Inter-Organizational Integration, Transition, and Collaboration in the Project Front-End, and Project Initiation Phase

Abstract

Project management is a complex process involving different stakeholders within and outside the firm. These stakeholders involve among others, the client who has the initial need, and establishes the project requirements and boundaries; the sales teams involved in developing the initial solution and sealing the contract with the client; the project management practitioners responsible for executing the solution as per the contractual requirements; different organizational units, such as engineering, finance, supply chain, health, and safety; and other stakeholders, such as sub-suppliers, legal authorities, consultants, and funding agencies. These stakeholders have different perspectives and objectives that make project management a complex process. In this chapter the challenges, benefits, and opportunities of inter-organizational integration, transition, and collaboration within and between firms in large complex projects are explored. The scope of this chapter is on the interface between the sales front-end phase and the project initiation phase because it is in the sales front-end, where the strategic and operational direction for the rest of the project is set and agreed. A better understanding of this interface may provide opportunities for improvement in project management success.

Integrating and transitioning the project front-end and project initiation phases in South African electrical engineering industrial projects

“…Integration refers to the coordination of activities (Demirkesen and Ozorhon, 2017), and transition refers to how well the handover between the two phases takes place (Siriram, 2022).…”

“…The PIP is when the project manager and project team take over accountability and responsibility from the sales and business development team" (Siriram, 2022). The PLC commences at the start of the PIP and extends until project closure (Siriram, 2022). The FE is not seen to be within the domain of the PLC phases, i.e.…”

“…The project FE is where the initial analyses of problems, needs, and customer and stakeholder requirements are conducted, which leads to the initial solution alternatives and choices (Samset and Volden, 2016; Williams et al ., 2019). FE is where the business case, target benefits and their realization are set out (Siriram, 2022). It includes the activities which are performed before the start of the project (Cooper and Budd, 2007; Nobelius and Trygg, 2002).…”

“…Integration refers to the coordination of activities (Demirkesen and Ozorhon, 2017), and transition refers to how well the handover between the two phases takes place (Siriram, 2022). Transition refers to change before and after an event or the change among project participants (Lundin and S€ oderholm, 1995).…”

“…The project initiation phase (PIP) is the “start of the project from an execution perspective; it is the first phase of the project life cycle (PLC). The PIP is when the project manager and project team take over accountability and responsibility from the sales and business development team” (Siriram, 2022). The PLC commences at the start of the PIP and extends until project closure (Siriram, 2022).…”