BENCHMARKING THE LEVEL OF PROJECT MANAGERIAL INPUTS OF INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS

Although benchmarking is widely recognized as a strategic tool that enables project stakeholders to enhance competitiveness through continuous improvement in project outcomes, there has been limited focus on measuring the level of fundamental managerial inputs from project teams as performance indicators. In particular, benchmarking the extent of management efforts could be highly beneficial for industrial projects, given the inherent complexities and unique challenges involved in their delivery. To address this gap, the authors of this current study developed a novel benchmarking approach tailored to evaluate core managerial functions within industrial projects focusing on planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (POLC). To fulfill the research goal, a panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) prioritized a variety of key practices associated with each function by project phase, which led to the development of a phase-based benchmarking framework designed to quantify the extent of POLC efforts on a project phase basis. With a sample of 104 phase-level data collected through the phase-based benchmarking questionnaires, the authors evaluated the implementation level of POLC functions and analyzed the levels with respect to project phase and type. In this paper, then, the authors delve into how the proposed framework can serve as a valuable tool for industrial projects, aiding in the enhancement of managerial efforts and ultimately contributing to successful project outcomes.