管理层级、职业经验与项目绩效的实证研究

基于2005年的问卷调查数据,本文对新技术商业化过程中项目管理层级差异、管理团队的职业经验差异与项目绩效之间的关系进行了实证研究.结论发现,从事新技术商业化的管理团队的经验越丰富,项目绩效就越好;但衡量管理层级的项目负责人在企业内的行政管理级别的高低对项目绩效好坏没有统计学上的差异,这与国外已有的一些实证研究结果不同.本文最后简要分析了造成这种不同的可能原因.     

BUILDING THE SERVICE OPERATIONS COURSE AROUND A FIELD PROJECT

Service operations courses are often too concerned with concepts or techniques and not enough with the solution of real-world service problems. This article presents a case study of the successful turnaround of such a course by rebuilding it around a field project. The project is presented in some details. It largely dictates the content and paces the delivery of the course. Strategic and tactical aspects in the design of such a course are discussed with the benefits and limitations of the approach.     

基于VPRS的软件项目投标风险规避群决策研究

设计了一个基于变精度粗糙集的模型算法,用于调整软件项目投标风险群决策表中的分类误差,为了全面反映专家的个人能力和在群决策过程中的公正、认真程度,赋予每个专家相应的权重,计算投标项目和风险指标的综合风险当量,并讨论了相应的风险规避措施、风险规避力度排序和风险规避流程。     

SCAT AND SPAT: LARGE-SCALE COMPUTER-BASED OPTIMIZATION SYSTEMS FOR THE PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM

The personnel assignment problem involves the assignment of people to tasks, projects, etc., in a manner that maximizes a measure of aggregate utility for the assignees subject to several assignment constraints. In addition to computationally efficient solution algorithms, the effective implementation of mathematical models to solve the personnel assignment problem must include data processing systems with comprehensive error checking/resolution procedures, end user reports, documentation, and training. This paper summarizes two successful computer-based systems for solving large-scale personnel assignment problems that frequently occur in university settings. SCAT, the Student-Company Assignment Technique, assigns students to job interview slots. SPAT, the Student-Project Assignment Technique, assigns students to project teams in an MBA field project course. The SCAT and SPAT approaches can be generalized to a wide variety of personnel assignment problems in university, industry, government, and military settings.     

Information technology project outcomes: user participation structures and the impact of organization behavior and human resource management issues

Despite considerable research examining user participation in information technology (IT) project implementation, the findings are equivocal concerning how beneficial IT user participation is for project outcomes. Likewise, evidence concerning the management of various forms of user participation is also mixed. This study posits an integrated user participation structure composed of a combination of steering committees, cross-functional teams and project champions performing different functions and supporting each other during the course of project implementation. The study builds a research model that identifies the impact of various organization behavior and human resource management (OB/HRM) issues on the ability of the user participation structure to influence IT project outcomes. It presents the results of field research in the form of nine case studies to identify various OB/HRM factors that can discriminate between different IT project outcomes. The field study leads to a revised research model that emphasizes the role of processes and dynamics within the user participation structure, as well as the role of OB/HRM variables, in influencing the relationship between user participation structures and IT project outcomes.     

TEACHING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT THROUGH GLOBAL PROJECTS WITH GLOBAL PROJECT TEAMS

In this article, we describe the Global Project Coordination Course, a course in which project teams composed of three students from each of two overseas universities execute company‐sponsored projects dealing with global supply chain management issues. The $75,000 to $100,00 contributed in total by the three to four sponsoring companies funds all course expenses. We assess the benefits and challenges of the use of cross‐cultural project teams with diverse educational backgrounds. We conclude that the course provides a unique and effective vehicle for furthering students' knowledge of Supply Chain Management and Information Systems, improving understanding of “soft” issues, and training students to work in diverse, global, cross‐cultural project teams.     

Managing Cost Salience and Procrastination in Projects: Compensation and Team Composition

The rising trend of projects with high‐skilled and autonomous contributors increasingly exposes managers to the risk of idiosyncratic individual behaviors. In this article, we examine the effects of an important behavioral factor, an individual's cost salience. Cost salience leads individuals to perceive the cost of immediate effort to be larger than the cost of future effort. This leads to procrastination in early stages and back‐loaded effort over the course of the project. We model the problem confronting the manager of a project whose quality is adversely impacted by such distortion of individual effort over time. Complementary to prior works focused on the planning and scheduling tasks of project management in the absence of human behavior, we find that managers should reward contributions made in earlier stages of a project. Our analysis also yields interesting insights on the project team performance: teams with diverse levels of cost salience will perform better than homogeneous teams. We also address another important facet of team composition, namely, the choice between stable and fluid teams, and find that the practice of creating fluid teams might have previously unrecognized benefits when behavioral aspects of projects are considered. We conclude with insights and organizational implications for project managers.     

面向客户的项目管理过程

客户关系作为项目管理过程中的重要方面需要引起项目实施团队的高度重视,面向客户的项目管理过程是在项目实施中管理客户关系的有效方法。本文探讨了客户关系在项目过程中的重要性,根据客户在项目实施过程中的角色及项目过程中项目团队与客户间的常见冲突,结合项目实施的五大管理过程提出在项目实施过程中进行客户关系管理的主要工作。     

A collaboration concept for TQM implementation in small and medium sized enterprises

The article presents a concept to implement total quality management (TQM) in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and is based on a yearlong collaboration between a college and local SME's. An annual course is developed and offered to both company participants and students who work together in project teams and in genuine projects at the companies. The course curriculum is presented and analyzed and the ability of the course to facilitate the companies' long-term quality strategies is discussed. The outcomes of the course, as reported by the companies, show that the collaboration has supported their long-term implementation of TQM.     

基于支持向量机的R&D项目过程质量度量

过程质量度量是项目质量控制中的基础。本文针对R＆D项目的质量特性,构建了R＆D项目过程质量状况的评价指标体系,将支持向量机(SVM)技术应用于R＆D项目过程质量度量。实证研究结果表明该方法可很好地应用于R＆D项目的过程质量管理。     

Revitalizing the MBA for the New Millennium: A Collaborative Action Research Approach

Business schools are facing increased competition due to information technology innovations and customer dissatisfaction. In response, business schools are turning to a variety of solutions, such as team teaching, integrated curricula, and distance learning. This article presents the results of a collaborative action research project initiated by one business school faced with the need to revitalize its MBA program. The faculty engaged in this project learned much about the challenges of teaching an integrative course and the constancy of change. We share our conclusions and recommendations about an integrated curriculum, distance learning, adult learning, team teaching, revisions in program duration and structure, as well as advice on the necessary administrative support and compensation for business schools contemplating such changes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

铁路施工项目进展管理研究

进展管理是项目管理的一项重要内容。本文针对铁路施工项目的特点,深入探讨了进展管理的方法和基础,介绍了在铁路施工项目进展管理中灵活应用挣值法的实例,提出了由底层进展情况到项目整体进展情况的汇总方法。应用实践表明,本文提出的进展管理方法能够有效提高铁路施工项目的管理效率和管理深度。     

On the use of multivariate regression methods for longest path calculations from earned value management observations

This paper explores the use of multivariate regression methods for project schedule control within a statistical project control framework. These multivariate regression methods monitor the activity level performance of an ongoing project from the earned value management/earned schedule (EVM/ES) observations that are made at a high level of the work breakdown structure (WBS). These estimates can be used to calculate the longest path in the project and to produce warning signals for project schedule control. The effort that is spent by the project manager is thereby reduced, since a drill-down of the WBS is no longer required for every review period. An extensive computational experiment was set up to test and compare four distinct multivariate regression methods on a database of project networks. The kernel principal component regression method, when used with a radial base function kernel, was found to outperform the other presented regression methods.     

复杂不确定环境下考虑代理人通过努力减少项目持续期限的最优代理合同

本文着重研究复杂不确定环境下如何设计最优合同,以激励代理人减少项目持续期限。在代理问题中,以往的数量研究大多使用随机变量刻画项目参数和代理人的努力程度。但是,在某些情况下,项目参数和代理人的努力程度不能被历史数据获得,而必须由专家进行估计。运用不确定变量刻画专家对这些参数的估计,并且证明这样做是合理的。通过应用不确定理论,提出复杂不确定环境下考虑代理人通过努力减少项目持续期限的最优代理合同模型。之后,为了解决这个问题,给出了该模型的确定性形式。此外,对是否考虑代理人不确定努力的最优合同进行了比较。结果显示,当其他条件相同时,委托人在考虑代理人不确定努力程度的合同中得到的期望收益不低于在没有考虑代理人不确定努力程度的合同中到的期望收益。最后,为了更好地展示模型的应用,给出了一个数值例子并进行了相关讨论。     

USING A LATE-START RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED PROJECT SCHEDULE TO IMPROVE PROJECT NET PRESENT VALUE*

Although literature on the achievement of monetary objectives in a resource-constrained project environment is limited, the maximization of project net present value (NPV) is an important criterion of project success. This paper presents a procedure for developing a late-start resource-constrained project schedule using the critical path method-material requirements planning. Using an extensive set of problems from the literature, we show that this procedure yields a higher NPV and lower average duration than schedules derived with heuristics that schedule each activity as early as possible. In addition, while the late-start schedule on average was significantly longer than the optimal-duration resource-constrained schedule, no significant difference occurred in the average NPVs of the two scheduling methods.     

Education DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A TOOL FOR ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO GROUPS FOR CLASS PROJECTS*

Group project work is an integral part of many university courses. Assigning students to project groups can be difficult because of the students' diverse backgrounds. Many instructors therefore decide not to assign group projects. This paper develops and validates an instrument that assigns both experienced and inexperienced students to different project groups, thereby creating a balanced, fair environment. The instrument is checked for reliability and validity and then is used to assign students to different project groups. Based on group performance, the end-of-the-semester results also are provided. Path analysis is used to test a causal model. Conclusions and implications for future research are presented.     

Methods for Managing Different Perspectives of Project Success

The results of an exploratory study of UK organizations into methods for meeting project key performance indicators (KPIs) are presented. The paper explores: influences on the use of methods to manage project KPIs; the need for and existence of methods; the factors that facilitate the meeting of the KPIs. It is concluded that the use of methods varies depending upon the perceived importance of the project, the type of project, the client-team relationship and whether an organization performance management system exists. With project management capability often decreasing, in part due to a failure to meet psychosocial project KPIs, a need for methods linked to the KPIs was identified. However, the study found relatively low levels of adoption of such methods. Where psychosocial project KPIs were being met the following facilitating factors emerged: top-level policies, organization-wide training, integration with existing management processes, building into project management system. Situations were found where decision-makers did not consider the psychosocial KPIs of programme and project managers. This was seen to contribute to a failure by organizations to manage necessary increases in their project management capability and to be acting as a possible barrier to long-term, sustainable improvements in performance.     

Cognitive Limitations and Investment “Myopia”*

Optimization of investment decisions in an uncertain and dynamically evolving environment is difficult due to the limitations of the decision-maker's cognitive capacity. Thus, actual investment decisions may deviate from the dynamically optimal decision rule. This paper investigates how a potential investment rule bias affects the expected payoff from a project that has an uncertain development time and an uncertain completion cost. The result shows that the presence of a potential bias in the adopted decision rule dissipates project value and that the dissipating effect is greater for a longer term project if the completion cost is an increasing function of the time to completion.     

On the strategic project management process in the UK upstream oil and gas sector

This paper reports on an investigation into strategic project management in the UK upstream oil and gas sector. The management process is represented by a set of elements which covers context, content and output and are balanced across financial, internal business, external environment, and learning and innovation perspectives. The paper uncovers elements that appear to explain successful project management and compares these with the elements to which managers pay greatest attention. There appears to be a mismatch between those elements which are associated with success and those receiving significant management attention.