APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRACTICE OF WORK OF PROJECT ORGANIZATIONS

The specificity of the digital transformation of design companies is associated with the definition of the object and subject of management, the peculiarities of performing the main production business processes, the identification of interrelations with the external environment. The paper considers in general an approach to managing the digital transformation of design organizations of the construction industry using the tools of end-to-end digital technologies, gives a general description of the digitalization process, analyzes the possibility of using digital transformation technologies (digital twins, distributed ledger technologies, machine learning, logical-linguistic and frame models) to improve the efficiency of the main production and management Processes.

Key stakeholders of the urban planning design market and their preferences when choosing a design company

The article examines the interests and concerns of various groups of stakeholders in the urban planning design market influencing the choice of a contractor. The selected market is characterized by a significant decision magnitude, usually involves many groups of stakeholders, and often determines the long-term development of cities. The aim of the article is to identify the interests of key stakeholders in urban planning design market, factors that are significant for the selected groups of stakeholders when choosing a contractor, and to provide recommendations for promotional strategy for the considered groups of customers. The theoretical review identifies more than 150 factors that influence the choice of a contractor on b2b market, they are further divided according to the underlying principles of choosing a partner from decision-maker’s viewpoint. Based on the interviews conducted, we determine the main groups of stakeholders who influence or are influenced by the urban planning design decisions. The field study revealed significant differences in preferences among various groups of stakeholders of project organizations: developers, authorities, other project bureaus, real estate owners, management companies. The preferences also differ based on the size of the company. As a result, we have developed recommendations for dealing with different groups of stakeholders based on the identified preferences, decision-makers, as well as possible directions of a company’s differentiation. The structure of the article consists of the theoretical overview of previously conducted research of factors influencing the contractor choice in the industrial markets and finding ways to harmonize the interests of different stakeholders, after that the field research has been done of experts and decision-makers of choosing a proper partner in the planning design market. Finally, the authors offer recommendations that can focus the marketing strategy of project design companies in the urban planning industry. The article would be of interest not only for companies in the urban planning design market but also for all companies in the industrial market that face the contradictory interests of various groups of stakeholders.

Theoretical model for mental health management of project management practitioners in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations

PurposeThis conceptual paper aims to develop a multi-level mental health management framework for project management practitioners (PMPs) in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations through organizational design theories to extend current knowledge on mental health by revealing organizational, project and external environmental factors contributing to mental health management in AEC project organizations.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was adopted to propose a theoretical model that integrated five organizational design theories: institutional theory, agency theory, resources-based theory (RBT), contingency theory and complexity theory.FindingsThe model reveals permanent organization, project organization and external environment factors for mental health management in AEC project organizations. It further proposed hypothetical interrelationships between elements of permanent organization, project organization, external environment and mental health management indicators to unravel the resultant effects of the interactions on mental health of PMPs.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the body of knowledge by developing a multi-level mental health management framework that identify and shows how combination permanent organization, project organization and external environment elements impact mental health of PMPs in AEC project organizations. It offers a model that offers guidance to practitioners on permanent organization and project organization management practices that can be implemented to improve mental health.

The Influence of Relational Capital and Social Capital on the Infrastructure Project Performance in UAE

Most managers believe that their current structures are effective or highly effective in achieving business goals by relying on the traditional capital. Yet, many infrastructure project organizations in the UAE revolve around traditional and functional structures which are lack both the flexibility required to adapt to the changing business landscape and the capability to achieve end results effectively. Thus, this study strives to fill this gap by testing the role of relational and social capital on infrastructure project performance. This study has applied the quantitative approach to collect the data through a questionnaire instrument from 335 respondents. This study has found that there are positive and significant relationships between relational capital and social capital with the performance of public infrastructure projects in the UAE

What Makes People Hide Knowledge? Influence of Passive Leadership and Creative Self-Efficacy

Although numerous studies have been conducted in the field of knowledge sharing with a focus given to its importance, very little attention has been given to knowledge hiding practices. A very few studies have been found to make an attempt to figure out its impact and antecedents. Likewise, the negative role of passive leadership in the project management literature has not been evidenced enough despite its existence in project-based organizations. Both knowledge hiding and passive leadership are the highly neglected areas in the project management literature. Therefore, this study not only attempts to investigate the influence of passive leadership on knowledge hiding but also aims to explore the role of creative self-efficacy between them. IT project organizations were chosen to collect data because of their high failure rate due to an insufficient knowledge transfer. The findings of this study revealed that the neglected passive leadership greatly influences the knowledge hiding practices among individuals. However, according to the results, knowledge hiding practices are found to reduce the presence of creative self-efficacy. Thus, the antecedents of knowledge hiding should be considered to create an innovative and successful business environment. The results are highly significant not only for the field of project management but also for other practitioners.

Managing Inter-Organizational Knowledge Sharing: Integrating Macro, Meso and Micro Level Analysis

Numerous studies focus on the increasing role that cooperation plays on knowledge creation and the importance of knowledge diversity. However, in dealing with different background, culture, process, and knowledge throughout collaborative project, organizations must improve their practices to access, share and create knowledge. This paper aims at highlighting the complexity of interfirm collaborative projects while analyzing how different factors bolster knowledge sharing between partners depend on project phases. This work supports literature on interactionist approaches and project management to analyze these concepts of collaboration and knowledge sharing. Based on case study of an aerospace cluster, the findings highlight the factors that may enhances the effectiveness of knowledge sharing depend on project phases. We conclude by identifying further conceptual research and implication for research and practice.

Temporary and permanent aspects of project organizing – operation and maintenance of road infrastructure

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the interdependencies between temporary and permanent aspects of project organizing and how they affect the management of public infrastructure operation and maintenance (O&M) activities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies a case study approach and uses Lundin and Söderholm's (1995) framework of the temporary organization (with the themes of time, task, team and transition) to distinguish between temporary and permanent aspects of organizing two infrastructure O&M projects.FindingsThis paper adds to the literature on temporary organizations by recognizing a mixture of temporary and permanent aspects of project organizing in an empirical project-level example. In line with previous research, the themes of time, task, team and transition were shown to be interdependent. Furthermore, the paper broadens the theory of temporary organizations by presenting a project organization with significant permanent aspects.Practical implicationsProject managers of public sector projects need to be aware of the possible mixture of temporary and permanent aspects of project organizing. Management of projects that are found to have a mixture of temporary and permanent aspects should combine the perspectives and management practices of both temporary and permanent organizing. Not acknowledging permanent aspects could lead to management that is not adapted to the prerequisites of project organizing in this context.Originality/valueThe findings further develop the literature on temporary organizations by recognizing that there is not only a mixture of temporary and permanent aspects between the temporary organization and its permanent environment but there is also a mixture of temporary and permanent aspects of organizing within project organizations.

Assessment of Team Agility in Internet of Things Projects

Internet of Things (IoT) projects are special kind of Research and Development (R&D) projects. Team agility plays an important role in determining the agility of IoT project organizations. Thus the paper aims to evaluate the team agility level of IoT projects using multi-grade fuzzy and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA).The team agility index is computed using multi-grade fuzzy for the case IoT project is 7.63 which is between the ranges (6-8) which specifies as ‘Highly Agile’. The IPA is applied to identify the weaker attributes to improve the team agility of case IoT project. The framework can be used on a periodic basis to help IoT project managers to improve continuously their team agility level.

Towards CRISP-ML(Q): A Machine Learning Process Model with Quality Assurance Methodology

Machine learning is an established and frequently used technique in industry and academia, but a standard process model to improve success and efficiency of machine learning applications is still missing. Project organizations and machine learning practitioners face manifold challenges and risks when developing machine learning applications and have a need for guidance to meet business expectations. This paper therefore proposes a process model for the development of machine learning applications, covering six phases from defining the scope to maintaining the deployed machine learning application. Business and data understanding are executed simultaneously in the first phase, as both have considerable impact on the feasibility of the project. The next phases are comprised of data preparation, modeling, evaluation, and deployment. Special focus is applied to the last phase, as a model running in changing real-time environments requires close monitoring and maintenance to reduce the risk of performance degradation over time. With each task of the process, this work proposes quality assurance methodology that is suitable to address challenges in machine learning development that are identified in the form of risks. The methodology is drawn from practical experience and scientific literature, and has proven to be general and stable. The process model expands on CRISP-DM, a data mining process model that enjoys strong industry support, but fails to address machine learning specific tasks. The presented work proposes an industry- and application-neutral process model tailored for machine learning applications with a focus on technical tasks for quality assurance.