Using cognitive maps for modeling project success

Download

index.pdf

Date

2007

Author

Atasoy, Güzide

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

212
views

97
downloads

In order to evaluate a project as successful or not, initially, the questions of “what are the factors affecting the success” and “according to whom and which criteria should the success be measured” should be answered. Both the factors and their influences vary depending on a project’s specific characteristics, different environmental factors affecting it, and different parties involved. These factors are not independent of each other and the interrelationship between them should be investigated as a whole in order to model the project success. Moreover, parties involved in a project usually have different objectives and the performance indicators used to measure project success differ according to company priorities, preferences and attitudes. Thus, there exists a need to develop a project success model that contains the interrelationships between factors such as risks, decisions, and strategies, project success criteria, objectives and the relations of the factors with the objectives. A cognitive map (CM) is a strong visual tool to reflect the beliefs and knowledge of people about a situation or domain, identifying the causes, effects and the relations between them. This qualitative technique being enhanced by quantifiable properties makes it appropriate to be utilized to model the project success. As a result, the objective of this study is to demonstrate the application of CMs as a powerful tool for modeling project success. It is hypothesized that CMs can be effectively used to model the factors affecting success of a construction project, to reflect the interrelations between project success factors, to demonstrate the different objectives of parties involved in a project and show how the project success can be defined differently, by different parties. This technique is applied to a real construction project realized in Turkey. CMs of two consortium contractors and client organization involved in the project are constructed and the differences between the perceptions of three parties are revealed by content and structural analyses. Finally, the benefits and shortcomings of using CMs for modeling project success are discussed by referring to case study findings.

Subject Keywords

Project Success., Cognitive Map.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12608545/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/16910

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Engineering Effort Estimation for Product Development Projects Yurt, Z. Ozturk; İyigün, Cem; Bakal, P. (2019-01-01) Cost estimation is an essential process for gaining competitive advantage in the bidding phase of every project. Besides, cost estimates are also vital for effective project control. For product development projects engineering hours is the main cost item and hence estimating engineering hours for potential product development projects is an important task.
A team performance measurement model for continuous improvement Cicek, MC; Köksal, Gülser; Özdemirel, Nur Evin (Informa UK Limited, 2005-05-01) We propose a performance measurement model for providing feedback to total quality teams with the purpose of improvement. This model empowers the teams for their own performance measurement. The management should provide necessary training and facilitation to the teams for effective use of the model. The model has four components: team structure, inputs, processes, and outputs. It suggests methods for developing measures in each component, as well as use of radar charts for presenting measurement results. T...
Project appraisal and selection using the analytic network process Dikmen Toker, İrem; Birgönül, Mustafa Talat (Canadian Science Publishing, 2007-07-01) Where prioritization and selection process of large-scale construction projects is concerned, governments should consider various quantitative and qualitative criteria when choosing the best project alternative. The traditional benefit-cost (B/C) analysis has some drawbacks in terms of analyzing qualitative attributes that cannot be easily expressed in monetary terms. To eliminate this limitation, multicriteria decision-making techniques are proposed for the solution of project prioritization problems. In t...
Incorporating wealth information into a multiple criteria decision making model Karasakal, Esra (Elsevier BV, 2003-10-01) We describe how a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) modelling framework can be extended to account for one of the behavioral ramifications of a decision making activity, namely, the decision maker's (I)M's) perception of his/her current wealth status, referred to as decisional wealth. Within the MCDM framework, decisional wealth reflects the relative achievements of each of the objectives in a given efficient solution. It is our argument that a DM's preferences and the importance of his/her objective...
Understanding supplier sustainability performance: The role of dependence and relational capital Akın Ateş, Melek; Güleryüz, Atakan; Güleryüz, İrem; Arslan, Ataberk (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi (Ankara, Turkey), 2019-12) With increasing stakeholder pressure to improve sustainability performance, firms focus on understanding how buyer-supplier relationship characteristics play a role in encouraging or jeopardizing supplier sustainability efforts. In this study, we examine how buyer-supplier dependence and relational capital affect the environmental and social performance of suppliers. We adopt an embedded, multiple-case study design, and examine five large buying firms in Turkey and their multiple suppliers at the dyadi...

Citation Formats

G. Atasoy, “Using cognitive maps for modeling project success,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2007.