Organization of Cross-functional (DevOps·PM) Teams in e-commerce: Processes for Teamwork

Performance of planned activities not always leads to the achievement of planned results in innovation projects with a high degree of uncertainty. Management of such specific projects requires the usage of specific methods and processes. It is necessary to develop own stochastic process methods rather than use classical methods of deterministic management. The main peculiarity of stochastic processes of projects consists in the inability to carry out more than one experiment. Implementation of a project is a stochastic process, which is carried out only once. For the purposes of the research, stochastic project management is the process of organisation, planning and control over projects, in which the decisions and actions of managers are described by stochastic functions. If the project realisation is described by stochastic processes, the project management process is indeed described by stochastic processes. This research suggests a project management approach based on the focus on the project product and project management as stochastic processes based on stochastic functions. It is demonstrated that stochastic function values, which underlie the stochastic processes, are formed by the intellectual instruments of those involved in the project and are developed on the basis of their knowledge and skills. The latter, in turn, are the result of studying and practical work on the project. Therefore, it is difficult to predict decisions and actions of managers and contractors, even if internal and external influences on them are specified. Then, any decisions or actions of such persons with regard to the external observer are described by stochastic functions. The purpose of this study is to describe the processes of stochastic project management. The purpose of the study is the project management process. The subject of research is the methods of stochastic project management. Within the framework of the study, all groups of processes of stochastic control will be mathematically described and the conditions of their impact determined. The processes of stochastic project management are outlined and formally presented. These are the processes of project management organisation, the processes of project management support, processes of project content definition, processes of defining the resources, required for the project works, processes of project planning, processes of influence on contractors of actions (works).

The agile methodologies have recently gained a widespread popularity in software development. However, most practitioners still have little knowledge of the effectiveness and efficiency of agile practices over traditional methodologies. The traditional project management process follows the PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) framework, whereas, the agile project management concentrates on iterative development, collaboration and involvement of the customer. Therefore, the traditional project management process can be improved by incorporating the developments in the agile based methodology. Empirical data about different aspects of agile and traditional software development can be collected through questionnaires from the industry as well as the practitioners. The responses and technical issues that come up in empirical studies can be included in the traditional project management. This paper proposes an agile project management framework with the users' involvement throughout the development, a repository of lessons learned, documentation and self-organizing teams. The proposed framework can be helpful in project planning, execution and monitoring in a more effective and efficient manner.

The high demand for innovative products has been treated as a challenge for the adoption of traditional project management (PM) practices and methods, specially those ones developed in turbulent and complex business environments. Recently, an alternative approach to deal with these challenges emerged. This approach, entitled Agile Project Management (APM), firstly applied in the software development area, is based on a set of principles which has the purpose to keep the management process as simple as possible, becoming more flexible and self-manageable. By focusing on continuous learning using constant iterations and rapid value deliverable driven, APM aims to improve the results for clients in face of turbulent business environment. However, there is lack on the literature regarding APM principles application in new product development (NPD) projects. The aim of this research is to investigate this issue and the practical application of those principles to NPD projects, developed under turbulent and innovative business environments. To achieve this goal the following strategy was adopted: develop, implement and evaluate a method for planning and controlling scope and time. It was based on a set of principles extracted from the APM literature. The method developed was entitled IVPM2 (Iterative and Visual Project Management Method) and its creation comprised an extensive literature review combined with a pure action-research methodology carried out in two small technology-based companies from the So Carlos Technological Pole. The companies were called "Company A" and "Company B", and the IVPM2 development, implementation and evaluation activities occurred simultaneously in both companies, considering two distinct scenarios. In the "company A" the IVPM2 was implemented in a single long term project, with a high level of complexity and innovation. In the "company B" the IVPM2 was implemented in more than one project (a total of 7 projects) with less complexity and innovation aspects. In order to evaluate the IVPM2 adherence and contribution to project management a statistic descriptive approach was applied using qualitative and quantitative data. The data was collected by questionnaire, interviews and document analysis. The main purpose of this evaluation was to respond the central research problem and the specific research questions. The central research problem was described as: Is it possible to apply APM principles for planning and controlling innovative product projects? Consequently, the specific research questions considered after the method implementation were: RQ1) Did IVPM2 adhere to APM principles? RQ2) Did IVPM2 contribute to enhance project management process in the companies under study? The results showed many evidences of the presence of APM principles in the IVPM2 as stated in the literature. Moreover, the IVPM2 was capable to enhance many aspects of project management process of new product development in both companies studied. It also contributed to improve other aspects not directly addressed in the current research. Finally, the evidences collected during the research have indicated many benefits by combining principles from APM approach with traditional PM techniques and a PM software to support project management. This result is important to consider the applicability and viability of APM principles application to NPD projects in turbulent, innovative and complex business environments. Finally, this study has presented many indications of the need to explore this theme and improve the analysis and the IVPM2 components in order to implement them in different companies and project contexts.

For information technology (IT) projects to be successful, it is imperative to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) that are essential to the IT project management process. This study aims to illuminate these CSFs by incorporating insights from professionals involved in the management of IT projects. The major contribution of this study lies in classifying these factors into different categories and quantifying their impact while taking IT project management experts’ viewpoints into account. To accomplish this, a thorough assessment of the literature was carried out, which resulted in the identification of 20 success factors that fall into five categories: project team capability, top management support, project quality, project management, and organizational process assets (OPAs). A survey covering these variables was then sent to professionals in the IT industry, and responses were obtained from five experts. The collected data was analyzed using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method, which mitigates imprecision and avoids bias in the data. The most important factor was determined to be project team capability, whereas organizational process assets were deemed to be the least significant factor. It is anticipated that the insight garnered from this study will help IT project management professionals in supporting, evaluating, and improving project success.

The importance of Road and Transportation Project Management Cycle contributions internationally and encourages further development initiative to support Middle Eastern region and United Arab Emirates (UAE) roads and transport. UAE's infrastructure project failure rate has been estimated to be as high as 50%. The general objective of this study is to assess the relationship between project management process, technological orientation and Infrastructure performance in United Arab Emirates (UAE). A cross-sectional study was carried out for this purpose. For this study the target population was an employee of RTA. However, population was the officer, managers, and engineer who worked in RTA for this research. The questionnaire was pilot tested for content validity with a sample of 36 employees. To ensure a high rate of response, structured-short and self-administrated questions, and mostly closed questions were prepared. The required sample size for this study was estimated to be 361. Because the current study employed quantitative methodology, statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 24 and AMOS 21. The results of structural equation modelling showed that there is significant relationship between project management process and technological orientation (β = 0.313, t = 6.686, p ≤ .05), project management process and infrastructure performance (β = 0.331, t = 6.431, p ≤ .05) and technological orientation and infrastructure performance (β = 0.411, t = 7.346, p ≤ .05). The study also found that there is a significant partial mediating effect of technological orientation between project management process and infrastructure performance. This study concluded that firms can improve infrastructure performance through the incorporation of technological tools. It is further concluded that dimensions of project management process are the important determinants that support performance. Therefore, the study encourages firms’ management to pursue technology in improving infrastructure performance in today’s competitive and digital era. Keywords: Road and transportation, Project management, Technological orientation, Infrastructure performance, United Arab Emirates

This book presents the fundamentals of project management in simple language and an easy-to-understand format. It is targeted principally at those who are learning or desiring to learn project management as well as those who are already taking project management as a course of study or as a profession. It covers all the basic aspects of project management including the core areas prescribed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) sixth edition. Although the PMBOK Guide seventh edition has significantly shifted focus from a process based standard to a principle based standard, it does not invalidate nor replace the detailed knowledge base contained in the sixth edition, which substantially emphasizes project management processes and knowledge areas. This is particularly apt for the traditional approach to project delivery, which is predictive in nature and has the bulk of the planning done upfront. The sections of the book are arranged in order of Project Management Processes as they fall within the respective Project Management Knowledge Areas. Experienced project manager, Davies Igberaese, presents all the basic content of traditional project management in a straightforward practical sequence as a typical project manager would go about the processes of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing a project without losing sight of the iterative nature of project management. The inclusion of Project Management Templates gives students and other users of the book the confidence required to effectively understand the basics of managing a wide variety of projects across disciplines including construction, building, industrial engineering, petroleum engineering, software engineering, information technology, business administration, and event management. Introduction to Project Management: A Source Book for Traditional PM Basics can serve as a core textbook for academic courses in project management, for preparing for PMP and CAPM Certification exams, as an excellent resource for new project managers, as well as a handy reference book for project sponsors.

Towards the Effective Management of Social Innovation Projects: Insights from Project Management

Measuring project management performance is complex and requires tools to capture the dynamic nature of the processes involved. Since the conception of system dynamics in the 1950s, the method has been used to solve complex projects. Project management possesses dynamic characteristics that involve planning, human resources, implementation, and control elements; thereby, using system dynamics to measure project management performance is a realistic approach. A research study was conducted using system dynamics to develop project management performance measures to capture the complexity of the process in local government agencies. The research approach considers measuring project engineering management performance as a holistic system influenced by leadership involvement, project management processes, and project engineering manager’s ability. The Zachman architectural framework was used to develop the project-management performance system’s ontology as the system dynamics model’s foundation. A case study was conducted for three cities with local government agencies to better understand the model components and factors that influence performance. Leadership involvement, project management processes, and project manager abilities were identified as critical factors that influence the project management performance level. To validate the results of the case study, the project management performance was further studied for the City of El Paso in terms of capability, capacity, and maturity level. The research study concluded that system dynamics is a feasible method and effective tool to measure management performance for engineering projects at local government agencies.

This paper investigates the shift to integrated solutions of incumbent telecommunications operators as part of their business transformation to survive the competitive market. It shows how innovation management and project management can reinforce the various practices at the firm level in order to foster growth and improve performance. Innovation management and project management have different roots and initial drives, but in the last years growing research has been undertaken in order to point out the interconnectedness of both approaches. However, just a few researches have demonstrated how innovation and projects interact and are implemented in practice. Integrated solutions offer such an arena for interaction, and a case study of BT Global Services (BTGS) is used in order to show the interdependencies of innovation and projects. Incumbent telecommunications operators such as BT in the UK need to innovate in order to cope with ever increasing competition in the ICT sector. Driven by a strategy of innovation, BT set up BTGS to deliver integrated solutions projects to large firms. These projects offer in turn a unique position for BT to profit from tacit knowledge about customer needs and wants, innovating for the customers and feeding back to BT’s innovation strategy. This facilitates BT’s long-term strategy in a very competitive and turbulent environment. A theoretical framework, based on a combination of innovation and project management processes, is used to approach the case study of BTGS, and an empirical, more realistic and accurate, framework is offered with the aim of better informing managerial practice.

As observed from the reviewed literature, the execution of research and development (R and D) projects in Nigeria is challenged by many social, political and economic factors interacting in complex and dynamic ways. This interaction is reflected in the history of science and technology in Nigeria, its culture, legal systems, institutional frameworks and social capital. The economic and social development of Nigeria is critically dependent upon the ability to establish a competitive, productive and efficient industrial sector built on a strong technology base. This implies that her natural resources must be developed and utilised as inputs to industrial production and as direct products to improve the life of the population. Public research organisations (PROs) are considered to be critical to the survival of industries and to the achievement of self-reliance through the use of locally available raw materials. This thesis explores the application of strategic project management (SPM) practices in the execution of R and D projects in PROs in Nigeria. The research employed a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative research in order to capture the experiences of project management practitioners with SPM practices in PROs in Nigeria. Although areas of variations in practice were identified, the major findings highlighted that there was a gap in the practical implementation of SPM. The findings also revealed key determinants associated with the implementation of SPM and the factors that affected its application in PROs in Nigeria. The research findings were further synthesised into a framework, capturing ten key dimensions that must be taken into account in the execution of research and development projects. The determinants include having a project-based organisational structure, top management involvement in the project execution, strategic project leadership style, the appointment of a project team, the project team's competence, project alignment with organisational strategy, project prioritisation and selection, maximising R and D strategy, the project management process, and the SPM process. The framework validation was a follow-up discussion, which was conducted with project management practitioners in the selected research organisations in Nigeria. Reflecting on their experiences in the management of R and D projects, the participants acknowledged that the proposed SPM framework and its ten key variables were fundamental to the effective execution of R and D projects in PROs in Nigeria. It was concluded that the use of such a framework would highlight areas that needed to be addressed in order to achieve effective execution of R and D projects in these organisations.

The paper presents a method to formally verify the properties of "Integrated Change Control" processes using a temporal logic formalism "Computation Tree Logic" nd the formal modeling tool NuSMV. Article is well written, and easy to follow. Topic is very interesting; concept is new and original. The following modifications are necessary: (1) Quality of figures are poor. They are not clear, the legend is missing. (2) Тhe motive and the problem are not explained. (3) Discussion and conclusion are weak.Why the future work was not immediately implemented.

Review of: "Formal Verification of a Change Control Process in Project Management"

Research in the field of project management can be done in various ways. The method used in this article has not been found in previous articles that have been published. Project management needs to pay attention to various aspects that are closely related to the project management itself such as human resource management, financial management, risk management, cost management, time management, and so on.

Potential competing interests: No potential competing interests to declare.There are abbreviations in between and in Heading, which is difficult to comprehend.

Purpose: Effective project management is crucial for organizational success and competitiveness in today's business environment. Making informed decisions is an essential part of project management as the speed and quality of these decisions immediately affect the project's outcomes. With the quick development of information technology, complex information systems (IS) facilitate decision-making processes at the organizational level. The study explores the influence of information systems (IS) on the project management decision-making process in the highly technologically sophisticated context of the UAE. Through an emphasis on critical elements, including decision speed, quality, and risk management, the study offers a thorough understanding of how information technologies can improve project outcomes. Methodology: A quantitative research methodology with standardized surveys was employed to gather data from many government and private sector organizations in the UAE, including IT, healthcare, construction, etc. The targeted audience for the research includes professionals actively involved in project management, i.e., project managers, coordinators, team leads, and others. A stratified random sample technique was employed to select the sample respondents randomly. 152 quantitative responses were collected from responders for statistical analysis using JASP software. Quantitative data from the respondent sheet, descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis were carried out on the data obtained. Findings: The results revealed a moderate positive and statistically significant relationship between better decision-making outcomes and the quality of information systems' output. More specifically, it revealed that superior information systems will result in quicker and better-informed decision-making, which will successfully reduce project risks as a proactive measure. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: In line with the United Arab Emirates Vision 2021 and efforts towards digital transformation, the research presented useful recommendations for improving project management techniques. The study also adds to the body of knowledge in academia by offering theoretical and empirical support for the idea that information systems play a crucial role in project management. The research provides useful insights for the organization in the areas of strategic investment, operational efficiency, and risk management.