International Journal of Project Organisation and Management (13 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Managing Critical Factors and Criteria Success in Projects: a Systematic Literature Review  
  by Lincoln Sposito, Luciano F. Da Silva 
  Abstract: The project's success has been discussed and evaluated for a long time, however, despite these efforts there is still no consensus regarding its definition. In this context, this article aims to identify how critical factors and success criteria can be managed within different project contexts. To this end, a qualitative approach was adopted based on a systematic literature review. After collecting and processing data, 135 articles were considered to carry out for a deep analysis. As a cut-off criterion, only quantitative studies were considered, published in specialised project management journals, which used a project success scale. From this perspective, it was possible to group factors and criteria that influence success in projects for different organisations. As result, this article classifies the criteria and success factors identified by context and type of project. The findings allow a better understanding of how to improve success in a project, taking account the context.
  Keywords: project success; success criteria; critical success factors; project context.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10066555
   
  
• Exploring Project Manager Commitment using Machine Learning on Fuzzy Big Data  
  by Kenneth David Strang, Narasimha Rao Vajjhala 
  Abstract: This study addresses two critical organisational challenges: retaining human talent and reducing high project failure rates. Our approach diverges from traditional methods by employing machine learning (ML) to analyse retrospective big data. This study's innovation lies in utilising secondary, unstructured data to derive predictive factors of a project manager's (PM) commitment, moving away from the speculative nature and limited impact of survey-based perceptions. We developed a new conceptual framework that focuses on actual behaviour rather than espoused theories to identify fuzzy predictors of organisational commitment. Based on three distinct ML models, our findings reveal that one model showed a notable 25% effect size, highlighting various features connected to a PM's tenure and organisational commitment. These insights have broad implications, offering valuable global knowledge for stakeholders in projects and programs. This study underscores the significance of non-traditional data sources in understanding and predicting critical human resource metrics, opening new avenues for organisational research and decision-making.
  Keywords: project management; big data analysis; talent retention; project failure rates; predictive modelling; unstructured data; behavioural analysis.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10066556
   
  
• Influences of Project Management Tools and Techniques on the Success of Information Systems Projects  
  by João Varajão, Sérgio Guerreiro, Rui Pedro Marques, Carlos Pinto 
  Abstract: This article studies the influence of project management (PM) tools and techniques on the success of information systems (IS) projects, addressing a gap in the literature. An international survey of IS professionals was carried out to collect data. The data analysis uses descriptive and inferential statistics, showing that higher success levels are associated with the use of several project management tools and techniques. Of the tools and techniques considered, it was found that about 64% of them influence the overall success of IS projects. On the contrary, nearly 25% do not directly influence any success perspective (scope, time, and cost). The findings contribute to theory and practice by empirically showing that the use of a rich set of PM tools and techniques positively influences IS project success.
  Keywords: information systems; project management; PM; project success; techniques; tools; success.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10066844
   
  
• Emotional Intelligence and Decisions in Project Management  
  by Nuno J. P. Rodrigues, Catarina I. V. Matos 
  Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of project management, exerting a direct influence on the decisions made throughout the process. This paper aims to review the EI concept and decisions in the context of project management. A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, having as data a set of 23 articles, published in specialised journals, available on the electronic platform WOS and Scopus. Through an approach that combines an SLR and bibliometric analysis, it was possible to understand the ability of managers to recognise, understand and manage emotions, both their own and those of team members. The overall performance of projects is impacted by strategic choices and decision making and, ultimately, human emotions are involved. It was not possible to assert an empirical relationship between EI and decisions in project management. The presented synthesis might lead to clearly assess the current state of knowledge, concerning the different approaches already studied, to address and assess the EI in the context of project management.
  Keywords: Emotional Intelligence; Project Management; Decisions.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10069270
   
  
• Defining and Prioritizing Key Competencies for Digital Transformation Leaders in Project-Oriented Organizations within the National Construction Industry  
  by Sara Pourahmad Ghalejoogh, Kamyar Fatemifar, Hani Arbabi 
  Abstract: As digital transformation reshapes industries worldwide, construction businesses must adapt to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. While technical, financial, and legal barriers are often cited as obstacles to digital transformation, behavioral and leadership issues present equally significant challenges in the construction sector. Despite this, the critical competencies needed for effective digital transformation leadership have received limited attention. This study aims to identify and prioritize key competencies essential for digital transformation leaders within project-oriented organizations in Iran’s construction industry. Using a two-stage mixed-methods approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 digital transformation leaders to identify relevant competencies, followed by a quantitative survey to rank these competencies. Through qualitative content analysis, 32 competencies were identified and categorized based on the Boston University Project Management Competency Matrix into three groups: behavioral, business and leadership, and technical competencies. Quantitative analysis using a one-sample t-test revealed that behavioral competencies are most critical for digital transformation leaders. The findings underscore the need for adaptable and behaviorally competent leaders to effectively guide digital initiatives in construction.
  Keywords: Digital transformation, leadership, project-oriented organizations, Construction industry
  
  
• Big Data Adoption in Public Infrastructure Projects  
  by Alejandro Romero-Torres, Julie Delisle, Monique Aubry 
  Abstract: Research on projects has highlighted big data as a tool to better understand project characteristics and its dynamics. To maximise these benefits, organisations collaborate to create common big data repositories. However, public infrastructure projects do not seem to have adopted this technological innovation. Based on a pluralist perception of organisational effectiveness, this paper aims to explain how project actors differing perceptions affect big data adoption. We identify and classify the perceived benefits and challenges related to adopting big data. Findings highlight that perceptions vary as a function of the organisations position in public projects, but also of its organisational values. This research conceptualises perceptions of big data adoption, identifying three specific organisational tensions learning, performing, and organising all of which underlie an overarching belonging tension. This paper underscores the need for collaborative management of these tensions to fully leverage big datas potential, improve decision-making, and enhance project management practices.
  Keywords: Big data; public projects; technology adoption; organisational tensions; CVF framework; tensions.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10069631
   
  
• A Systems Approach to Project Stakeholder Management: Evaluating Influence and Correlation in Complex Projects  
  by Siegfried Zuern, Viridiana Maily Harr 
  Abstract: Effective stakeholder management is crucial for the success of complex projects, as it ensures that all parties' interests and influences are adequately addressed and harmonized. Traditional methods of stakeholder management, however, often fall short in adequately addressing the dynamic and multifaceted nature of stakeholder interactions within complex project environments. These conventional tools tend to be linear and static, failing to capture the evolving and interconnected nature of stakeholder relationships. This paper provides a thorough analysis of the inherent limitations associated with classical stakeholder management tools. Furthermore, it proposes a Systems Thinking approach as a comprehensive and robust alternative. By incorporating Systems Thinking principles, project managers can more effectively navigate the intricate web of stakeholder relationships, thereby enhancing the overall project outcomes and ensuring sustainable success.
  Keywords: Stakeholder Management; Stakeholder Relationships; Complexity; Systems Thinking; Simulation; Interdependency Network; Project Environment.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10070080
   
  
• A Qualitative Study on the Role of Team Flow Experience in R&D Project Teams  
  by Kiran Govind V. , Sumati Sidharth 
  Abstract: This study examines the factors influencing team flow within R&D project teams in a defence laboratory, providing fresh theoretical insights into this under-explored phenomenon. Through qualitative content analysis of interviews with R&D professionals, the research makes three significant contributions: (a) it identifies previously unrecognized factors while corroborating established ones that nurture or hinder team flow, (b) it offers a novel understanding of how team members in R&D settings experience and manifest team flow, and (c) it explores the multidimensional effects of team flow across micro (individual), meso (team), and macro (organizational) levels. By addressing gaps in existing literature, the study enriches theoretical perspectives on team dynamics in R&D environments. The findings emphasise that fostering team flow can lead to improved performance, enhanced innovation, and greater well-being among team members. These insights underscore the strategic importance of cultivating team flow to optimize outcomes in high-stakes, innovation-driven R&D projects.
  Keywords: Team flow experience; R&D project teams; IMOI model; Team effectiveness; 5R framework; Team performance; Team processes; Team emergent states; Effects of team flow.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10070296
   
  
• A critique of project management research  
  by Bijan Jamshid-Nejad 
  Abstract: Project management studies are predominantly conducted by inductive reasoning based on a positivist philosophy. This paper is an organised attempt to shed light on the hidden weaknesses of project management research. The weaknesses are categorised in three categories: research design, definitions and measurements, and analysis. The key weaknesses discussed in this paper include lack of a general underlying theory, issues with positivism and statistical modelling, and dearth of explanatory models. To address these weaknesses, mixed-method research based on a critical realist philosophy is suggested. As an example, the effects of environmental complexity on projects were presented. This example demonstrates how a mixed-method approach, grounded in critical realism, can provide deeper insights and a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between environmental factors and project performance. By embracing a critical realist perspective and employing mixed-method research, project management scholars can pave the way for more contextually-relevant and explanatory studies in this multifaceted field.
  Keywords: project management; PM; research philosophy; critical realism; CR; mixed-method research.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10065345
   
  
• Cross-functional integration case study from project management office: impacts, controversies and inhibitors  
  by Felipe Tadeu Ribeiro, Márcio Lopes Pimenta, Éderson Luiz Piato, Daniel Jugend, Adilson Da Silva Mello, Per Hilletofth, Olli-Pekka Hilmola 
  Abstract: This research concerns how cross-functional integration can support a project management office (PMO) in achieving its goals in the execution of investment projects. A case study was accomplished in a large state-owned Brazilian enterprise that produces and transmits electric power. The results showed several factors that generate cross-functional integration, such as communication and group spirit support. These factors can generate the following impacts: enhanced control over process development; effectiveness of processes/projects; and standardisation of processes. Research also conceptualised the role of integration inhibitors that end up negatively influencing the joint performance of functional areas, decreasing the support that cross-function integration provides for the operation of a PMO. Moreover, another concept of cross-functional integration that emerged from the case is related to controversies that are integration initiatives generating positive results in parts of the process, but generate dysfunctions in other hierarchical levels or stages of the process.
  Keywords: integration; project management office; PMO; integration failures; cross-functional teams.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10065327
   
  
• Driving forces for multinational construction consortiums: the case of a Greek mega-project  
  by Theodoros Kalogeropoulos, Konstantinos Kirytopoulos, Zoe Ventura 
  Abstract: Multinational consortiums and teams are thought to be rather significant organisational structures in a globalised economy. Research in general, has exhibited four driving forces that strongly affect the successful deliverance of projects and that the project management team has to deal with: 1) power; 2) culture; 3) trust; 4) uncertainty and complexity. The aim of this study is to contribute to the area of successful collaboration of construction companies within multinational consortiums by investigating if the above-mentioned issues are also the driving forces for the successful multinational collaboration in construction consortiums and thus validate this theory. This paper deals with that issue, researching an emblematic mega project that demanded the alliance between two large construction companies of different nationalities (one Italian and one Greek). The results show that the driving forces of projects success can also navigate multinational consortiums to success.
  Keywords: multinational consortiums; project; driving forces.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10070018
   
  
• Project management methods against failure factors in complex infrastructure projects: the Netherlands view  
  by Cheng Qi Wang, Mahak Sharma 
  Abstract: The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between effective project management approaches and the causes of project failure in the infrastructure sector. Therefore, existing research regarding the failure factors and project management in the infrastructure are analysed. A systematic literature review is conducted, followed by detailed interviews. Based on 49 articles that were extracted using quality assessment criteria, the authors identified a detailed list of factors that barricades the success of infrastructure projects in the Netherlands. With the help of seven interviews, authors found that the main factors leading to project failure are 'scope changes', 'coordination and communication problems', and 'poor project structure and scheduling problems'. Additionally, we also identified frequently used project management approaches by project managers. Based on this information, a matrix is established that shows which causes can be minimised using a specific project management approach. These findings will help project managers in the infrastructure industry select the most suitable project management approach that aligns with their needs.
  Keywords: project management; RACI framework; the Netherlands; infrastructure projects; systematic literature review; SLR.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10066140
   
  
• Critical factors and intention to use public private partnership in public projects in Ghana: the mediating role of institutional quality  
  by Daniel Agyapong, Osman Light, Francis Gyesaw 
  Abstract: The paper examines the mediating role of institutional quality in the relationship between the critical factors and the intention to use PPP in public projects in Ghana. The paper employed a quantitative approach. Data was collected from 186 managerial staff among MMDAs in Ghana. The analytical tool was the partial least square structural equation modelling. The paper found that both the financial (cost savings, revenue potential and risk allocation) and non-financial factors (transparency and accountability, political consideration) have a positive significant effect on intention to use PPP in public projects. The paper found that institutional quality partially mediates the relationship between financial factors and intention to use PPP in public projects, but did not mediate in the relationship between non-financial factors and intention to use PPP in public projects. Policymakers can promote the use of PPPs by prioritising financial and non-finance factors and promoting institutional quality.
  Keywords: critical factors; public private partnership; PPP; institutional quality; metropolitan; municipal and district assemblies; MMDAs; Ghana.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2025.10064250