A Selection and Prioritisation Framework for Public Projects

Authors

  • Keith Amos UNSW School of Engineering and IT, UNSW Canberra.
  • Alireza Abbasi UNSW Australia School of Engineering and IT, UNSW Canberra Assistant Professor

Keywords:

Project Selection, Optimism Bias, Capital Investment Appraisal Method, Cost Benefit Analysis, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this research is to develop and propose a framework to supplement existing government frameworks for the selection and prioritisation of large public capital projects. The effectiveness of the existing Australian frameworks are tested against three large public projects. Case study analysis indicated Optimism Bias and Focalism were cognitive traits that influenced key decision-making along with legislature structures. The result of the analysis showed the proposed framework is capable of mitigating risks of improper project selection through criterion analysis of quantitative and qualitative measures, however empirical analysis is required to further test assumptions.

Author Biographies

  • Keith Amos, UNSW School of Engineering and IT, UNSW Canberra.

    Keith Amos a student at the School of Engineering and IT at University of New South Wales (UNSW) at Canberra. He has also several years of project management experience at Australian Government. Keith has over 20 years experience in the Public and Private sectors in a range of professions including Accounting, Project Management and Procurement/Contract Management. He is a certified Practicing Project Professional and a Certified Practicing Accountant and would like to acknowledge the support of his wife Kavita and two young children Zara and Aryan for the support through his study and professional career. Keith would also like to acknowledge and thank his mentor and Alireza Abbasi for the guidance and inspiration provided through his studies.

  • Alireza Abbasi, UNSW Australia School of Engineering and IT, UNSW Canberra Assistant Professor

    Dr. Alireza Abbasi is Director of Postgraduate Studies and Coordinator of Project Management programs in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) at Canberra. He obtained his PhD in Project Management from the University of Sydney in 2012 before joining the School of Engineering and Information Technology (SEIT) at UNSW Canberra. He also holds a graduate certificate in University Learning and Teaching from UNSW Sydney. His research and teaching interests include project management, management science, information systems management and network science. He has written a book, three book chapters and over 60 technical journal and conference papers. Dr Abbasi has had several appointments and been involved in different projects in IT/Software, Oil, Education and R&D sectors. He is an active member of several professional bodies including Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM), Project Management Institute (PMI), and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM).

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Published

2022-05-20

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 4 (2020): The Journal of Modern Project Management

Section

Articles-JMPM

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Copyright (c) 2022 Keith Amos, Alireza Abbasi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

A Selection and Prioritisation Framework for Public Projects. (2022). The Journal of Modern Project Management, 7(4). https://journalmodernpm.com/manuscript/index.php/jmpm/article/view/JMPM02203

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