Decision making in the front end of large-scale projects: a scoping review.

Adedokun, Racheal; Lawani, Ama

Abstract

Decisions made by project managers at the front-end stage can have a significant impact on the success of large-scale complex projects, but there appears to be limited evidence on underlying behavioural decision-making processes. The analytical modes of decision-making are the more widely recognised decision-making approach in project management literature, while the typical errors relating to the use of other decision approaches, such as heuristics and the resulting biases, are emphasised. Behavioural decision making is relatively new and offers a different lens to studying decision making in the front end of projects. This scoping review aims to provide a structured overview of the debate and findings of studies on decision-making at the front end of large-scale complex projects to make suggestions for future research. A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework. The literature review was conducted by scoping available peer-reviewed literature published in three major academic online databases: Scopus, EBSCOhost and Web of Science, by analysing 17 papers published between 1983 and 2023 (years inclusive). More research needs to focus on actual decision-making behaviours at the front end of large-scale complex projects, as indicated by the low number of articles that were retrieved. A call for more investigation into how decisions are made at this crucial phase of project management is proposed to improve front-end value creation.

Citation

ADEDOKUN, R. and LAWANI, A. 2024. Decision making in the front end of large-scale projects: a scoping review. Presented at the 15th IRNOP (International research network on organizing by projects) conference 2024: project management in a sustainable future, 11-14 June 2024, Stockholm, Sweden.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 15th IRNOP (International research network on organizing by projects) conference 2024: project management in a sustainable future
• Start Date: Jun 11, 2024
• End Date: Jun 14, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 2, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 5, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Large-scale complex projects; Decision-making processes; Project managers
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2293645