Hecht, H R (2001) Development of major transportation projects in California. PhD thesis, University of California, Davis, USA.
Abstract
The ability for California to develop transportation projects in a cost efficient and timely way is critical for maintaining a viable transportation system. Without keeping our transportation systems in an adequate state of development, the State risks increasing congestion, increasing the cost of consumer goods, and the waste of scarce valuable resources. Fourteen major audits of the major developer of state transportation, Caltrans, have been conducted since 1973. A majority of the audits have cited expense and timeliness problems with project development. The audits suggested that the individual project manager has a significant influence on both the time and the cost of project development. It was the audits' supposition that the project manager's perceived control of the project and willingness to take reasonable risks were major determinants of project success. (Success being defined as development that is timely and cost effective.) The same audits indicated that projects that are more specific in original scope, cost, and required development time, were more likely to be successful. This study undertook to establish if the linkages suggested by the audits were significant or influential. We began this research over three years ago with the collection of a limited amount of transportation project data from cities, counties, and transit agencies. The data were analyzed to investigate preliminary relationships between project development cost and time and project related variables. This aided the design of the more comprehensive expanded study. The expanded data collection took place over the two years. Because of cooperative agency support the study was able to focus on project development of the State Highway System. The linkages between project specificity project management behavior, control and risk, and the project development time and cost were evaluated. The results of the study failed to support all of the past audits contentions. The results also found no significant difference in the efficiencies of County Sales Tax Agencies and the Caltrans in the cost/time of project development.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Niemeier, D |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | highway; project success; developer; audit; project manager |
| Index terms: | project development, project management, efficiency, linkage, determinant, perceived control, project manager, audit, agency, project success, transportation project |
| Subjects: | performance measurement, performance management, project delivery, behavioral psychology, project management theory and practice, business, sociology, infrastructure and transport systems, profession, risk assessment |
| Topics: | Project Management, Quality Management, Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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