The Link Between Successful Projects Outcomes And Project...

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study The link between successful project outcomes and project management was recognised by Peters and Waterman (1982, pp. 3-28), more than 40 years ago. In the fast moving 21st Century business environment, project managers must work ever more effectively and accurately, and timely information is essential to every aspect of the project management role: planning, organisational design, gaining the ‘buy in’ of various stakeholders and being able to provide project reviews in ‘real time’, as well as embracing sustainability (ICE, 2002, p.5). The ways in which the project and its progress relate to the wider organisational context will also need to be considered and communicated (Cleland and Ireland,†¦show more content†¦82). The management of projects, as indicated by Oracle (2011, p.1), must embrace every stage from planning to regular monitoring, controlling and evaluation of progress, undertaken by professional staff who also must be recruited and trai ned (Liberatore, and Pollack-Johnson 2004, pp. 164-174). Advances in technology represent transformational power for project management in the ACE sector, according to Howard et.al. (1989, p. 18), since appropriate technology provides decision support for the integration of data that has been gathered from a variety of sources and stakeholders. The authors also forecast that, as technology advanced, the potential for huge savings generated from higher productivity would be increasingly important, for instance, by the use of artificial intelligence, process automation including robotics, and employment of advanced databases (Howard et al. 1989, p.18). A technology solution suggested by Lee and Yu (2012, p. 82) is the web-based Project Management Information System (PMIS), which although not guaranteed to deliver project performance outcomes, is recognised as a vital tool to improving the probability of doing so. The construction industry is highlighted by (Liberatore and Pollack Jackson (2004, p. 170) as one with high usage of the most sophisticated project management information systems,