MCRJ Volume 34 No. 2 2021

MCRJ Volume 34 No. 2 2021

Format Hardback / 146 pages
ISSN Number 1985 - 3807
ISSN Number 2590 - 4140
 
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Product Description

  Welcome to the thirty-fourth (34th) issue of Malaysian Construction Research Journal (MCRJ). In this issue, we are pleased to include eight papers that cover a wide range of research areas in construction industry. The editorial team would like to express our sincere gratitude to all contributing authors and reviewers for their contributions, continuous support and comments.

Abstract
This paper presents the industry practitioners’ perspectives on project management practice, expressed as narratives of their experiences, and their expectations and reservations toward the profession as a taught course. The main objective was to ascertain the topics and subject areas that are all-important and should be offered for instruction to ensure students have the knowledge to meet the demands of the industry. The data collection stage involved carrying out in-depth unstructured interviews with practicing project managers from the public and private sectors. The analysis phase begins after the interview transcripts were completed and compiled. Key themes were picked out, cross-compared, re-organised and interpreted to reflect the findings for project management knowledge and practice. At best, the narrative analysis has mapped out the essential modules for a project management degree must include general project management studies before specialization can take place. Some key areas and project management processes are business acumen, leadership, communication, soft skills, managing people, budget and finance. Next, when specializing in the construction sector, project management must be approached from the practice framework with more emphasis given to tools applied in the initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and closing processes. Lastly, the course of study can be strengthened with a research dissertation and a project management simulation exercise. This perspective potentially confirmed that managing by “trial and error” is no longer an option; particularly when graduate students are expected to undertake their project management assignments with speed and competency.