their knowledge sharing characteristics. Further, ten categories were identified for TQM CSFs, and the employees’ appreciation of CSFs were measured. The data were gathered through two questionnaires. Finally, the subjects were plotted and grouped using Tacit–Explicit Analysis. The results indicated that while both Tacit and Explicit knowledge sharing positively correlates with CSF appreciation, a simultaneous increase in both types can bear much fruitful positive results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Del Giudice ◽  
Milena Migliavacca

Over the past 8 years, social impact bonds (SIBs) have attracted increasing attention from scholars, policy makers, and investors. Notwithstanding good intentions and policy makers’ enthusiasm, SIBs have failed to attract significant private capital. Considering the SIBs issued worldwide until December 2017, we look for the critical success factors of SIB funding by investigating both the financial and contractual characteristics of SIB contracts. We find that institutional investors are more likely to participate in an SIB funding when there are fewer agency problems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1625-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Alexander Silverio-Fernandez ◽  
Suresh Renukappa ◽  
Subashini Suresh

Purpose The decentralisation of information and high rate of mobile content access in the construction industry provides an ideal scenario for improvement of processes via the implementation of the paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart devices are considered as the objects interconnected in the IoT; therefore, they play a fundamental role in the implementation of digital solutions during the execution of construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to assess the critical factors for a successful implementation of smart devices in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was performed in the Dominican Republic. This country, located at the heart of the Caribbean, presents an economy that strongly relies on the construction industry. Following a systematic approach, a qualitative data collection and analysis was performed based on semi-structured interviews and content analysis to professionals of construction companies in the Dominican Republic, enquiring the concept of smart devices and critical success factors for implementing the devices in the industry. Findings The key success factors obtained from the contestants were leadership, technology awareness, company size, usability of proposed solution, cost of implementation and interoperability. Originality/value This paper provides information to clients of the construction sector regarding the benefits of embedding smart devices into their business activities. Furthermore, this study provides a better understanding of the key factors to be considered by construction organisations when embedding smart devices into their projects. This study also provides recommendations for distinct stakeholders of the construction sector, such as policy makers, clients and technology consultants. Policy makers should especially consider factors such as technology awareness and leadership to develop the right policies for the integration of the IoT in construction projects. Technology consultants should be aware of the latest case studies of successful implementation of smart devices and IoT systems in the world in order to adapt and implement smart devices and IoT in their projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khotso Dithebe ◽  
Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa ◽  
Wellington Didibhuku Thwala ◽  
Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke

Purpose The role of public–private partnerships (PPP) as a strategic initiative to improve and accelerate service delivery in the form of newly built and revitalised water infrastructure assets in developing countries cannot be over-emphasised. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess and highlight the importance of critical success factors for water infrastructure projects delivered under public–private partnerships. Design/methodology/approach A survey design was used and a questionnaire was administered to stakeholders who have participated in delivering water infrastructure assets in South Africa. Out of 150 administered questionnaires, only 91 were returned and usable for analyses, representing a 61 per cent response rate. The data gathered were then analysed using descriptive and factor analysis. Findings The study revealed that thorough planning for project viability, high levels of transparency and accountability and a legal framework stipulating policy continuity are the CSFs for delivering water infrastructure projects under the PPP initiative. The findings emerging from factor analysis owing to a close variance revealed the importance of the following grouped factors, namely, public cooperation, project viability and policy and legislation enhancement. Practical implications From the results, it is clear that the public sector, as the facilitator of infrastructure development, should create an environment that is conducive for private capital through political will and commitment and the enhancement of policy and legislation where there is no or minimal private participation. Originality/value Adequate infrastructure investment from private capital promises to flourish economically and improve the living conditions of the public in the cities and the country at large. To further guarantee the reality of PPPs at a local level, the host government must adequately engage and enlighten the public.


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