Project execution: A research agenda to explore the phenomenon

Abstract

It is observed in the literature that although project management is considered to be an execution-oriented discipline, the Project Management Body of Knowledge developed by the Project Management Institute provides relatively little detail in the Executing process group compared with other process groups such as the Planning and Monitoring and Controlling process groups. It is further observed that project elements considered essential to the success of the project including project Scope, Cost, Schedule, and Risk are not included within the Executing process group. Likewise, the coverage of project execution in the Project Manager Competency Development Framework authored by the Project Management Institute appears to provide limited insight regarding what actually takes place during project execution. This paper outlines a research agenda to better understand what actually occurs in projects when experienced project managers are carrying out activities within the Executing process group. It proposes a study consisting of a pilot study, project manager interviews, a focus group validation session, and data collected by a survey instrument in order to develop a more complete understanding of the phenomenon of project execution.