9-Benchmarking of project planning and success in selected industries-BIJ-Globerson-2006

Zwikael, O., Globerson, S. (2006). Benchmarking of project planning and success in selected industries. Benchmarking -an International Journal, 13 (6), 688-700. Abstract Purpose To identify the industry in which projects are best planned and executed and use it as a benchmark for improving project planning in other industries. Methodology Based on data collected from 280 project managers, project success and quality of project planning were evaluated and analyzed for four industries -construction & engineering, software & communications, services and production & maintenance. Findings Quality of project planning was found to be the highest in construction and engineering organizations and the lowest in manufacturing organizations. This is a result of a few factors, among them the intensive organizational support which is offered to project managers working in construction and engineering organizations. Research limitations Findings are limited to the four industries included in the study. Practical implications If organizations, not belonging to the construction industry, wish to improve the probability of success in project planning and execution, they should follow methodologies commonly used in the construction industry