2006 Technology Management for the Global Future - PICMET 2006 Conference, 2006
... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution betw... more ... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution between peak ... on economic and institutional reforms to induce private investors to become project sponsors. ... 3,000 megawatts per year to keep up with growing demand for electricity over the ...
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2019
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how project managers, influence the assignmen... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how project managers, influence the assignment of project team members by directly assigning or specifying who they want or by indirectly using lateral influence strategies to secure the appropriate resources. This study is part of a wider study investigating the balance between vertical and horizontal leadership in projects in which nomination (or assignment) was identified as a key event contributing to balancing the leadership. It focuses specifically on the nomination or assignment event at the start of a project. Design/methodology/approach Based on the philosophy of critical realism, case studies were used to collect data through 70 semi-structured interviews in Australia, Scandinavia and South Africa. Interviews were conducted with senior managers, project managers and project team members. Two project team members who worked with the same project manager were interviewed to gather diverse views. The data were analyzed indiv...
Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roa... more Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roads (NW DPWR) often perform poorly in terms of overrunning both the original approved timeline and the budget. Adding to poor time and cost performances, these projects often do not meet the desired functional requirements. This article reports on findings of a study which investigated the causes of these poor performances in the NW DPWR. Fifty potential causes of poor performance were identified from literature. These factors were grouped under three main related categories of owner-related, contractorrelated and consultant-related and were subjected to a questionnaire survey to identify the most critical causes of failure. The results were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients. The results indicated that the most significant causes of poor building and infrastructure project performance in the NW DPWR include underestimation of project cost, the lack of experience in executing projects, contractor's cash-flow constraints, corruption and bribery during the bidding and contract award phase, as well as poor site management and supervision. Recommendations are made to prevent similar causes of projects failure in the NW DPWR in future.
PICMET '08 - 2008 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering & Technology, 2008
Abstract-- Since the turn of the 20 th century the use of the concept 'project governanc... more Abstract-- Since the turn of the 20 th century the use of the concept 'project governance' has gained popularity in both practical application and academic research. With the principles of 'corporate governance' firmly and successfully established in the corporate environment the ...
During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles o... more During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles of governance have been applied to other management disciplines, especially project management. This evolution of the concept of project governance resulted in various uses and applications of the term, causing confusion among academics and practitioners in various industries. Especially for large capital projects the formal definition of
Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roa... more Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roads (NW DPWR) often perform poorly in terms of overrunning both the original approved timeline and the budget. Adding to poor time and cost performances, these projects often do not meet the desired functional requirements. This article reports on findings of a study which investigated the causes of these poor performances in the NW DPWR. Fifty potential causes of poor performance were identified from literature. These factors were grouped under three main related categories of owner-related, contractor-related and consultant-related and were subjected to a questionnaire survey to identify the most critical causes of failure. The results were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients. The results indicated that the most significant causes of poor building and infrastructure project performance in the NW DPWR include underestimation...
The terminology, definition and context of project governance have become a focal subject for res... more The terminology, definition and context of project governance have become a focal subject for research and discussions in project management literature. This article reviews literature on the subject of project governance and categorises the arguments into three schools of thought namely the single-firm school, multi-firm school and large capital governance school. The single-firm school is concerned with governance principles related to intra-organisational projects and practice these principles at a technical level. The multi-firm school addresses the governance principles concerned with two of more organisations participating on a contractual basis on the same project and focuses its governance efforts at the technical and strategic level. The large capital school considers projects as temporary organisations, forming their own entity and establishing governance principles at an institutional level. From these schools of thought it can be concluded that the definition of project ...
The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is the largest infrastructure grant allocated to municip... more The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is the largest infrastructure grant allocated to municipalities by National Treasury. The purpose of the MIG is to provide basic infrastructure-related services to poor communities in South Africa. Unfortunately, projects funded under the MIG have been characterised by cost overruns. OR Tambo District Municipality is no exception to this enigma. With the prevalence of cost overruns on most MIG funded projects it has become difficult for municipalities to estimate, commit and adhere to infrastructure targets. This study focuses on uncovering the causes of cost overrun on MIG funded projects in the OR Tambo District Municipality. The data was gathered by using a survey questionnaire of 69 potential factors and other sources of evidence such as project documentation. A total of 65 respondents, out of a potential 115 sampled, representing service providers and sector departments involved in OR Tambo District Municipality, responded to a 5-point L...
The FIFA World Cup is the largest international sports event in the world. Hosting the FIFA World... more The FIFA World Cup is the largest international sports event in the world. Hosting the FIFA World Cup remains a sought after goal for any country. Due to the magnitude of spectators and scale of participation the hosting of the event requires substantial investment in infrastructure, especially the stadia where the various football games will be played. The award of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa resulted in ten stadia to be either upgraded or newly constructed for the event in South Africa. Even though all the stadia were ready for the tournament, nearly all projects experienced time delays and cost overruns. This article investigates the reasons or causes of cost overruns and time delays during the upgrading and construction of the various stadia. A three-tier research approach covers a comprehensive literature review on the causes of cost overruns and time delays on construction-related projects globally as well as an investigation into the factors that caused cost overr...
The South African construction industry has suffered the loss of many qualified middle-management... more The South African construction industry has suffered the loss of many qualified middle-management-level project managers in recent years. This has resulted in many young, inexperienced project managers being forced to manage large complex projects. In addition, senior project managers, who are still practising locally, are too busy to mentor and guide the younger project managers, due to the shortage of professionals in the local industry. This article reports on a study done to identify the most important attributes that influence project success in the South African construction industry, by extracting a list of factors identified in the existing literature and grouping these factors into six main categories. Each category contains six factors. A questionnaire was compiled and distributed via an online survey tool. The data was analysed using statistical methods including concordance and correlation. The results indicated that ‘interpersonal factors’ was considered the most im...
Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition o... more Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition of the term lacked, it has been used in various contexts that caused confusion and misunderstanding. This paper provides a formal definition for 'project governance' based on a Delphi study. Combining the results from the Delphi study with existing corporate governance principles led to a concept project governance framework that was validated and developed further by means of two primary case studies and 15 secondary case studies. The end result is a final project governance framework that provides a practical checklist for the governance of major capital investments.
South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, May 1, 2018
Independent formal reviews against validated project frameworks aim to ensure that pre-specified ... more Independent formal reviews against validated project frameworks aim to ensure that pre-specified phase deliverables are completed and validated before the next project phase begins. Through various internal initiatives, Exxaro established a project framework to develop and implement capital projects. However, to date, this framework has not been validated. The intent of this research was, through a case study approach, to validate the project framework for Exxaro (a holistic case). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen key role players across the organisation on four different projects (embedded cases). Results from the embedded cases were compared to identify common themes emerging from the research. Although the research identified areas for improvement for certain aspects of the framework, the common themes correspond with the main aspects of the proposed framework, thus validating the framework.
South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE)
The aim of the study was to determine the causes of construction project failures in the Departme... more The aim of the study was to determine the causes of construction project failures in the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA). A detailed literature review was carried out on construction projects that failed due to cost and time overruns. A list of construction project failure factors was identified and later categorised into contractor, client and owner-related causes. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect data from the contractors and owners and the same questionnaire was used to interview the clients or beneficiaries telephonically. The data were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Correlation Testing. The key causes of construction project failure as per their rankings were poor communication, lack of monitoring and evaluation, lack of client or beneficiary involvement, lack of project planning, financial difficulties, poor project scheduling, incomplete project drawing, conflict, poor technical performance, and changing client requirements. The Spearman correlation concluded that relationships existed amongst the owner, client and contractor responses. From the results, the main recommendation is that all project planning, design and scheduling should be approved by the contractor, client and owner before construction commences. Secondly, all project stakeholders should be involved during the planning of projects to enhance project sustainability, and thirdly, projects should only commence when there is a guarantee that all plans, budgets and schedules are realistic, and funds are available for access. With regards to extension, the results indicate specific areas of stakeholder engagement prior and during construction to assist in managing expectations.
... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution betw... more ... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution between peak ... on economic and institutional reforms to induce private investors to become project sponsors. ... 3,000 megawatts per year to keep up with growing demand for electricity over the ...
During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles o... more During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles of governance have been applied to other management disciplines, especially project management. This evolution of the concept of project governance resulted in various uses and applications of the term, causing confusion among academics and practitioners in various industries. Especially for large capital projects the formal definition of the term 'project governance', and agreement on the content of a project governance model, have been largely neglected. This paper reports on exploratory work to define the concept of governance for large capital projects. An international Delphi survey, that involved credible practitioners as well as academics, was conducted to better define the term 'project governance'. Finally, the paper introduces a framework for project governance.
Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition o... more Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition of the term lacked, it has been used in various contexts that caused confusion and misunderstanding. This paper provides a formal definition for 'project governance' based ...
2006 Technology Management for the Global Future - PICMET 2006 Conference, 2006
... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution betw... more ... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution between peak ... on economic and institutional reforms to induce private investors to become project sponsors. ... 3,000 megawatts per year to keep up with growing demand for electricity over the ...
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2019
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how project managers, influence the assignmen... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how project managers, influence the assignment of project team members by directly assigning or specifying who they want or by indirectly using lateral influence strategies to secure the appropriate resources. This study is part of a wider study investigating the balance between vertical and horizontal leadership in projects in which nomination (or assignment) was identified as a key event contributing to balancing the leadership. It focuses specifically on the nomination or assignment event at the start of a project. Design/methodology/approach Based on the philosophy of critical realism, case studies were used to collect data through 70 semi-structured interviews in Australia, Scandinavia and South Africa. Interviews were conducted with senior managers, project managers and project team members. Two project team members who worked with the same project manager were interviewed to gather diverse views. The data were analyzed indiv...
Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roa... more Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roads (NW DPWR) often perform poorly in terms of overrunning both the original approved timeline and the budget. Adding to poor time and cost performances, these projects often do not meet the desired functional requirements. This article reports on findings of a study which investigated the causes of these poor performances in the NW DPWR. Fifty potential causes of poor performance were identified from literature. These factors were grouped under three main related categories of owner-related, contractorrelated and consultant-related and were subjected to a questionnaire survey to identify the most critical causes of failure. The results were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients. The results indicated that the most significant causes of poor building and infrastructure project performance in the NW DPWR include underestimation of project cost, the lack of experience in executing projects, contractor's cash-flow constraints, corruption and bribery during the bidding and contract award phase, as well as poor site management and supervision. Recommendations are made to prevent similar causes of projects failure in the NW DPWR in future.
PICMET '08 - 2008 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering & Technology, 2008
Abstract-- Since the turn of the 20 th century the use of the concept 'project governanc... more Abstract-- Since the turn of the 20 th century the use of the concept 'project governance' has gained popularity in both practical application and academic research. With the principles of 'corporate governance' firmly and successfully established in the corporate environment the ...
During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles o... more During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles of governance have been applied to other management disciplines, especially project management. This evolution of the concept of project governance resulted in various uses and applications of the term, causing confusion among academics and practitioners in various industries. Especially for large capital projects the formal definition of
Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roa... more Building and infrastructure projects at the NorthWest Province Department of Public Works and Roads (NW DPWR) often perform poorly in terms of overrunning both the original approved timeline and the budget. Adding to poor time and cost performances, these projects often do not meet the desired functional requirements. This article reports on findings of a study which investigated the causes of these poor performances in the NW DPWR. Fifty potential causes of poor performance were identified from literature. These factors were grouped under three main related categories of owner-related, contractor-related and consultant-related and were subjected to a questionnaire survey to identify the most critical causes of failure. The results were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients. The results indicated that the most significant causes of poor building and infrastructure project performance in the NW DPWR include underestimation...
The terminology, definition and context of project governance have become a focal subject for res... more The terminology, definition and context of project governance have become a focal subject for research and discussions in project management literature. This article reviews literature on the subject of project governance and categorises the arguments into three schools of thought namely the single-firm school, multi-firm school and large capital governance school. The single-firm school is concerned with governance principles related to intra-organisational projects and practice these principles at a technical level. The multi-firm school addresses the governance principles concerned with two of more organisations participating on a contractual basis on the same project and focuses its governance efforts at the technical and strategic level. The large capital school considers projects as temporary organisations, forming their own entity and establishing governance principles at an institutional level. From these schools of thought it can be concluded that the definition of project ...
The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is the largest infrastructure grant allocated to municip... more The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) is the largest infrastructure grant allocated to municipalities by National Treasury. The purpose of the MIG is to provide basic infrastructure-related services to poor communities in South Africa. Unfortunately, projects funded under the MIG have been characterised by cost overruns. OR Tambo District Municipality is no exception to this enigma. With the prevalence of cost overruns on most MIG funded projects it has become difficult for municipalities to estimate, commit and adhere to infrastructure targets. This study focuses on uncovering the causes of cost overrun on MIG funded projects in the OR Tambo District Municipality. The data was gathered by using a survey questionnaire of 69 potential factors and other sources of evidence such as project documentation. A total of 65 respondents, out of a potential 115 sampled, representing service providers and sector departments involved in OR Tambo District Municipality, responded to a 5-point L...
The FIFA World Cup is the largest international sports event in the world. Hosting the FIFA World... more The FIFA World Cup is the largest international sports event in the world. Hosting the FIFA World Cup remains a sought after goal for any country. Due to the magnitude of spectators and scale of participation the hosting of the event requires substantial investment in infrastructure, especially the stadia where the various football games will be played. The award of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa resulted in ten stadia to be either upgraded or newly constructed for the event in South Africa. Even though all the stadia were ready for the tournament, nearly all projects experienced time delays and cost overruns. This article investigates the reasons or causes of cost overruns and time delays during the upgrading and construction of the various stadia. A three-tier research approach covers a comprehensive literature review on the causes of cost overruns and time delays on construction-related projects globally as well as an investigation into the factors that caused cost overr...
The South African construction industry has suffered the loss of many qualified middle-management... more The South African construction industry has suffered the loss of many qualified middle-management-level project managers in recent years. This has resulted in many young, inexperienced project managers being forced to manage large complex projects. In addition, senior project managers, who are still practising locally, are too busy to mentor and guide the younger project managers, due to the shortage of professionals in the local industry. This article reports on a study done to identify the most important attributes that influence project success in the South African construction industry, by extracting a list of factors identified in the existing literature and grouping these factors into six main categories. Each category contains six factors. A questionnaire was compiled and distributed via an online survey tool. The data was analysed using statistical methods including concordance and correlation. The results indicated that ‘interpersonal factors’ was considered the most im...
Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition o... more Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition of the term lacked, it has been used in various contexts that caused confusion and misunderstanding. This paper provides a formal definition for 'project governance' based on a Delphi study. Combining the results from the Delphi study with existing corporate governance principles led to a concept project governance framework that was validated and developed further by means of two primary case studies and 15 secondary case studies. The end result is a final project governance framework that provides a practical checklist for the governance of major capital investments.
South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, May 1, 2018
Independent formal reviews against validated project frameworks aim to ensure that pre-specified ... more Independent formal reviews against validated project frameworks aim to ensure that pre-specified phase deliverables are completed and validated before the next project phase begins. Through various internal initiatives, Exxaro established a project framework to develop and implement capital projects. However, to date, this framework has not been validated. The intent of this research was, through a case study approach, to validate the project framework for Exxaro (a holistic case). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen key role players across the organisation on four different projects (embedded cases). Results from the embedded cases were compared to identify common themes emerging from the research. Although the research identified areas for improvement for certain aspects of the framework, the common themes correspond with the main aspects of the proposed framework, thus validating the framework.
South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE)
The aim of the study was to determine the causes of construction project failures in the Departme... more The aim of the study was to determine the causes of construction project failures in the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA). A detailed literature review was carried out on construction projects that failed due to cost and time overruns. A list of construction project failure factors was identified and later categorised into contractor, client and owner-related causes. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect data from the contractors and owners and the same questionnaire was used to interview the clients or beneficiaries telephonically. The data were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Correlation Testing. The key causes of construction project failure as per their rankings were poor communication, lack of monitoring and evaluation, lack of client or beneficiary involvement, lack of project planning, financial difficulties, poor project scheduling, incomplete project drawing, conflict, poor technical performance, and changing client requirements. The Spearman correlation concluded that relationships existed amongst the owner, client and contractor responses. From the results, the main recommendation is that all project planning, design and scheduling should be approved by the contractor, client and owner before construction commences. Secondly, all project stakeholders should be involved during the planning of projects to enhance project sustainability, and thirdly, projects should only commence when there is a guarantee that all plans, budgets and schedules are realistic, and funds are available for access. With regards to extension, the results indicate specific areas of stakeholder engagement prior and during construction to assist in managing expectations.
... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution betw... more ... are usually expressed in terms ofthe average hourly traffic and the overall distribution between peak ... on economic and institutional reforms to induce private investors to become project sponsors. ... 3,000 megawatts per year to keep up with growing demand for electricity over the ...
During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles o... more During the past decade corporate governance has received ample attention. Lately the principles of governance have been applied to other management disciplines, especially project management. This evolution of the concept of project governance resulted in various uses and applications of the term, causing confusion among academics and practitioners in various industries. Especially for large capital projects the formal definition of the term 'project governance', and agreement on the content of a project governance model, have been largely neglected. This paper reports on exploratory work to define the concept of governance for large capital projects. An international Delphi survey, that involved credible practitioners as well as academics, was conducted to better define the term 'project governance'. Finally, the paper introduces a framework for project governance.
Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition o... more Project governance has become part of the project management vocabulary. As a formal definition of the term lacked, it has been used in various contexts that caused confusion and misunderstanding. This paper provides a formal definition for 'project governance' based ...
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Papers by Michiel Bekker