Shen, W; Tang, W; Wang, Y; Duffield, C F; Hui, F K P and Zhang, L (2021) Managing interfaces in large-scale projects: The roles of formal governance and partnering. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(7): 04021064, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Interface management has been viewed as one of the important organizational capabilities to promote coordination and integration among stakeholders in construction project delivery, especially for large-scale projects. This paper examines the role of formal governance, partnering, and organizational boundary activities and their interactions in interface management performance. An integrated framework with consideration of the influence of formal governance, partnering, and boundary activities on interface management performance and associated project outcomes was developed and empirically tested with data collected from 85 large-scale international projects. The results show that formal governance is the dominant determinant of interface management performance and can indirectly influence it through improving partnering and boundary activities. Partnering and boundary activities are also significant antecedents of interface management performance, which, in turn, improves project outcomes of large-scale construction projects. Formal governance and partnering mutually reinforce each other. Interface management performance is positively related to project outcomes in terms of quality, cost, and schedule. This empirical research contributes to the fundamental understanding of the critical factors that govern the interface management performance and, ultimately, the project outcomes. In addition, the outcomes of this study highlighted the broad managerial implications for participants in large-scale projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | boundary activities; coordination; governance; interface management; partnering; project management |
| Index terms: | construction project delivery, partnering, determinant, international project, project outcome, integration, governance, construction project, coordination, interaction, critical factor, project management, interface management, organizational boundary, organizational capability |
| Subjects: | production management, organizational analysis, behavioral psychology, business, project completion, project management theory and practice, risk assessment, sociology, project controls, partnership management, management, strategic management |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Research Practice, International Construction, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Organizational Design, Time Control, Project Management, Governance |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here