Ofer Zwikael

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Verified

Ofer verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Australian National University

Target benefits such as “reduced operational costs” are project goals that can contribute to the long-term improvement of organizational performance following project completion. Setting effective target benefits is critical because it supports project investment decisions, clear project management direction, and thereby enhanced project and organi...

Although organizations regularly execute projects to improve their performance, there is still no agreement in the literature on how to evaluate their eventual success. As a result, scholars end up using different scales to measure the same outcome variable of project success, thereby causing inconsistency in research results. Existing project succ...

Purpose The performance of large-scale projects is often challenged due to major environmental changes that occur during their life. However, literature has paid little attention to the governance adaptations required to respond effectively to these changes. This paper aims to study changes in the project environment over time, the corresponding go...

Consisting of multifaceted interactions between various human and non-human actors, projects are prime illustrations of complex systems. Such complexity amplifies the negative effect of disruptive events – common in projects owing to their high level of uncertainty. Therefore, building project resilience to provide a quick recovery process with min...

It is now generally accepted that strategies are rarely implemented as planned (Mintzberg, 1978). Strategies usually evolve over time as a result of many people interacting and utilizing a range of incremental processes to understand what should realistically be implemented as part of the strategy, essentially adjusting the strategy as required (Bu...

Purpose- A variety of buffer allocation methods exist to distribute an aggregated time buffer among project activities. However, these methods do not pay simultaneous attention to two key attributes of disruptive events that may occur during the construction phase: probability and impact. This paper fills this research gap by developing a buffer al...

Purpose As managing risks effectively is critical for successful projects, project managers regularly identify and prioritize the risks that apply to their projects. However, research argues that project managers struggle to identify effective risk mitigation approaches for the most critical risks, partly because they do not always have the require...

Consistent with the notion that strategies are made up of an amalgam of strategies and, as a result, must be implemented with this in mind, the two chapters in this section explain the role of a financial strategy in markedly different ways. The first chapter in this section emphasises the importance of managing and transforming capital effectively...

It would be easy to assume that non-market strategiesNon-market strategies are only necessary for organisations operating primarily in the non-market environment. However, this would be wrong. All organisations are impacted by the non-market environment to some extent. The non-market and market environments are subject to continual institutional ch...

The three chapters in this section shed light on the different problems managers need to solve when they develop and implement their organisation’s customer value creation strategies. More to the point, they demonstrate that customer value cannot be created successfully, including systematically over time unless the organisation’s customer value cr...

This book draws on a range of scholarly traditions and insights from practice to develop unifying principles and frameworks for successfully navigating the strategy and change interface. It concludes that the strategy process works best when everyone, in every part of the organisation, understands that the concept of “the current strategy” is just...

The three chapters in this section make it abundantly clear that the resource strategyResource strategy is especially important to get right for two special reasons. First, the resource strategyResource strategy explicates how the organisation’s financial, customer value creation and non-market strategiesNon-market strategies are to be implemented...

The three chapters in this section demonstrate that, although it can be helpful at times to separate strategy formulation from the strategy implementation stage for pedagogical and communication purposes, when strategy is approached in this way, the wrong mindset ends up being adopted across the organisation. The process becomes the focus rather th...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective approach to support and guide production improvement processes utilising online product reviews. Design/methodology/approach This paper combines two methods: (1) natural language processing (NLP) to support advanced text mining to increase the accuracy of information extracted from produ...

Purpose - Although the literature is clear on what comprises effective project stakeholder management, communication between key stakeholders and project managers is often ineffective. Research is silent on stakeholders’ insufficient knowledge of project management terminology, which is a barrier for such effective communication. This paper identif...

Although projects are regularly exposed to disruptive events, the literature lacks an effective measurement system for project resilience. This gap presents challenges for decision makers because of the consequent lack of quantitative information about the level of resilience and its impact on project performance throughout a project’s life. We arg...

Effective control is crucial to enhance project performance. Accordingly, organizations implement various control strategies to manage projects, e.g., formal, social, bureaucratic, and clan control. Control is a particular challenge in interorganizational projects (IOPs) due to the coexistence of intra- and interorganizational control strategies. W...

R&D plays a crucial role in developing new products, the commercialisation of which can drive corporate growth. Over three decades, research has focused the new product development (NPD) process and it is known that developing new products is a knowledge‐intensive, risky activity. Since industry surveys show that many NPD projects, particularly sof...

The aim of this special issue is to better understand the strategy and change interface, in particular, the (sub)processes and cognitions that enable strategies to be successfully implemented and organizations effectively changed. The ten papers selected for this special issue reflect a range of scholarly traditions and, thus, as our review and int...

As project teams become more global and culturally diverse, it is important for project managers to understand how various project management practices are implemented in different countries. We use hierarchical linear modelling to explore variation in project management practices among seven countries using GLOBE dimensions of these countries to u...

Planning-performance theory suggests that formal planning has a positive impact on performance. Accordingly, traditional project management methodologies advocate formal planning as an essential process in any project. However, alternative recent project management methodologies (e.g., Agile) promote less focus on a formal planning process at the s...

In large-scale projects, the client defines a set of product requirements, which the provider is then expected to deliver within the agreed time, cost and scope. If a client sets ambiguous requirements for the project, this may result in the receipt of an unsatisfactory product. Therefore, reducing ambiguity in product requirements by the client is...

The public service faces an increased number of complex projects. Literature argues that adapting an effective planning strategy is important to enhance their performance. In particular, organizations need to enhance project planning as risk levels rise. This theory has received support in the private sector where firms are adaptable in their plann...

A complex decision-making challenge senior managers commonly face is the selection of the winning bid from multiple project proposals. Project selection decisions become more complex when providers deliberately choose to introduce ambiguity to their project proposals rather than address the client's predetermined set of desired specifications. In p...

Time and cost estimations of project activities are challenging tasks for project managers and planners. As a result of the high level of risk and uncertainty present during the early stages of projects, the reliability of these estimations during project planning remains poor. This study argues that this reliability can be improved through using t...

Managers continuously make decisions on investing in projects that aim to enhance organizational performance. Poor project investment decision making results in lost benefits (rejecting a good project) and inefficiency (approving a suboptimal project). Whereas decisions regarding what project proposals to approve heavily rely on their stated goals,...

Purpose Project goal setting, led by a project proposal development team, is an important operations process because effective goal setting aligned with the operations strategy can enhance project investment decision making, project success and thereby operations performance. The purpose of this paper is to argue that because of the strategic natur...

Even though we have gotten better at meeting the iron triangle of cost, time, and scope, many projects still do not achieve the strategic benefits—especially those that are nonmonetary—desired in most contemporary projects. Given that no one is specifically accountable for delivering these benefits, it should be no surprise that these projects are...

Organizations regularly execute projects to improve their performance. Yet there is little agreement in the literature or in practice on evaluating project success. As a result, managers tend to use different scales for project success measurement. Inconsistencies in project results prevail. It is difficult to apply project success measures to all...

Projects are value creation mechanisms for organizations. In this paper, we build on service-dominant logic theory to theorize how value is perceived and co-created by service providers and clients in professional service projects. From two studies, we found that for service providers to create their value, particularly non-monetary value (e.g., en...

The requirement specification process is an important part of a project and has the potential to prevent problems that may last for years after a project is delivered. Previous studies on the requirement specification process have focused on clarifying stated fuzzy terms in software requirement engineering. However, in many projects there is inform...

Purpose Recent research has proposed the position of a project owner as the individual accountable for realizing target benefits. However, there is a lack of understanding in the literature of this role – in particular, the specific responsibilities of the project owner that can enhance benefits realization and operations performance. The paper aim...

Approval of the project plan is a significant decision because it implies that substantial work will now begin on execution which, in turn, requires the commitment of various resources. The processes that underpin initiation and planning are, in a sense, purely preparatory (because none of the work involved is related directly to the production of...

Each project has multiple internal and external stakeholders on whom the project can have a significant impact or who can impact its performance (either positively or negatively). The form of impact the second group can bring to bear may well be a response to the way they are affected by the project. For this reason, it is important stakeholders ar...

Accepted wisdom holds that a project is successful if its outputs are delivered fit-for-purpose, on time and within budget. If, however, as is implied by the Input-Transform-Outcome (ITO) model, beneficial outcomes reflect a project’s purpose, then the conventional view is inappropriate (because it judges success without reference to the realisatio...

This chapter proposes a “theory of projects” by explaining how inputs (economic resources), processes (work), outputs (artefacts) and target outcomes (closely related to benefits) are connected. The ITO (Input-Transform-Outcome) model seeks to describe the mechanisms by which outcomes are generated from outputs and, as a by-product of that discussi...

It is through projects that organisations bring about the changes that enable them to achieve their strategic objectives. Despite this, accepted project management practice is still primarily concerned with an efficient delivery of outputs (on time, on cost and according to specification) rather than with the realisation of beneficial outcomes. We...

When a funder accepts the business case for a proposed project and a project manager is appointed, it then progresses from initiation to the second global phase—planning. It is here that a script for the work (to be later undertaken during execution) is created. Chapter 9 discussed initiation in terms of four subprocesses (identification, definitio...

In this chapter, we introduce the concepts of risk and issues, and then discuss tools to support their management during the project. The management of risk and issues are based on a common underlying process involving a sequence of steps including identification, analysis, programme formulation, implementation and control. The most important tools...

When faced with opportunities to fund projects, organisations should address two questions: “Which candidate projects are suitable for funding?” And “How are they to be ranked in terms of their attractiveness for investment?” To answer these questions, it is necessary to assign each proposed project of some overall measure of “attractiveness for in...

This book is a complete project management toolkit for project leaders in business, research and industry. Projects are approved and financed to generate benefits. Project Management: A Benefit Realisation Approach proposes a complete framework that supports this objective – from project selection and definition, through execution, and beyond imple...

When project execution is finished, all committed outputs become available to project customers—who are then able to participate in the execution of one or more downstream processes. The execution of downstream processes takes place in an operational (as distinct from project) environment. All going well, this will lead to the generation of the tar...

When a new project is being considered, the funder needs to know enough about the venture to make a reliable investment decision. The details necessary to support such a decision are presented formally as a business case. It is during initiation (the first of the four global phases spanning the life of a project) that the business case is assembled...

The project environment is usefully distinguished from the operational environment (where routine operational processes are executed). The project environment is characterised by three structures imposed on this work so that it can be managed systematically. In the first of these, the life of a project is broken into four global phases. The second...

To manage projects and programmes effectively, an organisational model needs to guide the working arrangements for all those who are involved. Project governance is concerned with the identification of the key players and descriptions of their roles in the project. Similarly, a governance structure is also required for programmes, so that related p...

The purpose of this paper is to resolve a core issue in project management research and practice – inconsistent terminology of key project roles. This inconsistency has negative consequences on the quality and impact of research in this area. The authors conducted an analysis of the literature and project management standards to identify both agre...

There is growing pressure on project managers to demonstrate the value of their projects to the funding organization. However, most projects lack a robust process for realizing such strategic value. While the literature recognizes the importance of project governance for enabling benefits realization, this research area lacks empirical evidence. Ac...

The research and development industry shifts significant resources, from physical products to software. This is triggered by the need to stay competitive in a tough market. However, the poor performance of new product development in the field of software development may restrict this trend. Following a research stream that focuses on NPD planning,...

Decisions about whether or not to approve a project plan for execution are critical. A decision to continue with a bad plan may lead to a failed project, whereas requesting unnecessary additional planning for an already high-quality plan may be counterproductive. However, these decisions can be influenced by psychological biases, such as the endowm...

This report is a summary of results from an academic study conducted during 2015-2016. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between Effective Project Governance, Benefit Management, and Project Success. Based on an international sample of 333 projects, we find that: 1. Effective Project Governance and Benefit Management are strong...

Government projects and programs contribute to national growth at a great magnitude. However, records show that they are not well managed, even when project teams follow established project management principles. As a result, this study aimed at identifying key characteristics of government projects and programs, and recommending how they can be us...

Project management training is an important component in engineering education; in particular, simulation-based training (SBT) is considered a valuable teaching strategy. However, the effectiveness of SBT in project management education has not been empirically examined and it remains unclear in the literature why some trainees benefit from SBT mor...

Management consulting is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to modern economies. Considered as one type of professional services, management consulting is characterized by high levels of client interaction, service customization and flexible knowledge-intensive processes. Successful management consulting practices thus require inpu...

Successfully implementing projects enhance operations efficiency and accelerate organizational growth. Given the limited organizational resources available, project funding is a critical decision to ensure the most appropriate projects are selected. Recent research suggests that a proposed project’s target benefits—those anticipated to be realized...

Successfully implementing projects accelerate organizational growth. Given the limited organizational resources available, project funding is a critical strategic decision to ensure the most appropriate projects are selected. Recent research suggests that a proposed project’s target benefits—those anticipated to be realized at project completion—ar...

Organizational performance can be enhanced by effective project benefit generation. Although it identifies the project owner as the single point of accountability for the realization of project benefits, the literature does not comprehensively discuss this role in the project governance model, nor the management approaches that can support this rol...

Organizational growth is accelerated by successful implementation of projects, hence project funding is a critical organizational decision. In particular, target benefits - those anticipated to be realized at project completion are of an important consideration in project funding decision-making. Yet, literature is weak when it comes to the assessm...

Successful realization of project benefits is strongly associated with organizational performance. Formulating project target benefits is regarded as the first and critical step in the benefit management process. In this study, we drew upon relevant theories and conducted in-depth interviews with senior managers in Australia to develop a conceptual...

Project planning is considered to be critical for project success. However, recent literature questions whether planning has similar importance in various contexts. This paper investigates the effectiveness of planning through an analysis of 183 project manager–supervisor dyads. Results show that the level of risk moderates the impact of planning o...

Many IT projects and software development projects are very complex and sophisticated involving a large coordinated team. Such projects are a constant part of the operations of software companies such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Google, Yahoo, IBM, and others. Many other companies carry large software projects as part of their IT operations. As a re...

In this paper, we propose that only some of the conventional findings pertaining to the enhancing effects of feedback and recognition on performance success as well as the moderating role they play in the goal–performance relationship may apply to project teams, whereas others may not. We focus on the above activities that are well grounded in the...

Many IT projects and software development projects are very complex and sophisticated involving a large coordinated team. Such projects are a constant part of the operations of software companies such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Google, Yahoo, IBM, and others. Many other companies carry large software projects as part of their IT operations. As a re...

Many IT projects and software development projects are very complex and sophisticated involving a large coordinated team. Such projects are a constant part of the operations of software companies such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Google, Yahoo, IBM, and others. Many other companies carry large software projects as part of their IT operations. As a re...

The project management literature argues that most projects fail, and yet, paradoxically, increasing numbers of proposals for new initiatives attract funds. In order to resolve an apparent ‘investment‐in‐failure’ paradox, this paper questions the methodology used in the literature to judge project performance and to decide on funding new projects....

Stakeholder management is an important and common practice in any project, as it allows managers to better manage process, performance and risk. In virtual projects, collaboration and engagement with stakeholders is relatively more complex, challenging, and critical for project success. This paper proposes a novel stakeholder engagement process, fo...

Critical success factors are those that are most important to ensure project success. As previous studies have shown that these factors vary across project phases and contexts, this study analyses the impact of culture on critical success processes included in the planning phase of a project. Based on data collected from 715 project managers, plann...

A critical success dimension in projects is the ability to complete a project within an estimated duration. In that regard, effective project scheduling techniques in an uncertain environment is of interest in many organizations. In this paper, the authors use an analytic approach to analyze the behavior of time duration distributions of projects i...