An Integrated Project Evaluation Framework: Appraisal, Monitoring and Performance Judgement

Developing a Multidimensional Conception of Project Evaluation to Improve Projects

“…It is perhaps the single most important and sophisticated cognitive element in human reasoning and logic (Osgood et al, 1957, in Stufflebeam & Coryn, 2014. Although essential in project management (Anbari, 1985;Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019), there is a poor understanding of project evaluation. The APM Body of Knowledge, 7th edition (APMBoK) (Association for Project Management [APM], 2019); A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide) -Sixth Edition (Project Management Institute [PMI], 2017); and PRINCE2 (AXELOS, 2017) do not feature the term evaluation in their glossaries.…”

“…The APM Body of Knowledge, 7th edition (APMBoK) (Association for Project Management [APM], 2019); A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide) -Sixth Edition (Project Management Institute [PMI], 2017); and PRINCE2 (AXELOS, 2017) do not feature the term evaluation in their glossaries. The PMBOK ® Guide and PRINCE2 describe project evaluation only in relation to project closure, yet project evaluation is relevant in many different circumstances (Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019).…”

“…Project evaluation can provide a qualified basis for improving projects by generating insights for enhancing performance (Earley et al, 1990), increasing success rates (Powell & Buede, 2006), and preventing failures (Chen, 2015). Project evaluation is therefore also necessary before the project starts, to justify project selection (Archer & Ghasemzadeh, 1999), align projects with strategy (Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019;Samset, 2003;Williams & Samset, 2010), and prioritize funding and resource allocations (Criscuolo et al, 2017;Harrison & Harrell, 1993;Lin et al, 2019;Martinsuo & Poskela, 2011;Müller & Turner, 2007). During ongoing projects, evaluation helps monitor and control projects (Crawford & Bryce, 2003;Kivilä et al, 2017;Lin et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2014;Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019), guide change decisions (Steffens et al, 2007), and even terminate the projects as needed (Unger et al, 2012).…”

“…Project evaluation is therefore also necessary before the project starts, to justify project selection (Archer & Ghasemzadeh, 1999), align projects with strategy (Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019;Samset, 2003;Williams & Samset, 2010), and prioritize funding and resource allocations (Criscuolo et al, 2017;Harrison & Harrell, 1993;Lin et al, 2019;Martinsuo & Poskela, 2011;Müller & Turner, 2007). During ongoing projects, evaluation helps monitor and control projects (Crawford & Bryce, 2003;Kivilä et al, 2017;Lin et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2014;Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019), guide change decisions (Steffens et al, 2007), and even terminate the projects as needed (Unger et al, 2012). During project closure, evaluation is important to review performance and accumulate lessons learned (de Wit, 1988) to improve future projects.…”

“…There is a lack of consensus regarding how to evaluate projects, including what indicators to use, how, and when (Haass & Guzman, 2020, p. 589): "…both project management theory and practice suffer from the lack of frameworks that consider the emerging and evolving temporality, dynamism, subjectivity and complexity of projects [and] project environments." There is a need for the development of a coherent integrated project evaluation conception (Merikhi & Zwikael, 2019). Moreover, project evaluators need to recognize the complexity of project evaluation and take into account the evolving, comparative, subjective, and relative nature of evaluations (McLeod et al, 2012).…”