Project Management Performance in the UAE Construction Industry

Abstract

The tremendous growth experienced in the UAE construction industry has been mirrored by the development and expansion of the project management discipline. The UAE has had the unique opportunity of employing the best as well as adopting international best practices. This paper identifies whether project management as a discipline helps deliver the key project objectives in particular those of time, cost and quality. It further investigates whether project managers are involved at strategic levels with the power and authority to effectively influence the direction and course of the project or were merely relegated to a monitoring and reporting role at an implementation level. A survey was undertaken to test the performance of projects in the UAE; the use of established project management tools and methodologies. Analysis was undertaken on the results to compare them against an international benchmark and assessing any correlation between those projects performing poorly and projects with poor use of tools and methodologies or a poor ranking of the critical success factors. Over 33% of projects failed to meet their stated objectives in respect of time, cost and quality and were considered poorly performing. Project managers were generally well qualified in their primary discipline and experienced in the construction industry but were less experienced in the field of project management many with no formal affiliation to professional institutions. Although project managers generally had good knowledge of tools and methodologies a significant proportion had either no knowledge or saw no practical use for the established techniques.

Cultural and Economic Risks Factors in UAE Construction Projects

“…Due to construction's financial intensity, complex procedures, long project durations, risky environment and dynamic arrangements of participating organisations, it involves many different risks, and they differ from one construction project to another (Panthi et al, 2009). Aside from the risks just mentioned, there are also risks from the market situation, the level of competition, the size of the project, the expertise of the parties involved and the political, economic and cultural variations (Akintoye & Macleod, 1997;Al-Hajj & Sayers, 2014;Al Harthi, 2015;Altoryman, 2014;Al Mousli & El-Sayegh, 2016;El-Sayegh, 2008Flanagan & Norman, 1993;Smith, 2008).…”

Effect of Relationship Management on Construction Project Success Delivery

“…In contrast, collaborative relationships play a vital role in achieving project objectives, top performance, and overall success (Chan et al, 2015;Wang & Huang, 2006;Zou et al, 2014). Also, Al-Hajj and Sayers (2014) stated that the UAE's construction project managers are often unaware of the criticality of monitoring the relationships in their projects despite being well qualified in their primary discipline and knowledgeable in construction management in general.…”

Success Factors of PMO Implementation for UAE Project-Based Organizations

“…The nation is using instruments like document control and register, project master plan (PMS), Gantt chart, change register, project directory, risk analysis, work breakdown structure (WBS), task responsibility matrix (TRM), and organisational breakdown structure (OBS). With all these trends, it has been observed that the project management office could simplify its tasks and operations, increasing productivity (Al-Hajj & Sayers, 2014).…”