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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Bechtel, Jadena |
| Abstract: | Organizations grapple with tensions regularly in today’s rapidly evolving and intricate business landscape. Within project portfolio management, the interplay of diverse strategies and changing requirements often gives rise to complexities that impede effective project selection and monitoring. Thus, this dissertation addresses how managers of projects and project portfolios can manage tensions that arise from implementing agile values and sustainability to become innovative and, eventually, successful. Regarding agile values, I empirically reveal that while agile practices have demonstrated positive outcomes like teamwork quality at the project level, their integration into traditional project portfolios presents challenges, necessitating a deeper understanding of how agile projects behave within such environments. Further, I demonstrate that dynamic capabilities constitute a relevant antecedent to portfolio agility and indirectly contribute to portfolio success. Furthermore, this dissertation explores the positive impact of sustainability orientation on innovation within project portfolios. Despite the recognized benefits of sustainability strategies, their integration may create paradoxical tensions with existing competitive strategies, necessitating effective management through the proper context to harness potential innovation. The dissertation also investigates the role of living labs in fostering innovation within project portfolios, emphasizing the need for longitudinal research to understand their emergence and potential agglomeration effects. Through addressing these research gaps, this dissertation aims to provide insights and practical strategies for managers to navigate the complexities of implementing agile and sustainable values within project and portfolio management contexts. It further highlights the importance of the context of projects and portfolios. |
| Date: | 2024–09–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:149984 |
| By: | Aleksi Luoma |
| Abstract: | Purpose: This study delves into the realm of public-private value co-creation within real estate development projects. The rise in project-based planning has necessitated enhanced collaboration between the private and public sectors. A key observation is the unclear relationship between such cooperation and land-use practices. The primary goal of this research is to identify institutional factors that either facilitate or impede value co-creation in these projects.Study Design/Methodology: In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with real estate developers and public sector representatives in Finland. To analyze the data, we applied Scott's (2008) framework of institutional pillars. This framework helps categorize various institutional indicators, including laws, norms, and beliefs, and assess their impact on value co-creation as either barriers or facilitators.Findings: The study provides insights into improving value co-creation in real estate development. We found that normative and cultural-cognitive factors have a greater influence than regulatory factors. The main drivers identified for value co-creation include a faster, more predictable development process, and the creation of more valuable outcomes. However, the study also brings to light barriers such as inadequate operational practices, conflicting objectives, and challenges in cooperation. It concludes with the emphasis on the need for innovative collaborative practices and fostering an open culture of co-creation in the real estate development sector. Addressing these challenges and leveraging these drivers are critical for effective value co-creation.Originality/Value: This study contributes to the field of value co-creation literature by offering new insights into the institutional environment in real estate development, particularly in understanding how various institutional factors can either support or impede the process of value co-creation. |
| Keywords: | institutional factors; Public-Private Collaboration; Real Estate Development; Value Co-Creation, |
| JEL: | R3 |
| Date: | 2024–01–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arz:wpaper:eres2024-112 |
| By: | Fangchen Song; Ashish Agarwal; Wen Wen |
| Abstract: | Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has opened the possibility of automated content production, including coding in software development, which can significantly influence the participation and performance of software developers. To explore this impact, we investigate the role of GitHub Copilot, a generative AI pair programmer, on software development in open-source community, where multiple developers voluntarily collaborate on software projects. Using GitHub's dataset for open-source repositories and a generalized synthetic control method, we find that Copilot significantly enhances project-level productivity by 6.5%. Delving deeper, we dissect the key mechanisms driving this improvement. Our findings reveal a 5.5% increase in individual productivity and a 5.4% increase in participation. However, this is accompanied with a 41.6% increase in integration time, potentially due to higher coordination costs. Interestingly, we also observe the differential effects among developers. We discover that core developers achieve greater project-level productivity gains from using Copilot, benefiting more in terms of individual productivity and participation compared to peripheral developers, plausibly due to their deeper familiarity with software projects. We also find that the increase in project-level productivity is accompanied with no change in code quality. We conclude that AI pair programmers bring benefits to developers to automate and augment their code, but human developers' knowledge of software projects can enhance the benefits. In summary, our research underscores the role of AI pair programmers in impacting project-level productivity within the open-source community and suggests potential implications for the structure of open-source software projects. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.02091 |
| By: | Knight, Kelli Anne; Miller, Sabbie A. |
| Abstract: | Recent California regulatory efforts, United States goals, and industry roadmaps all target net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the cement and concrete industries within a few decades. While changes in production of cement and concrete, including varying constituents, can greatly reduce GHG emissions, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be needed to meet this net-zero goal. Hydrated cement in concrete can carbonate (i.e., form carbon-based minerals with atmospheric CO2) and thus act as a CDR mechanism. This process occurs faster with a large surface area, such as crushed concrete at its end-of-life (EoL), which can be uniquely leveraged by transportation infrastructure projects. In this work, a literature review of key parameters that can facilitate desired CO2 uptake for transportation projects at their end of life is conducted and an initial meta-analyses of data from the literature to inform CO2 uptake for individual projects is performed. Initial considerations for what concomitant impacts may arise from this process are presented. Finally, experiments to fill a key gap in understanding how thin crushed concrete must be spread to maximize uptake reactions are conducted. Cumulatively, findings will inform whether carbonation can be implementedin a way that would support policies that include carbonation as a route for reducing emissions from cement-based materials in transportation applications View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Concrete, Carbonation, Direct Air Capture, Carbon dioxide removal |
| Date: | 2024–09–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt30d5k089 |
| By: | Mattia Corbetta |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses Veneto’s decentralised development co-operation (DDC) practices. Key issues include the need to review its strategic objectives, prioritise resource allocation and increase the representation of specific groups in project partnerships. Veneto’s 2023-2025 DDC strategy demonstrates a commitment to addressing these challenges by targeting critical areas of reform in governance, stakeholder engagement and project evaluation. Drawing on insights from four international case studies, this paper outlines detailed recommendations to enhance the strategy’s effectiveness, efficiency and inclusiveness and aims to integrate Veneto’s DDC engagements with local development opportunities. Leveraging sectoral champions and involving the private sector represent untapped potential, fostering a cycle of awareness and stronger public support for DDC in Veneto. |
| Keywords: | Decentralised Development Co-operation, Italy, multi-level governance, Official Development Assistance, stakeholder engagement, Veneto |
| JEL: | F35 F63 H70 O19 R10 R58 |
| Date: | 2024–10–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:cfeaaa:2024/10-en |
| By: | Erwin Heurkens |
| Abstract: | Real estate practice is subject to constant changes due to related economic, societal and environmental transitions, such as circular economy, sustainable mobility and renewable energy, that need to be taken into account when shaping the built environment. As a result, there is a growing need among public and private real estate professionals to understand the wickedness of the challenges ahead, and to develop leadership skills and appropriate courses of action to realize resilient urban real estate projects. For professional organizations and individual practitioners it increasingly becomes evident that lifelong learning is an much needed investment and effective strategy to obtain state-of-the-art knowledge and to create transdisciplinary learning experiences enabling them to adapt to the changing circumstances and to create positive societal impact. Real estate educators increasingly will face the challenge to accommodate life learning needs and extend the traditional bachelor and master course with a variety of courses aimed at educating professionals. This paper addresses the substantive and didactic principles applied in the curriculum renewal of a Dutch post-master program Master City Developer (MCD), aimed at educating planning and real estate practitioners for the challenging job ahead. This two-year professional education program is organized by Erasmus University Rotterdam and Delft University of Technology with the aim to educate practitioners to strategically lead urban development projects. The current 20th course has seen a substantial curriculum change as part of an externally financed renewal project. The renewed course structure is based on ten consecutive modules, focusing on economy, transitions, governance, investment and finance, strategy and design, transformation, law, international development, research methods, and thesis. A major content shift involves the introduction of the urban transitions module, focusing on understanding spatial-economic implications of the mobility and energy transition within various scenarios. Moreover two new modules are added. The urban transformation module support students to understand, create and apply integrative strategies to complex inner-city transformation projects. The urban law module deepens the student’s knowledge on contemporary spatial legislation and contractual law methods that assist them to effectively collaborate on planning and realizing urban projects. Besides the substantive change, various didactic principles and learning methods are introduced resonating with the latest academic insights on lifelong professional education: blended-learning, case-based learning, student-centred learning. Blended-learning involves purposely linking the weekly interactive face-to-face meetings with student flexible self-study preparations via diverse online learning materials including theme-based videos, self-assessment, and peer-to-peer assignments. Case-based learning evolves around studying one critical urban development case per module from specific theoretical perspectives, aimed at enhancing the student’s ability to critically compare practices in order to construct and apply management concepts and strategies for their own job. Student-centred earning factors in the growing need among professionals for relevant personal leadership skills, which is given shape by a personal development trajectory aimed at individual and collective reflective learning at the intersection of study and practice. |
| Keywords: | curriculum renewal; lifelong learning; professional education; Urban Development |
| JEL: | R3 |
| Date: | 2024–01–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arz:wpaper:eres2024-040 |