Evaluation of project outcomes

The evaluation of the outcome of construction projects has been the subject of unresolved debate for many years. This paper argues that previous views have tried to find a simple solution to a complex problem. The complexities of the issues which underlie the evaluation of project outcomes are derived from project goals, participants' behaviour and the performance of project organizations. Earlier studies did not recognize the manner by which individuals' perceptions of project outcomes were influenced by the range of factors in each person's perception. A model is constructed with two levels of outcome developed from the fundamental behaviour-to-performance-to-outcome (B-P-O) cycle in industrial/organizational psychology. It is postulated that the valence of the first-level outcome (project success) is dependent on the instrumentality relating to the second-level outcome (participant satisfaction). The identification of factors of influence, such as self-efficacy, project complexity, commitment, expectancy, rewards, goals and environmental variables, are shown to be fundamental in understanding an individual's perception of the merit of the outcome of a project.

[1]  D. Mcclelland,et al.  The Achievement Motive , 1954 .

[2]  Lyman W. Porter,et al.  A study of perceived need satisfactions in bottom and middle management jobs. , 1961 .

[3]  V. Vroom.  Work and motivation , 1964 .

[4]  ej.  Amitai Etzioni, Modern Organizations, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1964, 120 s. , 1965 .

[5]  J. A. Carruthers,et al.  Communications in the Building Industry , 1966 .

[6]  Lyman W. Porter,et al.  Managerial attitudes and performance , 1968 .

[7]  Ivars Avots.  Why Does Project Management Fail? , 1969 .

[8]  Karl E. Weick,et al.  Managerial behavior, performance, and effectiveness , 1971 .

[9]  D. Ilgen,et al.  Performance satisfaction as a function of the difference between expected and reported performance at five levels of reported performance. , 1972 .

[10]  Petro Georgiou,et al.  The Goal Paradigm and Notes Towards a Counter Paradigm , 1973 .

[11]  E. A. Locke.  The nature and causes of job satisfaction , 1976 .

[12]  E. A. Locke.  The Myths of Behavior Mod in Organizations , 1977 .

[13]  H. Heckhausen.  Achievement motivation and its constructs: A cognitive model , 1977 .

[14]  Theodore T. Herbert,et al.  Dimensions of organizational behavior , 1977 .

[15]  Thomas A. DeCotiis,et al.  Defining and Measuring Project Performance , 1979 .

[16]  Donald S. Barrie.  Guidelines for Successful Construction Management , 1980 .

[17]  D. Ilgen,et al.  A Theory of Behavior in Organizations , 1980 .

[18]  E. A. Locke.  Latham versus Komaki: A tale of two paradigms. , 1980 .

[19]  A. D. Szilagyi,et al.  Management and Performance , 2013 .

[20]  J. Rockart.  The changing role of the information systems executive : a critical success factors perspective , 1982 .

[21]  L. H. Peters,et al.  The Joint Influence of Situational Constraints and Goal Setting on Performance and Affective Outcomes , 1982 .

[22]  Robert J. Bedell,et al.  Terminating R&D Projects Prematurely , 1983 .

[23]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Job Satisfaction and Role Clarity Among University and College Faculty , 2017 .

[24]  Edward D. Weil,et al.  Linking Long-Range Research To Strategic Planning , 1983 .

[25]  Anthony Walker,et al.  Project Management in Construction , 1984 .

[26]  Albert B. Cherns,et al.  Studying the client's role in construction management , 1984 .

[27]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[28]  E. A. Locke,et al.  Job dissatisfaction: what are the consequences? , 1985, International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie.

[29]  J. Komaki.  Toward effective supervision: An operant analysis and comparison of managers at work. , 1986 .

[30]  Edwin A. Locke,et al.  Goal setting theory and job performance. , 1989 .

[31]  Henry L. Tosi.  A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance , 1991 .

[32]  Theodore J. Trauner.  Managing the construction project : a practical guide for the project manager / Theodore J. Trauner , 1992 .

[33]  Michael Coyle,et al.  Critical Success Factors for Construction Projects , 1992 .

[34]  Terry Williams,et al.  Risk-management infrastructures , 1993 .

[35]  Adnan Adas,et al.  Predicting the level of organizational effectiveness: a methodology for the construction firm , 1996 .

[36]  Barry Z. Posner,et al.  The Project Manager , 1998 .