Development of an assessment tool for team integration in alliance projects
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
ISSN: 1753-8378
Article publication date: 7 September 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on a doctoral thesis that developed an Alliance Team Integration Performance Index (ATIPI), an assessment tool for measuring team integration performance in alliance projects. It provides a summary of the thesis findings, shares the candidate’s doctoral journey and discusses both the thesis “with publication” format and the doctoral programme at the University of Auckland.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a qualitative and quantitative research methodology (mixed methods research). Research methods applied as reported in this thesis include the Delphi questionnaire survey, interviews and empirical questionnaire surveys with the alliance experts involved in road infrastructure projects.
Findings
Results from the thesis indicate that the ATIPI is characterized by three elements: first, the most significant Key Indicators (KIs), signifying their dominant influence; second, the suitable quantitative measures for each of the KIs, to promote objective assessment over time; and third, the performance-level boundaries for each KI, to reduce the subjectivity of assessment and promote consistency. The assessment tool was found to be both practical and applicable based on a validation interview and subsequent testing with alliance experts on real life alliance infrastructure projects.
Practical implications
As team integration is the central tenet of alliance projects, the ATIPI is an ideal assessment tool to facilitate the measurement of team integration performance consistently and objectively over the life cycle of alliance projects. Also, the ATIPI is expected to make a fundamental and positive difference towards improving the integration practice of alliance teams.
Originality/value
This study extends the team integration literature by providing significant insights into the practical evaluation of team integration performance, specifically in alliance projects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Ministry of Higher Education and Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Auckland, New Zealand for providing funding to support this research study.
Citation
Che Ibrahim, C.K.I., Costello, S.B. and Wilkinson, S. (2015), "Development of an assessment tool for team integration in alliance projects", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 813-827. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-02-2015-0019
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited