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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT

1.1 GENERAL:

The construction industry plays significant role in theeconomy of developing countries. For example, in many developingcountries, major construction activities account for about 80%of the total capital assets, 10 % of their GDP, and more than50% of the wealth invested in fixed assets. In addition, theindustry provides high employment opportunity, probably nextafter agriculture. Despite the construction industry’ssignificant contribution to the economy of developing countriesand the critical role it plays in those countries development,the performance of the industry still remains generally low. As(Idoko, 2008)noted, “…many projects in developing countriesencounter considerable time and cost overruns, fail to realizetheir intended benefit or even totally terminated and abandonedbefore or after their completion”

Moreover, the development of the construction industryin developing countries generally lags far behind from otherindustries in those countries and their counter parts indeveloped nations. Generally, “The construction industry indeveloping countries failed to meet expectations of governments,clients and society as a whole”.

Similar to the case with other developing countries, theIndian construction industry shares many of the problems andchallenges the industry is facing in other developing countries,perhaps with greater severity. Given the critical role theconstruction industry plays in India and other developingcountries, and the poor level of performance of the industry inthose countries, improving the performance of the industry oughtto be a priority action. As contractors are one of the keyplayers in the industry and the makers of the final product, anydevelopment and improvement initiatives in the industry has toconsider ways of improving the capacity and capability of thecontractors

Previous, research works by [(Adams, 1997), (Long,etal.2004) and others] have indicated poor managerial capability

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of contractors to be one of the critical problems of theconstruction industry in developing countries. Thus, improvingthe managerial capability of contractors need be one of thepriority considerations for improvement of capability ofcontractors in developing countries. Researches by (Dlungwana &Rwelamila, 2004), and others have also strongly emphasized theimportance of improving the management skills of contractors. Asmost of the works of contractors is managed as a project,improving the contractors‟ project management capability cansignificantly contribute to the overall improvement ofcontractors‟ capability to deliver successful projects.

Systematic and sustained improvement effort requiresknowledge of where the current status of the practice is, wheredesired to go, and the gap between the two. In addition,systematic and sustained improvement effort demands, identifyingcritical and priority area, continually assessing results ofimprovement efforts and taking appropriate action. So far,little or no research has been done in the country in thisregard. This thesis research is thus undertaken to fill the gap,primarily by doing the foundational work of determining where weare and where we need to go?

1.2 DEFIFITIONS AND THEORY:

1.2.1 PROJECT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT: DEFINITION Many authors and references have defined project in

different ways emphasizing its different aspects. Summarizingthose definitions given, this research defines a project as:

A temporary endeavour (that has definite beginning and endtime )undertaken following specific cycle of Initiation,Definition, Planning, Execution and Close to create a uniqueproduct, service, or result through novel organization andcoordination of human, material and financial resources.[ (Project Management Institute (PMI), 2004). (Muriithi &Crawford, 2003), (Stanleigh, 2007)].

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A project has a defined scope, is constrained by limitedresource, involves many people with different skill and, usuallyprogressively elaborated throughout its life cycle.[ (Stanleigh, 2007), (Cleland & Ireland, 2002),(Wheatley)] .Similar to the case for project, many and differentdefinitions were given for project management. Summarizing thosedefinitions this research defines Project management as:

The application and integration of modern management andproject management knowledge, skills, tools and techniques tothe overall planning, directing , coordinating ,monitoring andcontrol of all dimensions of a project from its inception tocompletion ,and the motivation of all those involved to producethe product ,service or result of the project on time, withinauthorized cost, and to the required quality and requirement,and to the satisfaction of participants.[ (Chartered Instituteof Building , 2002), (Fewings, 2005), (Carmichael,2004)].Project management deals mainly with coordinatingresources and managing people and change. Generally “Managing aproject includes: Identifying requirements, Establishing clearand achievable objectives, Balancing the competing demands forquality, scope, time and cost; Adapting specifications, plans,and approach to the different concerns and expectations of thevarious stakeholders” (Project Management Institute (PMI),2004). Further, Pareto’s 80-20 rule (the law of the vital few),is highly applicable in managing projects, hence efforts need befocused on few and important or critical items (Carmichael,2004).

Nine core knowledge areas of project management are identifiedin PMBOK. These are:

Scope Time Cost Risk Quality Human resources Communications Procurement Integration management

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Each knowledge area in PMBOK is composed of processes thatare expected to be addressed to attain the objective of theknowledge areas. A total of 44 project management processes areidentified in PMBOK for the nine knowledge areas. Management ofprojects is accomplished through the use of the above 44processes. However, all the 44 process are not meant to beperformed uniformly in the management of all projects. Theproject manager and the project teams need to decide whichprocesses to employ, and the degree of rigor that will beapplied to the execution of those processes. (Project ManagementInstitute (PMI), 2004). In addition to the above nine knowledgeareas, there are other industry specific additional knowledgeareas that the project manager should consider in managingprojects. For example, the construction extension to PMBOKincludes four additional knowledge areas of financial, safety,environment and claim management.

1.2.2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT VS. GENERAL MANAGEMENT The fundamental difference between project management and

general management stem from the difference in the type of workthey manage. Project management deals with management ofprojects (which are temporary and unique) whereas, generalmanagement deal with management of operations (which are ongoingand repetitive). Generally project organization changescontinually as the project progresses through its various phasesand terminate when the mission is accomplished; whereas theongoing organizations that manage operations sustain at leastover a period of time and continue assuming a broader outlook[ (Project Management Institute (PMI), 2004),(Hendrickson),(Carmichael, 2004)].

Despite the existence of fundamental difference betweenproject management and general management; both generalmanagement and project management share many things in common.Both share the same basic philosophies, both make and implementdecisions, allocate resources, manage organizational interfaces,and provide leadership for the people who are involved inperforming the work. Generally, in addition to knowledge of

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project management, successful management of project demandsknowledge of general management and working knowledge ofapplication areas ( for example for a construction projectknowledge of construction )[ (Cleland & Ireland, 2002), (ProjectManagement Institute (PMI), 2004), (Hendrickson)].

1.2.3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS Generally, Project management is used extensively in some

form within many organizations. “There has been no identifiedprofession or industry where project management practices willnot work” (Cleland& Ireland, 2002).Using project managementgenerally helps: to clarify goals and identify problem areas andrisk; to isolates activities and easily monitor outcomes.(Project Management Institute (PMI)). Further, using PM enhancesaccountability as works can be isolated and responsibilities canbe assigned; moreover, it helps focus attention on few specificand important tasks. Generally, According to (Cleland & Ireland,2002) and others, Project management can best be applied when:

Resources are to be shared among many units.

Special attention or focus is to be given toimportant undertakings (example to focus attention onspecific customers in specific market).

Integration of systems and subsystems is sought withinindependent units.

Dealing with ad hoc, complex, unfamiliar, unique, orrare; activities, problems and opportunities.

Dealing with tasks that require pooling of manyresources and capacities from diverse sources (exampleproviding emergency response during disasters).

It is desired to bring a wide range of experience andviewpoints into focus (example in research and productdevelopment or solving complex problems).

Dealing with an undertaking that require massive inputof capital, technology, skills, and resources.

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When it is desired to have unified management of aproject-based contract in order to avoid the customerwork with many different functional units.

When there is a need to manage change.

1.2.4 PROJECT MANAGEMENT MATURITY INTRODUCTION

Project management is being embraced, to some extent,by most organizations as the best way to develop and deliver newor improved products, services, and organizational processchanges (Cleland & Ireland, 2002). It has been a continuouseffort of researchers and practitioners to look for ways todevelop and improve organizations‟ PM capability so thatorganizations may be able to benefit from project management.The improvement of PM capability of an organization can berealized in many different ways (training, mentoring,benchmarking, the use of new tools and techniques and use ofmaturity model, etc). Project Management Maturity models arejust one such means that organizations can use in their pursuitof improving their Project Management capability.[ (Cooke-Davies, 2005), (Cleland & Ireland, 2002), (Skulmoski,2001)].According to (Cooke-Davies, 2005), against the practiceof its peers in the industry in general or best practice in thethe use of maturity models provides a frame work for purposefuland progressive development of project management capability ofrepeatedly delivering successful projects. Generally maturitymodels help an organization know how mature its projectmanagement practice is; that is, it helps the organizationmeasure the degree to which it is executing Project managementindustry (Man, 2007).In addition, maturity models help frameimprovement efforts by identifying priority area and suggestingimprovement subjects.

1.2.6 MATURITY: CONCEPT AND DEFINITIONMaturity is defined by many writers differently in closely

related way. Some of the definitions given are presented hereunder. “Maturity is the extent to which a specific process isexplicitly defined, managed, measured, controlled, andeffective. Maturity implies a potential for growth in capability

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and indicates both the richness of an organization's (ProjectManagement) process and the consistency with which it is appliedin projects throughout the organization.” (Paulk, Curtis,Chrissies, & Weber, 1993)

Organizational Maturity is “the extent to which anorganization has explicitly and consistently deployed processesthat are documented, managed, measured, controlled, andcontinually improved.” [(CMMI Product Team, 2002, p. 582).citedby (Cooke-Davies, 2005)] “….. (Maturity) is a comparative levelof advancement an organization has achieved with regard to anygiven process or set of activities. Organizations with morefully defined and actively used policies, standards, andpractices are considered more mature”. (PM Solutions, 2008)“Maturity is the level of sophistication that indicatesorganization’s current project management practices andprocesses”.

“The degree to which an organization practices projectmanagement measured by the ability of an organization tosuccessfully initiate, plan, execute, monitor and controlindividual projects.” (Project Management Institute (PMI),2003).

What is common in most of the above definitions is the ideaof consistent and repeated practice, measurement and improvementor advancement. According to (Paulk et-al, 1993) ,as anorganization matures, the predictability, effectiveness, andcontrol of an organization’s processes are expected to improve.“Maturity in project management is a never-ending journey, witha never-ending cycle of bench- marking and continuousimprovement (Kerzner, 2001). “As an organization gains in(project management) process maturity, it institutionalizes itsproject management process via policies, standards, andorganizational structures. Institutionalization (demands)building infrastructure and a corporate culture that supportsthe methods, practices, and procedures of the organization sothat they endure after those who originally defined them havegone” (Paulk etal,1993).The more mature an organization’spractices are, the more likely the organization meets itsproject goals successfully.” (PM Solutions, 2008).

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According to (Chrissis, Konrad, & Shrum, 2003) , a maturedprocess is well understood throughout a mature organization;usually through documentation and training, and the process iscontinually being monitored and improved by its users. Thecapability of a mature process is known. Process maturityimplies that the productivity and quality resulting from anorganization's use of the process can be improved over timethrough consistent gains in the discipline achieved by using itsprocess .A mature organization has an organization-wide abilityfor managing initiatives based on standardized and definedmanagement processes. In such organizations, activities arecarried out according to defined processes and plans. Roles andresponsibilities are well defined and understood. Suchorganizations have also an objective way of measuringperformance and quality.

Necessary information and database for doing that [ (Officeof Government Commerce (OGC)) (Supic, 2005)]. “In general, in amatured organization, a disciplined process is consistentlyfollowed because all of the participants understand the value ofdoing so, and the necessary infrastructure exists to support theprocess” (Sarshar, et al., 2000).

An immature organization on the other hand is anorganization that does not have or use consistent and definedprocesses in management of its projects (Sarshar, et al., 2000).“An organization that is immature in project management mayoccasionally deliver individual (projects) that produceexcellent results. However, in such cases managers are morelikely to be working reactively, focusing on solving immediateissues, rather than proactively acting. In addition, schedulesand budgets are likely to be exceeded and if deadlines areimposed, the quality of deliverables is likely to be compromisedin order to meet the schedule. In an immature organization,repeatable processes and results depend entirely on theavailability of specific individuals with a proven trackrecord.” (Office of Government Commerce (OGC)).

Attaining maturity would not necessarily guarantee that aproject would be successful. However, it could increase aproject's chances of being successful. It should be noted thatthe processes of attaining maturity is not a one-time event that

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is accomplished by declaring a methodology and structure, nor itis a quick fix for immediate tactical problems rather, it is aconsciously planned and properly managed continuous improvementeffort [ (Supic, 2005), (Kaya & Iyigun, 2001), (Saiedia &Kuzara, 1995)].

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:

The main objectives of this thesis research are to: 1. Assess whether and to what extent the processes,

practices under each of PMBOK‟s Project Managementknowledge areas are being applied by Indiancontractors in managing their construction projects.

2. See if there is difference in Maturity of PM Practicebetween different categories of contractors in thecountry.

1.4 RESEARCH MOTIVATION:

I decided to do this thesis research on such a very broad topic purposely and ambitiously. The two main reasons that drive me todo so were:

1. My interest to use the opportunity to help me realizemy aspirations in my professional goal. I was lookingfor a broad research topic that would enable meconsolidate my PM knowledge, its practice in thecontext of the construction industry and developingcountries , so that it can help me in the future inresearch ,teaching and consultancy services in thearea.

2. My desire to do something that can, somehow,contribute to the development of Project Management.

1.5 RESEARCH SCOPE

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This research on Maturity of PM in the construction industry ofdeveloping countries (India) is limited in scope to thefollowing:

1. The study is limited to the PM maturity in theconstruction industry of developing countries,specifically that of India.

2. Only contractors perspective is considered in theresearch, hence the PM maturity of the industry fromthe client’s organization perspective could be totallydifferent.

1.6 RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

The major contributions or significance of this research are: 1. The maturity assessment result of this research can be

used as initial benchmark information in prioritizingand designing improvement action. Further the sameresult can also be used as a baseline to compare thesuccess of or impact of future improvement efforts.

2. The questionnaires can be used in assessing maturityof construction PM effort.

3. It has assessed impact of recent PM developmentefforts and the impact of ISO certification in helpingcontractors PM maturity.

4. Revisited concept of maturity and attempted refiningthe concept

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEWThis chapter confers the review of literatures regarding

project management maturity in the past research and studies.The most noteworthy of them which are relevant to current studyare being reviewed.

1)Christopher J. Willis and Jeff H. Rankin.(2010), ‘Measuringthe Maturity of Guyana’s Construction Industry Using theConstruction Industry Macro Maturity Model (CIM3)’, Journal

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of Construction in Developing Countries, Vol. 15(2), pp.87-116.

Inference:

This paper outlines actions taken to provide a betterapproach to the measurement, comparison andinterpretation of the performance of a country‘sconstruction industry.

The results of the maturity assessment provided by theCIM3 shows that Guyana‘s construction industry isleast mature with respect to health and safetymanagement and most mature with respect to costmanagement.

The overall maturity of Guyana‘s construction industrywas found and the overall level of realisation of thecombined performance goals of the constructionindustry is significantly low.

According to the final conclusion, only a fewknowledge areas where given prior importance and mostof the knowledge areas where neglected by the projectteam.

The maximum possible maturity scores reveal that theoverall performance of Guyana‘s construction industryis influenced to a greater extent by its qualitymanagement key practices, followed by its costmanagement key practices, then by its health andsafety management key practices and, finally, by itshuman resource management key practices.

2)Dan Ofori., (2013), ‘Assessing Project Management Maturityin Africa’, International Journal of BusinessAdministration, Vol (4), pp. 32-45.

Inference:

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According to the author Project management maturity isthe progressive development of an enterprise-wideproject management approach, methodology, strategy,and decision-making process.

The study was exploratory in nature and utilized aquestionnaire survey method to collect data on projectmanagement Maturity in Ghanaian organizations.

The findings showed that differences exist in thecurrent project management maturity levels across eachphase of the project life cycle for all organisations.

The study also showed that most of the practitionersexpect their respective organisations to attain higherlevels of project management maturity (PMM) albeit atvarious levels.

Organisations operating in the non-profit (NGO)category exhibited relatively higher levels ofmaturity compared to the other categories oforganisations in all the five phases of the projectmanagement life cycle.

This situation perhaps might be a contributory factorto the numerous instances of public sector projectfailures.

3)Francis Hartman.(2008), ‘Project management maturity’, TheProfessional Magazine of the Project Management AssociationFinland, Vol 4, pp. 72-78.

Inference:

This paper addresses the issue of project managementmaturity and how it may be modelled.

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This paper reports that the Maturity of projectmanagement helps us understand several things like thecompetence of the organization with current trends andin the self assessment of the key factors in theorganization.

It suggests that construction contractors are the keypersons for the success and development of theindustry.

He also suggests that the project management willcontinue to evolve and varies from institution toinstitution.

4)Jaroslaw Gorecki.,(2014), ‘Problems Associated with ProjectManagement in construction Companies’, TechnicalTransactions in Civil Engineering, pp. 12-25.

Inference:

This paper describes the problem of project maturityfor construction companies when analyzed by theirability to execute construction investment projects.On the basis of survey results it was revealed thatthe success of a company is connected with theincreasing level of project maturity as a conditionfor a successful project management.

Eliminating uncertainties and reducing risks comingfrom economic activity is an attempt to improveproject management capabilities. For this reasonconstruction companies need to pay more attention tothe phenomenon known as project maturity.

Which can be done by adopting a five step model forcontinuous improvement via,

1. Planning ability

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2. Project management 3. Maturity Measurement4. Maturity Evaluation5. Project maturity

According to the results of the surveys presented inthe article, it was revealed that there is no doubt;construction companies should try to improve theirability to manage projects.

5)Kendra, K. & Taplin, L.J. (2010), ‘Project success: Acultural framework’, Project Management Journal, 35(1), pp 30-45.

Inference:

This paper summarizes the results study done todetermine the financial and organizational impacts ofProject Management (PM).

This study began with the development of a PMMaturity Model and an analysis methodology to assessthe maturity of PM processes.

According to the author Project management success is dependent on the following four dimensions:

1. The skills and competencies of the project

manager;

2. Organisational structure;

3. Measurement systems; and

4. Management practices that represent an

organisation’s culture

It is influenced by a variety of factors, including formal project management practices and skills.

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6)Mullaly, M.E.M. & Thomas J.(2010), ‘Re-thinking projectmanagement maturity. Perspectives gained for explorationsof fit and value’. Project Management Institute Inc. 2010.

Inference: Mullaly, M.E.M. & Thomas J made a study to assess

project management maturity level in Indonesianbusinesses may bring insight about current businesspractices, which is important to speed up countrydevelopment and business sustainability.

Adapting the Project Management Maturity Model(ProMMM), a survey instrument has been developed andapplied to professionals from Jakarta and surroundingarea. The result of analysis shows that constructionand primary industry have a higher maturity levelcompare to manufacturing and services.

It is to be noted, however, that the level of projectmanagement understanding is low across industries.

Mullaly & Thomas point out that there seems to be arelationship between maturity and performance, butthat no statistically significant correlations existto prove it.

This indicates that project failures are often theresult of organisational aspects beyond the influenceof the project manager; and they claim that a higherlevel of organisational maturity enhances projectperformance.

This indicates that more quality project managementtraining or certification is required to improveoverall project management knowledge in Indonesia.

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7)Naomi Brookes and Robin Clark, (2009) ‘Using MaturityModels to Improve Project Management Practice’, POMS 20thAnnual Conference, Orlando, Florida U.S.A, pp. 121- 137.

Inference:

This paper presents the findings of an investigationto evaluate the role of Project Management MaturityModels (PMMM) in improving practice.

The paper critically evaluates existing PMMMs anddelineates a number of differences between them.

Author performed a benchmarking study that exploredvariations in project management practice in 21organisations across six industries.

The authors identify their results to be statisticallyreliable indicators of project management maturityrather than a qualitative factor.

From their study they found that the constructionindustry has an overall maturity level or rank of3.56.

The paper concludes by highlighting the limitedempirical evidence that has linked project maturityand project performance and makes suggestions forfurther investigations to fill this gap.

8)Seweryn Spalek,(2014),‘Assessing project managementmaturity in the area of knowledge management in select companies’, InternationalJournal

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of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences, vol 2(2), pp.164-170.

Inference:

This article presents the assessment done using thePMM model, which measured maturity in four areas:methods and tools, human resources, projectenvironment and knowledge management.

The major research effort was focused on the machineryindustry as this sector of the economy is not wellrecognized in empirical research related to projectmanagement. Moreover, the main aim of the study was tocompare Polish and foreign companies via anexamination of diverse industries.

The results from this article show that, irrespectiveof the country of origin of the company, the lowestmaturity levels in the knowledge management area werenoticed in the machinery industry (1.59). Then, thematurity level increases slightly in construction(2.35) firms.

Effectively managing knowledge in projects is the keyfactor in the company gaining a decisive advantage.

This is of special importance in those organizationsrunning a significant number of projects on a yearlybasis.

Nearly 99% of construction companies reported theinitial (1st) or standardized (2nd) level of maturity,while all foreign ones were at the standardized (2nd)or appliance (3rd) level.

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9)Young Hoon Kwak, and C. William Ibbs, (2011) ‘Assessingproject management maturity’, PMI’S education foundation and PMI’S northern California chapter report, pp. 234 – 252.

Inference:

This paper summarizes the results of researchconducted by investigators in Assessment of projectmanagement maturity.

The principal goal of this study was to determine thefinancial and organizational impacts of ProjectManagement (PM).

The PM Maturity assessment for all companies averaged3.26 on a relative scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).Overall the Engineering-Construction (EC) industry hadthe highest score, and the Information Systems (IS)application area had the lowest.

PM Maturity assessment methodology provides solid andcomparative studies on PM practices across industriesand companies within an industry. This study is one ofthe few, if not the first attempt to truly integratePM Knowledge Areas and PM Phases against actualproject performance data

The result is that this study methodology provides aset of tools for organizations to use in identifyingkey areas of opportunity for improvement in projectmanagement.

This study showed that we have a start inunderstanding and forming a theory of projectmanagement, yet there are still many gaps in ourknowledge areas.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 METHODOLOGY ADOPTED FOR THE STUDY

Literature study and the study of several references were donein order to get the parameters related to project management inconstruction.

The flow chart below represents the methodology adopted for thestudy.

Literature study is the first step and stage in thisstudy.

After collecting the literatures for the study and thekey knowledge areas in the project management areidentified.

Then the data on each knowledge areas were collected.

Based on the collected information on each fieldquestionnaires are prepared.

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3.2 METHODOLOGY CHART

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CHAPTER 4: KEY FACTORS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Literature StudyIdentification of Knowledge AreasCollection of DataQuestionnaire PreparationQuestionnaire SurveyAnalysis of InformationResult and Discussion

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This chapter deals with the identification of key factors andcollection of relevant data for each factor.

4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF KEY FACTORS:

Key factors in the project management are identified from theProject Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a collectionof processes and knowledge areas accepted as best practice forthe project management profession. As an internationallyrecognised standard (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2008 and IEEE 1490-2011) itprovides the fundamentals of project management, irrespective ofthe type of project be it construction, software, engineering,automotive.

PMBOK recognises 5 basic process groups and 10 knowledge areastypical of almost all projects. The basic concepts areapplicable to projects, programmes and operations. The fivebasic process groups are:

Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing

Processes overlap and interact throughout a project or phase. Processes are described in terms of:

Inputs (documents, plans, designs, etc.) Tools and Techniques (mechanisms applied to inputs) Outputs (documents, products, etc.)

The ten knowledge areas are:

Project Integration Management Project Scope Management Project Time Management Project Cost Management Project Quality Management Project Human Resource Management Project Communications Management Project Risk Management Project Procurement Management

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Project Stakeholder Management (added in the 5th edition)

Each knowledge area contains some or all of the project management processes.For example, Project Procurement Management includes:

Plan Procurements Conduct Procurements Administer Procurements Close Procurements

CHAPTER 5: QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN This research is descriptive research as it tries to

describe the current status of PM practice in the constructionindustry of India. This survey solicits opinion frompractitioners as to the relative importance of the practicesidentified through literature review for the 12 construction PMknowledge areas covered in the research.

The questionnaire has two parts. Part-I asks biographicalinformation such as level of PM training, years worked as PM,Part-II asks respondents to rate the PM practices under each ofthe 12 knowledge areas as very high, high, average, low, verylow based on their perceived importance to the attainment ofobjectives of each of the knowledge areas.

All questions in the surveys have been designed to be easilyunderstood. Moreover, during the completion of the survey it wasexplicitly required to be filled by a project manager or aperson who has previously worked as project manager. Thisensures collection of pertinent information as the respondentschosen were people who have the knowledge and information abouttheir organization and practice of PM. A cover letter is alsoprepared, so that the respondents were able to know theimportance of this study.

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Cover Letter sent to Contractors

Dear Respondent:

The Department of Civil Engineering at Kongu EngineeringCollege, Erode is conducting research on “Assessment ofContractors Project Management Maturity” with focus on IndianConstruction Industry.

The research will investigate the following issues:

1. Whether and to what extent each of the Project Managementknowledge areas and Processes are being applied in managing constructionprojects in India.

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2. The areas that need focus for development and improvementof Project Management in construction industry.

The research output will provide information about ProjectManagement Maturity and Capability in construction firms in allareas of project management: scope, time, cost, quality, risk,resource, communication, contract, safety, etc. In addition, theresult provides a framework for prioritization and developmentof project management improvement initiative.

Through your participation in this research, you would beable to assess the maturity of project management functionin your organization;

Where your organization is competent and where it lags; How well your organization is doing compared to your

peers internationally, and that you need to focus on todevelop and improve project management functions in yourorganization

. Up on completion of our research; we will share with youa copy of the technical report with your organization.

Your precious time and effort in participating in thisresearch will also contribute to the development and improvementof Project Management in India and in other developingcountries. Thus, you are kindly invited to fill out thequestionnaire. Please call 09443553560 for pickup of thecompleted questionnaire from your office.

Thank you for your interest in participating in the research.

Supervisor: Mr. Vishnuvardhan. K M.E. Researcher:

V.Palanisamy

E-MAIL: vishnukaruna@gmail.com E-Mail:

palanisamycivil44@gmail.com

Mobile: +91- 97916 74174

Mobile: +91- 9443553560

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Part I – General Information

Direction: Please provide the requested information on the space

provided

Name of the person filling the questionnaire

(optional)____________________________

1. Position/role in the company (Required)

__________________________________

2. Have you received any Project Management related training?

A. Yes B. No

If yes what was the highest level of training you received?

A. Masters level B. Bachelors C.

Certificate D. Short-term training. E. As

a course in a related program of study F. Other (please

specify)

3. Have you worked as Project Manager?

A. Yes B. No If yes for how long? ……..

4. Your organization is …

A. Local private company B. Local Public/government

Company

C. Foreign company D. Joint venture of local

and foreign company

E. Local Endowment F. Other (please specify)

5. Name of your organization (Optional) _____________________

6. What is the category of your organization?

A. General contractor (GC) B. Building contractor (BC)

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C. Road contractor (RC) D. Specialized Contractor

(SC)

E. Other (please specify)

7. What is the grade of your organization? ……..

A.Grade-1(GC1/BC1/RC1) B.Grade-2 (GC2/BC2/RC2)

C. Grade-3(GC3/BC3/RC3) D. Other (please specify)

8. Approximately, for how long has your organization been in the

construction business?

9. What is the major type of construction your organization usually

performs?

A. Building (residential, office, commercial) B.

Road

C. Civil Engineering works (water supply, hydropower etc) D.

Other (please specify)

10. Has your company participated on Capacity Building Program (UCBP)?

A. Yes B .No C. I do not

know

11. Your company is

A. ISO certified or compliant B. In a process to

get the certification

C. ISO certified nor in a process to be certified D. Other

(please specify)

Part II- Project Management Practice Maturity Questions

General Direction:

Answer all the Questions that follow based on your knowledge of practice of ProjectManagement in the project you are participating or in the organization you areworking... Table 1: Questionnaire for project management

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1.Project Management Process-GeneralSl.no Description Very

high High Avg. Low Verylow

1. Recognized of needs and benefits Project Management by your organization

2. Management support for Project management development

3. Standard Project Management processes and methodologies

4. Project Management training for its Project Management team

5. Solid knowledge base of Project managers

6.

Application of Project Management processes, methodologies and proceduresin managing projects in your organization

2.Project Scope Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

low

1. Level of managing project scope in yourorganization/project

2. Computer applications or tools used in scope management process

3. Level of project’s scope definition

4.Application of WBS (work breakdown structure) in defining scope in your project

5. Level of monitoring and controlling scope in your project

6.

Application of Project Management processes, methodologies and proceduresin managing projects in your organization

7.Frequency of inspected to ensure or verify that all scope of the work is complete

3. Project Time Management Sl.no Description Very

high High Avg. Low VeryLow

1. Awareness about the importance of

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project time management in your organization

2. Effort of managing time in your project

3. Preparation of schedule of the project

4. Is start and finish date are approved and fixed

5. Application of Network scheduling method(such as CPM, or PERT)

6.Application of computer tools such as Microsoft project, Primavera , Excel etc in scheduling

7. How WBS used when defining the schedule activities

8. Relationships between activities identified and activities sequenced

9. Level of preparation of resource estimate (Material, Labour, Equipments,)

10. Historical data usage in estimating activity duration

11. Monitoring and control of project activities

12. Frequency of updating of project schedule

13. Application of S - curve method in monitoring and controlling the schedule

4.Project Cost Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1. Awareness about the importance of project cost management

2. Effort in managing cost in your project

3. Level of cost estimate of labour, material, and machinery

4. Level of application of WBS in preparing the cost estimate

5.Consideration of company’s historical actual cost data in preparing the estimate.

6. Use of cost-estimating software in preparing the estimate or managing cost

7. Allocation of cost for each activity inproject

8. Budget allocated to work packages and

30

resources9. Frequency of budget update

10. Level effort in monitoring and controlling the project cost

11. Tracking of project cost against project budget

12. Separate tracking of cost of Labour, material and Machinery

5. Project Financial Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Financial Management in your organization

2. Effort in managing finance in your project

3.Considered of change in exchange rate,escalation of labour and material cost etc.

4. Level of analysing cash flow

5.Efforts in control the project financeto ensure that money is spent appropriately as planned

6. Frequency of preparation of financial reports

7. Frequency of financial Audits

8.Use of standardized process and format for financial information recording, storage and reporting

9. Use of computer systems in filing and retrieval of financial information in your project

6.Project Quality Management.

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Quality Management in your organization

2. Effort in managing quality in your project

31

3. Availability of quality management policies, procedures and guidelines

4. Level of planning in project planning

5. Implementation of quality assurance in your project

6. Frequency of Quality Audits

7. Level of implementation of TQM (Total Quality Management) in your project

8. Level of implementation of Quality control in your project

9. Frequency of compliance audit Audits with sub contractors

7.Project Human Resource Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Human Resource Management in your organization

2. Effort in managing Human resource in your project

3. Level of preparation of Organizational chart

4. Degree planning for acquisition and management of human resource

5. How Roles and Responsibilities defined for all Project positions

6. Degree of training (formal/informal) provided to project team members

7. Frequency of tracking human resource cost and time

8. Degree of tracking of project team members performance

8. Project Risk Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Risk Management in your organization

2. Effort in managing Risk problems in your project

32

3. Level of effort in identifying and documenting risks in your project

4.Use of Risk break down structure (RBS) in the identification or planning of risk

5.Is risk break down structure (RBS) usedin the identification or planning of risk

6.Degree of SWOT analysis (Strength, weakness, Opportunity and treat analysis)

7.Risks prioritization based on factors such as impact, probability, urgency etc

8.Application of quantitative Methods in risk assessment(Decision tree, Simulation)

9. Frequency of risk audit performed in your project

10. Frequency of Risk monitoring and control performed in your project

9.Procurement Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

Low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Procurement Management in your organization

2. Efforts in managing Procurement in your project

3.Degree of planning done for procurementof goods and services needed for your project

4. Supply chain management in your project.

5. Availability of standard documents for procurement in your organization

6.Supplier/subcontractor prequalification screening in your organization

7. Contract management level

8. Level of training to staffs in contractmanagement.

9. Use of computer tools in Payment Review, Authorization, and Processing

33

of subcontractors and suppliers work/services

10.Level of monitoring and control of progress of subcontractors and suppliers

10. Project Equipment Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project Equipment Management in your organization

2. Efforts in managing Equipments in your project

3. Degree of planning done for procurementEquipment in your project

4.Degree of economic and risk analysis done in deciding; buy, lease or rent option for equipment acquisition

5.

Level of tracking and monitoring performance of the project equipment, their productivity, maintenance cost, time worked etc

6. Frequency of maintenance

7. Level of training to staffs in Equipment operation and maintenance.

8. Use of computer tools in Equipment replacement analysis

9. Level of monitoring and control of equipment usage

10. Frequency of updating maintenance schedule

11. Project Material Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project material Management in your organization

2. Efforts in managing Materials in yourproject

34

3. Degree of planning done for procurementof Material in your project

4. Consideration of cost increase I n material planning

5. Use of computer tools in material tracking

6. Use of computer tools in inventory management.

7.Efforts in monitoring and tracking material availability and use in the project

8. Level checking and testing of materialsin the field

9. Adaptation of standards in material testing

12. Project Safety Management

Sl.no

Description Veryhigh High Avg. Low Very

low

1.Awareness about the importance of Project safety Management in your organization

2. Efforts in managing safety in your project

3. Degree of planning done for safety in your project

4. Availability of procedures and guidelines for Safety management

5.Cost spend in Staffing, budget, Records, and Documentation Requirementsfor safety

6.Degree of Site Neighbourhood Safety Characteristics study done for your project

7. Frequency of safety audit in your project.

8. Level of safety training to workers in your organization

9. Availability of Personal Protective Equipment for site employees

10. Frequency if updating Safety monitoringand control plan

35

CHAPTER 6: WORK DONE

6.1 WORKS DONE IN PHASE – I

The following are works completed so far in phase I;

36

Title selection

Literature study

Methodology framing

Identification of key factors

Questionnaire design

Identification of respondents

6.2 WORKS TO BE DONE IN PHASE – II

The following are the works yet to be done in phase –II;

Questionnaire survey

Information analysis

Result and Discussion

Thesis writing

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37

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