Principles, characteristics, and methodology to develop a project management assessment tool at the construction project level

This paper describes the principles, characteristics, and methodology to develop a conceptual approach and a preliminary project management assessment tool based on an integrated framework of international project management (PM) standards and construction projects success factors. Previous PM assessment tools have been designed to measure organizations’ PM practices, and individuals’ knowledge of PM. After completing these assessment tools, individuals or organizations would identify their strengths, weaknesses and training needs. These tools, though powerful, do not assess what is actually implemented on a specific project. The intention is to develop an assessment tool that diagnoses an organization and an individual project manager by what was actually implemented in a specific project. By assessing what was actually implemented in a project and comparing this with the project results, it could be possible determine the strengths, weaknesses, and value of PM in a construction organization, as well as to benchmark PM best practices. Three types of questions will be used: context questions, PM implementation questions, and project results questions. Each question will have a reference to one or more of the international PM standards. Each question will evaluate the quality or the frequency of the PM implementation, which could be a competence, knowledge, tool, technique, process, or practice. This paper discusses the question design methodology for developing the tool using the resource management knowledge area as an example. Finally, the assessment tool is tested with 18 construction projects executed by different organizations.Applied Science, Faculty ofCivil Engineering, Department ofNon UBCUnreviewedFacultyOthe