Project Management Strategies Used in Hospitality
Construction Projects to Improve Performance
Section 1: Foundation of the Study
Project management success in the hospitality industry is critical for global
socioeconomic growth. Hospitality projects or integrated resorts require multibillion
investments (Lou et al., 2019). The magnitude of integrated resort projects places them in
the megaprojects category, which often fail to meet the time and cost requirements
(Hwang et al., 2020). However, leaders use project management strategies to successfully
deliver projects that improve business value. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case
research study was to explore project management strategies project leaders use to deliver
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time.
Background of the Problem
Project success enhances economic growth and success. Clients, contractors, and
construction professionals are concerned with construction delays that impact project
cost, schedule, and success (Hai Nguyen, 2020). Successful project management
initiatives improve the sustainability of economies and communities (Yazici, 2020).
Between 2013 and 2018, 77% of projects implemented in the United States and the
United Kingdom did not finish on time, 30% of projects had budget overruns, and only
17% met their budget (Park, 2021). Inadequate planning, lack of project management
expertise knowledge, and stakeholder conflicts cause project delays (Durdyev &
Hosseini, 2020). Project management leadership skills are a significant component of
project success (Li et al., 2020; Podgórska & Pichlak, 2019). Researchers have
demonstrated that project failure affects the public and private sectors alike globally
(Sanni-Anibire et al., 2022). In summary, the lack of project management leadership
strategies could lead to poor project performance, including budget and time overruns that
cause construction projects to fail and impact project success.
Problem and Purpose
The specific business problem is that some project leaders lack project
management strategies to deliver hospitality construction projects within budget and on
time. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects
within budget and on time. The sampled population consisted of five project management
leaders at the director level and above of four hospitality-integrated resorts in Nevada
who developed successful strategies to deliver construction projects within budget and on
time in their organization. The study’s findings could significantly promote positive
social change through providing employment, reducing poverty, and raising the
community’s livelihood. Hospitality businesses can help support social and educational
programs that could improve employability and reduce unemployment, starvation, and
homelessness, improving the general livelihood of the community.
Population and Sampling
The sampled population consisted of five project management leaders at the
director level and above from hospitality organizations in Nevada who developed
successful strategies to deliver construction projects within budget and on time.
Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with more than 5 years of experience
and used strategies in real-life experience to deliver hospitality construction projects
successfully. I used the semistructured interview approach and reviewed related public
organizational documentation to collect research study data. This study’s implications
for positive social change include the potential for hospitality leaders to improve
employment, reduce poverty, and raise the community’s livelihood. Hospitality
businesses can help support social programs and educational programs that can improve
employability, reduce unemployment, starvation, and homelessness, and improve the
general livelihood of the community.
Nature of the Study
I considered the qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research
methodologies to conduct this research study. Business researchers use the qualitative
research method to analyze and evaluate in-depth business problems in a real-world
setting (Basias & Pollalis, 2018). The qualitative method is appropriate for analyzing
objective reality and simplifying understanding of the researched phenomena (Hoorani et
al., 2023). I used the qualitative methodology to explore project management strategies
project leaders used to deliver hospitality construction projects within budget and on
time. I also focused on exploring management strategies leaders use to achieve project
success.
In contrast, quantitative researchers must follow mathematical and statistical
analysis procedures to conclude the data collected (Staller, 2021). In quantitative studies,
researchers define constructs or variables that represent real-world phenomena (Powell,
2020). Because I did not use inferential statistics to interpret data, the quantitative method
was not appropriate. The mixed method is a research framework that combines
qualitative and quantitative research methods in a single study (Timans et al., 2019; Zhou
& Wu, 2022). Because I did not analyze different data sets in a single research study, I
did not use the mixed method in this study. I used the qualitative research method to gain
in-depth knowledge about project management strategies project leaders used to deliver
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time.
I considered five functional qualitative research designs to complete the research
study: (a) case study, (b) ethnography, (c) action, (d) phenomenological, and (e) grounded
theory. After reviewing these designs, I concluded that the multiple case study design was
appropriate to explore project management strategies project leaders use to deliver
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time. Four to six cases in a multiple
case study provide better analytical results that demonstrate the rigor and credibility of a
comparative research study than two to three cases (Yin, 2018). I used five participants
from four organizations in the study. Context remains essential in case study research
(Creswell & Poth, 2018). The context for this study was project management strategies
leaders used in hospitality organizations to deliver projects successfully.
I opted not to use other qualitative designs. Researchers use an ethnography
approach to study social groups’ cultural experiences and behavior through interviews
and observations (Hamilton & Finley, 2019). The action research strategy pertains to
group participatory and action research processes, with researchers acting as facilitators
(Larrea, 2019). Researchers use the phenomenological design to explore participants’
recollections and interpretations of lived experiences (Saunders et al., 2016). Researchers
use grounded theory to develop theory and meaning from collected data (Saunders et al.,
2016). I did not explore cultural experiences, participatory group processes, lived
experiences, or developed theory and meaning in this study. The designs discussed were
inappropriate to explore project management strategies project leaders use to deliver
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time. Conducting a multiple case
study allowed me to fully explore project management leaders’ strategies to deliver
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time.
Research Question
What project management strategies do project leaders use to deliver hospitality
construction projects within the budget and on time?
Interview Questions
1. What management strategies have you used to achieve project management
performance in hospitality construction projects?
2. What specific examples of management strategies have you used as a hospitality
leader to successfully implement construction projects?
3. What are the key challenges you faced in implementing management strategies
for executing hospitality projects within the budget and on time?
4. What project management strategies have you found most beneficial in
delivering hospitality projects on time?
5. How did you address the key challenges you faced while implementing project
management strategies to improve the performance of construction projects?
6. How did you develop management strategies and techniques that were
significant in delivering the construction of hospitality projects within budget
and on time?
7. What project management strategies did you use to mitigate project risk and
complete hospitality projects within the budget and on time?
8. What additional information that we have not discussed would you like to share
about project management strategies that improve hospitality construction
projects’ performance?
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework provides a logical structure from theories that guide
researchers to develop connected ideas in research work (Gregory, 2020). I chose
contingency theory as the conceptual framework for this research study because it is an
integrated system that proposes a comprehensive approach to management theory and
uses strategies that make contingency theory a powerful philosophical concept for
decision-making and problem-solving in different situations (Wooton, 1977). The
contingency theory concept includes leadership, organizational structure, available
resources, and technology applications to offer a multidimensional perspective to
improve management performance (Wooton, 1977). The general contingency theory
assumption is that there is no single best way to manage. The contingency approach is a
system that identifies and establishes connections between environment, management,
and contextual elements (Luthans & Stewart, 1977; Wooton, 1977). Organizations benefit
from contingency theory by learning from unique scenarios, adapting to changing project
environments and changing strategies to improve future management decisionmaking
processes.
The contingency theory approach has been used extensively in management
research, where accomplishments were contingent on various organizational management
processes and techniques. Contingency theory could be used for decision-making in
managerial and project management processes (Suda et al., 2015) to explain the
performance of management processes contingent on the organization and situation
(Wooton, 1977). As an instrumental study framework, the general contingency theory of
management has significant potential to advance the future of management processes
(Luthans & Stewart, 1977). I selected the contingency theory to serve as the foundation
for understanding project management strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality
construction projects within budget and on time.
Operational Definitions
Contingency management theory: A theory that asserts no single road to success
or failure in an organization and the company’s performance, which remains dependent
on various elements grouped based (Sunder & Prashar, 2020).
Hospitality industry: Organizations include hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars,
casinos, food service operations, and nightclubs (Elkhwesky et al., 2022).
Integrated resort: Integrated resorts include casino tourism and leisure businesses
that entail hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, convention centers, and theaters (Lou et al.,
2019).
Management strategies: Strategies that entail the formation of partnerships that
develop a dynamic workforce, prioritization of scope, leadership practices, and budgeting
(Bashir et al., 2021; Yaari et al., 2020).
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
Researchers can specify assumptions, limitations, and delimitations to give
readers the conditions that define the research’s parameters. Assumptions form the basis
of the study, the scope of the study is affected by delimitations, and the study’s goal may
be affected by limitations, which are uncontrollable circumstances (Tahat, 2021). Thus,
acknowledging the assumptions, limitations, and delimitations demonstrates the
shortcomings of the researcher’s awareness of the study’s methodology, which can help
improve the credibility of the research results (Tahat, 2021).
Assumptions
Research assumptions are conceptual theories that match the objectives and
context of a research study (Coates, 2021). Clarifying assumptions helps a researcher
define their study and theorize its implications (Burton-Jones et al., 2021). I made six
assumptions for this study. The first assumption was that participants had knowledge and
experience in hospitality construction projects. Another assumption was that participants
would convey their life experiences related to project strategies in an unbiased manner.
Other assumptions were that participants would allow me to access public project
documents, such as meeting minutes, contracts, procurement information, project reports,
schedules, and budgets, and that these documents would be accurate. A fifth assumption
was that the interview responses would corroborate public website information. Lastly, I
assumed that the data collected from artifacts and interviews would provide information
to help address the research question.
Limitations
Limitations are flaws in research methods and could affect the study’s results and
findings (Ross & Bibler Zaidi, 2019). Researchers can be biased in qualitative
investigations. The limitations can create weaknesses, including potential bias from the
researcher or participants (Mwita, 2022) and limit qualitative research’s credibility
(Taherdoost, 2022). The limitation outside the research control that affected the study was
the length of time granted for the interviews with project management leaders. The
business leaders’ sample size, experiences, and perceptions impacted the data quality,
depth, and richness.
Delimitations
Highlighting delimitations assists reviewers in identifying challenges related to
the method used (Ross & Bibler Zaidi, 2019). Delimitations are the research limits
specified by the researcher to keep the study’s goals and objectives within reach (Eisner,
2017). Thus, the researcher sets delimitations to achieve the study’s purpose and
objectives. The first delimitation was locating participants from Nevada. The second
delimitation was selecting a sample size of five participants for this multiple case study.
According to Yin (2018), four to six cases in a multiple case study produce better
analytical results that indicate rigor and validity than in two to three cases. The third
delimitation was to invite project management leaders with more than 5 years of
experience to participate in the research study.
Significance of the Study
The research results may provide leaders with insights into identifying effective
management strategies that could influence contingent thinking to improve project
and construction management performance in organizations in Nevada to deliver
projects within budget and on time. The study’s findings could promote positive
social change because the success of project and construction management may
increase the organizations’ performance and value.
Contribution to Business Practice
The construction of hospitality projects impacts economies, but 54% of projects
demonstrate construction productivity failure (Heigermoser et al., 2019). The hospitality
industry constantly evolves and requires leaders to strategically use project management
tools and techniques to solve real-world problems (Rengel Jara et al., 2019). The research
results may provide project leaders with insights on how to identify effective project
management strategies using contingency theory processes to improve project and
construction management performance. The results of this study may be helpful to
hospitality project management leaders, stakeholders, and practitioners to improve
construction project delivery and performance in the hospitality industry. Further, the
findings of this study may promote innovative project and construction management
changes that improve project management performance and business profit while
reducing financial loss. The hospitality industry’s integrated resorts provide multiple
business dimensions, improving tourism growth, creating employment, and economically
enhancing the global market and gross domestic product (Liang & Wong, 2020).
Implications for Social Change
This study’s positive social change implies that the successful implementation of
project management strategies may increase corporate profits and reduce financial loss.
The profits gained by hospitality organizations could sustain employment creation,
increase financial opportunities for individuals, improve their living standards, facilitate
support for local community programs, and promote the organization’s social
responsibilities. The study’s findings might promote employment, reduce poverty, and
improve the community’s livelihood. Also, hospitality businesses could help support
social and educational programs to improve employability and salary levels. An increased
level of employment could help reduce unemployment, starvation, and homelessness,
improving the general livelihood of the community.
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature The literature
review is one way to meticulously collect and analyze related studies to examine previous
findings in the field of the study, which helps to identify study gaps and further research
possibilities (Paul & Criado, 2020). The purpose of conducting this multiple case study
was to explore project management strategies project leaders used to deliver hospitality
construction projects within budget and on time. In the following sections, I present a
comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed articles relevant to the success of
construction projects and strategies used to improve construction project performance in
the hospitality industry. The literature review provides the context of contingency theory,
the lens used to explore the research study, the project management success theories, and
strategies used to complete hospitality construction projects successfully.
I used Walden University Library resources to find relevant literature, including
Elsevier, Emerald Insight, Google Scholar, IEEE, JSTOR, ProQuest Dissertations and
Thesis, ResearchGate, SAGE Journal, Taylor & Francis Online, and Thoreau
multidatabase through Walden University’s Library sources search. I used the following
themes: (a) performance management strategies, (b) project management success, and (c)
construction project success. For this study, I used nine books, two websites, two
conference papers, and 215 peer-reviewed journal articles, making a total of 228 sources
used for references. The 215 journal articles represent 94% of the total sources used. In
addition, 196 (86%) sources were published within 5 years of the 2023 anticipated
graduation year. The literature review contains 99 journal articles, three books, two
conference papers, and one website, making a total of 105 sources of references.
Eightyseven percent of the 99 sources are peer-reviewed and published within 5 years of
my anticipated graduation in 2023.
The literature review contains an analysis of the project management approach,
contingency theory, leadership, and management strategies used to deliver projects
successfully. The first topic discussed is the contingency theory, followed by project
management strategies, leadership style, project success, and the nature of hospitality
projects. The literature review provides insights into strategies leaders used to complete
projects within budget and on time.
Contingency Theory
Woodward (1965) laid the foundation for organizational contingency theory
practice and enhanced the introduction of management research. The general contingency
theory concept assumes there is no best way to manage an entity. The relationship
between technology, environmental conditions, uncertainty, strategies, and organizational
contingency characteristics and structure (Fernández-Robin et al., 2019; Wooton, 1977)
offers a management performance perspective within a situation. The use of contingency
theory entails applying contingent factors such as organization environment and size,
customer influence, and technology capacity aligned with management practices to
sustain business in complex environments that can affect business performance
(Fernández-Robin et al., 2019). Contingency theory principles may help to develop
effective management practices influenced by opportunities presented through the
interaction of internal and external environmental contingencies (Woodward, 1965).
Successful management practices can address the internal and external business
environment factors to make appropriate decisions specific to the situation. Thus, the
integrated contingency theory framework proposes a comprehensive approach to
management theory (Wooton, 1977), as contingency theory applies to decision-making
and problem-solving in various contexts (Suda et al., 2015; Wooton, 1977).
Leaders can use the contingency approach to develop strategies that influence the
design of management processes to evaluate leadership characteristics, abilities, and
interactions in situations. In business, contingency theory uses strategy, culture, and
customer focus to affect quality management by aligning the business and environment
(McAdam et al., 2019). The characteristics and configurations that influence
contingencies in organizational structures relate to the organization’s size, complexity,
nature of business, adaptation, use of technology, the dynamic business environment,
uncertainty and interdependencies, and organizational preferences. For instance, there
may be a mechanical structure in stable organizations and an organic structure in a
dynamic organizational environment as distinctive processes (Burns & Stalker, 1961).
The contingent theory phenomenon, when applied to managerial and project
management initiatives (Suda et al., 2015), helps to explain management approaches
contingent on the organization’s environment and situation (Wooton, 1977). Research
evidence has demonstrated that management initiatives use organizations’ environments
to develop strategies that address situational challenges.
The contingency theory’s principles entail using the best-fit scenario to provide an
appropriate managerial solution dependent on the characteristics of the situation. Fiedler
(1964, 1967) established a significant relationship between the leader’s competencies
score and the group’s performance that reflected the leader’s impact on the situation.
Fiedler (1967) posited that the environment, leadership style, and organizational
performance are interdependent. The effectiveness of leadership, innovation, creative
management, and situational competence warrant further research to determine the level
of interdependency in decision-making. McAdam et al. (2019) extended Fiedler’s
research perspective, noting that contingent variables such as the development of
strategies, organization culture, customer focus, and the organization’s project life cycle
could help in evaluating the impact of strategic alignment in management practices.
Determining and analyzing the components of decision-making, organization structure,
the environment’s constraining factors, and the organization's size can be required to
develop contingencies (Ortiz et al., 2019). Managers need to be creative, innovative,
agile, and adaptable to the situation and the organization’s environment (Garrity et al.,
2018; Woodward, 1965).
Contingency theory provided an appropriate framework to explore the business
problem. Contingency theory factors in the hospitality industry, such as environmental
and tourism sustainability, organizational culture and values, size, the technology used,
and type of customers, can influence management practices that result in different
business outcomes (Fernández-Robin et al., 2019). Although the contingency theory has
flaws, such as not having a theoretical base, the principles and perspectives provide a
broad framework that strategic leaders can use contextually to establish the setting that
requires resolving (McAdam et al., 2019).
Contingency Theory’s Relationship With General Systems Theory
The distinction between contingency theory and general systems theory provides
diverse managerial perspectives. In practice, contingency theory entails managing in an
uncertain environment, impacted by factors such as organizational structure and behavior,
environmental variables, organization size, technology orientation, and use of resources
(Fernández-Robin et al., 2019). The theory emphasizes that internal and external
conditions dictate the best course of management action depending on the situation
(Wooton, 1977).
The systems and contingency theories provide similar frameworks that
demonstrate relevance in management applications focused on the organization’s
structure and environment. The systems theory perspective focuses on the dynamic
environment of an organization’s structure and behavior guided by universal
decisionmaking principles in all situations (Elia et al., 2021). The general systems
theory allows an organization to transform using new information. The theory
encourages using knowledge and experience to make logical management decisions in
complex organizational systems (McMahon & Patton, 2018; Von Bertalanffy, 1972).
The systems theory may provide usefulness in a broad managerial spectrum related to
quality evaluation within a cultural setting (McMahon & Patton, 2018). Weissenberger-
Eibl et al.
(2019) stated that with the integration of internal and external requirements,
comprehensive management strategies may utilize systems thinking. Although
managerial practices can improve, the systems approach does not relate to contingencies
and define the nature of interdependencies that can delay decision making.
The systems theory in management is relevant to the contingency theory approach
because it uses systematic thinking and encourages flexibility and agility in specific
decision-making situations. There is a correlation between diverse and dynamic
organizational environments of different sizes, technologies, and resources (McAdam et
al., 2019; Popp & Hadwich, 2018). However, the system theory has constraints and
assumptions that identify organizations as significant, complex open systems and may not
apply to smaller organizations. The multiple applications of systems approach scope and
patterns are diverse and do not provide a single perspective and methodology agreeable
among researchers (Hossain et al., 2020). The complexity theory is applied when a
system theory has shortcomings in a social organization related to management, strategy,
and leadership (Turner & Baker, 2019).
Overall, the systems approach to business is concerned with systems that produce
results without changing the environment. In contrast, contingency theory is concerned
with management behaviors that provide solutions in specific situations. Researchers
found that systems theory and thinking detach from research and practice (Turner &
Baker, 2019). As a result, researchers may conclude that contingency theory is a better
framework for solving business problems depending on the specific circumstances of the
business situation.
Contingency Theory Application
Application to Leadership and Management. Contingencies comprise variables
that leaders may utilize to plan, organize, and make decisions in certain circumstances in
order to improve organizational performance. Based on contingency theory, no single
strategy may be used to manage a situation or organization (Wooton, 1977). Applying
situational and contingent theories in complex environments leads to the conclusion that
the effective leadership style is suited for a specific situation (Benmira & Agboola, 2021).
Therefore, the leadership principles and strategies used to mitigate challenges are
contingent on the situation. Contingency management creates innovative strategic
situational transitions (Wooton, 1977) that leaders use to promote effective leadership in
specific circumstances. Contingency management and leadership theory can imply that
the situation analysis can help apply appropriate decisions related to the circumstances.
The complexity of construction projects necessitates a shift in management
techniques and requires careful evaluation of the outcomes. The contingency leadership
theory could affect employee behavior and attitude in the service sector context
regardless of the service circumstance (Popp & Hadwich, 2018). The contingency theory
of leadership entails that leadership success or failure depends on the type and style of the
leader and the external conditions and prevailing situation. Project managers and leaders
can optimize management systems and subsystems to improve project management
performance to achieve organizational goals by extending the contingency theory’s
influence on innovation and situational strategy development.
Researchers have established that contingency theory, situational leadership
theory, path-goal theory, and decision making theory are models of contingency theory
with different perspectives on management and leadership styles. Fiedler’s (1967)
contingency theory proposed that an effective leader must have good leadership
attributes, precise communication abilities, and decision making. Comparing situational
leadership theory and contingency theory, the contingency model focuses on leadership
style and follower maturity (Hersey & Blanchard, 1977; Northouse, 2019). The
followers’ maturity levels can range from being incompetent, lack of capacity, and
unwillingness to perform. The perception is that a good leader will adjust leadership style
behavior to the group’s maturity level depending on the situation (Northouse, 2019).
Thus, the leader’s decision making is contingent on work environment circumstances.
Situational leadership applications can be adaptable and flexible, foster behavior
adjustment and collaboration, support, and assess maturity levels to match the situation
(Walls, 2019). Prior research identified that continuous changes in situational leadership
style to address the company’s demands, teams, or individuals can be confusing and may
disregard long-term organizational goals (Walls, 2019). However, contingency theory
and situational leadership correlate in decision-making in specific circumstances.
The path-goal theory may validate the contingency theory approach proposed by
Fiedler (1967) and Hersey and Blanchard (1977). The idea employs a contingency model
that combines goal setting and expectancy theories, which suggest that influential leaders
help their followers by removing challenges and supporting subordinates to reach their
goals (Olowoselu et al., 2019). However, the path-goal theory has drawn criticism from
researchers for failing to explain how leadership behavior can inspire followers, focusing
on followers and eliminating the follower’s capacity and ability to influence leaders
(Northouse, 2019). Therefore, leaders can develop strategies to determine the appropriate
management framework for decision-making to accomplish their goals.
Decision making strategies are fundamental to the leadership role. According to
Olowoselu et al. (2019) and Vignesh (2020), the Vroom-Yetton (1973) and Jago (1988)
decision model supports the concept that leadership decisions are contingent on the
prevailing situation. Influential leaders assess situations, decide the amount of support
required, and adopt the appropriate leadership approach to fit the situation. Previous
research demonstrated that the decision making model’s individualistic decision making
domination could impact the quality of the decision. Choosing the right strategies for
decision making can improve management processes and performance.
Application to Project Management. Applying contingency theory in project
management, a project manager must achieve the best fit between the organization’s
environment and its sub-systems. Project managers may develop strategies contingent on
the situation that optimize systems and sub-systems performance to accomplish project
management objectives and organizational goals. Effective management frameworks may
work in certain circumstances, and the contingency theory framework suggests that
project management works better in an organization when aligned with circumstances
(Müller et al., 2019). Instead, contextual variables may determine the optimum strategy
that benefits construction from flexible and agile management practices within complex,
dynamic, and uncertain environments (Radhakrishnan et al., 2022). The use of flexibility
and agility management concepts is new in project management (Sanchez et al., 2019)
and may be explained using contingent requirements in project management practices.
The contingent theory framework could be used to understand the organization’s culture,
success or failure, structures, team performance, and the fit scenario in different project
environments to achieve project objectives (Maruping et al., 2019).
Complex construction projects necessitate management system changes in
specific situations, which requires careful consideration to benefit the organization.
Determining contingencies can help manage risk and mitigate uncertainty in construction
project management (Ortiz et al., 2019). Time, cost, scope, quality, inventory, and
capacity can be considered contingency buffers that project managers can manage in
construction project management practices (Ortiz et al., 2019). In situations and
environments like quality management without comprehensive theoretical frameworks,
McAdam et al. (2019) proposed applying the contingency theory approach. Integrating
strategy, culture, project lifecycle, and customer focus with quality management practices
promotes organizational strategic alignment (McAdam et al., 2019). Mechanistic
organizations use simple, standardized quality management strategies based on
contingency theory (Müller et al., 2019). Prior research showed that quality management
methods are becoming more sophisticated in diverse and uncertain business environments
and suit organic organizational models (McAdam et al., 2019).
Project management implementation depends on developing strategies that
address the situation. Management configuration in a contingent management approach,
when compared to conventional project management methods, Barbosa et al. (2021)
found that the project management approach could influence the premise that no singular
management practice fits all situations. Project management is diverse and requires
flexibility in application and implementation to achieve project objectives.
Application to Construction Projects. Contingencies are resources, and different
resources influence the development of different formats of contingencies. Contingencies
in construction projects provide buffers to mitigate uncertainties in situations that
materialize without negatively impacting the project’s objectives, resulting in
contingencies critical to risk management and project performance success (Ortiz et al.,
2019). Project leaders establish time, money, and resource contingencies to reduce risk.
Contingencies, such as a time float in specific project areas of the schedule, may be
created to manage and control the situation within the project environment (Ortiz et al.,
2019). The contingency perspective rejects conventional scientific management strategies
that influence the single way of designing management functions and the implementation
of work within organizations (Garrity et al., 2018). Prior researchers acknowledged the
existence of contingent variables that influence managerial functions, and managers
acknowledge that there is more than a single way to manage organizational situations
contingent on the circumstances (Garrity et al., 2018). Construction contingency may
mitigate the unknowns in project management to meet project objectives.
Risk contingency is a factor to consider in construction project management.
Developing strategies that address risk contingency planning and estimation may increase
estimation accuracy, mitigate cost uncertainties, and reduce budget overruns
(Akinradewo et al., 2019). Risk contingency planning may help predict the outcome of a
construction project’s cost and duration. Researchers argue that construction projects do
not meet objectives due to poor performance, cost, and time overruns; thus, risk
contingency planning can mitigate delays and the development of unanticipated project
scope changes (Akinradewo et al., 2019). The risk planning process should consider the
time contingency factor. Recommending time contingency in construction projects
preserves project duration and provides assurances of successful completion on time
(Sattineni et al., 2020). Thus, the contingency risk planning strategy may mitigate
unpredictable unknowns by allocating budget and time reserves.
Capital projects require contingency funds to mitigate and align the expenditure of
funds on a project. The project budget includes cost contingency reserves for addressing
the project uncertainties, and contingency management entails making decisions that
determine the appropriate use of project funds to meet project objectives (Ayub et al.,
2019). The goal of providing cost contingencies is to ensure that the allotted project
budget is sufficient to mitigate project risks and achieve project objectives (Hoseini et al.,
2020). The cost contingencies can be reserved to mitigate unanticipated costs from
project uncertainties such as incomplete designs, project estimation, project bidding, and
price increases. A lack of consideration of cost contingencies may impact the outcome of
a project. Poor project management and estimating procedures and a lack of
communication with project stakeholders are the leading causes of insufficient cost
contingency consideration and management (Hoseini et al., 2020). A realistic project
budget that meets the project’s objectives may be maintained by maintaining proper
project contingencies.
Overview of Project Management
Project management discipline transpired during the 1950s and 1960s during the
arms and space program races. Project management focuses on gaining a competitive
edge or adjusting plans based on opportunities (Germain & Aubry, 2019). The
application of management science in project management was promoted by advancing
such projects as the NASA Apollo project, the Polaris Project, and the Boeing airplane
projects that required planning, controlling, scheduling, and cost management (Kerzner,
2018). The realization of project management revolutionized the business approach to
applying project management practices.
Project management knowledge can help with the systemization and prioritization
of project management processes, resulting in the successful completion of different types
of projects. Megaprojects are complex, large, unique, high-tech, and innovative,
demanding clear stakeholder corroboration (Ashkanani & Franzoi, 2022). The
management of complex megaprojects can be influenced by technical, organizational, and
environmental characteristics (Liu et al., 2022). Time, team, task, and transitions are
elements that classify projects as temporary organizations using a 4T conceptual
framework (Sydow & Braun, 2018). Sydow and Braun claimed that project management
knowledge is lacking in comprehending inter-organizational aspects, and project
management practice has developed into specific types categorized by size, industry, and
business objectives. The project management categories include construction, information
technology, biotechnology, and architecture and design (Jain, 2021). Project
management is complex and requires practical knowledge to implement processes using
resources to achieve project objectives (Secundo et al., 2022).
The project management process consists of planning, development, and design
lifecycle phases focusing on cost, time, and quality parameters. Within organizations,
internal projects are a strategic tool that improves economic value, competitive
advantage, and organizational performance in the public and private sectors (Bjorvatn,
2022). Researchers established that projects have a specific temporary time frame to
accomplish objectives and organizational goals influenced by the project management
approach.
Project management is a discipline recognized globally and has six standard
methods and guidelines that focus on project quality management (Abdullah et al., 2021),
and project management practices influence project success (Deshmukh & Bais, 2019).
Prior researchers identified scope, time, resources, cost, risk management,
communication, and stakeholders as crucial project management components for success.
Project management practices require project managers and capital to perform a specific
undertaking, manage resources, and use technology to produce a product that meets the
desired objectives (Jain, 2021). Using elements, standards, methods, and guidelines in
project management can help emphasize complex management systems that require more
than one best way to manage projects (Jain, 2021).
Project Management Strategies and Innovation
Strategic management and innovation are connected and focus on organizational
management processes to align strategic planning, project management, technological
advances, resource utilization, and capital expenditure with business objectives and goals.
Understanding how leaders use innovation and strategies in managing projects is
essential. Sergeeva and Duryan (2021) explored how knowledge management improves
innovative thinking and the development of strategies in project management and
construction companies. Complex project-based companies require knowledge
management and organizational learning to promote project management innovation
strategies and thinking (Sergeeva & Duryan, 2021). Project team competencies for
delivering projects successfully in complicated business contexts y on emotional,
managerial, and intellectual team capabilities that drive innovation in project
management (Oh & Choi, 2020). However, team leaders’ member management,
coordination, and conflict resolution affect the team’s performance (Tabassi et al., 2019).
Applying innovative drivers, strategies, maturity models, and organizational
knowledge can help improve innovative thinking capabilities and competencies that
project leaders can use to improve the management of projects, construction processes,
and project performance. Demir (2018) extended the knowledge of strategic management
maturity models for innovation and emphasized that strategy studies lack innovation
concepts and maturity models and are limited to theoretical frameworks. Innovation and
maturity models in project management are strategic to project implementation design.
Good organizational management enhances competitive advantage and influences
strategic management and planning to enhance organizational performance (Lo & Kam,
2022). Prior researchers established that technological advancements influence
innovation (Lo & Kam, 2022). Open innovation strategies require the collaboration of
internal and external technologies to align with the organization’s model and processes
(Bogers et al., 2019). Strategic management and innovation, change management, agility,
and flexibility can provide leaders with the capabilities to apply situational management
practices to improve organizational performance.
Using agile project management strategies to handle changes in the construction
processes helps to manage changes effectively (Arefazar et al., 2022). Agile parameters:
(a) continuous improvement, (b) constant monitoring, (c) progress evaluation, and (d)
workflow flexibility are essential factors in management changes in construction projects
(Arefazar et al., 2022). Project performance positively correlates with project
management flexibility in the early project stages (Jalali Sohi et al., 2019). Prior
researchers found that project complexity negatively impacts the performance of projects.
Management flexibility can align project management practices with the organization’s
strategies and goals to improve performance and project success. Flexible project
management strategies may help deal with project complexity and improve project
performance (Arefazar et al., 2022; Demir, 2018; Jalali Sohi et al., 2019). Innovation,
strategic management, technology, change management, and agile processes provide the
framework to develop strategies that enhance project management practices, capabilities,
and competencies.
Factors Contributing to Project Management Success
Project management success factors influence project success, which, when
integrated with management’s intensive planning, strategy development, risk
management and mitigation, cost, time, and quality management. Project management
practice influences project success factors, and there is a significant relationship between
project management and project success (Hussain et al., 2022). Human resource
management, scheduling, and planning are essential to project management variables,
and planning procedures affect project success (Hussain et al., 2022). Project
management practices can use the best way to apply tools and techniques that reduce
project costs and time overruns. Zada et al. (2020) investigated project success elements,
discovering that the interaction between planning, management practices, human
resources, and project environment are interdependent factors that enhance project
success. Compliance with regulations, project leaders’ and managers’ experience,
coordination with subcontractors, and support from business leaders remain essential
factors for the success of the project management process (Shamim, 2022). Project
management success can be achieved by improving implementation efficiencies,
mitigating risk, optimizing resources, and aligning management strategies with
organizational goals (Shamim, 2022).
The execution of project management practices requires expert knowledge,
techniques, and competencies to deliver projects on schedule and budget (Jitpaiboon et
al., 2019). The influence of critical project success factors on project teams and
performance investigated by researchers suggested that project management tools, best
practices, and project management may help project implementation succeed. The lack
of management and control of critical project success factors within or external to the
iron triangle may cause project failure (Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020). Researchers have
established that project leaders and managers who use project management practices
and techniques can succeed by applying project management tools in the right
situation. Tshehla (2019) In exploring project management practices using the
performance of hospitality construction projects, Tshehla (2019)discovered the
categorization of interdependent critical success elements into nine knowledge areas
that impact project governance and performance. Project management practitioners
need to develop project management strategies that determine critical project
management success factors at every project stage relevant to the nine project
knowledge areas and develop a derivative of techniques and tools to improve project
performance in context (Tshehla, 2019). The managers’ leadership knowledge and
experience are crucial for organizational success, including achieving business
objectives and enhancing project performance (Oh & Choi, 2020). Utilizing a
multidimensional strategic framework in project management can lead to successful
project completion while adding business value.
Factors Contributing to Project Management Failure
The lack of project management practice can impact and cause challenges in
project implementation due to a lack of effective leadership, risk management,
decisionmaking, adequate resources, and misalignment of project objectives and
business goals (Gunduz & Al-Naimi, 2022). Project management practices are
employed to manage complex projects in dynamic and uncertain internal and external
environments.
Construction delays affect the projects’ viability, performance, and quality; customers,
contractors, and project management teams are critical factors that affect a project’s
financial goals (Gunduz & Al-Naimi, 2022). Prior researchers suggested critical factors
that cause project delays and identified that poor planning, lack of project management
experience, knowledge, stakeholder conflicts, and the condition of the economic
environment impact the implementation and management of projects (Durdyev &
Hosseini, 2020). Researchers investigated concepts and theories relevant to project
management and construction techniques and defined project failure as time and cost
overruns and not achieving quality parameters (Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020). Also,
researchers demonstrated that project delay influences various factors specific to a project
(Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020; Gunduz & Al-Naimi, 2022). Project delay factors are
interdependent and can impact project performance or result in failure; Gunduz and
AlNaimi (2022) suggested that managing construction projects effectively reduces delays.
Thus, project leaders can develop strategies to implement and execute projects
successfully.
Prior researchers identified different perspectives regarding the causes of project
failure. The primary factors that cause construction project failure are related to the
contractors’ internal structure and systems (Khlaifat et al., 2019). Sanni-Anibire et al.
(2022) disagreed with Khalifat et al.’s findings. Globally, construction project delays
include contractor financial difficulties, delays in approving and paying finished work,
challenges with the procurement process, inadequate site management and planning, poor
resource planning, management, and time duration estimation (Sanni-Anibire et al.,
2022). In addition, the lack of stakeholders’ experience, conflicts, poor communication,
and lack of materials cause project delays (Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020; Sanni-Anibire et
al., 2022). The delays are universal and project and country-specific (Durdyev &
Hosseini, 2020; Sanni-Anibire et al., 2022). Also, the researchers established that there is
limited consensus on sources of project delays. Delays reduce construction output, and
construction delays impact the project’s success and its stakeholders (Sanni-Anibire et al.,
2022). Thus, determining project failure requires evaluating the influence of critical
factors, which are project-specific, and applying mitigation strategies to improve project
management performance.
Inadequate construction planning, schedule directing and regulation, and the
organization of project budgeting elements can cause project delay and failure (Hai
Nguyen, 2020). Leaders can develop project management strategies, identify lessons
learned, and improve processes to mitigate project failure factors to enable project
performance and influence the successful implementation of projects. The failure of the
project management process in managing construction projects presents financial risks to
the company and business (Wijaksono et al., 2020). Thus, project management strategies
are critical for organizational success and significant to the performance of construction
projects.
Project Management and Business Strategies
In business, project management application entails applying management
principles, knowledge, experience, and skills to accomplish a specific project objective
aligned with the business goal. Project management remains a temporary process that
focuses on delivering a specific product using time, cost, and scope parameters (Flohr &
Curtis, 2021). Applying project management procedures requires knowledge and skills to
manage complex project activities in different industries, including the hospitality sector
(Rengel Jara et al., 2019). Business leaders use project management principles to identify
and manage risk, manage resources and finances, and communicate effectively with
project teams and stakeholders (Galabova, 2019). The principles underline the importance
of using leadership strategies to solve problems in a complex business environment.
Leaders use portfolio management, project governance, and program management
strategies to deliver quality products that improve business value and performance.
Project management procedures can advance strategic business goals, prioritizing
resource sharing to manage project scope, schedule, and budgets while reducing risk by
managing project complexity and uncertainty (Nguyen et al., 2019). Risk management
practices may provide strategies for project management in construction projects, and risk
management strategies in construction projects may be essential for project success
(Nawaz et al., 2019). The organization’s business performance may be improved
through effective risk management in project implementation by strategically reducing
the impact of variables that cause project delays and failures. Project management
strategy is applied to projects with defined parameters, objectives, and goals, improving
performance and adding value to the organization (Kerzner, 2018; Tereso et al., 2019).
In contrast, business management focuses on changes in business goals and
objectives or constraints to complete the project by start and finish dates (Tereso et al.,
2019). Researchers established that appropriate project management practices improve
management performance and business value (Tereso et al., 2019). Organizational leaders
may use project portfolio management as a business strategy and process to select and
prioritize projects, balance projects with business needs, align projects with business
strategy and objectives and manage resource capacity in projects and organizations
(Tereso et al., 2019). Successful project management strategies may be influenced by
understanding the organization’s project management maturity level, and the
organizational project management maturity can help businesses focus on improving
project management to fit with the organization’s objectives and goals (Wijaksono et al.,
2020). The organization’s project management maturity model may ensure the review of
projects, programs, and portfolios that organizations use to improve business performance
and value (Wijaksono et al., 2020). Also, organizational maturity may help in
understanding how best project management techniques can be applied in various phases
of project implementation to align management principles with business plans and
promote competitive advantage (Barbosa et al., 2021).
Strategy formulation and implementation focus on accomplishing the
organization’s long-term goals, and researchers have shown that organizations struggle to
achieve best practices between strategy formulation and implementation (Tawse et al.,
2019). Project management processes offer a strategic business framework for improving
business efficiency and performance (Armenia et al., 2019). Lack of strategic project
management skills among project managers leads to project failure (Vivek &
Nanthagopan, 2020). Project management remains unique to the project organizational
culture. The project manager fosters different business decision-making and success
criteria, reinforcing the perspective that no single strategy or approach is applicable in
different companies and situations (Kerzner, 2018). Projects are initiated for business
reasons to achieve desired business outcomes, and project managers can prevent
ineffective strategies that can impact organizational and project objectives.
Project management is contingent and entails that the optimum way to manage a
project depends on its situation, and companies should use specific project strategies
(Barbosa et al., 2021). In the business context, the project management perspective
recognizes that organizational benefits, business value, strategic alignment, and
organizational goals interact and remain interdependent to achieve the project’s success
(Barbosa et al., 2021). Strategic project leadership focuses on aligning project strategy,
project efficiencies, the organization, and project management maturity level (Musawir et
al., 2020). Developing independent strategies can help project leaders accomplish
business needs by using different strategies in different project situations. Project
management is not applied universally, and different industries have different risk
strategy management tolerances because projects have different characteristics (Kerzner,
2018). Thus, different projects require different implementation strategies to accomplish
business goals, demonstrating that no single method exists to manage projects.
The project management process ensures that construction projects continue using
quality performance techniques such as cost, quality, time management, communication,
and collaboration with customers and stakeholders (Ingle & Mahesh, 2022). Project
management strategies and strategic project leadership aspects may be used in strategies
and the implementation of best management practices to identify crucial success factors
and key performance indicators that improve project management, governance, and
control (Ingle & Mahesh, 2022). Researchers concluded that initiating projects for
business reasons requires more than the performance of the triple iron triangle elements
to evaluate success (Damayanti et al., 2021). Agility and flexibility in managing projects
may provide new ideas for improving project management, business performance, and
value.
Importance of Project Governance and Portfolio Management to Project Success
Completing projects within budget and on time means that the return on
investment can take place quickly, which could justify the selection and prioritization
strategy to increase business value. Project governance decisions facilitate the
implementation of appropriate projects that contribute to organizational goals (Lappi,
Aaltonen, et al., 2019). Using the contingency theory approach may help manage
portfolio projects (Martinsuo & Geraldi, 2020). Realizing project governance objectives
aligned with managing portfolios, programs, and projects may help future project
initiatives succeed and improve business value. Müller et al. (2019) extended Martinsuo
and Geraldi’s (2020) perspective, suggesting that project management implementation
depends on the interaction of management of portfolios, programs, and projects that
collaborate to accomplish organizational goals. Integrating the project management office
with project governance and organizational structure can influence the development of
organizational project management (Müller et al., 2019).
Achieving project management governance and portfolio management
performance targets can provide data to improve the performance of future projects and
enhance business value. The success of projects improves competitive business
advantage. Project success may also be attributed to the sense-making perspective that
recognizes good governance structure, proven project management practices, and
construction methods (Brunet & Forgues, 2019). The performance of project portfolio
management can provide guidance and strategic value for a specific situation and impact
portfolio results (Yamakawa et al., 2018). Orlandi et al. (2020) supported Yamakawa et
al.’s (2018) assertions, providing insight into the significance of strategies, and stated that
the alignment of strategic planning and project management could impact the success of
portfolio management implementation.
Project governance and portfolio management strategies can assist businesses in
increasing value, balancing resources, maximizing productivity, and accomplishing
financial objectives (Saeed et al., 2021; Yamakawa et al., 2018). Adopting flexible
management in dynamic, complex organizational and business environments encourages
the selection of innovative strategies that increase project portfolio performance (Saeed et
al., 2021) and can affect project success. Project governance entails a dynamic
decisionmaking structure that promotes project prioritization and selection (Maceta &
Berssaneti, 2019). The governance of projects remains a flexible decision-making
approach that guides the prioritization and selection of projects (Maceta & Berssaneti,
2019). Prior researchers acknowledged that project governance and portfolio management
are concerned with return on investment, stakeholder satisfaction, and strategies linked
with objectives and goals that justify the business case and increase business value
(GarcíaMorales et al., 2020). The success of construction project portfolios influences
economic development, organizational profitability, and social benefits that improve
community employment opportunities (García-Morales et al., 2020). Project governance
guides and controls the portfolio, program, and development of strategic management
processes to accomplish projects in different sectors to achieve the organization’s
objectives and goals.
Agile Project Management
Project management requires agility and flexibility in application, and agile
project management has emerged as the new paradigm for delivering projects.
Radhakrishnan et al. (2022) examined the impact of agility principles and complex
adaptive systems theory on project success. A significant relationship exists between
project team autonomy, diversity, and client collaboration that correlated with project
agility’s influence on project success (Radhakrishnan et al., 2022). Researchers
acknowledge agile project management’s adaptability, inventiveness, and applicability
across different industries. Tam et al. (2020) investigated the correlation between team
capability, customer participation, and the effectiveness of agile project principles, and
van Oorschot et al. (2018) assessed the effects of repetitive cycle duration on project team
performance. Thus, team autonomy and continual client involvement can be essential to
completing agile projects successfully (Lappi, Karvonen, et al., 2018; Tam et al., 2020;
van Oorschot et al., 2018). The success of agile project management is essential to
business performance, success, and value.
Thesing et al. (2021) categorized project management strategies into a plan-driven
waterfall and adaptive agile. The agile approach outlines project goals within short-term
planning and supports project flexibility, allowing firms to adjust to changing client
needs. Additionally, waterfall and agile methodologies may interact to produce a hybrid
framework for project management decision-making (Thesing et al., 2021). Despite the
popularity of agile initiatives, existing studies demonstrate a dearth of studies on the
determinants that influence project agility (Radhakrishnan et al., 2022). The findings of
Radhakrishnan et al. may help agile project managers develop strategies to empower
teams, create innovative solutions, improve team selection, and identify required skills to
increase project success.
The use of agileproject management approach in information technology projects
has limitations and lacks universal use in construction projects (Radhakrishnan et al.,
2022). The delivery of projects in both industries may face similar failure and success
factors. Accepting change in construction industry management processes through the
agile project management lens can offer new management perspectives (Arefazar et al.,
2022). Prior researchers identified the impact of low construction industry production
levels on the economy, society, and the environment caused by a lack of performance in
architecture, engineering, and construction. The advances in building information
modeling and lean construction methods can improve construction productivity and
efficiency (Heigermoser et al., 2019). Further research can close the gap between the
successful use of agile principles in information and technology projects and the
traditional project management approach in construction projects.
Leadership Styles and Project Success
Leadership concepts are frameworks that help the understanding of leadership
style and practice. According to Vaagaasar et al. (2019), the leadership conceptual
framework impacts how project management leadership affects the project environment.
Leadership style impacts leadership in project management depending on workplace
interaction, project type, and construction project setting (Vaagaasar et al., 2019). Work
circumstances and leadership practices can influence decision-making in difficult
situations that may impact project outcomes.
The impact of leadership skills on project success using the project type as a
mediator suggests that managerial leadership skills and knowledge may impact the
growth and success of an organization (Podgórska & Pichlak, 2019). Moradi et al.
(2020) supported Podgórska and Pichlak’s (2019) findings regarding the importance of
managerial skills, knowledge, and competencies to accomplish the project and
organizational objectives. Management competence training emphasizes emotional
intelligence, dynamic managerial variables, and intellectual dimension as strategies to
improve management performance (Podgórska & Pichlak, 2019; Vaagaasar et al., 2019).
The researcher’s perspective supports the importance of project management knowledge,
management principles, and the use of appropriate leadership styles that can influence
successful project teams.
Humble and Servant Leadership. Prior researchers established the importance
of corporate culture, leadership style, the efficiency of resources management, the need
for management experience, and the development of strategies that influence project
success. Using the conversation of resources framework as a lens, Ali, Li, Durrani, et
al. (2021) evaluated the impact of humble leadership on project success and determined
that humble leadership can improve project success through mediation and moderation
processes. Humble and servant leadership behaviors are similar but not comparable;
project leaders do not always exhibit the qualities necessary for project success (Ali, Li,
Durrani, et al., 2021). A humble leadership style can enhance a resource-based culture
that utilizes the best resources to maximize project success and business performance
(Ali, Li, Durrani, et al., 2021). Therefore, developing strategies to employ
organizational resources efficiently is essential (Ali, Li, Khan, et al., 2021). To improve
performance, humble leaders may strengthen the organization’s culture and processes
that can influence team members’ self-sufficiency and improve project success.
Leaders can use human resource assets to improve organizational performance.
The leadership’s indirect and direct support influence the moderation of team-building
within an organization’s situation, and the leader’s knowledge and ability to develop
organizational strategies can support the project team’s success (Ali, Li, Khan, et al.,
2021). Humble leadership impacts project success, and as such, humble leadership
characteristics require self-evaluation, the recognition of strengths and weaknesses, and
flexibility to achieve objectives (Ali, Li, Khan, et al., 2021). Exploring new ideas and
using feedback to formulate organizational strategies in a specific situation can enhance
teamwork and project success.
Transformational Leadership. Humble and transformational leadership styles
focus on team-building perspectives. Through the social information processing lens,
Nauman et al. (2022) examined the mechanisms and situations that controlled
transformational leadership on projects’ success. Group inclusiveness, developing others,
encouragement, and charisma help to measure transformational leadership (Fareed & Su,
2022). Prior researchers established that collaborative partnerships and group cohesion
promote constructive debates and inspire innovative ideas. Team building can influence
the impact of transformational leadership on project success. The social information
processing theory supports the assumption that transformational leaders influence project
performance by motivating and inspiring team members to accomplish project objectives
(Nauman et al., 2022). Transformational leadership can improve employees’ motivation
and commitment while addressing teamrelated challenges (Northouse, 2019). Researchers
offered a contrasting viewpoint on transformational leadership. Without an enabling
organizational culture, businesses may not fully benefit from transformational leaders’
strategies to improve project outcomes (Nauman et al., 2022). Using team leadership
strategies and innovative ideas can successfully improve project performance.
Transformational leaders influence organizational and individual
transformation by developing appropriate strategies. The investigation of the link
between transformative leadership and multidimensional project success established a
relationship between transformative project leadership, adaptability, visibility, and
project success (Zaman et al., 2019). Visibility helps handle scheduling difficulties and
dependencies more efficiently in project management (Zaman et al., 2019). Thus,
transformative leaders can use project resources to adapt to the dynamic project
environment to accomplish project goals.
Ethical Leadership. Researchers have determined that trust can help ethical
leadership to influence project success. The social learning theory may demonstrate the
leaders’ trust and knowledge of ethical leadership (Bhatti et al., 2021). A gap exists in the
ethical leadership literature about project management practices that can guarantee project
team success, and project management is more important than organizing and regulating
processes (Bhatti et al., 2021). Ethical leadership is influenced by the leader’s credibility
and the ability to share information, and the two factors help establish a link between
ethical leadership and project performance success (Bhatti et al., 2021). Thus, leadership
values can be essential in efficiently managing project resources to achieve project goals.
Project leaders’ ethical conduct should promote ethical behavior and increase
project team cooperation and performance. The relationships between ethical
leadership behavior and project success are significant; servant, authentic,
transformational, and humble leadership styles effectively achieve project objectives
(Mubarak et al., 2022). Prior researchers found gaps and little attention in project
management literature addressing the role of ethical leadership in project success. The
project leaders’ direct and indirect ethical behavior could improve or impact project
success (Mubarak et al. (2022). The impact of immoral leadership behavior on project
success suggests that unethical behavior can affect decision-making and lead to
undesirable outcomes, and penalization may be used to mitigate unethical standards
(Mubarak et al., 2022). Ethical behavior by leaders and employees can lead to business
success in project-based companies (Mubarak et al., 2022). Leaders may use ethical
leadership strategies to motivate teams to complete projects successfully.
Balanced Leadership. Balanced leadership provides a perspective toward a
cross-functional leadership approach. Project managers can use the balanced leadership
approach to distribute horizontal leadership authority to influence different roles in
specific situations (Alonderienė et al., 2022). Due to its ability to change and adapt to
circumstances between vertical and horizontal leadership, balanced leadership may
provide value to project management (Sankaran et al., 2020). The balanced leadership
concept, a dynamic construct, may be used to select a project team member, identify and
empower leaders, share project governance, and encourage leadership transition between
vertical and horizontal leadership in the management of projects (Alonderienė et al.,
2022; Drouin et al., 2021). The balanced leadership concept explores and conceptualizes
theories that may develop leadership strategies contingent on the situation. Prior
researchers investigated balanced leadership theory and established that a balanced
leadership approach and characteristics are contingent on project situations and can
enhance the accomplishment of project objectives and goals (Drouin et al., 2021). Project
leaders can develop strategies that empower vertical and horizontal leaders to manage
projects efficiently (Drouin et al., 2021).
Nature of Hospitality Construction Projects and Leadership Strategies
The size, complexity, financial requirements, and nature of hospitality projects
or integrated resorts categorize them as mega-projects. The implementation and
execution of mega-projects require management strategies, cost billions of dollars, and
take more than a year to develop (Babaei et al., 2021; Hwang et al., 2020; Wang, Li, et
al., 2021). Globally integrated resorts cost billions of dollars in capital investment
(Damayanti et al., 2021). In Nevada, the United States, the budgets for the
construction of integrated resorts range between $1.66 billion and $4.6 billion (Okada,
2020), and the costs are comparable to mega-projects construction capital investments.
Prior researchers found that leaders use financial management strategies to manage
complex projects successfully. Project success in the hospitality industry depends on a
solid understanding of knowledge management, resource management, and financial
management strategies (Tshehla, 2019).
Project management success strategies are contingent upon sufficient resources,
stakeholder cooperation, good communication, support from project stakeholders, and
clear strategic goal (Wang, Xu, et al., 2023). Large-scale projects are transformational
and can face challenges during implementation. The challenges are characterized by
complexity, the need for competence in project management knowledge, and the nature
of projects that can impact the efficiency of delivering projects (Wang, Xu, et al., 2023).
However, the desired project management outcome is that successful projects achieve
functionality and performance, meet desired parameters and specifications, and
accomplish business and investors’ requirements.
Hospitality projects are complex in planning and implementation, and leaders can
develop a strategic project management approach to mitigate complexity and uncertainty
to execute projects successfully. In mega-project execution, leadership strategies should
address management knowledge and skills, resource availability, complexity
management, appropriate technology requirements, and greater participation of the
project team and stakeholders (Damayanti et al., 2021). The low performance of
megaprojects may be caused by the lack of knowledge of the project’s critical success
factors and success criteria (Wang, Xu, et al., 2023). A gap exists in current studies that
can explain the project management process of megaprojects from planning, design,
construction, integration, and operation (Denicol et al., 2020). The success criteria could
ensure the classification and assess organizational goals and construction project
management strategies and objectives.
There is a gap in the literature that addresses leadership strategies used in
constructing hospitality-integrated resort projects and classifying the developments as
mega-projects. Hospitality project management skills continue to become increasingly
crucial (Tshehla, 2019). The similarities between mega-projects and hospitalityintegrated
resorts are significant in terms of project size, capital value, complexity, and construction
duration (Tshehla,2019). Implementing time and cost management strategies in large-
scale projects is critical to mitigating project failure and enhancing project success
(Hwang et al., 2020). The successful management of integrated hospitality projects
enhances the country’s economic growth and impacts geographical locations, individuals,
and community livelihoods (Damayanti et al., 2021). The shape and form of hospitality-
integrated resort projects fit the mega-projects profile because of the requirements of
substantial physical and financial resources. Therefore, it is essential to explore strategies
leaders use to mitigate complexity and uncertainty in large-scale projects to close the
literature gap through further academic research.
Transition
Section 1 is the study’s foundation, and I provided the problem’s background,
problem statement, purpose statement, the nature of the study, research question, and
interview questions. This section also included specific detailed conceptual framework
information, operational definitions, assumptions, limitations, and delimitations of the
study. Also included in Section 1 are the detailed sections on the significance of the
study, contributions to business strategies and implications for social change, and the
academic literature review. The literature review encompassed an in-depth analysis of
contemporary project management articles and concluded by highlighting related themes
to the importance of (a) project management strategies and innovation, (b) factors that
contributed to project management success, (c) factors that contributed to project
management failure, (d) project governance and portfolio management influence to
project success, and (e) leadership to the success of projects to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the research topic.
In Section 2, the purpose of the study is restated, including an explanation of the
role of the researcher, the research method design, eligibility, and identification of the
participants. This section includes identifying the study’s population and an explanation
of sampling, ethical research justification, data collection and techniques, and data
organization methods. Section 2 concludes with discussions of the methods of ensuring
reliability and validity: the research findings and further research recommendations
presented in Section 3. Also, Section 3 includes applications of the findings in
professional practice and social change. Section 3 concludes with my reflections on the
study.
Section 2: The Project
Section 2 focuses on the processes and procedures I employed to collect research
data to explore and analyze the specific business problem. The beginning of Section 2
restates the purpose statement and explains my function and role as a researcher. The
research aimed to broaden the knowledge and perception that project leaders used to
develop strategies to deliver projects within budget and on time. Section 2 consists of
participants’ information on the research method and design, population and sampling,
ethical research practices, data collection instruments and techniques, data organization
procedures, data analysis, and research reliability and validity. A summary of Section 2
concludes Section 2 and transitions into Section 3 of the study.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects
within budget and on time. The sampled population consisted of five project management
leaders at the director level and above of four hospitality-integrated resorts in Nevada
who developed successful strategies to deliver construction projects within budget and on
time in their organization. The study’s findings could significantly promote positive
social change through providing employment, reducing poverty, and raising the
community’s livelihood. Hospitality businesses can help support social and educational
programs that could improve employability and reduce unemployment, starvation, and
homelessness, improving the general livelihood of the community.
Role of the Researcher
The role of a qualitative researcher is to collect data ethically from multiple
sources through interviews, archive documents, and physical artifacts (Yin, 2018). The
role of the researcher is to reflect on the ethical research approach, protect participants
through informed consent, and collect data using ethical standards (Cumyn et al., 2019).
My role was to design the research study method, protect and respect participants,
analyze data, and be the data collection instrument following the prescribed process.
Researchers should also disclose any difficulties and experiences faced during the
research to maintain clarity for readers (Dash & Verma, 2019). Reflexivity includes
recognizing the impact of the researcher’s role in research and taking responsibility for
actions that impact research (Reid et al., 2018). Researchers must acknowledge their
research role and connections to the topic and participants. I have worked in the design,
construction, and project management industry for over 20 years, and I understand
industrial processes. However, I have not worked for the hospitality organizations that I
included in my study that have conducted business in Nevada for more than 10 years.
Qualitative researchers select participants who are knowledgeable about the research
topic (Patino & Ferreira, 2018). However, I did not have a relationship with participants
working for these organizations. As a researcher, I followed research protocols and
values and harnessed reflexivity to mitigate bias in this study.
The American Psychological Association (2020) emphasized the need to (a)
accurately present research findings, (b) protect study participants’ morality, values, and
identities, and (c) protect intellectual property rights. The Belmont Report (1979)
addressed ethical principles that a researcher must adhere to when dealing with human
subjects (National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and
Behavioral Research, 1979). I followed the ethical guidelines outlined in The Belmont
Report created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1979) to protect
persons, beneficence, and justice. The beneficence principle involves researchers
maximizing the benefits of the research study while ensuring that they do not harm the
participants in any way (National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of
Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979). Justice entails demonstrating fairness to
human subjects in a research study (National Commission for the Protection of Human
Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979). My role as a researcher was to
respect participants as autonomous agents and protect their integrity. I engaged the
participants by explaining to them the informed consent process, obtaining their
approval via email, and ensuring adherence to ethical principles when conducting
research studies. I treated all participants fairly, ensured participant confidentiality, and
informed participants about the voluntary nature of their participation and the option to
withdraw at any stage of the study without having to provide a reason for such
withdrawal or suffering any negative consequences.
As a researcher, I also recognized and mitigated researcher and participant bias
using research protocols to achieve research quality. Research bias can be unintentional
in data collection and analysis (Connor & Evers, 2020). Bias threats can impact the
quality of academic research (McSweeney, 2021). I used member checking to validate
my summarized interpretations of the participants’ responses to interview questions and
to ensure that I did not misrepresent or include researcher biases in the participants’
data. As a researcher, I was responsible for interviewing enough participants to reach
data saturation.
Further, designing an effective interview protocol in qualitative research ensures
the gathering of rich data (Yeong et al., 2018). The use of interview protocols reduced the
digression from the research phenomenon. Interview protocols provide a framework that
guides the interview procedures, such as introductions, conduct, and conclusions (Abdel
Latif, 2019). I conducted my interviews where participants felt comfortable answering
questions openly. I used an ethical interview protocol structure (see the appendix),
member checking, and ensuring that participants met the research criteria selected to
achieve data saturation to reduce research bias in this research study.
Participants
I was responsible for determining the eligibility criteria for participants in my
research study. Establishing criteria for research participants can improve research quality
(Yin, 2018). To be eligible for this study, I selected project management leaders in the
hospitality industry who had implemented successful strategies to deliver construction
projects within budget and on time. The participants of this multiple case study consisted
of five project management leaders at the director level and above from the hospitality
industry in Nevada who had successfully implemented strategies to deliver construction
projects within budget and on time. The eligibility criteria to select the participants
included project management directors and above who had worked in the hospitality
industry, leading construction projects successfully for at least 5 years.
Qualitative research interviews can have positive effects on the participants (Garrels et
al., 2022). Gaining access to credible participants helped collect valuable data and
improved the success of research findings.
Recruiting participants is essential for the success of a research study (McGrath et
al., 2019), and various recruitment methods and processes are used to gain access to
participants (Johnson et al., 2020). Researchers attend conferences, seminars, and public
discussions relevant to their research topic to gain access to participants (Jarvis et al.,
2022; Telis et al., 2019). Facebook and LinkedIn are also social media platforms that
researchers can use to recruit participants in a timely and cost-effective manner and
increase access to other participants through the snowball effect (Stokes et al., 2019).
Researchers can also use online platforms, emailing, and video conferencing to recruit
and interview participants (Upadhyay & Lipkovich, 2020). I used emails, LinkedIn, and
Facebook to identify participants. To recruit participants, I emailed the director-level
participants and explained my study and eligibility criteria in detail. The email also
clarified participation expectations and the potential benefits of participating in my study.
I obtained director-level consent via email and conducted the interviews through Zoom
conferencing.
Building rapport with participants helped to establish a successful working
relationship. Exchanging emails between the researcher and participants helps build
rapport before interviews, making participants feel comfortable and relaxed, which
improves the acquisition of comprehensive data (Khalil & Cowie, 2020). Researchers
develop rapport with participants by asking open-ended questions, eliciting details, and
improving trust to enable participants to describe their experiences freely without bias
(Mirick & Wladkowski, 2019). I built rapport with my participants by engaging in
friendly conversations during the Zoom conference to gain their trust, openly expressing
the goal of my research, asking open-ended questions, inviting detailed responses, and
demonstrating an interest in their responses.
Research Method and Design
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies that leaders used to deliver hospitality construction projects within
the budget and on time. The research method should be described in detail to demonstrate
that credible research protocols were adopted and that other researchers can replicate
further studies (Johnson et al., 2020). I conducted a qualitative study to explore in-depth
experiences in specific real-life settings using selected study participants.
Research Method
Researchers use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research
methodologies to conduct studies (Strijker et al., 2020). Researchers use semistructured
interviews, archived records, documents, and artifacts in qualitative research to explore
and collect rich data about the research topic (Yin, 2018). Quantitative researchers use
systematic and empirical investigations to analyze the phenomenon (Basias & Pollalis,
2018) and investigate the relationship between variables (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020),
quantifying numerical data to explain an occurrence (Saunders et al., 2016). A
mixedmethod study has qualitative and quantitative characteristics in the research design
(Alavi et al., 2018; Tosuncuoglu, 2019). I chose the qualitative method because I
explored a phenomenon—the strategies that successful project leaders in the hospitality
industry used to complete construction projects within budget and on time. Researchers
gain meaningful insights into the qualitative investigation through interpretations and
explanations of experiences (Taquette & Borges da Matta Souza, 2022).
Research Design
The qualitative research method has a variety of research designs to collect data
that researchers use to conduct studies, such as case studies, ethnography,
phenomenology, and logical and grounded theory (Cypress, 2018; Moser & Korstjens,
2018). The phenomenological research design entails exploring lived experiences (Yin,
2018). The phenomenological research design was not appropriate for my research
because I did not explore data on participants’ lived experiences. The narrative research
design aims to understand a topic by developing individual stories of experiences about
the event (Mueller, 2019). A narrative study focuses on human lives and historical
experiences (Tomaszewski et al., 2020). I did not use the narrative research design
because my research was not focused on recounting personal stories and lived
experiences. The ethnographic research design studies cultural practices shared by groups
of people and patterns of social interaction (Tomaszewski et al., 2020). A researcher uses
an ethnographic research design to explore and understand the phenomenon and behavior
of cultural groups (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020). My study did not explore cultural
interactions for specific social groups. Therefore, the ethnographic research design was
not appropriate.
I chose the multiple case study design to conduct this research study. Researchers
utilize case studies as a research design to comprehensively understand a phenomenon in
its real-life context (Yin, 2018). Scholars use the how, why, and what questions in case
studies to explore the research topic (Mohajan, 2018). Case study research can be
conducted as a single case or multiple cases to collect data from multiple sources
(Harwati, 2019). Multiple case studies allow a broader discovery of the research topic
than the single case study method by comparing similarities and differences (Ridder,
2017).
A researcher achieves data saturation when new data generates insignificant
information to answer the study topic (Guest et al., 2020). Failure to reach data saturation
impacts the quality of the research and impedes content validity (Gill, 2020). To reach
data saturation, the researcher must acquire enough information so that no further coding
occurs (Gill, 2020). I interviewed the participants and reviewed documents from public
websites. I reached data saturation when additional data collection did not lead to new
themes, and the information began to repeat itself.
Population and Sampling
Purposeful sampling entails the researcher using their best judgment to select the
right participants, documents, artifacts, and information-rich data that provide insights,
evidence, and an in-depth understanding of the research study (Staller, 2021). The
purposive sampling method is a research strategy to recruit participants that will yield
rich data using limited research resources (Campbell et al., 2020). I chose the purposive
sampling method for selecting participants for my research study and obtaining rich data
from the participants. I also recruited participants using snowballing sampling because
the purposive sampling method did not yield the minimum number of participants for
my research (see Gill, 2020; Parker et al., 2019).
Prior to data collection, qualitative researchers must decide on the sample size
(Gill, 2020). A multiple case study requires four to six participants to provide better
analytical results (Yin, 2018). I recruited five eligible leaders with knowledge and
experience in the hospitality construction industry and who had successfully used
management strategies to deliver projects within the budget and time for my study. The
participants included project management directors and above with project management
knowledge who had worked in the hospitality construction industry for at least 5 years.
In qualitative research, data saturation occurs when researchers have collected all
relevant data and cannot obtain more data for the study (Alam, 2021). To reach data
saturation, I continued interviewing study participants and reviewing public company
documents and websites until data stopped yielding new information relevant to the
research topic. Personal interviews yield valuable data when selected participants
volunteer information (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020). The research should allow the
participants to choose a comfortable setting to discuss their experiences, which enables
them to provide detailed information during the interview (Mirick & Wladkowski, 2019).
Zoom conferencing allows interviews to be conducted in a comfortable
environment setting (Boland et al., 2022). Video conferencing interviews are viable data
collection methods due to the visual interaction between participant and researcher
(Khalil & Cowie, 2020). The interview location was in a natural environment with which
the participant was familiar and offered minimal distractions, easily accessible, and a
comfortable setting. Due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, I
conducted Zoom video conference interviews to provide flexibility and improved
accessibility to the participants.
Ethical Research
Ethical considerations entail using the informed consent process to guide research
design that protects researchers and participants. Using the informed consent form
ensures that participants are informed about the purpose, methodology, expected results
of the study, their involvement as participants in the study, and how the research study
will be published (Husband, 2020). In research, ethical considerations include (a)
accurately presenting research findings, (b) protecting study participants’ morality,
values, and identities, and (c) protecting intellectual property rights (American
Psychological Association, 2020). I maintained ethical integrity throughout my research
and followed Walden University’s IRB guidelines to protect participants’ privacy.
I outlined the goals of the study, potential risks, privacy, voluntary nature of the
study, and interview procedures in the informed consent form. Participants consented by
responding to an email acknowledging their participation in the voluntary study. I
provided each participant with a copy of the interview protocol, which detailed the
procedure and expectations (see the appendix). Ethical standards guide the research
protocol based on guaranteeing personal freedom and rights (Taquette & Borges da Matta
Souza, 2022), and the researcher must inform participants of their right to leave the study
at any time, including deleting any collected data (Anabo et al., 2019). I also discussed
the rights of participants to withdraw from the research study at any time without giving a
reason. The informed consent process provides researchers with guidelines for ethical
research standards that respect human subjects, and I protected the participants’
confidentiality by following ethical research guidelines and methods.
Researchers can offer incentives to encourage individuals to participate in a
research study. While incentives to promote participation are not unethical, they may be
controversial because it is unknown whether incentives attract undesirable volunteers or
make participants less conscious of the research study’s risks (Halpern et al., 2021). I did
not offer incentives to recruit participants; instead, I established rapport, built trust, and
maintained ethical integrity with participants. Protecting human subjects in a research
study remains a priority in ethical decision-making, achieved through anonymity and
confidentiality (Lippe et al., 2019). To maintain confidentiality, I used coding P1, P2, P3,
and P4 to protect participants and 1, 2, 3, and 4 for organizations in my research study to
protect participants’ and organizations’ identities. The study’s text, appendix, and table of
contents list the agreement documents.
I will store the research data on a password-protected flash drive, computer, and
audio recordings in a lockable cabinet only accessible to me in my home office for 5
years to protect participants and data integrity. After 5 years, I will delete data from my
personal computer and flash drive, erase audio recordings, and destroy all documents. My
doctoral study includes Walden University’s IRB approval number 02-15-23-1052045 to
comply with ethical research requirements.
Data Collection Instruments
In a qualitative study, the researcher collects and analyzes data to achieve the
research goals (Alam, 2021). The researcher is the primary data collection instrument in
qualitative research (Yin, 2018). I was the primary data collection instrument in this
study, conducting interviews and reviewing public websites. Interviews can take different
formats, including semistructured, informal, or structured (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020; Yin,
2018). For this study, I conducted semistructured Zoom conferencing interviews that
allowed the collection of data-rich information from participants’ responses. In
qualitative research, semistructured interviews are standard data collection methods
( Hartwell et al., 2019). Also, using organizational documents in qualitative research
provides access to rich data that improves the value of the research (Morgan, 2022). I
asked participants eight open-ended research questions and reviewed public documents in
this study.
An interview protocol is essential for gathering information pertinent to the
research topic within a time frame (Yeong et al., 2018). Using open-ended questions and
interview protocols and understanding the meaning of participants’ responses can help
identify themes and connections applicable to the study from the collected data (Peterson,
2019). I used the interview protocol in the appendix of this study and eight logical
openended research questions to interview leaders who used strategies to complete
hospitality construction projects within budget and time. Before the interview, I also
provided the participants with a copy of the interview protocol, which explained the
expectations of the interview process. Researchers use multiple case studies to identify
different perspectives of participants and search for patterns in qualitative research
(Peterson, 2019). Multiple data sources provide the depth needed for qualitative analysis
(Yin, 2018). In addition to conducting semistructured interviews, I reviewed documents
from public websites and did not get access to leadership meeting minutes and project
reports.
The dimensions of reliability and validity are of central importance in determining
the quality of qualitative research (Quintão et al., 2020). The triangulation method
improves qualitative research reliability and validity by using different data sources
(Moon, 2019). I conducted methodological triangulation by comparing data obtained
from semistructured interviews with data obtained from public website documents and
determined that data alignment had occurred.
Additionally, researchers use member checking to validate participants’ responses
(FitzPatrick, 2019). Member checking is an instrument qualitative researchers use to
determine the accuracy of their interpretations of participants’ responses (Candela, 2019).
In this qualitative study, I used the member checking strategy to improve the
trustworthiness of the data I collected. After transcribing and interpreting data collected
through semistructured interviews, I asked study participants to review my summarized
interpretations of their answers to interview questions to confirm the accuracy of my
interpretations. Member checking is an essential process of triangulation methodologies
(Candela, 2019), and conducting the member checking process also reduces data
misinterpretation and misunderstandings and helps identify researcher biases in collected
data (FitzPatrick, 2019).
Data Collection Technique
Researchers can use interview techniques such as face-to-face, focus groups,
observation (Natow, 2020), Zoom conferencing (Archibald et al., 2019), telephone,
email, and online chat (Saarijärvi & Bratt, 2021) to collect research data. Researchers use
semistructured interviews as a systematic research tool in social science studies (Kaliber,
2019). Zoom videoconferencing enables qualitative researchers to reach unreachable
participants without incurring significant expenses (Boland et al., 2022). To obtain
quality data and improve participants’ experience, the researcher should consider
potential technical issues, proper planning, privacy, and establishing rapport with
participants (Boland et al., 2022). Walden University’s IRB approved using face-to-face,
focus groups, observation, Zoom conferencing, and telephone interview approaches. For
this study, I conducted interviews using Zoom conferencing data collection instruments
and the interview protocol found in the appendix. Before conducting the interviews, I
asked the participants to choose the interview method they were comfortable with and
preferred. I utilized eight open-ended questions to obtain information in the interviews.
Before each interview, I informed the participants that the interview would be recorded
and asked them to consent via email. Additional data collection methods entailed
reviewing documents from public websites on project leadership and artifacts—the
interview protocol for this study is detailed in the appendix.
Researchers found that Zoom conferencing and face-to-face meetings offer
equivalent quality interviews, and video conferencing in qualitative study enables
convenience, flexibility, access to several participants in a short period, screen sharing,
and recording of interviews (Gray et al., 2020). Using Zoom conferencing increases
favorable participant experiences, which helps researchers collect valuable data (Gray et
al., 2020). Zoom conferencing interviews provide the participant with a comfortable
setting and allow the interviewer to observe the nonverbal communication (Gray et al.,
2020). Using the virtual Zoom interview technique to collect data provides advantages
such as convenience, putting participants at ease, building rapport, a friendly
environment, and obtaining valuable information from responses (Archibald et al.,
2019;
Hamilton & Finley, 2019).
The use of Zoom interviews also has disadvantages. Disadvantages of
videoconferencing for interviews include technical difficulties, increased hardware and
software costs, and proficiency in using the Zoom platform (Gray et al., 2020).
Conducting interviews using virtual Zoom tools can be impacted by video and audio
quality, which affects data integrity and quality (Archibald et al., 2019). Using public
company documents is an advantage of obtaining secondary data from archived records,
which are easily accessible (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020). The disadvantage could be limited
access and censorship of documents due to company secrets, which impact access to
valuable data. Another disadvantage of using data from documents is that the researcher
must evaluate the data’s accuracy, data collection timeliness, data relevance, and data
cost (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020).
Also, another disadvantage is that published documents contain data that can be
biased in favor of the company. During the informed consent process, I requested access
from participants to review public company documents relevant to this study. After I
received my IRB approval letter, I contacted eligible participants to provide their consent
through email before I began data collection. I did not conduct a pilot study due to limited
time and resources. Pilot studies require time and financial resources (Lowe, 2019). After
the interviews, I summarized and interpreted the recorded data. Researchers used the
member checking technique to ensure the study’s integrity, validity, and trustworthiness
(Motulsky, 2021). Member checking improves the accuracy of data interpretation,
validity, and credibility (FitzPatrick, 2019). I conducted member checking by providing
participants with my summarized interpretations of their answers to interview questions
and asking them to review the accuracy of my interpretations.
Data Organization Technique
Data organization provides a reasoning approach to label collected information
methodically (Baroni & Riveret, 2019). Organizing data helps researchers track data in a
systematic and logical process. Researchers organize data using Microsoft Word and
Excel while preserving its context (Skjott Linneberg & Korsgaard, 2019). I used
Microsoft Word to transcribe interviews and NVivo to organize and analyze transcripts to
find themes. I labeled and coded data to improve data sorting and structuring and made
the data easily accessible and retrievable. The coding process helps to systematically
label data, which enables the storage of collected data in labeled folders (Skjott Linneberg
& Korsgaard, 2019). For this study, I labeled folders with codes to maintain participants’
privacy and confidentiality and their companies’ privacy. I used P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5
codes to protect participants and numeric codes 1, 2, 3, and 4 for organizations. P1
worked for organization 1, P2 worked for organization 2, P3 and P4 worked for
organization 3, and P5 worked for organization 4. Recorded files, transcribed data,
interview notes, and company information were coded and stored in a passwordprotected
computer along with the physical copies in a locked cabinet. All the research data will be
stored for 5 years and destroyed after 5 years, as required by Walden
University’s guidelines.
Data Analysis
Qualitative data analysis entails concluding raw data collected from interviews to
provide meaning (Yin, 2018). Also, analyzing data involves categorizing, assembling,
and disassembling data, interpreting data, and providing conclusions (Yin, 2018).
Triangulation helps analyze data from different sources in data analysis to improve
validity and reliability, making the study results credible, dependable, confirmable, and
transferable (Moon, 2019). Triangulation can help validate multiple case study research
by analyzing multiple data sets (Farquhar et al., 2020; Fusch et al., 2018). Researchers
can use four types of triangulation methods in qualitative case study research: (a)
investigator triangulation, (b) data triangulation, (c) theoretical triangulation, and (d)
methodological triangulation (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020; Farquhar et al., 2020; Yin, 2018).
I chose methodological triangulation to analyze data from semistructured interviews and
documents from public websites. Data triangulation can aid in explaining the relationship
between the participants’ views in a specific time frame and space using multiple data
sources (Farquhar et al., 2020). I conducted methodological triangulation by comparing
member-checked data with public documents and determined that data alignment had
occurred.
Researchers commonly use the thematic analysis method to analyze data in
qualitative research. Using multiple case study data sources helps identify emerging
themes that can substantiate the validity and reliability of the research (Peterson, 2019).
The thematic analysis approach can help researchers understand participants’
experiences, meanings, and realities (Lochmiller, 2021). Researchers use coding to
identify, codify, and interpret themes that support the research topic (Williams & Moser,
2019). Data coding entails using a computer-based software system that assists
researchers in identifying theme patterns of codes and links within primary and secondary
data, reducing errors (Dalkin et al., 2021). I used Yin’s (2018) 5-step approach to analyze
data for this study. Data analysis involves compiling, disassembling, reassembling,
interpreting, and concluding the data collected (Yin, 2018). Qualitative data analysis
entails data reduction, coding, categorizing data, presentation, and conclusion (Bougie &
Sekaran, 2020). I used Yin’s 5-step approach of compiling, disassembling, reassembling,
interpreting, and concluding to analyze data collected from multiple sources.
NVIVO, MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and Excel are software programs commonly
used in qualitative research to help streamline data analysis (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018).
I chose the NVivo 12 software tool for my research study. I used the NVivo 12 software
tool to analyze member-checked data and company documents to identify themes,
subthemes, and patterns from the participants’ responses to interview questions. Tying
themes to relevant literature and the conceptual framework strengthens thematic analysis
in qualitative research (Kiger & Varpio, 2020). I grouped themes and coding patterns to
assist in enhancing correct data interpretation.
Thematic analysis is relevant to the conceptual framework and research questions
that inquire about what, why, and how of a phenomenon (Lochmiller, 2021). Also, data
might have positive and negative themes (Yin, 2018). In this study, I coded negative
themes not aligned with the research topic, literature review, or conceptual framework as
further research options. I focused on positive themes derived from my data analysis that
are relevant to my study and aligned them with this research study’s literature review
and conceptual framework. I also provided conclusions for this study.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity are essential aspects that enhance the quality of a research
study. While validity measures the accuracy of results obtained in exploring the research
topic, reliability measures the consistency with which investigations from the same
research design can yield the same results (Bougie & Sekaran, 2020). Reliability
encompasses four criteria: (a) dependability, (b) creditability, (c) transferability, and (d)
confirmability (Yin, 2018). Validity involves tests of (a) construct validity, (b) internal
validity, and (c) external validity (Yin, 2018). A qualitative research study’s reliability
and validity ensure the data is accurate and trustworthy (Sadik, 2019). Validity and
reliability factors are considered and accounted for in research studies.
Reliability
The multiple case study can be improved using research design protocols such as
recording interviews, coding the participants’ responses, and using analytical techniques
for data analysis (Quintão et al., 2020). Dependability and reliability have a significant
relationship in qualitative research. Researchers can demonstrate transparency and
replicability while avoiding deceptive assumptions and interpretations to improve the
reliability of a research study (Yin, 2018). To improve the reliability of my study, I used
methodological triangulation, software systems to reduce errors, and member checking to
validate the summarized interpretations. I used the research data from semistructured
interviews and publicly available documents for methodological triangulation to
substantiate the study’s results and enhance the study’s accuracy, credibility,
dependability, and data saturation for this study. The semistructured interviews were
recorded and included open-ended questions aligned with the study’s conceptual
framework and research topic. Researchers can improve a study’s dependability by
properly coding, evaluating, and interpreting data (Saunders et al., 2016). After
summarizing the interviews, I requested participants to review my interpretations of their
responses. Conducting the member checking process allows respondents to substantiate
the summarized interview interpretations (Coleman, 2022). I used NVivo 12 software to
code the data collected and identify themes, sub-themes, and link patterns.
Validity
Validity is an essential component of qualitative research. Credibility measures
the consistency of findings with reality (Stahl & King, 2020). The alignment of the study
with the research topic, research methods, context, and detailed research analysis
increases credibility (Nassaji, 2020). The value of research findings occurs by the
researcher’s ability to demonstrate credibility and trustworthiness (Sadik, 2019). Thus,
using the member checking process and methodological triangulation can enhance
credibility by evaluating the accuracy of summarized interpretations of interview
transcripts and outlining discrepancies. Another technique to enhance credibility is the
ability of the researcher to collect rich data by building trust and rapport with the
participant (Saunders et al., 2016). Using computer software and systems also enhances
credibility by eliminating manual errors. NVivo 12 computer-based software improves
the quality of research findings and the credibility of the results (Alam, 2021). I used
NVivo 12 to improve the credibility of my research findings because using the software
helped mitigate human errors.
The validity of qualitative research tools enhances the understanding and
transferability of study findings (Sadik, 2019). Rigorous qualitative research should
produce rich data, thorough interpretation, and transferable data (Amin et al., 2020).
Aligning the research design method, research questions, interpretations, and findings,
which allows the application of the research to future studies, improves transferability
(Nassaji, 2020; Saunders et al., 2016). I provided a complete description of the research
question, research method, design, findings, and interpretations, including the contextual
boundaries of the research to demonstrate transferability. I used interview protocols,
thematic analysis, NVivo 12 software analysis, and member checking to enhance the
transferability of my research study.
Confirmability refers to the dependability of the researcher’s investigation and
findings (Nassaji, 2020). I enhanced confirmability and trust in this research study by
conducting thorough member checking and methodological triangulation of interviews
and public website documents. Keeping records of methods used and decisions made
about coding data and the analysis process will help others evaluate accuracy and
confirmation in data audits (Nassaji, 2020). I used semistructured interviews, open-ended
questions, and probing questions to obtain rich data responses. I analyzed data collected
from interviews and public website documents to confirm data accuracy through
methodological triangulation and member checking. In my research study, I also used the
researcher’s reflectivity to mitigate personal bias.
Researchers conceptualize that data saturation is achieved in a study when
investigations no longer yield new themes, codes, and information from interviews and
archive data (Sebele-Mpofu, 2020). I summarized data collected from interviews using
the participants’ exact words and had my written interpretations member checked for
accuracy. Member checking helps to validate the accuracy of summarized interpretations
of data collected through interviews (Sadik, 2019). Thematic saturation depends on
obtaining data from multiple participants (LaDonna et al., 2021). I reached data
saturation when information obtained from the interviews began to repeat itself, and no
new themes emerged. I used methodological triangulation to analyze public website
documents and interview data to compare emerging themes. Reaching data saturation
improved my study’s reliability, credibility, and validity.
Transition and Summary
Project management strategies leaders used to deliver hospitality construction
projects within budget and on time were explored in this qualitative multiple case study.
In Section 2, I presented discussions of (a) the purpose statement, (b) the role of the
researcher, (c) research participants, (d) the researcher’s method and design of the study,
(e) population and sampling, (f) ethical research, (g) data collection, (h) the organization
of data, and (i) data analysis. I concluded Section 2 with an explanation of how I
conducted an ethical research study to ensure credibility, transferability, confirmability,
and data saturation.
Section 3 outlines the purpose of the study and a summary of the research study’s
findings from data collection related to the research topic. Section 3 also consists of the
evaluation of findings in this study, applicability to professional practice, implications for
social change, recommendations for action, and future research. Section 3 concludes with
a summary, observations, and reflections on the process of this study.
Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change
Introduction
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects
within budget and on time. The participants for the study included five eligible hospitality
project leaders who successfully developed project management strategies to complete
hospitality construction projects within budget and on time in Nevada. The protection of
the participants’ privacy in this study consisted of using the following coding: P1, P2, P3,
P4, and P5. P1 worked for Organization 1, P2 worked for Organization 2, P3 and P4
worked for Organization 3, and P5 worked for Organization 4. I conducted
semistructured interviews using Zoom interviews to collect data from the participants,
and I used public website sources to obtain secondary data. After using thematic analysis,
four themes emerged: project success criteria, effective communication, risk
identification and mitigation, and effective project implementation. In this section, I
present the four themes.
Presentation of the Findings
The overarching research question for this study was “What project management
strategies do project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects within the
budget and on time?” The contingency theory developed by Fiedler (1964) was the
conceptual framework for this study. I conducted five Zoom conference interviews using
open-ended questions with participants to answer the central research question. The
selection criteria for participants focused on hospitality industry project leaders at director
level and above who have worked in project management leading construction projects
for at least 5 years. I collected data from five participants until no new information
emerged after the last interview.
Data saturation occurs when no new themes or information present themselves
from the data collection process (Fusch et al., 2018). I also obtained documents from
public websites and triangulated the information with interview data to enhance the
study’s credibility and reliability. Data triangulation improves the study’s validity and
helps researchers interpret and evaluate data (Daniel, 2019). I recorded and transcribed all
the interviews verbatim, and I conducted a member checking process. After analyzing the
primary and secondary data collected and using methodological triangulation, the
following key themes emerged: (a) project success criteria, (b) effective communication,
(c) risk identification and mitigation, and (d) effective project implementation.
Theme 1: Project Success Criteria
The first theme that emerged from data analysis was project success criteria. P4
explained that “in order to do a project on time successfully, you have to collaborate with
your colleagues and other departments.” P4 also described how to determine project
success: “if a project finishes on time and budget and exceeds the expectations of the
client, and is a joy for the customers to use, that is how I judge the success of the project.”
P2 explained successfulness in project implementation, stating that “we need to manage
everyone’s expectations.”
P1 also acknowledged that “budget is always a challenge” in project delivery. P2
described the criteria used to determine project success, noting, “Were you on budget, on
time, and understanding what your goal is?” Also, P2 noted that deciding the success
factor to control time and budget, stating, “Is it a time or is it budget or is it quality.” P3
also stated that “procurement management, schedule management, budget management,
and change management is a huge deal” during project implementation to deliver projects
within budget and on time. P3 used the example of managing “cost control, keeping your
costs up to date, making sure you know exactly where you are with your contractors and
schedule management,” a management strategy to track budget and time.
P3 also mentioned the strategy to “break the project into smaller projects” to
organize work into manageable sections aligned with cost and time to enhance project
success. P1 mentioned the strategic use of technology in projects, stating that “you can
quickly track when drawings came out” and “can quickly get my message across,” which
enhances project delivery success. P2’s and P3’s responses suggest that the strategic use
of technology, collaboration, tracking costs and time, and identifying project components
is critical for completing projects within budget and on time. P2 explained the importance
of understanding the “design process,” stating that “it is the least expensive part of a
project, but it is also the most critical to the project, and it is the most critical in helping
the success of a project.” P2 stated that it is essential to plan “more time upfront on the
design to make sure that things are coordinated.” P5 explained the need to focus on the
project objectives, stating that “staying focused on the end goal, which is the biggest
overarching concept for these projects, is to deliver a building that hits the market and is
the best product that you can put out there.” From P2’s and P5’s responses, successful
projects are achieved using design management and focusing on project goals.
P5 also identified the use of teams as a strategy, explaining that “the key factor to
real success is having a good team that can kind of cover all those bases.” P5 also stated
that “the rhythm that you create with the project, which is your owner architect and
contractor meetings and your coordination with both the owner and the design team, are
really critical to the success.” P4 stated, “If you do not have effective project
management, the outcome of the project is not going to be as solid as you wanted it to
be.” There are challenges to project success, and P2 explained that “the number one way
a project fails is the lack of knowledge of what needs to be done.” In their responses, P2,
P4, and P5 mentioned the need to build effective project teams, coordinate stakeholders,
possess project knowledge, and implement effective management processes vital to the
success of projects.
Theme 1 supports the findings of prior scholarly work. According to the literature,
project success critical factors include (a) budget, (b) schedule, (c) improved quality, (d)
operations satisfaction, (e) team performance, (f) product quality, (g) leadership ability,
and (h) experience (Lamprou & Vagiona, 2022). The success criteria of a project
encompass the achievement of predetermined objectives related to time, budget, and
quality (Macheridis, 2022). The broad contingency theory principles posits that there is
no singular approach to management. By identifying critical project success factors, such
as budget, schedule, and quality, project leaders can develop strategies to address the
needs of the specific project situation. Based on the contingency theory, internal and
external circumstances and situations influence leadership decisions and actions (Childs
et al., 2022). In order to assess the success criteria of a project, leaders may employ an
efficient management approach that demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in response
to the dynamic internal and external project environment. The practice is consistent with
contingency theory principles, which underscores the significance of tailoring
management practices to suit the specific circumstances and requirements of the project
situations (Fiedler, 1967).
The success of the project occurs contingent upon various elements, including
stakeholder perspectives, contextual project characteristics, and project circumstances
(Iriarte & Bayona, 2020). Leaders may utilize project success criteria factors to develop
strategies that contribute to project success. By developing the strategies, leaders can
establish a leadership and management style adaptable to the specific project
environment. The responses from all participants demonstrated that there is no single way
to manage the project budget and time; thus, project success may depend on how
leadership style suits the project situation.
Previous researchers also confirmed the negative impact of mismanagement of the
project’s critical success factors. Mismanagement of project success factors, time, and
cost causes project delays (Narayanan et al., 2019). The responses from P3, P4, and P5,
the requirement for collaboration, cost control, schedule management, and effective teams
focused on project goals, suggest that the elements remain critical for project success.
Previous researchers emphasized the importance of the interrelation between project
management practices and project success (Gomes et al., 2021; Hwang et al., 2020). Prior
research found that project manager competencies are contingent on the project’s
environment and are interrelated with project success (Iriarte & Bayona, 2020; Moradi et
al., 2020).
Previous researchers also identified stakeholder satisfaction as essential to
measuring project success (Saad et al., 2022). The engagement of stakeholders and
project teams has a positive effect on project success (Saad et al., 2022). Delivering
complex projects requires stakeholder collaboration (Ashkanani & Franzoi, 2022).
According to the Project Management Institute (2017), quality failure has inherent costs,
and project success is the project team’s responsibility. The lack of managing stakeholder
conflicts causes project delays, and stakeholder management is a critical factor in project
management (Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020). In the hospitality industry, project owners are
concerned about project quality and performance that meet the customers’ needs
(Tshehla, 2019). Project leaders formulate strategies to engage with project owners, the
operations team, and stakeholders to successfully deliver projects aligned with business
objectives (Damayanti et al., 2021; Wang, Xu, et al., 2023). Previous research supports
the use of meetings in projects (Tereso et al., 2019). Communication is an essential
project management competency for project success (Alvarenga et al., 2020).
Collaborating with stakeholders, reducing stakeholder conflict, and participating in
project delivery are critical factors in determining project success (Ashkanani & Franzoi,
2022; Durdyev & Hosseini, 2020).
The documents reviewed from public websites revealed that meeting the project
budget and timely completion are crucial factors contributing to project success.
Completing projects within budget and on time remains essential to project success (Tao
et al., 2022). The meeting of the project budget, schedule, scope, and quality defined as
project management illustrates success from public website documents. The notes taken
during interviews also captured keywords, such as delivering projects within budget and
on time, as the criteria to measure project success. Project budget, time, and achieving
objectives remain essential parts of the variables used to measure project success (Ciric
Lalic et al., 2022).
According to information from public websites, the project leaders are responsible
for managing changes related to project budgets and timelines to improve project success.
Project budget management, planning, and control are essential in project management
(Molinari et al., 2023). Also, according to the information from the public websites,
project leaders who also serve as developers have the potential to enhance project value
by ensuring the timely and cost-effective delivery of projects. Effective communication
of project budget and time remains critical to project success. Theme 2 includes an
examination of the participants’ perspectives dealing with effective communication.
Theme 2: Effective Communication
The second theme that emerged from data analysis was effective communication.
P4 discussed the communication of project goals, stating that “from a project
management point of view, it is important that the goals are well understood early on and
that the criteria are gathered efficiently and appropriately.” P5 stated that “the strategies
well, you have to be good at communication,” which “is always the key to all the projects
and good project management.” P1 explained that “the higher up in organizations you can
deal with people on large projects, the better off you are going to be.” P2 stated that “it is
a lot of reinforcing talking; we do a lot of lessons learned around the table; what has gone
wrong and what has gone right.” P2 also explained that “listen to the people around you,
listen to the architects, listen to the contractors, listen to your operators” to understand the
critical points and communicate. P1’s, P4’s, and P5’s responses in communicating with
the right people, communicating goals, and the quality of communication remain critical
factors in delivering projects within budget and on time.
Effective communication enhances the conveying of project goals to project
stakeholders. P3 explained what communication entails, noting that “it is about being
able to accurately identify the problem because I think a lot of times people just react
instead of really looking at what the problem is.” P4 explained the challenges faced
without practicing effective communication. Participant 4 shared,
The team did not understand or not as experienced, and they did not know how to
make the right decisions; the project gets either delayed or the next phase gets
compromised because you are having to go back and rework stuff.
P5 explained the importance of “communication and execution” as a vital factor
in delivering projects successfully. P4 noted the impact of lack of information, explaining
that “lack of providing us direction is holding this project from being able to be delivered
on time.” P2 stated the importance of strategic planning, explaining that “the key is
planning early, being able to discuss when you want a project open.” The collaboration
process potentially influences effective communication. P1 noted a communication
strategy using meetings: “a lot of times we have meetings to address those things.” P1
asked, “How often are the owners of the companies pulled to a table together to try to get
to a common goal?” From the participants’ responses P1 and P2, conducting meetings,
working toward a “common goal,” and communicating project plans early remain
essential strategies for delivering projects within budget and on time.
P2 supported the strategy of using meetings in communication and mentioned the
following: “An example of a management strategy would be having our owner, architect,
and contractor meetings weekly, making sure that we are all talking to each other.” P1
provided a strategy example of effective communication: “simply put, the strategy of
making an effort to talk to folks and run the issues to the ground quickly” is essential for
project success. P3 further stated the purpose of conducting meetings, noting that “we
brought everybody into the meeting, we were able to take the top 10-15 really key
elements, talk through each one of them, solve them, and be able to release them.” P1 also
stated that “one of my strategies is I like to talk and touch base and be hands-on with
people.” P4 explained the importance of communicating directly with stakeholders: “You
have to have personal meetings with them, so you know if it is not getting the right kind
of information from the client, you have to directly reach out to them.” P1’s and P4’s
responses demonstrate the need to communicate directly with stakeholders to deliver
projects within budget and on time.
P1 mentioned the impact of using technology in communication, stating that “you
can quickly track” information using the examples of “drawings and submittals.” P3
stated the impact of using technology, explaining that “there is a lot of great process
technology, and there is a lot of great modeling technology used.” P1 also explained the
use of simple software that “can quickly get a message across and can be quite simple but
quite effective.” P2 explained the impact of using technology to communicate design
work, stating that “it has left us with details that are lacking detail. I wonder if it has
removed true knowledge and skill of how a building is put together, how to design it and
draw it.” However, P4 mentioned the advantage of using technology in managing the
communication process, stating, “we use Procore for the document management system,
and that is really a nice technology.” In their responses, P1 and P4 explained the use of
technology to communicate project information between the project stakeholders to
deliver projects within budget and on time. P2 provided an insight into the impact of
technological applications on design production that affects the successful delivery of
projects within budget and on time.
Effective communication enhances the conveying of project goals to project
stakeholders. The five participants’ responses drew attention to the importance of
communication strategies in project management processes to enhance the delivery of
projects within budget and on time. Influential leaders must retain excellent
communication and decision-making skills (Fiedler, 1967). Furthermore, Fiedler
described the relationship between practical communication skills and style, which is
contingent upon the project environment and situation, including factors of leadership,
management style, flexibility, and adaptation to the dynamics of the project.
Contingency theory encompasses good leadership, which remains not universally
applicable but contingent upon the specific project circumstances (Fiedler, 1967). When
used in conjunction with the contingency theory applications, the communication context
may suggest that adaptive and flexible communication approaches may achieve different
strategies (Mazzei et al., 2022). Contingency theory requires the need for flexibility and
adaptability in managing projects. The communication between project teams may
influence project success by evaluating the project situation and analyzing project
circumstances and contingency factors.
Effective project communication positively impacts project delivery processes
(Safapour et al., 2019; Setiawan et al., 2021); the findings aligned with the five
participants’ responses regarding the role that effective communication plays in
delivering projects within budget and on time. Furthermore, the contingency theory
principles imply that communication's effectiveness remains contingent upon project
stakeholders’ collaboration efforts. The effectiveness of communication depends on
factors such as leadership and management style, the specific situation of the project, the
flexibility of project leaders, and their capacity to adapt to dynamic project environments
(Safapour et al., 2021), also discussed by P1 and P4. Contingency theory complements
organic communication and integration methods, adding flexibility in managing projects
(Barbosa et al., 2021). All five participants’ discussed different ways of communicating
and processing information that worked in different situations, which supports the
contingency theory approach that communication and decision-making remain contingent
on real-life situations. Effective communication in project management is essential to
achieving project objectives (Ingle & Mahesh, 2022).
Team members’ conversations improve project communication, including
tracking project issues and achieving stakeholder requirements (Project Management
Institute, 2017). P2 explained that communicating “lessons learned” with project teams
aids in improving the delivery of future projects. Project team members and stakeholder
communication remain essential for planning and decision-making to achieve project
requirements (Al Nahyan et al., 2019). Also, communication remains a critical process
for project success (Setiawan et al., 2021), corroborated by all five participants.
The quality of project management internal communication is contingent upon
factors such as (a) design and technology, (b) project scope clarity, (c) resource
availability, (d) project delivery process, and (e) construction and design management
processes (Safapour et al., 2021). Project leaders implement communication plans to
coordinate project teams, owners, and contractors to achieve project requirements
(Project Management Institute, 2017). The clarity in communication and the ability to
effectively communicate project objectives and clear organizational goals by project
leaders are fundamental to project management success (Wang, Xu, et al., 2023).
Effective communication helps to coordinate stakeholders, consultants, and
contractors (Setiawan et al., 2021). The lack of information communication during
project management processes negatively impacts project delivery (Denicol et al., 2020;
Hoseini et al., 2020; Wang, Xu, et al., 2023). Also, effective communication is a critical
factor in project management processes and decision-making and promotes the successful
completion of projects (Safapour et al., 2019). The five participants corroborated that
communication is valuable in project management practices, and prior research studies by
Wang, Xu, et al. (2023) and Hoseini et al. (2020) supported the communication theme of
this study. Communication management is an element of project management procedures
and entails controlling and distributing information to designers, contractors, and
stakeholders to achieve project objectives (Project Management Institute, 2017).
Ineffective communication impacts the success of project management processes and
strategies implementation and causes project delays (Safapour et al., 2019).
P1, P2, P3, and P4 suggested that project teams use various methods to
communicate project information, including the importance of using technology in
communication and information processes that enhance project delivery success.
Technology is a tool and a method of communication in projects (Project Management
Institute, 2017), and project teams use technology to transfer information and analyze
project data, which is vital to addressing project challenges (Schönbeck et al., 2020).
Technical knowledge stored in databases is retrieved and shared with design consultants,
suppliers, and stakeholders for current and future projects (Jasim et al., 2020).
Project management procedures use large amounts of data and information that
require processing to communicate with project teams and stakeholders (Jasim et al.,
2020). Technological applications provide a means of conveying information to facilitate
project processes and may positively impact project management procedures, such as
communication, to improve performance (Alnaqbi et al., 2022). The technology tool
communicates project management practices, project planning, design, and construction
processes (Schönbeck et al., 2020). Technological applications provide an efficient
method of communication within projects that includes (a) establishing schedules, (b)
monitoring progress, (c) managing risk, (d) measuring project performance, (e)
communicating project expectations, and (f) establishing project communication channels
(Alnaqbi et al., 2022). Stakeholders and project teams use technical methods to
communicate project information for collaboration to deliver projects successfully.
P2’s response suggested that the use of technology negatively impacts the
“knowledge and skills” required to deliver project designs successfully and, as such,
requires further research to establish if a relationship exists between technology and
knowledge and skills. However, technological applications reduce mega-construction
projects’ costs and time (Project Management Institute, 2017). Integrating technology
into management practices and adapting changes to project management capabilities and
competencies improve the building industry’s efficiencies (Ngo & Hwang, 2022).
According to the information found on public websites, if effective
communication exists within project teams, it may promote active listening of all
members to achieve project success. Successful project management relies on effective
communication between team members via email, virtual conferences, phone calls, texts,
and in-person meetings (Galli, 2020). According to the information obtained from the
public websites, daily calls with project teams may be crucial for improving
communication in project management. Project management practices use meetings as
communication tools (Tereso et al., 2019). From public website documents, the use of
meetings remains encouraged for communication in project management because
meetings help team members express their concerns and challenges.
In public websites, the information from the documents shows that clear and
concise communication with project stakeholders and project teams remains crucial in
project management communication practice. Regular meetings and project reports with
stakeholders may demonstrate effective communication in projects (Zwikael et al., 2022).
From the notes taken during the interviews, keywords such as making calls, using
meetings, and communication existed from all the participants. According to the
information contained in the public website documents, effective communication may
ensure an understanding between the team members. Sharing knowledge through
lessonslearned meetings may help mitigate project risk, addressed in the following theme.
Theme 3: Risk Identification and Mitigation
Risk identification and mitigation is the third theme that emerged from data
analysis. P4 stated that “risk is very specific to the project that you are working on.” P1
provided an example of risk type and the strategy for monitoring: “there are different
types of risk, your budget risk, so how often do you want to check your budget.” P2
explained project challenges, stating that “the key challenges right now are lead times on
materials, costs of materials, cost of labor, and labor availability.” P3 identified a risk
monitoring strategy, stating, “ultimately, you have to watch design and changes to make
sure you do not have any significant cost.” P3 also stated the risk factor influenced
through changes, mentioning that “design, they want to be elevating the design
continually, changes through the process can sometimes negatively affect it.” P4
explained that “to mitigate the risk of delays, which would cause overruns on your
budget, is to have a large enough team that you can effectively prepare the documentation
that is required to do the job.” P1 identified “budget risk” and P4 “delay risk” and agreed
that the elements increase the risk factor in delivering projects within budget and on time
and thus require mitigation.
P2 provided insight into ways to approach the risk mitigation strategy, stating that
“the best way to mitigate risk and knowing that you can never mitigate it 100% is to do as
much research as you can upfront.” P2 also pointed out examples of procurement
challenges, explaining that the “biggest challenge is what is going on in the market.
Understanding that, right now, food service equipment has really long lead times.” P3
also mentioned another strategy for the risk monitoring process, stating that “you have to
really track your milestones through the project to watch your schedule and your
procurement.” P3 noted risk factors associated with the critical success factors that
require mitigation, stating that “the construction triangle where you have the schedule,
your budget, your quality control, those are the things that you have to be evaluating the
risk at all times.” P3’s response suggests that constant evaluation of the project budget
and schedule is critical to delivering projects within budget and on time.
P3 also explained the strategy to mitigate different risk categories, stating that
“for low risk, then I will just make a decision; if it is high risk, then you have to get other
parties involved.” P2 explained risk mitigation using the teamwork strategy. Participant 2
shared,
I have members on my team that are knowledgeable; they understand where their
potential risk is in a project, and it is easier for them to spot those issues on-site
early enough to address them before they impact your turnover date or schedule.
P3 explained that “the risk of a job is not finishing on time,” and the mitigation
strategy is that “every kind of decision has to have a schedule thought process in it.” P2
explained the risk associated with design teams, design drawings, and the mitigation
strategy, stating that “the biggest way to mitigate risk is to bring in a perfect team and go
out to bid with that 100% set of documents”. P3 also explained that “sometimes the
complexity of the design” creates project delivery challenges. P4 mentioned the strategy
of solving challenges, stating that “when you have a challenge that you are faced with,
you have to address it quickly. So, time and efficiency in addressing problems are
critical.” P2 and P3 stated that “finishing projects on time” requires establishing an “ideal
team,” and “addressing project risk.” Addressing project risk may help control factors that
impact completing projects within budget and on time and, therefore, require potential
risk evaluation.
P5 explained a risk mitigation strategy using technology for design applications,
stating that “building information modeling and the computer aided-design clashes
detection” are essential for design details. P5 also explained the use of technology in
construction, stating that “making sure that you have a good schedule on the project,
whether it be through the contractor, or us making sure that you do have adequate
budgetary controls and approval processes,” mitigate project challenges. P4 explained the
advantage of technology in risk management, stating that “technology does allow benefits
for delivering projects on time.” P4 also provided a disadvantage in relying on the use of
technology to deliver projects within budget, stating that “I am not confident it will allow
you to bring your project in on budget.” P4’s explanation contradicts P5’s perspective on
using technology for “budgetary controls and approval processes,” may require further
study to determine if there is a relationship between technology applications and
budgetary methodologies in project management.
From the responses provided by all five participants, risk linked with project
changes inherently impacts the project’s critical factors, budget, and time and, thus,
requires constant control. P4 acknowledged that projects have specific risks. Therefore,
project schedules and budgets relate to contingency factors that require consideration
during the risk-planning process. By comprehensively understanding the inherent risks
associated with projects, leaders can formulate contingency strategies to manage risk
(Ortiz et al., 2019). Implementing risk contingency planning could reduce construction
schedule delays and address unforeseen project scope modifications (Akinradewo et al.,
2019). In project management, using risk identification and mitigation techniques,
requires collaboration and teamwork (Fallah Shayan et al., 2022). Therefore, the
application of contingency theory principles may help project leaders develop flexible
and adaptable strategies to manage project risk effectively. The implementation of time
contingency in construction projects assists in safeguarding the project’s duration and
influences the timely completion (Sattineni et al., 2020). Also, applying the contingency
theory principle to risk management could imply that there is no single best way to
manage project risk; rather, it depends on the project environment and situation. The
leaders’ decisions and actions that demonstrate adaptability and flexibility depend on
internal and external factors and circumstances (Childs et al., 2022). Applying
contingency theory principles of flexibility and adaptability by project leaders could assist
in developing contingency plans tailored to mitigate project risks in specific project
situations. Cost contingencies in project budgeting can be used to mitigate project
uncertainties (Ayub et al., 2019; Hoseini et al., 2020). Therefore, a contingency risk
planning strategy may mitigate project uncertainties related to a project’s budget and
time. Thus, contingency planning, as a component of risk identification and mitigation,
may involve developing a plan of action to eliminate risk if it occurs.
Project risk impacts a project positively or negatively (Project Management
Institute, 2017). Previous researchers established that project uncertainty affects the
project management process and the successful delivery of construction projects (Nawaz
et al., 2019; Nguyen et al., 2019). Managing project risk improves the project planning
process, performance, and success (Urbański et al., 2019). The perspective of the lack of
risk mitigation strategies impacts project success and leads to project delivery failures
(Hoseini et al., 2020). Project risk management practices create value (Willumsen et al.,
2019), and creating value in project management procedures includes building an
effective project team, developing effective strategies to mitigate risk, and achieving
project objectives (Galabova, 2019).
Projects possess distinct objectives, and project risk occurs with variables such as
project location and context, project resources, and project objectives (Project
Management Institute, 2017). The Project Management Institute (2017) classified four
risk management practices as (a) risk avoidance, (b) risk reduction, (c) risk transfer, and
(d) risk retention that requires management and control. Complex projects are inherently
susceptible to risk and require efficient risk management strategies to identify and
mitigate risk to achieve project success (Rahman & Adnan, 2020). Risk sources
associated with schedule, budget, procurement, and quality require effective monitoring
(Alnaqbi et al., 2022; Urbański et al., 2019; Willumsen et al., 2019).
Throughout a project, using technological applications reduces risk (Alnaqbi et
al., 2022); therefore, project leaders need to develop strategies to enhance the use of
technology applications in project management. Technology in project management
improves the processing of complex information and construction management (Machado
& Vilela, 2020). Managing and controlling risk factors associated with the project budget
and schedule remains essential to the success of projects. Implementing risk mitigation
strategies enhances the accuracy of budget projections and reduces project budget
overruns (Akinradewo et al., 2019). The responses from P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 indicate
that risk mitigation remains an essential factor in achieving project success; however, the
risk variables that impact project success are many and require further research study to
establish strategies that are significant to risk mitigation.
Using technology systems to track project budgets and schedules is critical in
project management (Willumsen et al., 2019). Technology-based systems in project
management may deliver projects within budget and on time. P1, P2, and P3 identified
project scope changes, schedules, and budget management as critical factors in project
risk management practices due to their negative impact on project outcomes. Project
leaders continuously track and evaluate the impact of procurement delays on the project
schedule and make decisions to avoid, mitigate, transfer, or accept risk (Project
Management Institute, 2017). Risk management must be addressed in the procurement
management plan because materials are sourced internationally in mega projects and
inherently increase risk due to uncertain external factors (Project Management Institute,
2017). The literature presented by Urbański et al. (2019), Willumsen et al. (2019), and
Rahman and Adnan (2020) support all five participants’ responses that risk is a critical
factor in delivering projects within budget and on time and requires identification and
mitigation.
From the public website documents, I found explanations that project planning
encompasses risk management, which enables project leaders to be flexible in
decisionmaking and mitigate risk associated with delivering projects within budget and
on time. Risk management's goal occurs through removing risk and enhancing
opportunities for success (Malek & Bhatt, 2023). Furthermore, from the information
obtained from the public websites, appropriate risk management practices facilitate
successful project implementation and improve the overall project environment. The
success of construction projects depends on effectively managing risks associated with
client circumstances (Malek & Bhatt, 2023). From the information obtained from the
public websites, effective project risk management remains associated with the project
context, characteristics, and environment. According to information obtained from public
websites, project teams that prioritize risk management demonstrate enhanced readiness
to address potential risks.
Also, the information I obtained from public websites confirms that technology
could help teams generate data associated with risk issues and provide project leaders
time to make strategic decisions. Risk management, implementing suitable strategies,
aids in reducing risks throughout the project’s duration (Malek & Bhatt, 2023). Effective
communication, based on information obtained from public websites, becomes a crucial
component of risk management practice in project management. From the interview
notes, keywords such as mitigating risk, technology, and decision-making occurred.
Previous researchers highlighted construction project risks and mitigation methods.
However, more research may determine the relationship between risk management
strategies and project success (Malek & Bhatt, 2023). Project success criteria, effective
communication, risk identification, and mitigation themes are essential in strategies that
enhance effective project implementation.
Theme 4: Effective Project Implementation
Effective project implementation is the fourth theme that emerged from data
analysis. P1 explained the importance of defining project scope stating that a “good scope
deck at the beginning to get at least all your users kind of on the same page.” P1 also
identified the stages used in the project scope definition, noting that “you are always
going to have a concept design, you are always going to have a schematic design, you are
going to have design development, and you are always going to have construction
documents.” P3 explained the importance of scope definition in project implementation,
explaining that “as far as my strategy on scope documentation is more about trying to
capture as much of the scope that is going to impact the cost as possible.” P3 also stated
the impact of scope gaps: “it is the stuff that is not in the documents that end up costing
money.”
However, P3 explained how the lack of details in the project scope during project
implementation impacts the project budget, stating that “if I see no work details, I know
that they are probably always 70% done and there is going to be further refinement of the
detailing and to include some extra cost for that.” P2 explained the importance of
strategically defining scope in project implementation, stating that “if we are not careful
to make sure that the architect fully understood and heard what we told them we wanted,
you will end up with a product that nobody is happy with.” P2 also explained the use of
contingencies in scope identification, stating that “they are going to need to figure out
from contingency how to get that back in scope so that we can deliver on what we said
we would deliver.” P4 stated that “if you do not have a clear scope of work, then you do
not have a clear project.” P4’s response suggests that “project scope defines the baseline
for project implementation, and without a clear project scope, it will be challenging to
establish a project budget and time.” Thus, strategic scope management could be
perceived to be vital to delivering projects within budget and on time.
In their responses, P2, P3, and P5 explained the use of project teams, engagement
of stakeholders, and collaboration as strategies to implement projects effectively. P3
noted the importance of effective teams in implementing projects, stating, “the strategy
that you have to have is creating a strong team.” P3 also mentioned the strategy that
project leaders need to implement, stating that “as a project manager, you have to look at
all the key stakeholders that are going to finish the project and make sure everybody is
involved from the very beginning.” P5 described the strategy that engages stakeholders in
project implementation, explaining that “it is best to work with your key stakeholders and
go through and develop that plan together.” P5 also explained the collaboration strategy
in project implementation, stating the need “to come together to find out what the best
practices are; as we know, all ownership groups are not the same, all contractors are not
the same, and all architects are not the same.” P2 explained a management style during
project implementation, explaining that “having a management style of an open-door
policy is probably the most important thing, and probably the most critical is
collaboration and communicating is the key.” P1 explained the importance of
decisionmaking to deliver projects within budget and on time, noting that “when people
need direction and authority and decisions quickly,” they “have created outside
workarounds,” adding that “you got to develop certain techniques to expedite how those
decisions get back to the team.” The responses from all five participants suggested that
project implementation requires different strategies to deliver projects successfully.
P5 used the strategy of building relationships to enhance project delivery during
project implementation, noting that “bringing the architect together, bringing the
ownership group together, the operations team and the contractor together” may help
deliver projects within budget and on time. P3 explained the importance of identifying the
critical elements in project implementation: “I need to figure out what the critical path is
for me to get this project from A to finish.” P2 mentioned the strategic plan to overcome
project delay, stating that “we can overcome time if we have budget for overtime and
materials on hand.” P3 further stated the requirements of a project leader in project
implementation, noting that “to be a very good project manager, you have to be involved
in everything.”
P2 explained the strategic management approach, mentioning that “I would look
for the most important thing, there is critical thinking and being able to analyze what my
options are quickly.” P2 also mentioned the communication strategy in project execution,
stating that “it is really a lot of meeting together and talking about it because a lot of this
is achieved through experience.” P2 provided an example of the management strategy in
project implementation, explaining that “an example of a management strategy would be
having our owner, architect, and contractor meetings weekly, making sure that we are all
talking to each other.” P3 supported the use of meetings with all stakeholders, stating, “I
think when you have all the stakeholders again in the meeting, everybody can say this is
what is most important.” P3 also explained the importance of priorities in project
delivery, mentioning that “you have to understand the priorities; they have to be
identified, whether it is weekly, daily, monthly, whatever you have to say, these are the
most important things right now, and keep moving forward in that way.”
P3 also explained the use of technology in project implementation, stating that “I
will say there has to be systems in place to manage processes we use a computer-based
software.” P4 mentioned the benefits of technology in project implementation, noting that
“I think in this day and age, technology does allow benefits for delivering projects on
time.” P2 also acknowledged the benefits of using technology in project implementation,
stating, “I think there are pluses and minuses overall.” P1 provided examples of the use of
technology in project implementation, explaining that “I think it probably helps from a
document control standpoint, a document management standpoint, being able to go back
and recreate history in litigation.” P5 also provided an example of the use of technology
in project management and implementation, explaining that “we use Procore for the
document management system.”
P1, P2, P3, and P4 identified strategies essential to delivering projects within
budget and on time. Project management is a contextual and situational practice, and the
most effective project management approach is contingent upon its unique
circumstances (Barbosa et al., 2021). The effectiveness of leadership attributes,
behaviors, approaches, methods, and roles are contingent upon the particular conditions
of the environment (Enz & Lambert, 2023). Therefore, the enhancement of project
implementation effectiveness remains contingent upon competent leadership that
demonstrates flexibility and adaptability within the project’s context and circumstances.
Management’s effective techniques depend on the circumstances and situation (Fiedler,
1967). Project leaders exhibiting a management style characterized by flexibility and
adaptation to the project environment may develop strategies effectively leading project
teams and making decisions relevant to the project’s specific circumstances. Contingent
situations influence decision making, problem-solving, planning, and management
solutions (Wooton, 1977). Contingency theory and effective project implementation are
related because effective project implementation solutions can be customized to suit the
project's context.
Leaders could achieve project success by using leadership and management styles
appropriate to the project situation, exhibiting situational awareness, demonstrating
flexibility in decision-making within specific contexts, and fostering an understanding of
the project environment. The project leaders’ decision-making and actions depend on
internal and external factors and circumstances (Childs et al., 2022). Contingency theory
factors in the hospitality industry, such as environmental and tourism sustainability,
organizational culture and values, size, the technology used, and type of customers, can
influence management practices which result in different business outcomes
(FernándezRobin et al., 2019). The concepts of the contingency theory involve employing
a best-fit approach to determine a suitable managerial solution based on the specific
situation.
Scope changes during project implementation may lead to project delays,
increased budget, and reduced quality (Ahmed & Jawad, 2022). The scope definition
process helps to determine project complexity, project team and requirements, labor
resources, cost, and quantity of materials, and schedule (Ajmal et al., 2022; Althiyabi &
Qureshi, 2021; Hajarolasvadi & Shahhosseini, 2022). Scope identification provides
project leaders, owners, and teams with the base to make informed decisions to manage
and address uncertainty in project implementation (Project Management Institute, 2017).
Scope changes increase scope risk, impacting project success (Ahmed & Jawad, 2022).
P2, P3, and P4 suggested that the lack of strategies to manage project scope could impact
project cost and time. Project scope creep may be caused by factors that hinder project
success, such as specifications, tasks, complexity, and uncertainty (Ajmal et al., 2022).
The lack of scope management remains the leading cause of unsuccessful projects
(Project Management Institute, 2017). Project scope identification ensures the
development of the foundation for the project management planning process, which
includes budgeting, scheduling, and project tasks (Althiyabi & Qureshi, 2021). From P1,
P2, and P3 responses, project scope, time, and cost are constraints that impact project
delivery success. Project leaders should effectively convey to project teams the
significance of managing project scope throughout the project implementation process
and the negative impact on project success (Ajmal et al., 2022). Lack of planning
promotes scope changes and project delays, affecting project success; however,
contingency plans and change control can mitigate the negative impact (Ahmed & Jawad,
2022).
The lack of project scope definition impacts the project budget and schedule
(Althiyabi & Qureshi, 2021). Scope changes in design and construction potentially result
in project delays and adversely affect project costs and schedules; however, the negative
impact can be avoided by enhancing stakeholder communication and coordination
(Aslam et al., 2019). P2 and P3 also explained the importance of establishing project
teams to complete design work and improve project delivery within budget and on time.
In the project implementation process, the project management team is responsible for
decision-making, collaboration, and managing conflict and schedules (Project
Management Institute, 2017). Project leaders utilize project teams to collaborate and
manage the implementation of projects, including budgets, schedules, and scope
(Jitpaiboon et al., 2019).
Utilizing building information modeling in project management facilitates
collaboration among project teams, enabling the enhancement of project performance by
influencing the networks of construction teams (Oraee et al., 2019). Project leaders use
their knowledge and experience to develop effective project teams to achieve project
objectives (Ali, Li, Khan, et al., 2021). The project complexity and continuously
changing project environment require efficient project teams to achieve project objectives
(Hajarolasvadi & Shahhosseini, 2022). From the literature reviewed and P3 and P5’s
responses, effective communication and collaboration among project teams and
stakeholders significantly impact the delivery of projects.
Team communication, development of strategies, mitigating risk, coordination,
and project management are essential to the project leadership approach (Nauman et al.,
2022; Nawaz et al., 2019; Vaagaasar et al., 2019). Shared leadership facilitates
knowledge sharing, promotes team cohesion, cultivates trust, and improves project
success (Imam & Zaheer, 2021). Humble and servant leadership, transformational
leadership, and ethical leadership styles influence project team members’ self-sufficiency
and motivate and inspire teams to complete projects successfully (Ali, Li, Khan, et al.,
2021; Fareed & Su, 2022).
P1’s response supported the need to make decisions efficiently in project
implementation. Decision-making is one of the leadership competencies that team leaders
use in managing projects (Alvarenga et al., 2020). Efficient decision-making by project
leaders alleviates challenges and balances the management of complex projects, improves
the project teams’ performance, mitigates risk and uncertainty, and provides clear project
direction (Kerzner, 2018; Olowoselu et al., 2019; Vignesh, 2020; Wooton, 1977).
Meetings occur to discuss projects, team building, and collaborative development (Project
Management Institute, 2017).
Project decisions include choosing implementation strategies and suppliers
(Project Management Institute, 2017). P1, P3, P4, and P5 suggested that using technology
in project implementation has advantages, and P2 explained that there are disadvantages
as well. The disadvantages and advantages of using technological applications, including
the type of software used, may be explored through further research. Using technology
applications in project management influences project success (Alnaqbi et al., 2022;
Schönbeck et al., 2020; Project Management Institute, 2017). Future researchers may
explore the disadvantages of using technological applications in delivering projects,
which may affect budgets and completing projects on time.
From the information available on public websites, effective project management
necessitates utilizing conceptual, technical, political, and behavioral abilities. Previous
researchers found that goal orientation, leadership, and communication remain critical
skills for managers in general and specific projects (Moradi et al., 2020). Also, from
public websites, successful project implementation requires leaders with dynamic
thinking abilities and can effectively communicate with project teams. Collaboration of
project teams and developing efficient teams may help achieve project objectives
(Hajarolasvadi & Shahhosseini, 2022; Oraee et al., 2019). The significance of project
teams’ flexibility and adaptability in project settings, with a particular focus on project
goals, occurs in the public website documents. Also, from the public websites, the
trustworthiness of the project team, implementation of projects by teams, desire to
collaborate, and influence of technology. I also found on the public website documents
that the use of technology is essential as a vital tool in project implementation by project
teams to identify and address project challenges. The review of public website documents
also revealed that the adaptability of project leaders to the project environment was a
significant element contributing to the successful implementation of projects. The support
and collaboration of project stakeholders may be significant for the success of project
management strategies (Ashkanani & Franzoi, 2022; Wang, Xu, et al., 2023). The
importance of stakeholder management for successfully implementing a project transpires
in public website documents.
Applications to Professional Practice
Four key themes emerged from the data analysis of this study, representing
strategies project leaders in the hospitality industry used to deliver construction projects
within budget and on time. The themes are project success criteria, effective
communication, risk identification and mitigation, and effective project implementation.
Leaders in the hospitality construction industry might also use the findings of this
research study to train project team members to improve their technical knowledge, build
their project management skills, and increase their managerial capabilities so that project
teams can define project success criteria. Leaders view competencies and capabilities as
essential in the management of projects; therefore, it is important to invest in learning
skills for the project team (Denicol et al., 2020). One of the critical challenges that project
leaders can face in the construction of projects is the long lead times in procurement.
Project leaders in the hospitality industry can use risk identification and mitigation
strategies to improve the procurement process of materials to reduce project costs and
time overruns. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted the production and supply chain of
materials sourced locally and globally. According to Cherian and Arun (2022), the
pandemic caused a shortage of construction materials, supply chain agility, resilience, and
technology capabilities to have a positive relationship that improves supply chain
performance during risk and uncertainty situations caused by a worldwide crisis. Project
leaders can develop management strategies to mitigate supply chain risk by improving
supply chain management performance by adopting technology to achieve business
objectives in project-changing situations. The use of construction materials produced
locally can reduce cost and time. Therefore, applying strategies identified from the study
to source materials can improve project success.
The economic impact of project cost and time overruns affect project
performance. Risk management, effective project implementation and communication,
and the definition of project success are interdependent factors in project management.
The compelling communication theme is relevant to project management through
collaboration with stakeholders, motivation of project teams, and the development of
strategies that influence the successful delivery of hospitality construction projects.
Effective project implementation can be used in project management practices by
organizations for risk mitigation, team development, effective communication, and scope
definition to achieve business and stakeholder requirements. Project leaders in the
hospitality industry may benefit from the study’s findings and improve the strategic
management of projects. Completing projects successfully by project leaders can have a
favorable social impact on communities, which leads to improved corporate governance.
Implications for Social Change
Researchers explained that contingency theory has a contingent relationship with
social concepts. One of the fundamental propositions of Fiedler’s (1967) contingency
theory is the development of strategies contingent on the situation and the optimization of
management systems to improve project performance that benefits the organization.
Effective leadership can improve organizational success, economies, and societies. The
hospitality resorts’ profits could potentially promote community employment growth and
employee development (Lou et al., 2019). Employment opportunities can improve the
community’s sustenance. Organizations can help strengthen community relations and
build community identity by providing employment.
The implementation of successful strategies by project leaders can have a
positive impact on society and can change individuals’ lives. Themes from the study
project success criteria, effective communication, risk identification and mitigation, and
effect project implementation continue to remain identifying factors that relate to
improving project performance and business success, the basis of facilitating support for
local community programs, and organizational social responsibilities. The employee
development program mentioned by Lou et al. (2019) could improve employees’ salaries
and living standards and promote the community’s livelihood. Organizations’ social
responsibilities can reduce unemployment, homelessness, and starvation in local and
global economic environments (Fallah Shayan et al., 2022). Economic improvement
improves social and community prosperity.
Recommendations for Action
The intent of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects within
budget and on time. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with five project
leaders in the hospitality industry in Nevada and from public websites. Four themes
emerged from the data analysis. The first recommendation is that leaders in hospitality
construction projects define project success to create strategic business opportunities by
categorizing the importance of the project’s time, cost, and project quality to the
organization and customers. Categorization can help project leaders identify the
importance of the project and direct project teams to meet the intended project objective.
Leaders can provide support by identifying project activities, effectively communicating,
and guiding the decision-making process to align with objectives and business goals.
Categorization and measuring cost, time, quality, and the classification of variables can
help project leaders determine the best way to categorize and manage the project risk and
the performance of the variables. Positive cost variance improves project performance
(Annamalaisami & Kuppuswamy, 2021). Project leaders could collaborate with project
teams and stakeholders to improve project performance, which can influence business
capabilities to achieve the success of project objectives and organizational goals.
The second recommendation is that project leaders in hospitality construction
should use the proper context and appropriate medium to communicate critical project
decisions with project teams and stakeholders to achieve the desired outcomes. Projects
are unique undertakings that require leaders to communicate effectively to meet business
objectives by controlling time, cost, and quality variables. Leaders should use project
communication to make direct decisions about project variables’ performance and
support project teams using project implementation techniques. Leaders should ensure
that effective methods of communication are adapted to facilitate project processes,
activities, and techniques (Safapour et al., 2019) to determine project risk and
performance for successful project completion. The quality of project communication
remains impacted by the clarity of the project scope and stakeholder goals (Safapour et
al., 2019). Thus, I recommended that the project leaders collaborate with business
stakeholders of the hospitality industry to develop project teams that have the potential to
develop knowledge and skills to understand project management variables to improve
business capabilities. The use of learning communication techniques and training project
teams in project management processes is essential in effectively controlling the cost,
time, and quality variables. Project practitioners should collaborate in communicating
project information in specific situations to mitigate miscommunication that can
negatively impact positive project performance.
The third recommendation is that project management leaders should develop
strategies that categorize project risk by analyzing project variables, which are cost, time,
and quality, to define intended project outcomes and help project practitioners understand
organization goals. From project start to finish, project risk mitigation is inherently a
process that can be tracked through various methods of communication to avoid
unintended project outcomes. Project risk is identified by classification and not by
categorization, and there is a need to provide construction project practitioners with
analytical data that impacts projects (Siraj & Fayek, 2019). Project management leaders
in the hospitality industry should develop strategies to determine the common risk causes
and categorize the variables cost, time, scope, and quality to develop appropriate risk
responses that can be communicated to project teams and stakeholders to improve project
performance. The risk mitigation used by project leaders, project teams, and stakeholders
improves project performance by avoiding negative risk impacts and effectively
communicating risk decisions in appropriate project situations.
The fourth recommendation is that project leaders should develop and use
strategies that project teams can implement to produce critical deliverables and satisfy
stakeholders through the implementation of effective project success practices, effective
communication practices, and risk identification and mitigation processes. Project leaders
can help with the configuration of project management processes through categorizations
of project success importance, risk identification, and mitigation, effective
communication with project teams and stakeholders, and ranking the variables to provide
recommendations that successfully guide the effective implementation of strategies.
Construction project leaders in the hospitality industry should directly manage project
elements to achieve the outlined project objectives. Project strategy implementation
should align with organizational goals (Ferreira et al., 2019). Through training,
communication, and management of the critical success factors required to successfully
implement strategies aligned with project objectives and business goals; project leaders
must establish the foundation for strategy formulation with project teams and
stakeholders.
Recommendations for Further Research
The scope of the research study covered strategies used by five hospitality
construction project leaders to deliver projects within budget and on time in Nevada. The
sample size of hospitality construction leaders was limited to the State of Nevada
geographical area. Other study limitations include the number of participants and the
length of interviews, experiences, and perceptions that impacted data quality and
richness. Further research could explore similar studies with a larger participant sample
and conduct extended interviews. Therefore, I recommend that researchers continue to
explore worldwide what leaders in the hospitality construction industry have done to
deliver hospitality projects within budget and on time using quantitative methodologies.
Although global economies might differ due to geographical location and economic
performance, hospitality projects’ identity is similar. Researchers should explore
similarities and differences of strategies used by project leaders in the delivery of
projects, focusing on project success definition, risk management, and effective
communication strategies to find the applicability of strategies. A single industry used in
the research study limits the transferability of the study to other industries.
The effectiveness of the study confirmed by further research may focus on
interviewing a larger sample of participants and exploring the richness of their
perspectives and the benefits derived from using developed strategies in delivering the
construction of hospitality projects. Further research may examine the limitations to
studying the effectiveness of strategies’ application and value to achieve business goals.
Future research can explore ways project leaders, project teams, and stakeholders can
collaborate using knowledge, skills, innovation, and experience to develop effective
strategies that successfully deliver projects and meet business goals. Identifying project
success is one of the themes that emerged from this research. There is limited research on
strategies for categorizing and classifying cost, time, and quality of project success.
Therefore, an in-depth exploration of this theme and the potential benefits to project
management and organizations using other research methodologies, such as quantitative
and mixed methods, is recommended.
Reflections
The doctoral study journey allowed me to grow academically and personally,
providing me with valuable academic life lessons. The journey taught me that
determination and resilience remain essential as I encountered working challenges,
family obligations, and academic life demands. Project management helped me to
plan my education costs and conflicting priorities. Each stage of the doctoral
journey, consisting of courses, prospectus, proposal, and final study, had different
demands and required developing appropriate strategies to succeed. I have worked
in project and design management for over 25 years, and I needed to manage
personal bias due to my experience on the topic of study and the potential influence
on the research and findings.
The research study’s findings occurred through data collection from participants
through interviews and public websites. I summarized the participants’ responses and
conducted member checking to validate the accuracy of my interview interpretations, and
I received the participants’ confirmation. I used the interview protocol (see the appendix)
and requested the participants’ consent to participate before conducting the interviews. I
also used open-ended questions for all participants, which provided my interpretations of
participants’ answers to interview questions to the participants and asked them to validate
the accuracy of such interpretations to mitigate my biases.
I had not used NVivo 12 software; I watched videos and tutorials to understand
the process. After analyzing the collected data, I developed a coding and theme
development framework. The training videos helped me determine how to use codes and
themes to write my findings. I am a novice researcher without research experience and
relied on Walden University’s research material to guide me through the process to ease
the fears of data collection and analysis.
The participants of my research study were high-level executives who valued their
time. I am grateful to each participant who granted interviews through persistence
because I faced difficulty recruiting participants. The themes that emerged from the data
analysis are interrelated. However, the project succes criteria theme that emerged helped
me to understand and close the gap between project management practices and
stakeholder expectations. Overall, the project findings may contribute to a body of
knowledge on strategies for successfully delivering projects. Through this research study,
I have expanded my network of project management professionals, gained knowledge on
how to make situational decisions and effectively communicate, managed expectations,
set realistic goals, learned the importance of multi-tasking, and understood the value of
time management.
Conclusion
The objective of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore project
management strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects
within budget and on time. The study’s sampled population consisted of five leaders at
hospitality properties in Nevada who have been managing projects for at least 5 years.
The data sources used for the study include semistructured interviews with participants
and document reviews from public websites. After conducting data analysis, four themes
related to strategies project management leaders use to deliver hospitality projects within
budget and on time emerged: (a) project success criteria, (b) effective communication, (c)
risk identification and mitigation, and (d) effective project implementation. Practical
recommendations that emerged from the study include categorizing cost, time, and
quality to project success; proper communication of essential project information and
decisions; and categorizing cost, time, and quality project risks to improve performance
and develop strategies that align project teams, stakeholders, and objectives. The research
findings have contributed to academic literature and filled gaps in the literature on
strategies project leaders use to deliver hospitality construction projects within budget
and on time.
