Strategic project management contemporary issues and strategies for developing economies

Strategic Project
Management
Contemporary Issues and Strategies
for Developing Economies



Strategic Project
Management
Contemporary Issues and Strategies
for Developing Economies

Edited by

Corlane Barclay
Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson


CRC Press
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To my parents, Hermina Barclay and Caswell Barclay, who
continue to be my inspiration and motivation.
Corlane Barclay
To Joy Elizabeth Bryson (my youngest sister) and Michael Bryson
(my youngest brother), who have through their lives taught me
about project management, kindness, and courage.
Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson



Contents
Preface.................................................................................................................xi
Editors................................................................................................................ xv
Contributors.....................................................................................................xvii

1 The Role of Projects in Society................................................................1
CORLANE BARCLAY AND KWEKU-MUATA OSEI-BRYSON

Section I CONSIDERATIONS IN MANAGING
SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
2 A Dialogue on the Diversity in the Constituents of Project Success.....13
CORLANE BARCLAY

3 Decision Style Profiles of Project Managers: Preliminary

Exploration of Idea versus Action Orientation......................................31
KWEKU-MUATA OSEI-BRYSON AND CORLANE BARCLAY

4 A Framework for Developing Performance Objectives for

Projects, Programs, and Portfolios........................................................47
CORLANE BARCLAY AND KWEKU-MUATA OSEI-BRYSON

5 Prioritizing Project Objectives in a Group

Decision-Making Context............................................................ 67
KWEKU-MUATA OSEI-BRYSON

6 Project Management, Benefits Management, and Program

Management..........................................................................................85
AMGAD BADEWI

vii

viii  ◾ Contents

Section II CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS
IN TEMPORARY ORGANIZATIONS
7 The End of the Line: Project Management Challenges in Small

Software Shops in Pakistan.................................................................107
SHAHID NADEEM SHAKIR AND JACOB NØRBJERG

8 Information Systems Quality in English-Speaking Caribbean

Software Development Firms..............................................................133
DELROY CHEVERS

9 Program Risk Management: Making Strategy Possible......................153
BRUNO RAFAEL DIAS DE LUCENA, LEONARDO J. LUSTOSA,
AND DAVID HILLSON

10 Reexamination of the Information Systems Project Escalation

Concept: An Investigation from Risk Perspectives.............................179
NIPON PARINYAVUTTICHAI AND ANGELA LIN

Section III OBSERVATIONS AND CASES FROM INDUSTRY
11 Improving Knowledge Movement in Building Design Projects..........205
ZOHREH POURZOLFAGHAR

12 Knowledge Management Practices in Temporary Organizations.......229

CORLANE BARCLAY

13 Who Should Champion E-Learning Projects in Educational

Institutions? Emergent Roles of School Leadership in a National
E-Learning Project in a Developing Country.....................................249
CHRISTINE CHARLTON-LAING AND GERALD GRANT

14 Lawmaking Process through the Project Lens: An Exploration

of a Cybersecurity Legislative Development Process in the
Caribbean.................................................................................... 269
CORLANE BARCLAY

Section IV EVALUATING PROJECT SUCCESS
AND PERFORMANCE
15 Introduction to the Project Performance Scorecard as a

Technique in Determining Project Success.........................................293
CORLANE BARCLAY


Contents  ◾  ix

16 Measuring the Success of Data Mining Projects: An Exploratory

Application of the Project Performance Scorecard..............................305
CORLANE BARCLAY

17 Employment of Comparative Performance Evaluation

Techniques in Government IT Projects: A Jamaican Case Study........323
JULIET BRADFORD, COURTNEY THOMPSON, ALVA MYERS, AND
CORLANE BARCLAY

Index........................................................................................................... 343



Preface
The majority of the countries of the world are considered to be within the “developing” economies category, and these countries account for the majority of the
population of the world. In recent decades, developing nations have been increasing
their utilization of projects as vehicles to drive economic and social development
through formal application of project management principles. Anecdotal and some
empirical evidence suggest that practitioners may not be effectively applying best
principles and practices of project management, with the result that organizations,
including government organizations, in too many cases do not successfully manage
important projects. This phenomenon presents a deep challenge for economies that
are already faced with severe financial and other resource constraints. For example,
the media continuously report on incidences of persistent overspending in government projects and problems of delayed work as a result of improper planning and
risk management, which exacerbate the draining of the already overburdened coffers of these countries. This, in turn, slows national development. Contributing
factors to this seemingly endless cycle are the ineffective application of project management standards and techniques, the lack of suitably qualified and experienced
project managers, and the paucity of resources that are relevant to their context.
An analysis of the academic discourse (i.e., books and articles) revealed that the
experiences, lessons, and innovations of developing economies, particularly in the
Caribbean and some regions in Africa and Asia, are underreported. Even though
experiences from other regions are beneficial, it is even more imperative to share
and provide insights that have strong contextual relevance to regional experiences.
Thus, practitioners and researchers can rely on techniques and experiences from
shared experiences which enhance significance within cultural, economic, or political dimensions.

In this book, Strategic Project Management: Contemporary Issues and Strategies
for Developing Economies, we seek to provide answers to the following questions:
What are some of the principal contemporary issues and challenges experienced in
“developing” countries, and how can effective project management help to address
them? Note that important lessons, opportunities, and innovations can be fostered,
too; therefore, we also seek to examine some of the opportunities and lessons that
can be harnessed and applied to areas of similar and different contexts. Creating a
xi


xii  ◾ Preface

resource that fairly and realistically articulates some of the challenges and experiences, while presenting strategies and sustainable solutions to stem some of the key
relatable issues, was in our view a simple, yet effective contribution.
This book is aimed at addressing current limitations in the literature through
the provision of, and sharing of, shared experiences, insights, and best practices that
are specific to the context of these economies to improve applicability (relatedness)
and chance of adoption. The book will share ideas, insights, and experiences in all
forms of business projects that may include a core information and communications technology (ICT) artifact or is supported by ICT to deliver the specific artifact, product, service, or result. Its benefits include
◾◾ Providing diverse perspectives and experiences in the effective management
of projects from the developing economies
◾◾ Highlighting the importance of project maturity through the adoption of
sound strategic project management principles
◾◾ Showcasing the application of project management standards and practices
in specific domains
◾◾ Showcasing emerging tools and techniques that can enhance the management of different types of projects
◾◾ Highlighting opportunities for future research and collaborations
The intended audience of this book includes project management practitioners,
academic researchers including experienced researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students engaged in understanding or creating unique product, process
service, or results, particularly in less-developed and emerging economies. We expect

that this book will be of particular interest to persons in industry and government
across various sectors and functions, including ICT development, environment, law,
government and capacity building, education, banking and finance, health, and
other areas.
The book consists of 17 chapters from various contributors representing various
parts of the world, including Brazil, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. These chapters are categorized into four
sections. The discourse highlights the range of perspectives, experiences, and issues
in managing different types of projects across different domains and countries and
emphasizes the similarities and nuances in managing projects where the strategies
can resonate in an area that is relatively underrepresented.
The first section, Considerations in Managing Successful Projects, provides an
overview of foundational issues pertinent to managing successful projects. These
issues include the role of projects, diversity of the perspectives of project success,
decision styles of project managers and possible implications on project success,
development and prioritization of project objectives, and the impact of project and
program management practices on benefits realization and the organization’s satisfaction, key indicators of success.


Preface  ◾  xiii

The second section, Challenges and Constraints in Temporary Organizations,
covers a range of issues relating to the management of constraints in managing the
projects. The challenges encountered in managing small software shops in Pakistan,
project escalation, the implications for risks in effectively managing projects and
programs, and the quality considerations in managing business and technology
projects are presented.
The third section, Observations and Cases from Industry, provides case studies
and experience in managing diverse projects, to include the implications of knowledge movements in building design projects; knowledge management practices in
projects situated in Caribbean organizations; implications of project leadership a

national e-learning project in Jamaica; and contextualization of the process of lawmaking in the Caribbean in a formal project management outlook.
The final section, Evaluating Project Success and Performance, discusses the
evaluation of project performance and success through the lens of an alternative
measurement system, the Project Performance Scorecard. An overview of the evaluation technique is provided, followed by a demonstration of it in evaluating and
identifying project success criteria for data mining projects. The section ends with
an examination of multiple evaluation techniques in the context of a government
information technology (IT) project.
We express our profound appreciation to the contributors for their willingness
to participate in this project and the reviewers for their efforts toward improving the quality of each chapter. We are grateful to the publishing editor and staff
for their support in helping to deliver this project. We would also like to express
our gratitude to our family and friends who provided us with kind support and
assistance, in particular Beverly-Jean Cambridge and Nicolia Barclay. Finally we
extend praise and gratitude to the Creator in sustaining us this project life, from
conceptualization to publication, and beyond.
Corlane Barclay
University of Technology, Jamaica
Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson
Virginia Commonwealth University



Editors
Corlane Barclay is a business consultant and a full-time lecturer at the University
of Technology, Jamaica (since 2009), where, in 2011, she designed and successfully
implemented the first and only wholly-owned graduate program in information
systems management, with five specializations, of the School of Computing and
Information Technology. She also served as a coordinator for this program between
2011 and 2012. She is a certified project manager, with Project Management
Professional certification, with over 10 years of industry and government experience. She also holds a doctorate degree in information systems from the University
of the West Indies, Mona campus, a master’s degree in information systems, and

bachelor’s degrees in management and accounting and law from the same university. She is currently in the final year at the Norman Manley Law School, Mona,
Kingston, Jamaica, completing the certificate of legal education, which prepares for
admission to practice in the Commonwealth Caribbean territories.
Her current research interests include cyber security and cybercrime, project
performance and project success, technology and telecommunications law, information and communication technologies for development, and knowledge discovery and data mining models. She has coedited one book, Knowledge Discovery
Processes and Methods to Enhance Organizational Performance (2015), published
by CRC Press. She has also published several chapters and papers in several
top-rated journals, including Information Systems Frontiers, Project Management
Journal, the International Journal of Production Economics, and Information for
Technology Development; and papers for academic conferences such as the Americas’
Conference on Information Systems and the Hawaii International Conference
on System Sciences. She currently serves as part of the program committee for
the Special Interest Group on Information and Communication Technology and
Global Development (SIG GlobDev).
Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson is a professor of information systems at Virginia
Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, where he also served as the
coordinator of the information systems doctorate program from 2001 to 2003.
He is a visiting professor of computing at the University of the West Indies at
Mona. Previously, he was professor of information systems and decision sciences
xv


xvi  ◾ Editors

at Howard University, Washington, D.C. He has also worked as an information
systems practitioner in industry and government. He holds a PhD in applied mathematics (management science and information systems) from the University of
Maryland at College Park, an MS in systems engineering from Howard University,
and a BSc in natural sciences from the University of the West Indies at Mona.
His research areas include data mining, decision support systems, knowledge
management, information systems security, e-commerce, information technology for development, database management, information system outsourcing,

and multicriteria decision making. He has published in various leading journals
including Decision Support Systems, Information Systems Journal, Expert Systems
with Applications, European Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Information
Technology for Development, Information Systems Frontiers, Omega, Knowledge
Management Research and Practice, Information Sciences, Information and
Management, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Journal of Database
Management, Computers and Operations Research, Journal of the Operational Research
Society, and the European Journal of Operational Research. He serves as an associate editor of the INFORMS Journal on Computing and the Journal of Information
Technology for Development; as a member of the editorial board of the Computers and
Operations Research journal; and as a member of the international advisory board of
the Journal of the Operational Research Society. His edited books include Advances in
Research Methods for Information Systems Research: Data Mining, Data Envelopment
Analysis, Value Focused Thinking (2014), Springer; Knowledge Management for
Development: Domains, Strategies and Technologies for Developing Countries (2014),
Springer; and Knowledge Discovery Processes and Methods to Enhance Organizational
Performance (2015), CRC Press.


Contributors
Amgad Badewi
School of Applied Science
Cranfield University
Cranfield, Bedfordshire,
United Kingdom
Juliet Bradford
School of Computing and
Information Technology
University of Technology
Kingston, Jamaica
Christine Charlton-Laing

Mona School of Business and
Management
University of the West Indies, Mona
Kingston, Jamaica
Delroy Chevers
Mona School of Business and
Management
University of the West Indies, Mona
Kingston, Jamaica
Bruno Rafael Dias de Lucena
Engineering Faculty
Federal University of Para
Abaetetuba, Brazil
Gerald Grant
Sprott School of Business
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

David Hillson
The Risk Doctor Partnership
Petersfield, United Kingdom
Angela Lin
Information School
The University of Sheffield
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Leonardo J. Lustosa
Retired professor
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alva Myers
School of Computing and

Information Technology
University of Technology
Kingston, Jamaica
Shahid Nadeem Shakir
Department of IT Management
Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen, Denmark
Jacob Nørbjerg
Department of Computer Science
Aalborg University
Aalborg, Denmark
Nipon Parinyavuttichai
Department of Information
Technology
Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University
Chachoengsao, Thailand
xvii


xviii  ◾ Contributors

Zohreh Pourzolfaghar
Civil Engineering Department
University Putra Malaysia
Serdang, Malaysia

Courtney Thompson
School of Computing and
Information Technology
University of Technology

Kingston, Jamaica


Chapter 1

The Role of Projects
in Society
Corlane Barclay and Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson
Contents
1.1 Projects in Society.........................................................................................2
1.1.1 Nature of Projects..............................................................................2
1.1.2 Factors That Impact Project Failure...................................................4
1.1.3 Project Management and Governance...............................................5
1.1.4 Project Benefits..................................................................................6
1.2 Concluding Remarks....................................................................................7
References..............................................................................................................8
Abstract: It is hard to imagine an organization that is not engaged in
some kind of project activity. Over the past decade, organizations have
been turning from operations to project management as part of their
competitive advantage strategy (PWC, 2004). This is also true for other
types of structures such as government, charities, and nonprofits and
agencies that are looking to promote improvements in their operations.
Alternatively stated, projects play an important role in all sectors of society as projects impact operations and operations impact new projects.
Unfortunately, despite the opportunities that projects present, they are
often riddled with challenges and are at times abandoned or simply fail
to meet their goals. These circumstances may be due to project management factors, human factors, technical factors, and legal and regulatory factors. Sound project management and governance practices are
1


2  ◾  Strategic Project Management

strategies that can help mitigate against some struggles experienced by
the project-initiating body.
This introductory chapter forms the basis for the discussion of projects
and the diverse implications of not only using projects as drivers of
change but adopting sound project management principles as a means
to promote development in a sustainable manner.
Keywords: project; project management; project governance

1.1  Projects in Society
1.1.1  Nature of Projects
Projects are change agents. Reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that billions of
dollars have been invested in these ventures at the national and organizational levels
to help effect some change, transformation, or development. Projects have played
and continue to play an important role in societies, groups, and organizations from
the premodern era to what is considered modern civilization in the twenty-first century. The construction of the pyramids and travel to the New World are examples
of how history has revealed to us numerous unique, complex undertakings limited in time and scope (Packendorff, 1995). Similarly, the modern world has seen
multiple ventures ranging in size, funding, and complexity such as the design of
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spaceships, expeditions
to the Moon and Mars, the creation of the first computer, the development of the
first set of vaccines for polio, the development of school curricula based on industry
and global demands, and the delivery of a new bank product to market. All these
important projects have defined and influenced our lives in one way or another.
The common theme among the development of these monuments or artifacts is the
creation of a unique outcome in terms of product, process, services, and results, and
this involves some level of innovation in the actual outcome or process to produce
the outcome.
Against this background, a project can be described as an initiative undertaken
by an organization with its main purpose to provide value or beneficial change to
diverse stakeholders through the introduction of new or modified service, process,

product, or result (Barclay, 2009).
Other types of project forms include portfolios and programs and indicate
differences in terms of scope, impact, and objectives. According to the Project
Management Institute (PMI, 2013), portfolios are a collection of any project forms
that are managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives, and programs are
managed in a coordinated manner in support of the portfolio. Regardless of the
dichotomy, they all seek to achieve some beneficial change because according to
the Association of Project Management (APM, 2012), the concepts are fluid and


The Role of Projects in Society  ◾  3

overlapping. Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion, all of these ventures are
referred to as projects.
Examples of these types of activities across different regions include the
following:
◾◾ Implementation of a national health-care system such as the Affordable
Health Care Act in the United States
◾◾ Development of a national cybersecurity strategy in countries such as Jamaica
and Trinidad
◾◾ Creation of a model for the harmonization of information and communications technology (ICT) policies, legislation, and regulatory procedures
(Harmonization of ICT Policies and Legislation across the Caribbean
[HIPCAR] in the Caribbean and Africa, Caribbean, Pacific [ACP] regions)
◾◾ Creation of new software products or new versions of existing software products such as the release of Windows 10
◾◾ Enactment of educational initiatives such as the development of a national
e-learning program for high schools and the Tablets in School pilot project
in Jamaica
◾◾ Development of new courses of study such as the development and implementation of an information systems–based graduate course of study at a
university
◾◾ Construction of a new road network linking distanced communities

◾◾ Creation of Ebola vaccines and treatment programs to treat and manage the
disease in affected countries
Leading and directing the project activities is the usual way to effect change.
Managing projects is one of the most important organizational developments,
as seen from the significant growth in business sectors, industries, and academic
research (Winter et al., 2006). A reasonable deduction is that without well-directed
projects, there is a state of inertia or stagnation.
These vehicles of change are typically initiated as a means to help achieve
an organization’s (or country’s) strategic plan (PMI, 2013). The strategic considerations include stimuli such as competitive pressures, political pressures, social
demands, and technological advances. PMI (2013, p. 9) further break down these
considerations:
◾◾ Market demand (e.g., a car company authorizing a project to build more fuelefficient cars in response to gasoline shortages)
◾◾ Strategic opportunity/business need (e.g., a training company authorizing a
project to create a new course to increase its revenues)
◾◾ Social need (e.g., a nongovernmental organization in a developing country
authorizing a project to provide potable water systems, latrines, and sanitation
education to communities suffering from high rates of infectious diseases)


4  ◾  Strategic Project Management

◾◾ Environmental consideration (e.g., a public company authorizing a project to
create a new service for electric car sharing to reduce pollution)
◾◾ Customer request (e.g., an electric utility authorizing a project to build a new
substation to serve a new industrial park)
◾◾ Technological advance (e.g., an electronics firm authorizing a new project to
develop a faster, cheaper, and smaller laptop based on advances in computer
memory and electronics technology)
◾◾ Legal requirement (e.g., a chemical manufacturer authorizing a project to
establish guidelines for the proper handling of a new toxic material)

1.1.2  Factors That Impact Project Failure
The literature continues to highlight multiple factors that contribute to the failure or abandonment of projects. Business, government, and other initiating bodies have experienced that there can be chasms between the conceptualization of
the project objectives and their realization. The media have reported on numerous
ventures undertaken which, due to various demands, do not progress past the conceptualization or initiating phase, and those that do are faced with hurdles that are
not overcome, resulting in failure to meet project objectives.
According to Lesca and Caron-Fasan (2008), the findings suggest that project failure and abandonment are caused by combinations of factors relating to the
competence and experience of stakeholders, management and organization of the
project system, and strategic alignment and changes in the organization’s internal
structure. This, according to them, is exhibited in lack of involvement by management and sponsor, poor project impetus, unqualified people, inaccurate or mismatched expectations, poor direction or project leadership, strategy misalignment,
poor participation, hostile culture, insufficient budget, conflating technical and
managerial problems, previous project trauma, and underestimated complexity. A
survey of some of the experiences, particularly in a developing country context,
seem to point to these contributing factors in project delay, failure, or abandonment. Lyytinen and Robey (1999) further advanced that one reason for failure is
the “collapse of organizational intelligence.” We support these claims and advance
that poor governance is a principal reason for failure among projects.
We submit that the factors impacting poor performance and failure may be
broadly classified into four overlapping areas:
1.
Project management factor—relates to the direct control, leading and directing of the project
2.
Human factor—involves the decisions, actions, and competence of the people
connected to and working to achieve the project objectives, including the
project manager
3.
Technical factor—relates to the specific set of tasks related to completing the
project outcome (i.e., product, service, process, or results)


The Role of Projects in Society  ◾  5

4.
Legal and regulatory factors—involve compliance and governance matters that
surround any legal ethical or regulatory requirements necessary in fulfilling
the project objectives

1.1.3  Project Management and Governance
It is clear that a project represents substantial proportions of the productive effort
across multiple business sectors (Cooke-Davies, 2000) and government. Based on
the importance placed on projects, the initiating bodies need to ensure that they
have achieved, at minimum, the return on investments and the achievement of
or conformance to the project objectives. A set of coordinated processes becomes
necessary to direct or lead these important initiatives. This set of activities can be
referred to as project management or the management of projects (Morris, 1994).
A coherent structure in managing a project becomes necessary to fully exploit
the realization of the benefits of the project. An important consequence of managing a project is its relationship with governance. Governance broadly refers to a
structure or mechanism of accountability and transparency that guides how the
organization delivers value to its stakeholders. It is the set of policies, regulations,
functions, processes, procedures, and responsibilities that define the establishment,
management, and control of projects, programs, and portfolios (APM, 2012). This
perspective is based on corporate governance where, according to Dallago (2002),
corporate governance relates to the ways in which crucial components of the organization are organized, coordinated, and motivated to contribute to the common
goal and adapt to change. Corporate governance and project governance work in
tandem, and we have now seen this element become a crucial formal consideration
in the management of projects as a means to aid in delivery of the objectives and
promote change. The inclusion of good governance principles in projects, including
incorporating the project under the umbrella of a governance structure that forms
part of the organizational governance structure, provides improved confidence in
the project; promotes improved efficiencies and effectiveness; reduces fraud, errors,
rework, or inefficiencies; and shows clear structure of accountability. In short, governance provides the organization with the required internal controls and engenders confidence from the stakeholders that the investment in all the resources, not

just the money, is justified.
Good governance may be demonstrated in the following manner (APM, 2012):
◾◾ Adopting a structure for review and approval of project viability
◾◾ Recording and communicating decisions made to the relevant stakeholders
in a timely fashion
◾◾ Accepting responsibility by the organizational leadership
◾◾ Establishing clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and performance criteria
◾◾ Developing a coherent and supporting relationship between business strategy
and the project


6  ◾  Strategic Project Management

◾◾
◾◾
◾◾
◾◾

Facilitating independent scrutiny of projects where necessary
Fostering a culture of improvement
Fostering a culture of full disclosure and transparency
Giving members of the project the capability and resources to make appropriate and effective decisions
◾◾ Promoting stakeholder engagement in a manner that reflects stakeholder
importance to the organization and in a way that fosters trust
◾◾ Ensuring that the business cases for project selection are supported by accurate and up-to-date information that fosters trust
◾◾ Deploying suitably qualified and experienced personnel
These elements underscore good practices while identifying several gaps or deficiencies that may have plagued projects that were undertaken but failed to meet
their objectives.

1.1.4  Project Benefits

There are several benefits of engaging in projects and of adopting sound project
management and governance practices. These benefits may be experienced by the
stakeholders including the initiating body, customer, team, and manager. For
instance, directing a project provides excellent knowledge and learning opportunities (Barclay, 2009). During a project life cycle, novel ideas and practices are
normally introduced as different project team members utilize their network.
This process provides a rich opportunity for knowledge enrichment and learning.
Empirical studies have been done to show the link between projects and organizational learning (Atkinson et al., 2006; Lyytinen and Robey, 1999). Essentially,
with the production of a new project outcome, the project team’s competence is
enhanced and organizational learning is experienced.
The following are some additional benefits of effectively engaging in and directing a project:
◾◾ Deliver the organizational or business strategy (e.g., improve market share by
delivering new, improved, or redesigned products in the marketplace)
◾◾ Create beneficial changes in business and government (e.g., create an alternative energy strategy that will see the expansion of alternative energy sources
such as solar for electricity generation)
◾◾ Engender innovation (e.g., create wearable technologies)
◾◾ Promote business value (e.g., create alternative forms of cricket matches
in the Caribbean and Asian regions to generate added interest, reach a
wider audience base, and create new revenue opportunities in the value
chain)
◾◾ Manage risks and uncertainties (e.g., form disaster management programs to
alleviate risks of hurricane or earthquake damage)


The Role of Projects in Society  ◾  7

◾◾ Develop skills and competencies at the individual, organizational, and
national levels (e.g., create new curricula for schools at different levels, i.e.,
primary, secondary, and tertiary)
◾◾ Create and manage organizational and project knowledge (e.g., realize intellectual property benefits from the delivery of a project)
◾◾ Promote economic and/or social development (e.g., create free or subsidized

health-care program for sectors of a country)
These opinions and experiences further highlight the importance of the project
and the need to effectively leverage the opportunities, which without proper management may continue to perpetuate the challenges present in managing projects
across the globe, and not only those in developing economies.

1.2  Concluding Remarks
Multiple strategies may be used in directing the project. The PMI (2013) and
APM (2012) are two leading standard bodies that help to guide the profession
in good principles in practicing project management. They share some differences in conceptual foundations but converge on the utilization of the requisite
processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and tools to aid in achieving successful projects. Agile strategies have also gained increased attention over the last
decade. Agile principles are being adapted in a wide array of business projects
and have resulted in growing research on Agile project management (Alleman,
2005; Highsmith, 2004; Rasmusson, 2006). This can be described as a style of
development that concentrates on adaptive and exploratory, rather than anticipatory and prescriptive, management (Highsmith, 2004). One such methodology, Scrum, is a project management method for agile development (Takeuchi
and Nonaka, 2004).
The remaining chapters are presented to highlight the importance of sound
project management practices and good governance through the discussion of
experiences from developing economies or present issues or solutions that may resonate with that demographic. The principles are relevant to global project management (i.e., any project across the globe) but are focused on developing economies
primarily because they are underrepresented or misrepresented in the academic
project management dialogue.
Section I, Considerations in Managing Successful Projects, provides an overview of general issues pertinent to managing successful projects, including the role
of projects; the diversity of the perspectives of project success; the decision styles of
project managers and possible implications on project success, development, and
prioritization of project objectives; and the impact of project and program management practices on benefits realization and the organization satisfaction, which are
key indicators of success.