Management of projects

The management of projects is one of the School's leading research areas.

Overview

It addresses the strategic development of projects at the front-end, that is, prior to project sanction and execution, and is particularly concerned with the effects of, and the need to influence, project context. It is especially interested in project leadership and in improving project effectiveness: hence topics such as strategy alignment and development, success measures, value enhancement and benefits management figure strongly. In doing this, it provides a vital link between enterprise management and project, program and portfolio management as well as being concerned about new, innovative issues such as Agile.

It is particularly interested in how, and where, project management is focused: its areas of application. It is especially interested in the contribution that project management can, and should, be making to addressing society's broader challenges, such as climate change, the provision of new infrastructure or the application of new technologies; or in improving organisational performance.

The research work is rigorous. It employs a range of methodological approaches, applied in large measure according to the nature of the problem domain. Staff are active publishers and the School is internationally recognised as 'world leading' in this area.

Projects

The School is leading on a broad range of projects, all furthering academic research in project management innovation. Current projects include:

Project X

Project X is a £1.1m ESRC funded research collaboration between nine UK universities, the Cabinet Office and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA). The project, which started in December 2018, is funded for three years. The project will improve the efficient delivery of major projects and programmes by identifying novel and effective management techniques and disseminating actionable based knowledge and insight to project practitioners.

Read more about the School's involvement on our Project X webpage.

Business Innovation Dynamics in Infrastructure Projects

This research, funded by the ESRC, seeks to address the long-standing issue of poor performance in infrastructure projects, also known as the productivity paradox. This paradox can be described as the inability of infrastructure projects to improve performance, despite the steadily increasing global demand for infrastructure and long track record of project delivery.

Read more about this grant on our Business Innovation Dynamics in Infrastructure Projects webpage.

AEC Delta Mobility

An industry-wide consortium to tackle data exchange in the building industry through open source frameworks.

Read more about this grant on our AEC Delta Mobility project webpage.

Previous projects

Open Planning for Operationally Ready Acute Healthcare Estate: a multi-factorial framework. Phil Astley (Principal Investigator) Commissioned under the Health and Care Infrastructure Research and Innovation Centre (HaCIRIC) programme and funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC).

Developing a Health & Safety Culture. Professor Hedley Smyth (Principal Investigator) with Dr Aeli Roberts, John Kelsey and Adam Wilson. Commissioned and funded by Brookfield Europe.

Scoping Study for a Client-driven, Knowledge-based Industry. Professor Peter Morris (Principal Investigator), Professor Andrew Edkins and Professor Hedley Smyth. Commissioned and Funded by the National Platform.

Managing Bridge Maintenance Projects Using Neuro-Fuzzy Systems - BRIMS. Taha Elhag (Principal Investigator). Funded with an EPSRC Grant.

Procurement for Innovation: Developing a Framework for Continuous Innovation Diffusion and Knowledge Transfer through Integrative Procurement Systems - ProFIK. Taha Elhag (Principal Investigator) and Tabarak Ballal (University of Reading). Funded with an EPSRC Grant.

Roll-out of Sustainability Legislation and Best Practice. David Adamson (Principal Investigator), Professor Peter Morris, Professor Andrew Edkins, Dr Stephen Pryke and Professor Hedley Smyth. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) through UrbanBuzz.

Demonstration Projects and Corporate Support for Best Practice Knowledge Management and Dissemination. Professor Hedley Smyth (Principal Investigator) and Raymond Olayinka. Funded by Government through a Knowledge Transfer

Partnership with Constructing Excellence. An Analytical and Comparative Study of Construction Procurement and Management Strategies in Liaoning Province, North East China. Dr Stephen Pryke. Funded by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

An Analytical Anglo/French Comparative Study of Construction Procurement and Management Strategies. Dr Stephen Pryke and conducted as a collaborative study with GTM Vinci in Paris. Funded by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Revising the APM Body of Knowledge. Professor Peter Morris (Principal Investigator) with Ashley Jamieson. Funded by the Association of Project Management (APM).

Moving from Corporate Strategy to Project Strategy Professor Peter Morris (Principal Investigator) with Ashley Jamieson. Funded by the Project Management Institute (PMI).