The Megaproject-based firm: building programme management capability to deliver megaprojects

The rapid growth in demand for large-scale infrastructure around the world calls for a new type of organisation, which we label the Megaproject-based Firm (MBF). We conceptualise the MBF as a core permanent entity that delivers multiple megaprojects with partners in project networks, in several large temporary organisations crossing the boundaries of the firm. We use 78 interviews to identify how the learning within and between these megaprojects has enabled the firm to build programme management capabilities over time. Our results show that adaptability, flexibility, and the design of the roles and responsibilities between clients and delivery partners are critical ingredients of programme management. Megaprojects should be delivered through a collaborative relationship with clients, not for clients. The involvement in a series of megaprojects in parallel and sequentially offers a new type of project capability building challenge for firms, adding to the literature on project-based firms and project capabilities

Organizational configurations of temporary multi-organizations delivering megaprojects: Insights from five megaprojects in China

Temporary multi-organizations (TMOs) are individual temporary client organizations that are jointly established and owned by multiple shareholders to undertake the predefined purposes in megaproject delivery. We conduct in-depth analysis of the organizational configurations of TMOs through a multi-case study of five megaprojects in China. We believe establishing a TMO is a multi-factorial decision and propose two types of TMO – integrated and independent – based on distinct motives for their establishment. Different TMO structuring processes of integrated and independent TMOs further give rise to distinctive patterns of TMO configuration. Based on the analysis of TMOs’ intra- and inter-organizational configurations, two patterns of organizational configuration – tightly- and loosely-coupled networks – emerge inductively from the data, and we highlight the dynamic nature of TMO configuration. This paper offers guidance to practitioners on designing and structuring TMOs and dealing with intra- and inter-organizational relations

Designing the transition to operations in large inter‐organizational projects: Strategy, structure, process, and people

The transition from projects to operations requires a spanning from more temporary, goal-oriented, and evolving organizational forms to more permanent, routine, and ongoing organizational forms. A question of practical and theoretical significance is how to organize the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. To answer this question, we conducted a longitudinal case study of Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is the largest transportation hub in China to date, and provides rich evidence for successfully managing the transition to operations. By analyzing the organizational design strategy, structures, processes, and management of people in the transition, we provide a synthetic framework for designing the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. The framework provides a set of considerations to design organizational boundaries that build connections, emphasize coordination, and achieve continuity between projects and operations. This study contributes to the nexus of operations management and project management and the organizational design of large inter-organizational projects

What are the causes and cures of poor megaproject performance? A systematic literature review and research agenda

This systematic literature review explores the megaproject management literature and contributes by improving our understanding of the causes and cures of poor megaproject performance. The review analyzes 6,007 titles and abstracts and 86 full papers, identifying a total of 18 causes and 54 cures to address poor megaproject performance. We suggest five avenues for future research that should consider examining megaprojects as large-scale, inter-organizational production systems: (1) designing the system architecture; (2) bridging the gap with manufacturing; (3) building and leading collaborations; (4) engaging institutions and communities; and (5) decomposing and integrating the supply chain

The dynamics of systems integration: balancing stability and change on London's Crossrail project

Systems integration is essential for the design and execution of large, complex projects, but relatively little is known about how this task develops over time during the life cycle of a project. This paper builds on the concept of “disciplined flexibility” to describe how systems integration can be conceived as a dynamic process of maintaining stability, while responding flexibly to changing conditions. We examine the dynamics of systems integration through a case-study of Crossrail, the construction of London's new urban railway system, which will be called the Elizabeth Line when it opens for service. The balancing act of stability and change manifests during critical periods of the project life cycle as various interdependent systems evolve with different degrees of maturity. We identify how various types of reciprocal interdependencies in complex projects such as Crossrail – at the system and system of systems levels – require ongoing monitoring and control, and the mutual adjustment of tasks

Estrutura de análise da coopetição de redes de cooperação horizontais

Este trabalho tem por objetivo a proposição de uma estrutura para a análise da coopetição de redes de cooperação horizontais de empresas – RCHs, a fim de identificar quais os níveis de abrangência desta análise, interferem diretamente nos níveis de competitividade deste tipo de redes organizacionais. Para isso, foi realizada uma vasta revisão bibliográfica, sendo composta por todos os trabalhos científicos publicados no período de janeiro de 2008 a julho de 2011 dispostos no Portal Periódicos CAPES, formando um portfólio bibliográfico especializado no estudo e proposição de métodos, ferramentas e modelos para a análise da coopetição e da competitividade de redes de cooperação horizontais de empresas. Como resultado, obteve-se a estrutura de análise da coopetição de RCHs, sendo composta em quatro níveis hierárquicos: o nível sistêmico; nível setorial; nível de inter-relação e; nível interno

Sistemática para seleção de fornecedores na indústria da construção civil

Atualmente, o ambiente industrial é caracterizado pela intensa globalização, competição entre cadeias de suprimentos, manutenção das competências centrais e terceirização dos demais serviços. Desta forma, a gestão das relações entre os agentes independentes da cadeia de suprimentos e do processo de aquisição são fatores potenciais para o aumento da competitividade empresarial. No contexto da construção civil, a seleção adequada dos parceiros de negócios é um elemento fundamental para o sucesso dos projetos, uma vez que uma grande proporção das atividades podem ser sub-contratadas e possuem relação de precedência entre si. Os suprimentos representam um percentual significativo dos custos das construções, 60%, dado que demonstra o potencial de lucratividade passível de ser atingida ao estruturar o processo de seleção de fornecedores na construção civil. Seleções baseadas no preço prejudicam os sub-empreiteiros e fornecedores mais responsáveis na concorrência, contribuindo para a queda do nível de desempenho e redução da eficiência global do projeto, uma vez que as ineficiências são somadas ao longo da cadeia. Através da estruturação do processo de seleção de fornecedores, é possível mitigar os riscos de suprimentos oriundos de falhas destes contratados ao longo da relação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma sistemática para seleção de fornecedores críticos, considerando diversos critérios além do preço, entre qualitativos e quantitativos. A abordagem visa também, a eliminação da subjetividade do processo e a extração do melhor fornecedor de forma objetiva. Para tanto, foram definidas dimensões competitivas para avaliar os fornecedores e posteriormente foram utilizados dois métodos quantitativos, Teoria dos Conjuntos Difusos (TCD) e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP), para selecionar o melhor fornecedor dentre as alternativas, com base na avaliação de múltiplos agentes.Currently, the industrial environment is characterized by intense globalization, competition between supply chains, maintenance of core competencies and outsourcing of other services. Thus, the management of relationships between independent agents of the supply chain and the procurement process are potential factors for increasing enterprise competitiveness. In the construction context, the proper selection of business partners is a key element for the success of projects, since a large proportion of the activities can be sub-contracted and have precedence relationship between them. Supplies represent a significant percentage of the cost of buildings, 60%, information that demonstrates the potential of profitability that can be achieved by structuring the process of supplier selection in the construction industry. Selection based on price take off from competition the sub-contractors and suppliers more responsible, contributing to the decline in the level of performance and reduction in the overall project efficiency, since inefficiencies are summed through the chain. By structuring the supplier selection process, it is possible to mitigate the supply risk arising from failures of these suppliers during the relationship. The objective of this study was to develop a systematic for selection of critical suppliers, considering several criteria other than price, among qualitative and quantitative. The approach also aims at eliminating the subjectivity of the process and the extraction of the best supplier in an objective way. In order to that, competitive dimensions were set to evaluate vendors and subsequently two quantitative methods, Fuzzy Sets Theory (FST) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to select the best supplier among the alternatives based on multiple agents evaluation

Designing client organisations and supply chain strategies to deliver megaprojects

Considering the global infrastructure pipeline forecasted for the next decades, this research explores the formation of megaproject client organisations, which are new, dedicated and often temporary entities created to deliver the project on behalf of the sponsor. The research is novel as it investigates three megaprojects in real time and adopts a supply chain management lens to conceptualise the formation and evolution of inter-organisational relationships. It contributes to two literatures, construction supply chain management and project delivery models, by exploring the megaproject client organisation as the focal firm and its strategies to design the supply chain architecture. It builds upon previous research by exploring a different challenge to manage the supply chain in one-off settings, exploring the concurrent formation of a new entity and its supply chain strategies. Six megaprojects that currently represent a combined investment of £93.93 bn have been analysed in the United Kingdom: High Speed 1, Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, London 2012 Olympics, Crossrail, Thames Tideway Tunnel and High Speed 2. The empirical data were collected through 210 semi-structured interviews with senior project leaders. Key research findings include: (i) a conceptual framework, the Project System Organisation (PSO), that sheds light onto the megaproject multi-layer and multi-level organisational structure, identifying multiple organisational roles and responsibilities; (ii) understanding of the terminologies of owners, sponsors, clients and operators in megaprojects, as well as the dynamics of its non-static and evolutionary nature throughout the project life-cycle, unpacking who does what, when, how and why; (iii) the process of the formation of temporary client organisations and the dimensions of the rationale behind the strategic decisions over time, in light of the plurality of potential integration methods between client and delivery partners; (iv) the importance of a clearly defined governance structure and recommendations to organise the inter-organisational relationships between sponsors, clients, delivery partners and the supply chain

Sistemática para seleção de fornecedores na indústria da construção civil

Atualmente, o ambiente industrial é caracterizado pela intensa globalização, competição entre cadeias de suprimentos, manutenção das competências centrais e terceirização dos demais serviços. Desta forma, a gestão das relações entre os agentes independentes da cadeia de suprimentos e do processo de aquisição são fatores potenciais para o aumento da competitividade empresarial. No contexto da construção civil, a seleção adequada dos parceiros de negócios é um elemento fundamental para o sucesso dos projetos, uma vez que uma grande proporção das atividades podem ser sub-contratadas e possuem relação de precedência entre si. Os suprimentos representam um percentual significativo dos custos das construções, 60%, dado que demonstra o potencial de lucratividade passível de ser atingida ao estruturar o processo de seleção de fornecedores na construção civil. Seleções baseadas no preço prejudicam os sub-empreiteiros e fornecedores mais responsáveis na concorrência, contribuindo para a queda do nível de desempenho e redução da eficiência global do projeto, uma vez que as ineficiências são somadas ao longo da cadeia. Através da estruturação do processo de seleção de fornecedores, é possível mitigar os riscos de suprimentos oriundos de falhas destes contratados ao longo da relação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma sistemática para seleção de fornecedores críticos, considerando diversos critérios além do preço, entre qualitativos e quantitativos. A abordagem visa também, a eliminação da subjetividade do processo e a extração do melhor fornecedor de forma objetiva. Para tanto, foram definidas dimensões competitivas para avaliar os fornecedores e posteriormente foram utilizados dois métodos quantitativos, Teoria dos Conjuntos Difusos (TCD) e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP), para selecionar o melhor fornecedor dentre as alternativas, com base na avaliação de múltiplos agentes.Currently, the industrial environment is characterized by intense globalization, competition between supply chains, maintenance of core competencies and outsourcing of other services. Thus, the management of relationships between independent agents of the supply chain and the procurement process are potential factors for increasing enterprise competitiveness. In the construction context, the proper selection of business partners is a key element for the success of projects, since a large proportion of the activities can be sub-contracted and have precedence relationship between them. Supplies represent a significant percentage of the cost of buildings, 60%, information that demonstrates the potential of profitability that can be achieved by structuring the process of supplier selection in the construction industry. Selection based on price take off from competition the sub-contractors and suppliers more responsible, contributing to the decline in the level of performance and reduction in the overall project efficiency, since inefficiencies are summed through the chain. By structuring the supplier selection process, it is possible to mitigate the supply risk arising from failures of these suppliers during the relationship. The objective of this study was to develop a systematic for selection of critical suppliers, considering several criteria other than price, among qualitative and quantitative. The approach also aims at eliminating the subjectivity of the process and the extraction of the best supplier in an objective way. In order to that, competitive dimensions were set to evaluate vendors and subsequently two quantitative methods, Fuzzy Sets Theory (FST) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to select the best supplier among the alternatives based on multiple agents evaluation

A proposal for supply-chain improvements in a luxury company

The fashion market is becoming more competitive in the luxury industry, mainly because of the appearance and strengthening of other industries that provide new products more consistently to its customers. This sector, marked by its two annual collections and its unique items, must become more flexible and provide a faster response to its consumer base. In this context, supply chain management is an important factor in determining the degree of competitiveness of a company. This paper proposes tools to assist in the production scheduling of a luxury industry through making its supply chain more flexible by reducing the number of items delivered before the release, thus allowing the company to react according to the sales. To achieve that, an approach to the calculation of orders based on sales forecasts and on the lead time between stores and distribution centers was developed, in addition to a tool to control the delivery of the items through better integration with the suppliers. The proposed approach reduced the number of items in the first two orders by 17 and 12%, and several delays were avoided through the utilization of the order-control tool