The influence of project management on the performance of projects to implement procedural improvements: A multiple case study.

Abstract

Purpose – Project management is well established in the literature as a useful methodology for planning, organizing, monitoring projects in order to ensure its completion. Improvement projects are internal initiatives within an organization that can originate from different sources, especially from the search for continued improvement. Theoretical framework – Within this context, the research will seek to understand what are the benefits and influences of Project Management when applied to these types of projects, using as a research method a multiple case study in two companies, in units in Brazil and the United States, in which interviews were conducted with professionals directly involved improvement projects within the organization. Design/methodology/approach – The data from the recorded interviews were transcribed, organized, grouped, compared and analyzed and the discussions and results are presented in the present study. Findings – Relevant findings are that Project Management, at first, provides companies with guidance on how to plan their improvement projects to better execute them, but none of the evaluated companies showed homogeneous adoption.Research, Practical & Social implications - Some of the limitations found in the present study are that only two companies of specific branches were evaluated.Originality/value – This article will seek to investigate what is the influence of the application of the project management methodology on the performance of procedural improvement projects, from its definition, to its planning, execution and observation of the results arising from the practice.Keywords - Project Management, Performance, Results, Processes and Improvement Projects.