Project management competencies that lead to project success in the Auckland commercial construction market

Abstract

Project Manager (PM) is a title commonly used in the construction industry and given to people carrying out many roles. Each role having its own particular skill set. This project investigated the skills required of a Client’s Project Manager that contribute towards project success within the Auckland commercial construction market. This PM represents the procuring party often referred to as ‘the client’ in construction projects.

Through a review of existing literature it was found that bodies of knowledge (BOK) exist, these BOK’s outline the ‘project management approach’, which when applied is said to be able to be used internationally and across industries. Other literature reviewed outlines important competence factors for project success; being project manager’s style, the company at which the project manager is employed, and relationships between the client and project manager.

The competencies outlined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) documents are claimed by the Project Managers Institute to be the framework for project management. This research tested part of this claim and other research. Senior Project Managers working in the Auckland commercial construction market were asked to rank the various skills identified in the literature as important to project success. They were also asked to give their opinions on project manager’s style, how important company reputation is, and the importance of holding a formal project management qualification.

All of the individual PMBOK competencies were quite tightly clustered in the ‘high importance to project success’ category. Weightings showed that Cost Management and Scope Management were the most important of the PMBOK areas. However, the competencies were all shown to be important. Client Relationships and the Project Management Style were also of the highest importance to project success. The employing company’s reputation was also of high importance and holding a project management qualification was seen as only of average importance.