Ad hoc Articles

D. Pillay, H. Steyn & J. Sommerville

If not managed properly, the cost of South African municipal infrastructure projects could represent a major financial burden on the country’s fiscus. Cost management on these projects is therefore a significant parameter that needs to be managed appropriately. Earned Value Management (EVM) is a control tool that integrates project budget and schedule in a single monitoring and control mechanism that has potential to improve overall project performance in this sector. However, it is necessary to first investigate factors that would lead to increased acceptance of EVM within the sector.
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Taryn Jane Bond-Barnard, Herman Steyn & Inger Fabris-Rotelli

Call centres are increasingly being utilised in public sector programmes to facilitate and manage communication between numerous stakeholders. Yet, the impact of call centres on projects has not been investigated. This paper reports on a survey with 92 respondents that assessed the impact of a call centre for a repair and maintenance programme. An empirically verified model is presented to illustrate the relationship between call centre communication and project performance.
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C.J. Pretorius & H. Steyn

Knowledge management is widely acclaimed to be a source of considerable financial advantage for organisations. Various authors realise that project environments could also benefit from the creation and re-use of knowledge, including from the lessons learned that should be documented during project close-out. Projects face specific challenges (limited time spans, changing and dispersed teams) and the reduction of project risk, time and cost through knowledge management, may well prove worthwhile.

This paper reviews the literature on knowledge management, both in organisations in general and in project environments specifically. A framework for knowledge management is derived from literature. The paper also reports on an investigation of knowledge management practices in four cases within a single South African business environment.
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S. Pretorius, H. Steyn & J.C. Jordaan

Abstract

Previous studies have attempted to determine how the success of South African IT projects related to the project management maturity of the organisations that executed the projects. The study reported in this article was conducted during 2010 in the engineering and construction sectors. This paper reports on a structured questionnaire distributed to 1,625 individuals mainly in the South African engineering and construction industries.
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F.C. de Jager & H. Steyn

This paper compares the organisational strategic drivers of a South African mining house with those of industries abroad. It furthermore compares the key competencies or capabilities of the mining house with those of the overseas industries. A Delphi panel comprising of fourteen experts - with a combined experience base of over 240 years - provided the data. The strategic drivers as well as the key competencies of the South African mining house showed marked similarities to industries such as petrochemical and engineering & construction industries abroad.
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E. Beukman & H. Steyn

This paper describes appropriate phases and review points (or ‘gates’) for South African projects aimed at transferring technology for socio-economic development. Data gathering was done through a Delphi survey supplemented by a focus group session. A total of 42 knowledgeable respondents participated. The most significant phases of projects under consideration were confirmed, and relevant activities per phase and criteria for reviewing at the ‘gates’ between phases were identified.
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H. Steyn

The implications of overspending on capital projects and of late delivery by such projects can hardly be overemphasized. One mining corporation, for example, budgeted US$ 6,9 billion to be spent on projects during 2007 and the profitability and even the feasibility of these endeavours obviously depend on executing the projects on time and within budget. Yet, it cannot be disputed that many major projects are late and/or over-spent when measured against estimates and commitments made early in the project lifecycle. Figure 1, for example, illustrates the cost performance on major transport projects completed during the previous century.
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