Strategies Utility Business Organizations Use to Deliver Construction Projects On-Budget and On-Schedule

In many organizations, capital construction projects fail at an alarming rate despite the adoption and application of sophisticated project management techniques and tools. Utility organizations that lack effective strategies to deliver construction projects on-budget and on-schedule are at a high risk of experiencing project failure. Grounded in the contingency theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies successful project executives in utility organizations use to deliver construction projects on-budget and on-schedule. The participants comprised 3 project executives from 3 utility organizations located in the northeastern United States who implemented strategies to complete construction projects on-budget and on-schedule. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, the organizations’ project documents, and the organizations’ websites. Yin’s 5-step process, thematic analysis, and methodological triangulation were used to analyze the data. The following 5 themes emerged from the data: develop a detailed project scope, apply relevant project management tools, apply effective project management skills, customize project management processes and procedures, and capture knowledge and share lessons learned. A key recommendation is that project executives develop a robust format or template for the project scope development before construction. The implications for positive social change include the potential for utility organization leaders to use funds saved from reduced project failure to enhance the maintenance and expansion of the utilities’ infrastructures, resulting in a higher quality of service and improve the well-being of the local communities’ residents