Improving the existing project manager-to-project practice of a specific organization (organization A) in Botswana

Empirical studies on the project manager-to-project (PM2P) practice in multi-project environments (MPEs) are limited. Little has been done to study existing PM2P practices in Botswana (a new context), despite evidence of the negative impact of existing practices on organizational performance. Approaches to improve PM2P allocation decisions and get them right first time have become necessary to complement intuition, in making effective decisions (Patanakul et al., 2007) that save costs and lost time in rectifying mismatches between project managers and projects (Skabelund, 2005). Researchers have proposed approaches to improve the PM2P practice (Choothian et al., 2009; Patanakul et al., 2007). These approaches, whilst demonstrating the value to be derived from improving the PM2P practice in MPEs, have limitations such as: predominant focus on USA context, lack of comprehensiveness in consideration and modelling of influencing factors, and lack of user-friendliness. This thesis builds on existing best practice and proposes a new approach to improve the existing PM2P practice of a specific organization (organization A) in Botswana, to potentially optimize performance. A mixed methods study involving 109 interviews and questionnaires with practitioners in Botswana was conducted over three fieldwork stages, leading to development of a comprehensive new approach. This new approach was verified and validated to improve organization A’s existing PM2P practice. The new approach combines concepts from four disciplines. It complements intuition and enables practitioners to use it directly for the first time, in improving their existing PM2P allocation decisions. The results from a study of existing PM2P practices in Botswana revealed lack of accountability in decision making, and reliance on intuition. A conceptual framework for understanding effective PM2P practices in MPEs was developed and used to elucidate organization A’s existing PM2P practice. The results showed a lack of consideration of a comprehensive list of factors influencing PM2P allocation decisions, including mismatches between project managers and projects. Validation of the proposed new approach revealed evidence of its value to improve organization A’s existing PM2P practice, in comparison with the status quo. The new approach facilitates a more effective PM2P practice, leading to potential reductions in: mismatches between project managers and projects, time, cost and hence increased organizational performance. Future work is needed to extend the scope to accommodate flexibility of the proposed new approach to different applications and contexts.