Proposing a Framework for Managing Technology Development Projects in Iran's Oil and Gas Industry

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Tarbiat Modares University

Abstract

Technology development projects, unlike many other kinds of projects, do not have pre-defined goals or clear implementation methods from the outset. Besides common uncertainties any project may face, technology development projects have a high degree of uncertainty in project definition. For this reason, conventional project management methods, such as those provided in the PMBoK, have little use in these projects. This paper describes the characteristics of a technology development project and processes proposed in the literature to manage such projects, studies two technology development projects of Iran's oil and gas industry in-depth, and identifies and analyzes their management challenges. In order to solve the problems found in the field studies, a management model for technology development projects is designed and validated using the strengths of models like the new stage/gate, spiral development model and DoD Extension to the PMBoK. Some features of the proposed model include: considering the iterative management cycles rather than linear management; using program management principals rather than project management; determining flexible time and budget within acceptable limits rather than determining the exact time and cost of the project, etc.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 February 2016
  • Revise Date: 19 June 2016
  • Accept Date: 24 August 2016

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