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Toward a systemic view to cost overrun causation in infrastructure projects: a review and implications for research.

Ahiaga-Dagbui, Dominic D.; Love, Peter E.D.; Smith, Simon; Ackermann, Fran

Authors

Dominic D. Ahiaga-Dagbui

Peter E.D. Love

Simon Smith

Fran Ackermann



Abstract

Infrastructure cost overruns receive significant amount of attention in the academic literature as well as the popular press. The methodological weaknesses in the dominant approaches adopted to explain cost overrun causation on infrastructure projects are explored in this paper. A considerable amount of cost overrun research is superficial, replicative and thus stagnated the development of a robust theory to mitigate and contain the problem. Future research should move from single-cause identification and the traditional net-effect correlational analysis to a search for causal recipes through systems thinking and retrospective sensemaking to address the high-level interactions between multiple factors.

Citation

AHIAGA-DAGBUI, D., LOVE, P.E.D., SMITH, S.D. and ACKERMANN, F. 2017. Toward a systemic view to cost overrun causation in infrastructure projects: a review and implications for research. Project management journal [online], 48(2), pages 88-98. Available from: http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/systemic-view-cost-overrun-causation-infrastructure-projects-10703

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 6, 2016
Online Publication Date Apr 1, 2017
Publication Date May 31, 2017
Deposit Date Oct 31, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Project management journal
Print ISSN 8756-9728
Electronic ISSN 1938-9507
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 48
Issue 2
Pages 88-98
Keywords Causality; Cost overruns; Systems thinking; Retrospective sense making
Public URL http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1914
Publisher URL http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/systemic-view-cost-overrun-causation-infrastructure-projects-10703

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