Journal Of Project Management Practice (JPMP)

A Review on PDM Decision-Making for Public Sector Construction Projects Using PESTEL Analysis Framework

Mohd Idham Mohd Noor — 2024-12-31

Successful public sector construction project delivery is crucial for public benefit and national economic growth. Project delivery performance typically depends on the appropriateness of the project delivery method (PDM), which plays a significant role in project development. This paper comprehensively reviews the public sector’s macro-environment perspective in applying descriptive and structured PDM decision-making for public sector construction projects. Based on a systematic literature review, the public sector macro-environment opportunities and threats in PDM decision-making are assessed using a strategic management tool, the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) analysis framework. Findings reveal that political direction, consultant and contractor abilities, and public sector personnel culture are significant threats that influence the public sector to uphold prescriptive and authoritarian decision-making in PDM selection. Financial conditions, technology integration, and strict public sector policy, rules, and regulations are significant opportunities for the public sector to improvise if determining to adopt various potential PDMs in public sector construction projects. An adequate understanding of the public sector macro-environment perspective in adopting proliferated PDMs contributes to different philosophical views on public sector PDM decision-making. The findings of this paper are substantial in establishing relevant criteria for developing a workable PDM decision-making framework for the public sector.

Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) in Construction Cost Management: Obstacles and Strategies for Improvement

Umaira Husna Abdul Rahman — 2024-12-31

Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) is a setting where digital information is viewed from a real-world perspective and is created using Augmented Reality (AR) that is integrated into a mobile application. AR is one of the emerging technologies in Construction 4.0 Strategic Plan (2021-2025) in Malaysia. Although many scholars have pointed out many benefits of MAR to the construction industry, nevertheless, the implementation of MAR practice with specific reference to cost management in the Malaysia construction industry is still at the rudimentary stage. Without MAR, professionals tend to rely on traditional technologies with limited real-time visualization, which can lead to data misunderstanding and decision-making delays. Besides, there will be a lost potential for early detection of cost overruns when MAR is not implemented in cost management. Hence, this paper is prepared to present the outcome of study on the identification of obstacles that can hinder the implementation of MAR practice, and suitable strategies for improving MAR with specific reference to the cost management practice in the construction industry. The study was designed with a qualitative research strategy that in compasses of semi-structured interview with seven (7) professionals that have established knowledge, skills, and experience in cost management. The interviewed data was analysed using content analysis and descriptive statistical analysis methods. The findings from the study have established that the financial issues such as high investment cost has been identified as a key obstacle that can hinder the MAR implementation in cost management practice. To overcome the limitations of MAR implementation, the study has identified several strategies that could be appropriate for the recommendations to improve the MAR practice in the construction industry. Providing financial support by the financial agencies is found to be the most effective strategy to enhance MAR implementation for cost management in the construction industry. Additionally, the research adds up to the body of knowledge on MAR implementation that can become significant input to enhance the cost management practice in Malaysia.

Key Performance Indicators of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Projects During Pre-Construction Phase

Suhaiza Ismail — 2024-12-31

There are two objectives of this paper. The first objective is to investigate the important performance indicators of private finance initiative (PFI) or also known as public private partnership (PPP) projects before beginning of construction. The second objective is to investigate the difference in the perception of the importance of the performance indicators between the public and private sectors. A postal questionnaire survey was used. The questionnaire was distributed officers of government departments and private sector companies who may have been involved in PFI/PPP projects. A total of 237 completed questionnaires were received, representing a 51.52 percent response rate. In examining the importance of performance indicators, the descriptive statistical tests of mean, standard deviation and mean score ranking were used. Independent t-tests were conducted to investigate the differences in the perceptions of the importance of performance indicators between the two respondent groups. The findings indicate that all the performance indicators in relation to before the construction period were perceived as ‘important’ by all respondents. The top five performance indicators before construction begins were ‘Project maintainability’, ‘Commitment and responsibility between public and private sectors’, ‘Government’s knowledge of PFI/PPP’, ‘Project technical feasibility’ and ‘Appropriate risk allocation, risk sharing and risk transfer’. The performance indicator that was perceived as the least important was ‘Stable and favourable political environment’. In terms of the differences in the opinion between the private sector and the public sector respondents, two indicators that are ‘General public support’ and ‘Type of construction’ were perceived by the public sector respondents as significantly more important than by the private sector respondents. This study offers empirical evidence on key performance indicators for PFI/PPP project that are important at the early yet crucial stage of a PFI/PPP contract, i.e. before construction begins, as perceived by two key parties in a PFI/PPP contract, i.e., the public and the private sectors.

Emerging Trends in the Adoption of Innovative Technologies by Building Firms in Lagos Metropolis

Dele Roger Simeon — 2024-12-31

Concerns over the slow pace and work progress among construction companies are pervasive. Nonetheless, technology has the potential to bridge this inefficiency gap. Thus, this study assesses the degree of adoption of innovative technologies during the building production phase with a view to enhancing project delivery. The study's objectives are to evaluate the socio-economic benefits of adopting innovative technologies, establish the degree of satisfaction with the organization’s deployment of innovative technologies, and determine the level of technology adoption at the construction stage. The study adopts a survey research strategy to collect data from the respondents in Lagos Metropolis. The population of the study comprises built environment professionals who work in construction micro-small-medium-enterprises (CMSMEs). Criterion based; deliberate, purposive sampling research strategy was deployed to select 109 respondents from the study’s population. The statistical tools used for the analysis include frequency, percentages, mean scores, relative implementation index, and ranking. The findings demonstrated that mobile technologies are the most often utilized among the twelve groups of technologies deployed during construction. In contrast, wearable technologies are the least deployed. The study concludes that the current level of technology adoption is low and varies among the CMSMEs. The divergence in technology adoption indicates that CMSMEs in Lagos Metropolis are yet to fully harness innovative technologies to boost construction operations during the building production phase. The study recommends that CMSMEs leverage innovative technologies to enhance the construction phase. This may be accomplished by creating a budget for its uptake and deployment during the building production phase in a bid to unlock its full potential and benefits. Besides, manufacturers of underutilized technologies should amplify product awareness among building firms in Lagos Metropolis. This may be accomplished by organizing training and demonstration programs for construction industry stakeholders on the benefits of deploying the technologies.

Comparative Analysis of Communication, Team Cohesion, Flexibility, and Productivity in Virtual and In-person Project Management: Evidence from Germany

Reuben Amewuda — 2024-12-31

The study compares virtual and in-person project management based on major dimensions such as communication, team cohesiveness, flexibility, work-life balance, and efficiency. With the shift to remote work, understanding the dynamics of communication, team cohesion, flexibility, and productivity in these environments has become crucial for organisations. The study employed a cross-sectional comparative research design to administer a questionnaire to 420 participants in Germany. The study used Mann-Whitney U Tests to test the two environments. The Mann-Whitney U Test found a statistically significant difference between the in-person and virtual groups (U=329, p = 0.002), showing that in-person teams communicate more often than virtual groups with a large effect size (r=−0.536). The analysis of team-building activities found that virtual teams engage more frequently than in-person teams, with a much larger effect size (p=0.024, r=-0.830). Moreover, the results regarding privacy show a statistically significant difference between the virtual and in-person project management environments (p = 0.002, r=0.534), implying that in-person project management environments provide a higher level of privacy than virtual environments. The study concludes that structured communication and team-building activities in a virtual environment enhance trust and collaboration among team members. Organisations are recommended to promote greater communication in virtual teams, address methods for forming virtual teams, address privacy issues in virtual workplaces, encourage work flexibility to reduce working pressure and work on schedules and collaboration of traditional in-person teams.

Advancing Agenda 2063 by Improving Mortgage Access in Greater Kampala: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Eligibility and Developer Challenges

Margaret Nakiwala — 2024-12-31

This study aims to model strategies for improving mortgage financing accessibility in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) using logistic regression modelling. By investigating how mortgage eligibility criteria impact the challenges faced by potential mortgagors, the study collected quantitative data through self-administered questionnaires to assess developers’ perspectives on mortgage requirements. The findings reveal that a 2% mortgage processing fee significantly increases the likelihood of securing a mortgage (odds ratio = 2.011). At the same time, the requirement for verifiable income sources decreases the odds (odds ratio = 0.591), with property valuation and income verification showing minimal effects. The model demonstrates a good fit with a chi-square value of 73.317 (p < 0.001) and an AUC of 0.7473 on the ROC curve, indicating reasonable predictive accuracy. This research offers valuable insights into the impact of processing fees and income verification on mortgage access, providing practical guidance for enhancing mortgage accessibility strategies and refining approval criteria. By addressing these challenges, the study contributes to a more inclusive housing finance system that aligns with the broader goals of sustainable development outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063.