The nature of internal communication networks in project sales has remained largely unexplored. This article sheds light on a supplier's internal communication network during a project sales process by using social network analysis and in-depth qualitative data. We analyzed the project sales process and related internal communication network of a material handling equipment provider. The results illustrate the non-centralized and complex nature of internal communication networks and highlight four barriers to and four drivers of efficient communication during project sales. Above all, using communication training seems to be the most efficient way to improve internal communication.

Many uncertainties can cause construction projects to be delayed, resulting in conflicts between the two parties to a construction contract. Using case study and content analysis methodologies, this study analyzed 79 litigation cases in Taiwan to identify the main causes of schedule delays in construction projects, which are “change orders,” “changed scope of the work,” “delayed site handover,” and “weather.” In this study, these causes are organized into a causation model to provide a reference for preventing schedule delay. The employed approach can be implemented for assessments of other regions, as schedule delays are common features in most construction projects.

Traditionally, a project team's resource commitment and organizational diversity are thought to be helpful to project performance; however, this relationship may falter when the project performance is considered in light of both cost and benefit. This paper integrates data envelopment analysis (DEA) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate project performance and explores the relationship between project performance and resource commitment and organizational diversity. The empirical study of research teams in the Taiwan National Telecommunication Program shows mixed results of this relationship. Implications for project management and governmental subsidy policy in dealing with resource commitment and organizational diversity are discussed.

Advances in electronic communication tools have enabled collaborative engineering work to be conducted in virtual project networks that utilize “digital boundary objects” to exchange complex design knowledge. However, little is known about whether and how digital boundary objects facilitate negotiations in virtual settings that feature real-time communication. This article addresses this gap by exploring the role of digital boundary objects in negotiating complex design knowledge in a three-dimensional (3-D) virtual workspace. The authors found that digital boundary objects facilitate negotiations through a three-stage process of structuring negotiation space, structuring knowledge in the structured negotiation space, and framing combinations of structured knowledge.

This article investigates high performance work practices used in project-based globally distributed software development firms in Sri Lanka and their effects on job performance. A random sample of 220 employees engaged full-time in globally distributed software development firms in Sri Lanka responded. For the data analysis, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used. Three main high performance work practices were identified by the analysis, namely, performance evaluation, learning and development, and involvement in decision making. These three practices significantly and positively predict job performance of employees attached to project-based globally distributed software development firms.

This paper describes a survey of 280 project managers that reveals both their personality types (via Myers-Briggs personality inventory) and their success in project management. The results show that a project manager's personality is better suited for functioning with partial data and under ambiguity than the rest of the population. These traits were found for both women and men. The conclusion is that project managers (females and males) have a unique personality-type distribution that distinguishes them from the general population. The findings can contribute to better understanding the traits that characterize the project management population, and their relationship to project success.