Bjorn Andersen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Bjorn Andersen
International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management
The paper focuses on the development of the ex-post conceptual holistic framework for Project Eva... more The paper focuses on the development of the ex-post conceptual holistic framework for Project Evaluation on Strategic, Tactical and Operational Levels, the PESTOL model, by reviewing different definitions of project success and/or failure and combining the findings with the logic framework. The model reflects the project life cycle by considering all project phases, such as identification and conception. To demonstrate the relevance of the developed model, the authors applied it to a project case, the Algerian East–West Highway megaproject. The project has attracted media attention and a number of media discussions of the project have been limited to the completion of the project in a short-term perspective. In this regard, the discussions have been notably associated with delays and expenditures coming in over budget, referring to project efficiency. One reason for the media focus on these aspects alone is that they can easily be measured. The relevance of the project and its effec...
Construction Management and Economics
In 2018, the Construction giant Carillion went into compulsory liquidation costing the UK taxpaye... more In 2018, the Construction giant Carillion went into compulsory liquidation costing the UK taxpayers an estimated £148m. According to our analysis performed on the case, the demise of Carillion was the result of accumulation of failures and normalization of deviations from good practice. The purpose of this study is to better understand how deviance can become the norm such that actors in the context of the construction organizations such as Carillion, come to adopt deviant practices rather than respecting their accepted industry codes and ethos. This study is based on an in-depth analysis of publicly available data on the case of Carillion. Our aim is to better understand the process of normalization of deviance and its potential effect on organizations. Our analysis of the case revealed three specific types of normalized deviance: late payments to suppliers, aggressive accounting and payment of high dividends to shareholders despite the troubled financial status of the firm. The results of our work contribute to theory by showing that normalization of deviance is a gradual process which can be influenced by actors both within the focal organization as well as actors in its environment. The managerial implications highlight the need for all actors in the construction sector to become more aware of the normalizing deviance process and its potential negative effects, which can be mitigated by stronger adherence to controls in the external environment in which the organization operates.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study public project governance frameworks in various min... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study public project governance frameworks in various ministries and agencies in Norway, following the introduction of such a framework on the topmost level (i.e. the cabinet) which applies to the very largest projects. Design/methodology/approach The study is methodologically designed as a qualitative assessment of project governance frameworks that apply to state-funded investment projects in selected sectors, based on data gathered through document reviews and interviews. Findings The study finds that all of the agencies have introduced their own project governance frameworks, which are basically consistent with the recommendations from the project management literature and with the cabinet’s overall requirements in Norway. By contrast, only one ministry has taken a formalized role as a project owner. Governance tasks thus seem to be extensively delegated to the subordinate agencies. This even includes strategic tasks such as project select...
Procedia Economics and Finance, 2015
Utilizing time effectively and efficiently is one of the important factors that can determine the... more Utilizing time effectively and efficiently is one of the important factors that can determine the success of achieving desired results of projects. Nevertheless, several projects come across delays and unnecessary use of time due to various reasons, and hence suffer from unfavorable consequences. Construction industry is not exceptional. There are elements that "steal" time in construction projects; and, there are bottlenecks that cause delays. This paper will present the first findings from the SpeedUp project survey conducted in seven public and private organizations in autumn 2014 in Norway. The purpose with the study was to establish-what are the most common factors extending project life cycle or making project going slower than planned. We have conducted a broad literature review that aimed to establish-what are the most common delays factors mentioned in the literature and the result from the literature review has been analyzed against our data from the survey. This paper will present the ten most common "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" revealed in the SpeedUp project survey. It will identify the major "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" seen from owners, consultants and contractors views. This identification can be seen as a mapping process that will lead to find out possible causes as well as possible efforts, those can be carried out in order to deal with slow pace and delays in construction projects. This study on "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" in the construction industry will contribute to shade light on important improvements areas for the construction industry.
Procedia CIRP, 2014
This paper treats tolerance engineering from an organizational perspective. It examines the effor... more This paper treats tolerance engineering from an organizational perspective. It examines the efforts an industrial company undertakes to understand their current Tolerance Engineering (TE) practice and its improvement potential. Organizational aspects of TE represent a scarcely researched area beyond the traditional focus on tolerancing tools and methods. A survey was conducted among industry professionals from design, Quality Assurance (QA), process and manufacturing within one company. The survey applied the principles of "Closed Loop Tolerance Engineering" (CLTE) yielding 102 answers on their practice on tolerancing, robustness and variation and other aspects of the TE. This empirical data describes similarities and differences in the engineering practice between Divisions and across seniority, education and functional discipline. The results from the survey provided a basis for collaborative discussions in the company and in this paper. Further research is proposed.
Production Planning & Control, 1993
Veen, van, E. A. (1991). Modelling product structures by generic bills-of-materials. Technische U... more Veen, van, E. A. (1991). Modelling product structures by generic bills-of-materials. Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
Introduction 1 1.1 Previous Work by the Research Teams 1 1.2 Definitions and Basic Concepts 2 1.3... more Introduction 1 1.1 Previous Work by the Research Teams 1 1.2 Definitions and Basic Concepts 2 1.3 Scope and Limitations 3 1.4 Research Questions and Methodology 4 1.5 Research Methodology and Structure of the Report 6 2 Literature 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 Governance 9 2.3 What is Project Success? 11 2.4 Why Do Projects Fail? 15 2.5 What Sorts of Assessments Are There? 21 2.6 What Should be Measured? 26 2.7 Why do Methods Fail to Pick Up Early Warning Signs? 28 2.8 Futuristic Ideas 30 3 Reference Model ;. 33 3.1 Introduction: The Concept of a Reference Model 33 3.2 The Rational Logic of Project Assessments 33 3.3 The Structure of a Coarse Project Reference Model 37 3.4 The Reference Model: Actors and Stakeholders 40 3.5 The Reference Model-Project Assessments 40 3.6 Summary: Reference Model 43 4 Guidelines for Project Assessments 45 4.1 Early Warnings-Early Processes 45 4.2 Examples of frameworks and their assessments 49 4.2.1 Examples from the UK 50 4.2.2 Examples from Australia 56 4.2.3 Examples from Norway 62 4.3 Analysis and Comparison of Guidelines 71 4.3.1 Existence of Governance Frameworks and How Common Are Assessments 71 4.3.2 Process and Procedures for Assessments 72 4.3.3 Guidelines and Early Warning Signs 7.6 4.
Anesthesiology, 2006
Background Administrators need simple tools to quickly identify even small changes in the perform... more Background Administrators need simple tools to quickly identify even small changes in the performance of perioperative systems. This applies both to established systems and to impact assessments of deliberate perioperative system design changes. Methods Statistical process control was originally developed to detect nonrandom variation in manufacturing processes by continuous comparison to previous performance. The authors applied the technique to assess the nonoperative time performance between successive cases for same surgeon following themselves in a redesigned operating room. This operating room specifically implemented a new patient care pathway that improves throughput by reducing the nonoperative time. The authors tested how quickly statistical process control detected reductions in nonoperative time. They also tested the ability of statistical process control to detect successively smaller performance changes and investigated its utility for longitudinal process monitoring. ...
Project Leadership and Society, 2021
Education Sciences, 2020
The purpose of the study on which this paper is based was to conduct a performance evaluation of ... more The purpose of the study on which this paper is based was to conduct a performance evaluation of student learning for an introductory course in project management in a higher educational institution in Norway. This was done by utilizing performance measurement philosophy to evaluate perceived student learning after a project-based assignment was applied as an instructional tool. The evaluation was conducted at the end of the semester to determine whether it facilitated learning effectiveness by providing an authentic learning experience. Relevant learning criteria were identified from existing literature and were measured by means of a questionnaire survey. Ten measurement scales were established using a 5-point Likert scale. The survey was then rolled out for the same subject for two consecutive semesters for just over 100 project management students. The results indicated that the incorporation of project-based assignments has a positive impact on student learning, motivation, and...
International Research Network on Organizing by Projects (IRNOP) 2017, 2017
This research article is an initial examination into a performance measurement system recently in... more This research article is an initial examination into a performance measurement system recently introduced in the Norwegian construction industry. The 10-10 Performance Assessment Program developed by the Construction Industry Institute has been created to meet the growing demands for a more comprehensive benchmarking and measurement system in the construction sector. Empirical analysis has been conducted on real project data from 14 Norwegian companies that were invited to use the system in order to better monitor and improve their project success. Research Design The design of this study is primarily quantitative in nature given that project data gathered as part of the 10-10 system was explored in regards to seeing whether there were any significant correlations between the various components of the system consisting of input measures, output measure, survey questions and project characteristics.
Volume 8, 2018
Clarification of what partnering is and its practical implications may help the construction indu... more Clarification of what partnering is and its practical implications may help the construction industry to achieve the full benefits of this concept. The purpose of this study is to shed more light on how the partnering concept as practiced in real-life projects compares with the way partnering is described in the literature by exploring the hard (formal/contractual) elements of this concept. By this, we aim to identify discrepancies between theory and practice and help clear up the confusion that results from conflicting definitions of partnering. This investigation is based on a literature study and 39 interviews with respondents from 44 construction projects classified as partnering projects. Findings reveal that the discrepancies between theory and practice are remarkable: either the practitioners have misunderstood what partnering entails or the minimum requirements are too stringent and do not reflect the real-life use of the concept. Observation from case projects shows that no...
Denne rapporten beskriver eksisterende metoder og praksis for effektvurdering av offentlige prosj... more Denne rapporten beskriver eksisterende metoder og praksis for effektvurdering av offentlige prosjekter, med hovedvekt pa metoder for evaluering i ettertid (ex post-effektvurderinger). Basert pa gje ...
International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management
The paper focuses on the development of the ex-post conceptual holistic framework for Project Eva... more The paper focuses on the development of the ex-post conceptual holistic framework for Project Evaluation on Strategic, Tactical and Operational Levels, the PESTOL model, by reviewing different definitions of project success and/or failure and combining the findings with the logic framework. The model reflects the project life cycle by considering all project phases, such as identification and conception. To demonstrate the relevance of the developed model, the authors applied it to a project case, the Algerian East–West Highway megaproject. The project has attracted media attention and a number of media discussions of the project have been limited to the completion of the project in a short-term perspective. In this regard, the discussions have been notably associated with delays and expenditures coming in over budget, referring to project efficiency. One reason for the media focus on these aspects alone is that they can easily be measured. The relevance of the project and its effec...
Construction Management and Economics
In 2018, the Construction giant Carillion went into compulsory liquidation costing the UK taxpaye... more In 2018, the Construction giant Carillion went into compulsory liquidation costing the UK taxpayers an estimated £148m. According to our analysis performed on the case, the demise of Carillion was the result of accumulation of failures and normalization of deviations from good practice. The purpose of this study is to better understand how deviance can become the norm such that actors in the context of the construction organizations such as Carillion, come to adopt deviant practices rather than respecting their accepted industry codes and ethos. This study is based on an in-depth analysis of publicly available data on the case of Carillion. Our aim is to better understand the process of normalization of deviance and its potential effect on organizations. Our analysis of the case revealed three specific types of normalized deviance: late payments to suppliers, aggressive accounting and payment of high dividends to shareholders despite the troubled financial status of the firm. The results of our work contribute to theory by showing that normalization of deviance is a gradual process which can be influenced by actors both within the focal organization as well as actors in its environment. The managerial implications highlight the need for all actors in the construction sector to become more aware of the normalizing deviance process and its potential negative effects, which can be mitigated by stronger adherence to controls in the external environment in which the organization operates.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study public project governance frameworks in various min... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study public project governance frameworks in various ministries and agencies in Norway, following the introduction of such a framework on the topmost level (i.e. the cabinet) which applies to the very largest projects. Design/methodology/approach The study is methodologically designed as a qualitative assessment of project governance frameworks that apply to state-funded investment projects in selected sectors, based on data gathered through document reviews and interviews. Findings The study finds that all of the agencies have introduced their own project governance frameworks, which are basically consistent with the recommendations from the project management literature and with the cabinet’s overall requirements in Norway. By contrast, only one ministry has taken a formalized role as a project owner. Governance tasks thus seem to be extensively delegated to the subordinate agencies. This even includes strategic tasks such as project select...
Procedia Economics and Finance, 2015
Utilizing time effectively and efficiently is one of the important factors that can determine the... more Utilizing time effectively and efficiently is one of the important factors that can determine the success of achieving desired results of projects. Nevertheless, several projects come across delays and unnecessary use of time due to various reasons, and hence suffer from unfavorable consequences. Construction industry is not exceptional. There are elements that "steal" time in construction projects; and, there are bottlenecks that cause delays. This paper will present the first findings from the SpeedUp project survey conducted in seven public and private organizations in autumn 2014 in Norway. The purpose with the study was to establish-what are the most common factors extending project life cycle or making project going slower than planned. We have conducted a broad literature review that aimed to establish-what are the most common delays factors mentioned in the literature and the result from the literature review has been analyzed against our data from the survey. This paper will present the ten most common "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" revealed in the SpeedUp project survey. It will identify the major "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" seen from owners, consultants and contractors views. This identification can be seen as a mapping process that will lead to find out possible causes as well as possible efforts, those can be carried out in order to deal with slow pace and delays in construction projects. This study on "time-thieves" and "bottlenecks" in the construction industry will contribute to shade light on important improvements areas for the construction industry.
Procedia CIRP, 2014
This paper treats tolerance engineering from an organizational perspective. It examines the effor... more This paper treats tolerance engineering from an organizational perspective. It examines the efforts an industrial company undertakes to understand their current Tolerance Engineering (TE) practice and its improvement potential. Organizational aspects of TE represent a scarcely researched area beyond the traditional focus on tolerancing tools and methods. A survey was conducted among industry professionals from design, Quality Assurance (QA), process and manufacturing within one company. The survey applied the principles of "Closed Loop Tolerance Engineering" (CLTE) yielding 102 answers on their practice on tolerancing, robustness and variation and other aspects of the TE. This empirical data describes similarities and differences in the engineering practice between Divisions and across seniority, education and functional discipline. The results from the survey provided a basis for collaborative discussions in the company and in this paper. Further research is proposed.
Production Planning & Control, 1993
Veen, van, E. A. (1991). Modelling product structures by generic bills-of-materials. Technische U... more Veen, van, E. A. (1991). Modelling product structures by generic bills-of-materials. Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
Introduction 1 1.1 Previous Work by the Research Teams 1 1.2 Definitions and Basic Concepts 2 1.3... more Introduction 1 1.1 Previous Work by the Research Teams 1 1.2 Definitions and Basic Concepts 2 1.3 Scope and Limitations 3 1.4 Research Questions and Methodology 4 1.5 Research Methodology and Structure of the Report 6 2 Literature 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 Governance 9 2.3 What is Project Success? 11 2.4 Why Do Projects Fail? 15 2.5 What Sorts of Assessments Are There? 21 2.6 What Should be Measured? 26 2.7 Why do Methods Fail to Pick Up Early Warning Signs? 28 2.8 Futuristic Ideas 30 3 Reference Model ;. 33 3.1 Introduction: The Concept of a Reference Model 33 3.2 The Rational Logic of Project Assessments 33 3.3 The Structure of a Coarse Project Reference Model 37 3.4 The Reference Model: Actors and Stakeholders 40 3.5 The Reference Model-Project Assessments 40 3.6 Summary: Reference Model 43 4 Guidelines for Project Assessments 45 4.1 Early Warnings-Early Processes 45 4.2 Examples of frameworks and their assessments 49 4.2.1 Examples from the UK 50 4.2.2 Examples from Australia 56 4.2.3 Examples from Norway 62 4.3 Analysis and Comparison of Guidelines 71 4.3.1 Existence of Governance Frameworks and How Common Are Assessments 71 4.3.2 Process and Procedures for Assessments 72 4.3.3 Guidelines and Early Warning Signs 7.6 4.
Anesthesiology, 2006
Background Administrators need simple tools to quickly identify even small changes in the perform... more Background Administrators need simple tools to quickly identify even small changes in the performance of perioperative systems. This applies both to established systems and to impact assessments of deliberate perioperative system design changes. Methods Statistical process control was originally developed to detect nonrandom variation in manufacturing processes by continuous comparison to previous performance. The authors applied the technique to assess the nonoperative time performance between successive cases for same surgeon following themselves in a redesigned operating room. This operating room specifically implemented a new patient care pathway that improves throughput by reducing the nonoperative time. The authors tested how quickly statistical process control detected reductions in nonoperative time. They also tested the ability of statistical process control to detect successively smaller performance changes and investigated its utility for longitudinal process monitoring. ...
Project Leadership and Society, 2021
Education Sciences, 2020
The purpose of the study on which this paper is based was to conduct a performance evaluation of ... more The purpose of the study on which this paper is based was to conduct a performance evaluation of student learning for an introductory course in project management in a higher educational institution in Norway. This was done by utilizing performance measurement philosophy to evaluate perceived student learning after a project-based assignment was applied as an instructional tool. The evaluation was conducted at the end of the semester to determine whether it facilitated learning effectiveness by providing an authentic learning experience. Relevant learning criteria were identified from existing literature and were measured by means of a questionnaire survey. Ten measurement scales were established using a 5-point Likert scale. The survey was then rolled out for the same subject for two consecutive semesters for just over 100 project management students. The results indicated that the incorporation of project-based assignments has a positive impact on student learning, motivation, and...
International Research Network on Organizing by Projects (IRNOP) 2017, 2017
This research article is an initial examination into a performance measurement system recently in... more This research article is an initial examination into a performance measurement system recently introduced in the Norwegian construction industry. The 10-10 Performance Assessment Program developed by the Construction Industry Institute has been created to meet the growing demands for a more comprehensive benchmarking and measurement system in the construction sector. Empirical analysis has been conducted on real project data from 14 Norwegian companies that were invited to use the system in order to better monitor and improve their project success. Research Design The design of this study is primarily quantitative in nature given that project data gathered as part of the 10-10 system was explored in regards to seeing whether there were any significant correlations between the various components of the system consisting of input measures, output measure, survey questions and project characteristics.
Volume 8, 2018
Clarification of what partnering is and its practical implications may help the construction indu... more Clarification of what partnering is and its practical implications may help the construction industry to achieve the full benefits of this concept. The purpose of this study is to shed more light on how the partnering concept as practiced in real-life projects compares with the way partnering is described in the literature by exploring the hard (formal/contractual) elements of this concept. By this, we aim to identify discrepancies between theory and practice and help clear up the confusion that results from conflicting definitions of partnering. This investigation is based on a literature study and 39 interviews with respondents from 44 construction projects classified as partnering projects. Findings reveal that the discrepancies between theory and practice are remarkable: either the practitioners have misunderstood what partnering entails or the minimum requirements are too stringent and do not reflect the real-life use of the concept. Observation from case projects shows that no...
Denne rapporten beskriver eksisterende metoder og praksis for effektvurdering av offentlige prosj... more Denne rapporten beskriver eksisterende metoder og praksis for effektvurdering av offentlige prosjekter, med hovedvekt pa metoder for evaluering i ettertid (ex post-effektvurderinger). Basert pa gje ...