AS 2010 Volume 17 Issue 1

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http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2504

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Browsing AS 2010 Volume 17 Issue 1 by Subject "Project management"

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    Is project management a benefit to the Botswana construction industry?
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Himayumbula, Terryson; Prinsloo, Hendrik
    English: Project Management has become a popular topic in the construction industry throughout the world. Botswana is no exception and many developers are now insisting that project managers should also be in charge of their development projects. However, as project managers charge a considerable fee for some of the services that were historically handled by architects, some industry role players have expressed their doubts whether project managers are in fact worthwhile. Project managers claim to do all these services better and faster than the traditional architect but it could be asked whether their involvement generated any tangible benefits to the construction industry to justify their added cost to a building project. The main aim of this article is to answer this question. A quantitative survey was conducted by means of a structured questionnaire involving various role players in the Botswana construction industry. The results were interpreted and the authors would like to present their positive findings that project management is indeed a benefit to the construction industry in Botswana.
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    Systems thinking for project management: implications for practice and education
    (University of the Free State, 2010) Taylor, Robert
    English: Deriving from a critique of the theory of management that has influenced the practice of project management, this article explores an alternative paradigm in the form of systems thinking. The known multi-disciplinary usefulness of systems thinking is proposed as a means of reconsidering project planning, implementation and control, leading to potential implications for the education of project managers. The appropriate selection of systems approaches for use in the planning and control of complex projects in any development sector, including construction, is considered. Although the specific details of any specific ‘process-based’ systems approaches are not presented, the conceptual rationale for such approaches to project planning and control is presented. This is done within a framework of critical consideration of those factors that are argued to contribute to failure to meet key project outcomes, especially in complex projects. Contemporary literature (extensively referred to in this article) increasingly suggests that there are limits to the established ‘rational-oriented’ approaches to project management. The current body of practice knowledge requires the addition of complementary, ‘process-based’ approaches for a new generation of strategic project managers. Specific recommendations for educational development in this regard are made. This article explores the influence of contemporary organisational theory on project management and hence the need to add critically necessary soft skills capacity to the current body of knowledge.