Enhancing human resource management in process improvement projects

Effectively managing human resources is an essential part of achieving the goals of any project. It can be challenging, however, to identify and then classify human resources into appropriate roles, particularly in the early stages of a project. To address this issue, a modified approach for managing project human resources is proposed that focuses on reducing/eliminating the omission and/or misclassification of these resources. Given the motivation from a case example of a process improvement project, this approach was developed to support the inclusion/reclassification of project team members and/or project stakeholders throughout the life cycle of a project. The focus of our proposed approach leverages learning opportunities throughout the initial stages of a project as project management tools and process improvement methods are used to investigate a problem and integrates that knowledge within the project through an augmented change request process. More specifically, the proposed approach equips project teams with the knowledge needed to question the appropriateness of a project’s human resources and their classification into various roles. By improving human resource management practices within projects, this research aims to help organizations enhance their project success rates.     

基于冗余时间的项目工期跟踪控制算法研究

文章从项目工期调度的实际需求出发,通过定义项目各活动的冗余时间来描述项目最新执行状态,为动态跟踪控制项目工期风险、优化调度项目资源提供了一种简明的计算思路和管理方法,具有很强的可操作性。动态的冗余时间概念对于在各类项目管理中及时做出优化决策,有效控制工期、成本及项目质量有现实的指导意义。     

Selecting balanced portfolios of R&D projects with interdependencies: A Cross-Entropy based methodology

The intensive growth of technology makes firms rely on research and development (R&D) activities in order to adapt to technology changes in an ever-changing and uncertain environment. Due to R&D budget constraints and limited resources, firms are often forced to select a subset of all candidate projects by means of project portfolio selection techniques mitigating the corresponding risks and enhancing the overall value of portfolio. Projects' interdependencies and types were rarely considered in existing models of R&D portfolio selection that may result in selecting wrong projects. This flaw hinders the projects alignment with corporate objectives and strategy and leads to excessive risk and missing the promised values. In this paper, a balanced set of R&D project evaluation criteria was proposed. Next, to construct R&D project portfolio, a 0–1 nonlinear mathematical programming method for balancing portfolio values and risks was proposed, in which research projects' interdependencies, types and other constraints were all considered. Finally, a Cross-Entropy algorithm was developed to solve the proposed model and results were reported. The algorithm proved to be very effective in terms of solution quality and computational time. The proposed algorithm especially suits large scale instances while exact approaches are doomed to fail.     

Managing Task Interdependencies in Multi-Team Projects: A Longitudinal Study

abstract    In this article we examine project-level and team-level managerial functions aimed at managing inter-team task interdependencies and investigate their effect on the performance of teams in a multi-team product development project. We hypothesize that team interface management (a team-level function) performed in the concept phase of a project, rather than the later development phase, is positively related to team performance at the project's conclusion (i.e. product quality, product cost, development budget, development time). Furthermore, we argue that project structuring and support (a project-level function) is important in both the concept and the development phases. We test our hypotheses empirically based on a 36 months longitudinal study of a product development project in the European automotive industry comprising 39 teams. The results show that team interface management is particularly important during the concept phase of the project. Project structuring and support is most important in the development phase of the project, while hindering team performance in the concept phase. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

浅谈时效管理模型在输变电工程项目管理中的应用

输变电工程项目管理的多重要素包括安全、质量、进度及成本。这四个要素既相互对立又相互统一,任何一个环节出现纰漏,都会对整个工程产生影响。本文从分析输变电工程项目管理特征及其存在问题入手,构建以"安全管控"为核心要素,"质量管控"、"时限管控"和"成本管控"为主要要素的时效管理模型,并对其进行应用分析。     

A new procedure for monitoring the range and standard deviation of a quality characteristic

The Shewhart and the Bonferroni-adjustment R and S chart are usually applied to monitor the range and the standard deviation of a quality characteristic. These charts are used to recognize the process variability of a quality characteristic. The control limits of these charts are constructed on the assumption that the population follows approximately the normal distribution with the standard deviation parameter known or unknown. In this article, we establish two new charts based approximately on the normal distribution. The constant values needed to construct the new control limits are dependent on the sample group size (k) and the sample subgroup size (n). Additionally, the unknown standard deviation for the proposed approaches is estimated by a uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator (UMVUE). This estimator has variance less than that of the estimator used in the Shewhart and Bonferroni approach. The proposed approaches in the case of the unknown standard deviation, give out-of-control average run length slightly less than the Shewhart approach and considerably less than the Bonferroni-adjustment approach.     

浅谈建设项目施工阶段造价的控制

在建设项目施工过程中,工程造价、质量、进度是相互对立的矛盾体。作为项目投资方,总是希望在不影响工程质量的前提下,在最短的时间内取得最大的经济效益。因此建设方往往在定下质量和工期目标后,忽视了造价的管理,最终工程造价远远超出了原有的既定目标。本文针对国内建设项目投资失控普遍存在的现象,通过对建设项目施工阶段造价失控原因地分析,提出施工阶段造价控制应采取的措施。     

Project management for new product development

This article examines the intersection of the project management body of knowledge with new product development (NPD). The area under examination is the development of consumer products that have a significant engineering production content. It is concluded that the project management method, with its structured task definition and software tools, is generally useful for managing NPD projects. However, in some areas, project management incompletely meets the needs of NPD. Specifically, NPD is characterized by complex interrelated activities and large uncertainties about precisely which solution path will be taken, such that the full scope of the project can often not be anticipated beforehand. The article identifies that more research is required to validate the stage‐gate and lean project management methods. Whereas cost is the primary focus in project management, with NPD there is a need to consider both cost and income (from product sales) in making strategic decisions. Communication and human resource management are important factors in NPD success, but existing project management perspectives have little to say about the social and behavioral aspects, such as organizational culture, team dynamics, and leadership styles, especially not for NPD. Current project management practices are very much based on “output control” (targets, appraisal, rewards, management by objectives), which the human resource management literature identifies as inhibiting innovation. There is also likely to exist an intersection, as yet poorly understood, between project management and knowledge management, particularly for innovation processes such as NPD. For practitioners, the main message is that the project management method provides a basic, but imperfect, tool for managing NPD. The relevance for researchers is that gaps have been identified in the project management method as it is currently applied to NPD. Several places are identified where further research is required to (a) better understand the causality between factors (e.g., human resource management) and project success and (b) adapt project management methods to better serve the NPD process.     

建筑施工项目控制管理中进度控制的探讨

建筑施工项目的控制作为项目管理的重要内容之一,在解决好项目的各个环节的控制工作的基础上,才能保证施工进度和施工质量,节省企业的成本。文章通过对各种影响施工进度的因素分析,探讨建筑项目进度管理不到位的原因,在此基础上提出了加强施工项目控制管理的措施。     

基于风险成本的建设项目风险管理方案优选研究

项目风险管理在建设项目管理中占据了重要地位,管理者对风险管理的重视使其逐渐完善,但风险成本也随之增加。文章在总结了建设项目风险管理及其过程的基础上,建立了一种基于风险成本的风险管理方案优选方法,并首次提出了项目风险弹性概念,为建设项目风险管理的进一步的发展开辟了新途径。     

工程项目管理中工期—成本—质量综合均衡优化研究

工期、成本、质量管理是工程项目管理的三大管理控制目标,三者具有相互作用和相互依存性。工程项目工期、成本、质量的管理对工程项目建设意义重大,在工程项目当中综合均衡三者的管理里具有重大的研究和实用价值。     

Exploring Project Knowledge Acquisition and Exchange Through Action Research

This paper presents a research methodology used to develop a novel framework for an investigation into how project managers acquire and exchange knowledge. The qualitative study was conducted with six experienced project managers based in Australia. Adopting and augmenting an action research methodology, the data were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Data collection occurred through four sequential interventions that aligned to three action research cycles. Three additional spin‐off cycles were utilized to ensure quality and validity of the research approach with an external reference group. The implications of this research approach are presented for application in future research.     

Managing the performance of outsourced customer contact centers

This research focuses specifically on customer contact services that have been outsourced to external suppliers. The performance of the contact services supplier directly affects end customer satisfaction which underlines the need for appropriate management of customer contacts and consideration of the end customer's perspective in designing appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs). This research draws on various streams of literature including services purchasing, performance management and service quality to derive propositions on how to manage customer contact services suppliers. These propositions are subsequently investigated in an in-depth case study. The results of the case study show that managing customer contact services suppliers on effectiveness rather than efficiency benefits the overall performance of the supplier. This research shows that quality improvements in both process and service delivery ultimately lead to decreased costs. These improvements will furthermore enhance customer satisfaction and improve buying company performance. The current trend in selecting and managing suppliers for outsourced business processes is on efficiency improvements and cost savings. However, this research shows that this type of focus can actually decrease customer satisfaction and increase costs.     

万家口子水电站混凝土生产系统工艺布置

混凝土生产系统是水电站建设过程中必不可少的主要临建项目，它以工程施工进度和混凝土施工强度为基础，以满足混凝土质量和浇筑高峰期生产能力要求为目标。文章结合万家口子水电站工程的地形地貌及工程施工实际情况，优化混凝土生产系统工艺及设备选型，实现系统运行良好、管理方便、建设运行成本低、生产能力及生产质量满足要求的目标，为类似工程建设施工提供参考。     

房地产工程造价控制分析

在新的形势下,房地产工程项目造价控制的更加突出,须使得综合造价合理;控制工程造价的两个原则分别是工程造价与质量关系的处理、价值工程理念的融入;同时,对造价的控制工作分布于项目的各阶段。降低工程成本事在人为,人的因素(业务能力、责任心、态度)尤显重要。     

工程项目施工成本控制与管理方法探析

文章在研究过程中,深入探索工程项目施工成本控制与管理的重要性,分析当前时代背景下,成本控制可以促使现阶段企业的竞争力提升,尤其是对于工程行业来说,竞争日益激烈,通过成本控制来促使企业稳定发展。应积极提升工程项目施工成本控制水平,明确控制管理现状,提出相对应的原则,创新管理方法,发挥出其自身的控制优势,以促使建筑工程行业实现可持续发展。     

建筑施工项目成本管理方法探讨

工程项目成本管理的目的是在保证工程质量、工期等方面满足合同要求的前提下,对工程项目成本形成过程中所消耗的人力资源、物质资源和费用开支进行严格管理和监督,采取一系列措施,尽可能使实际成本费用降到最低,以最小的投入实现最大的产出。本人结合造价管理和项目成本管理相关工作,从人工、材料、机械、质量、工期等角度全方位地探讨了如何实施目标的成本控制方法和措施。     

浅谈公路施工基桩检测中远程监控系统的应用

公路对于交通的作用十分重要,修建公路不仅可以使得交通更为便利,更代表着城市发展的程度。在公路建设施工过程中,基桩作为公路的基础,在建设过程中需要十分注意。基桩建设的质量直接影响到公路的使用性能和安全性能。如果由于基桩建设出现问题而导致公路桥梁建设工程质量不过关,那么事后的弥补工作不但繁琐,更会提高整个工程的造价,并且对社会影响极其坏。因此如何控制好基桩的检测工作十分重要,本文就公路施工基桩检测中远程监控系统的应用做一个简单的谈讨。     

The Experience of Participatory Research: Perceptions of Oncology Employees Participating in a Workplace Study

Participatory research, a concept developed in the Third World, has been increasingly applied to community and health research in developed countries. However, little is known about attitudes to the participatory process in the context of workplace research, especially that carried out in health care settings. In this qualitative study, employees participating in a quality of work-life (QWL) project at a Canadian cancer centre were asked about their perceptions of the participatory research process. Using a phenomenological approach, the author interviewed 12 employees. The following themes emerged from the analysis of interview data: (1) The role of management and senior management was viewed as being important but employees were uncomfortable with the presence of management at meetings; (2) The desired composition of the committee was more complex than ensuring representation from workers and there may have been a natural process by which this composition was attained; (3) Participatory research without action was unacceptable; and (4) Full participation in all aspects of the project was difficult to achieve. These findings have important implications because they challenge some existing notions in the literature about participatory research. Recommendations regarding trust issues, membership recruitment, and the role of members in the participatory process are outlined.     

The measurement of productivity in the nonmarket sector

In many sectors of the economy, governments either provide various services at no cost or at highly subsidized prices. Examples are the health, education and general government sectors. The System of National Accounts 1993 recommends valuing these nonmarket outputs at their costs of production but it does not give much guidance on exactly how to do this. In this paper, an explicit methodology is developed that enables one to construct these marginal cost prices. However, in the main text, an activity analysis approach is taken in order to simplify the analysis, so in particular, constant returns to scale, no substitution production functions for the specific activities in the nonmarket sector are assumed. It is shown that it is possible to obtain meaningful measures of Total Factor Productivity growth in this framework. An “Appendix” relaxes some of the restrictive assumptions that are used in the main text.