文档介绍：Management of Flexibility in Large Engineering Projects
Nils . Olsson
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Abstract
The paper analyses flexibility in large investments projects. A multi-case study including 18 projects is carried out to illustrate different types of flexibility, opinions to flexibility and the effects of flexibility.
Flexibility in a project can be related to the process or the product. In the study, a wide approach to project flexibility has been used in order to modate different aspects of flexibility in both the projects process and product. Flexibility in the processes is related to the decision process of the project, including iterations and the use of decision gates. Flexibility in the product is achieved when the final product of the project is prepared for alternative use.
As expected, project owners and users are generally positive to flexibility, while contractors are negative. The project management is likely to be positive to flexibility in the early phases of projects, but not during the execution. The project management’s opinion on flexibility is also depending on anisational connection to the project owner.
Flexibility is frequently used but rarely prepared for in the studied projects. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of the projects can be increased and the efficiency preserved if the projects either use flexibility in the front-end phase or limits the flexibility use in later phases to well defined parts of the projects. The paper gives examples of how this can be done but also shows that such practice is not mon in the studied projects. Finally, the findings are discussed in relation to project management theory. An argumentation is made that a focus on front-end preparations in order to avoid flexibility use in later phases can and often must bined with a structured approach to flexibility for parts of the projects. In-depth studies of such flexibility use in different types of projects are an interesting area for further r