Bu-Bushait, K A (1984) A descriptive examination of the relationships between the application of project management techniques and project characteristics. PhD thesis, Georgia State University, USA.
Abstract
The objective of the research was to study the application of various project management techniques and their relationships to project characteristics to lay a foundation for the development of a contingency theory of project management. Initially, emphasis was placed on two characteristics, perceived degree of uncertainty and perceived degree of managerial complexity. Later, the reserach was extended to investigate the relationships between the application of the project management techniques and project size as measured by cost, duration, and the number of personnel involved. Structured interviews were conducted on 48 projects from which 46 usable responses were obtained. A wide range of project types and project management approaches were represented in the sample. Analysis of the data yielded the following results: (1) Work breakdown structures, project control meetings, and project reports were used on almost all projects. PERT, GERT simulation, and linear responsibility charts were seldom used. Other tools examined in this study were used in some, but not all projects. (2) No significant relationships (at alpha of . 10) were found between the application of any of 15 project management techniques and the perceived degree of uncertainty or the perceived degree of managerial complexity involved in the projects. (3) The application of eight of the 15 project management techniques were found to be significantly (at alpha 0. 10) and positively related to the size of the project as measured by a combination of project cost, duration and number of personnel involved. Of these eight techniques, six were planning techniques and two were controlling techniques. (4) Significant relationships were found between several project management techniques and project size as measured separately by project duration, total cost, and number of personnel. (5) Finally, a statistically significant difference was found between the mean number of techniques applied on large projects versus the mean number of techniques applied on the other projects in the sample.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | complexity; duration; personnel; uncertainty; contingency; project control; project cost; project management techniques; interview; simulation |
| Index terms: | project control, project management, duration, contingency theory, project management technique, complexity, planning technique, project cost, personnel, interview |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, control systems, urban planning, operations management, management, economics, project management theory and practice, project controls, sociology, systems engineering |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Time Control, Human Resources, Governance, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Research Practice, Cost Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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