Fakilede, J (2020) Strategies utility business organizations use to deliver construction projects on-budget and on-schedule. PhD thesis, Walden University, USA.
Abstract
In many organizations, capital construction projects fail at an alarming rate despite the adoption and application of sophisticated project management techniques and tools. Utility organizations that lack effective strategies to deliver construction projects on-budget and on-schedule are at a high risk of experiencing project failure. Grounded in the contingency theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies successful project executives in utility organizations use to deliver construction projects on-budget and on-schedule. The participants comprised 3 project executives from 3 utility organizations located in the northeastern United States who implemented strategies to complete construction projects on-budget and on-schedule. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, the organizations' project documents, and the organizations' websites. Yin's 5-step process, thematic analysis, and methodological triangulation were used to analyze the data. The following 5 themes emerged from the data: develop a detailed project scope, apply relevant project management tools, apply effective project management skills, customize project management processes and procedures, and capture knowledge and share lessons learned. A key recommendation is that project executives develop a robust format or template for the project scope development before construction. The implications for positive social change include the potential for utility organization leaders to use funds saved from reduced project failure to enhance the maintenance and expansion of the utilities' infrastructures, resulting in a higher quality of service and improve the well-being of the local communities' residents.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Knight, M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction project; contingency; project management techniques; skills; utilities; failure; case study; interview; thematic analysis; United States |
| Index terms: | utilities, documents, executive, project management technique, triangulation, interview, construction project, contingency theory, well-being, lessons learned, project scope, project management, United States, strategy, thematic analysis, project management process, project failure, case study, quality of service |
| Subjects: | practitioner, data collection methods, construction type, production management, public and environmental health, project completion, sociology, mental health and wellbeing, Geography, scope management, management, professional development, operations management, methods and analysis, research design and methodology, project management theory and practice |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Information Management, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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