Using AHP and the IPMA Competence Baseline in the project managers selection process

This paper proposes the joint use of the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and the ICB (IPMA Competence Baseline), as a tool for the decision-making process of selecting the most suitable managers for projects. A hierarchical structure, comprising the IPMA’s ICB 3.0 contextual, behavioural and technical competence elements, is constructed for the selection of project managers. It also describes the AHP implementation, illustrating the whole process with an example using all the 46 ICB competence elements as model criteria. This tool can be of high interest to decision-makers because it allows comparing the candidates for managing a project using a systematic and rigorous process with a rich set of proven criteria.

Contribució a la mobilitat inter-plataforma d'agents mòbils: protocol de migració fragmentada

En aquest projecte s’ha dissenyat un protocol de migració d’agents mòbils per a l’arquitectura IPMA basat en l’enviament dels agents fragmentats en diversos missatges FIPA ACL. Aquest s’ha implementat dins el servei de migració JIPMS per a la plataforma JADE. Finalment s’ha dut a terme un conjunt exhaustiu de tests per avaluar-ne el rendiment i comparar-lo amb altres protocols de migració existents.

Equine proliferative enteropathy on a Brazilian farm

Abstract:Lawsonia intracellularis infection on a horse farm in the Midwest region of Brazil is described. Thirty-nine foals a few days to months old from a herd with 300 horses, experienced diarrhea with variable characteristics and intensities, weight loss, hyperemic mucous membranes and dehydration. In foals 3 to 6 months of age, hypoproteinemia associated with submandibular edema were also common. Intestinal fragments of a 7-month-old foal were sent to an animal disease laboratory for diagnosis. The observed macroscopic lesions were hyperemic serosa, thickening of the intestinal wall with a corrugation, thickening of the mucosa folds and reduction of intestinal lumen. Histological analysis of the small and large intestine revealed enterocyte hyperplasia of the crypts associated with diffuse marked decrease in the number of goblet cells and positive L. intracellularis antigen labeling by immunohistochemistry. Three out of 11 animals of the same property were seropositive for L. intracellularis, demonstrating the circulation of the agent throughout the farm, but none were PCR positive in fecal samples. Based on clinical signs and pathological findings, the diagnosis of equine proliferative enteropathy was confirmed.

Re-thinking stakeholder management in construction: theory & research

From its roots in strategic management theory, stakeholder management has been adopted by the construction management academic community and applied as a valid paradigm around which research work has been generated aiming to improve project effi ciencies and effectiveness. However, academics have argued that stakeholder management should move away from purely theoretical discussions and engage more with the realities of construction project work. This paper re-appraises the stakeholder management concept for the construction domain by re-thinking some of the fundamental principles and ideals present within the more general stakeholder theory literature. It engages with issues which researchers have arguably failed to acknowledge and calls for a re-evaluation of construction stakeholder management research by presenting a review around four distinctive themes: the moral obligations of engaging with stakeholders against the business and efficiency driven imperatives of construction organisations; the contrast between theoretical abstractions and empirically grounded research; the tensions between theoretical convergence versus calls for multiple and divergent perspectives on stakeholder management and the practicalities of conducting stakeholder management in the construction domain. Such a critical re-appraisal of stakeholder management thinking both generates new lines of enquiry and promises to help inform and shape current and future industry practice.

Estudo do efeito do vento na quantificação da precipitação na Ilha da Madeira

Precipitação é toda a forma de deposição de água que cai na superfície terrestre, excluindo aquela que se deposita por nevoeiros, condensação do vapor de água e geada. A medição pontual de precipitação usando udógrafos, durante um determinado período de tempo, tem por objetivo obter uma amostra significativa da queda de precipitação numa determinada área limitada, para poder ser usada em estudos hidrológicos necessários ao planeamento dos recursos hídricos e conceção de todo o tipo de projetos de Engenharia. Estudos efetuados por todo o mundo afirmam que o efeito do vento é o erro tem maior influência na medição de precipitação de um determinado local. Neste estudo será realizado a análise do efeito do vento na medição da quantidade da precipitação, em dois locais da ilha da Madeira (Pico do Areeiro e Funchal), com o objetivo de encontrar uma equação do fator corretivo de precipitação, recorrendo a análise estatística ANOVA do SPSS. A recolha dos dados para a elaboração deste estudo processou-se de Outubro de 2011 até Abril de 2013. Os resultados demonstraram que o udógrafo ao nível do solo regista um maior número de eventos de superior registo de precipitação do que udógrafo do IPMA, situado a 1,5 m de altura acima do solo. No entanto, existe maior registo quantitativo de precipitação no udógrafo do IPMA, comparativamente com o udógrafo do solo. A ocorrência deste último facto poderá dever-se a possíveis erros no registo/medição de precipitação. Na estimativa das equações do fator corretivo de precipitação (k) do Pico do Areeiro e do Funchal, através da análise ANOVA do SPSS, chegou-se à conclusão que, o fator corretivo de precipitação do Pico do Areeiro depende da intensidade de precipitação e da velocidade do vento contudo, o fator corretivo de precipitação do Funchal depende, exclusivamente da intensidade de precipitação.

Risk management in software projects through Knowledge Management techniques: Cases in Brazilian Incubated Technology-Based Firms

In businesses such as the software industry, which uses knowledge as a resource, activities are knowledge intensive, requiring constant adoption of new technologies and practices. Another feature of this environment is that the industry is particularly susceptible to failure; with this in mind, the objective of this research is to analyze the integration of Knowledge Management techniques into the activity of risk management as it applies to software development projects of micro and small Brazilian incubated technology-based firms. Research methods chosen were the Multiple Case Study. The main risk factor for managers and developers is that scope or goals are often unclear or misinterpreted. For risk management, firms have found that Knowledge Management techniques of conversion combination would be the most applicable for use; however, those most commonly used refer to the conversion mode as internalization.. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. APM and IPMA.

The integration of project competences within the post-graduate programme: a case study of the International Masters in Rural Development AGRIS MUNDUS

Experiences relating to the InternationalMasters in Rural Development from the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM), the first Spanish programme to receive a mention as a Registered Education Programme by InternationalProject Management Association (IPMA) are considered. Backed by an educational strategy based on Project-Based Learning dating back twenty years, this programme has managed to adapt to the competence evaluation requirements proposed by the European Space for Higher Education (ESHE). In order to do this the training is linked to the professional qualification using competences as a reference leading to the qualification in project management as established by the IPMA.

Generic competences in engineering field: a comparative study between Latin America and European Union

In this work, a comparison between the competences codes in the CDIÓs* curriculum, the ones defined for the Tunning Project and the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is made. The goal is to define the most appropriate competences codes for the engineering education in Latin America. The CDIO code is obtained from the engineering practice, and responds to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards of accreditation. The Tuning competences are the ones defined for Latin America and the IPMÁs are international competences for project management. It is the first time that the competences defined in ABET accreditation standards in the engineering field are compared with the international competences according to IPMÁs model. The results give evidence that, in first place, there is a need to apply holistic models in the definition of an engineering curriculum. Second, the pertinence of these models in the definition of engineering programs in Latin America.

Visión empresarial sobre competencias para la dirección de proyectos: acciones para la innovación educativa en el ámbito de la ingeniería

El EEES ha abierto un canal de comunicación entre el ámbito de la formación y el mundo empresarial buscando mejorar la empleabilidad de los futuros profesionales. En este contexto, la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid está desarrollando un proyecto que busca definir las competencias profesionales genéricas consideradas por el mercado laboral para el área de las ingenierías. Para ello, se han integrado estudios regionales, nacionales e internacionales sobre competencias profesionales, generando un análisis, comparación y valoración de los principales elementos demandados por el mercado laboral complementado con un proceso participativo con expertos del ámbito empresarial. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren la orientación hacia el desarrollo de competencias desde un enfoque holístico, y equilibrado desde los ámbitos técnico, comportamiento y contextual es una clara demanda ante la necesidad de acceder a profesionales “competentes”, posicionándose como elementos estratégicos de cara a potenciar la futura empleabilidad de los alumnos de las diferentes ingenierías. Los elementos identificados en este trabajo son coincidentes con las competencias para de Dirección de Proyectos de IPMA, y concuerdan con las acciones de innovación en las que se integra este modelo de competencias, a nivel de grado como de postgrado, como experiencia para replicar en otros ámbitos de formación.

Competencias genericas en ingeniería: un estudio comparado en el contexto internacional

En este trabajo se comparan las codificaciones de competencias del Plan de estudios de CDIO (Conceive, Desing, Implement and Operate systems in the enterprise and societal context) con las definidas por el Proyecto Tuning y las de IPMA (International Project Management Asociation). También se determina el tipo de aprendizaje más apropiado para lograr la adquisición de competencias en la formación de los ingenieros y se revisa la evolución de los programas de ingeniería industrial en Perú, España y EE.UU para definir las competencias específicas aplicables al caso peruano. La codificación de CDIO responde a los estándares de acreditación de ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) y las competencias del Proyecto Tuning son las definidas para Latinoamérica. Se comparan las competencias definidas en los estándares de acreditación ABET en el ámbito de las ingenierías, con las competencias internacionales según el modelo IPMA. Los resultados evidencian la necesidad de aplicar modelos holísticos que abarquen competencias técnicas, contextuales y de comportamiento en los planes de estudio de ingeniería, su pertinencia para la definición de programas de ingeniería en Latinoamérica y la posibilidad de definir un plan de estudios de ingeniería industrial con una estrategia de aprendizaje apropiada.

Training project management complexity in postgraduate and continuing education programs: a learning strategy in the eshe (European Space of Higher Education) framework

The objective of this paper is to address the methodological process of a teaching strategy for training project management complexity in postgraduate programs. The proposal is made up of different methods —intuitive, comparative, deductive, case study, problem-solving Project-Based Learning— and different activities inside and outside the classroom. This integration of methods motivated the current use of the concept of “learning strategy”. The strategy has two phases: firstly, the integration of the competences —technical, behavioral and contextual—in real projects; and secondly, the learning activity was oriented in upper level of knowledge, the evaluating the complexity for projects management in real situations. Both the competences in the learning strategy and the Project Complexity Evaluation are based on the ICB of IPMA. The learning strategy is applied in an international Postgraduate Program —Erasmus Mundus Master of Science— with the participation of five Universities of the European Union. This master program is fruit of a cooperative experience from one Educative Innovation Group of the UPM -GIE-Project-, two Research Groups of the UPM and the collaboration with other external agents to the university. Some reflections on the experience and the main success factors in the learning strategy were presented in the paper

Comparación de cuatro sistemas de certificación del ámbito de la dirección de proyectos

En la comunicación se comparan cuatro sistemas de certificación en dirección de proyectos: IPMA, PMI, P2M y PRINCE2. Estos modelos tienen sus propios cuerpos de conocimiento y estándares, sus propios procesos de certificación y se aplican a nivel mundial. De estos modelos, IPMA y PMI son los que tienen un mayor reconocimiento internacional, PRINCE2 es reconocido principalmente en Europa, y P2M en Japón. Quince indicadores se han utilizado para comparar sus diferentes aspectos. Los resultados de la comparación nos han permitido conocer las similitudes y diferencias que existen entre los cuatro sistemas de certificación en dirección de proyectos. Las guías y estándares para la dirección de proyectos han sido desarrollados para diferentes propósitos: 1) brindar conocimiento y prácticas para la dirección de proyectos individuales (Proyectos), 2) brindar conocimiento y prácticas para la dirección de proyectos empresariales (Organizaciones), y 3) el desarrollo, evaluación y certificación de personas (Personas). De este modo, IPMA ha desarrollado sus guías y estándares para Proyectos y Personas; PMI para Proyectos, Organizaciones y Personas; PRINCE2 para Organizaciones; y P2M para Proyectos y Organizaciones.

Training project management complexity in postgraduate and continuing education programs: a learning strategy in the eshe (European Space of Higher Education) framework

The objective of this paper is to address the methodological process of a teaching strategy for training project management complexity in postgraduate programs. The proposal is made up of different methods —intuitive, comparative, deductive, case study, problem-solving Project-Based Learning— and different activities inside and outside the classroom. This integration of methods motivated the current use of the concept of ―learning strategy‖. The strategy has two phases: firstly, the integration of the competences —technical, behavioral and contextual—in real projects; and secondly, the learning activity was oriented in upper level of knowledge, the evaluating the complexity for projects management in real situations. Both the competences in the learning strategy and the Project Complexity Evaluation are based on the ICB of IPMA. The learning strategy is applied in an international Postgraduate Program —Erasmus Mundus Master of Science— with the participation of five Universities of the European Union. This master program is fruit of a cooperative experience from one Educative Innovation Group of the UPM -GIE-Project-, two Research Groups of the UPM and the collaboration with other external agents to the university. Some reflections on the experience and the main success factors in the learning strategy were presented in the paper.

Competencias para la dirección de proyctos orientado a los directivos escolares: una propuesta para la mejora de la de la educación desde el liderazgo escolar

Desde la perspectiva del desarrollo de competencias, la certificación profesional se ha convertido en herramienta de autenticación y garantía (temporal) de la capacidad real de profesionales para responder a un trabajo eficaz y eficientemente para obtener los resultados esperados. Esta tendencia no es ajena a los proyectos educativos, con especial énfasis en los efectos de las competencias y habilidades en el desempeño de la actividad directiva y en la calidad de la educación. Considerando este escenario, y en base al análisis de la literatura internacional sobre los efectos del liderazgo educativo sobre la calidad de la educación, esta comunicación propone un análisis de la dirección escolar desde la perspectiva de las competencias para la dirección de proyectos, con el objetivo de definir un perfil de competencias profesionales adecuado a la actividad directiva en las escuelas enfocado en la educación pública de América Latina. El resultado es una propuesta de modelo con 18 competencias distribuidas en los ámbitos técnicos, de comportamiento y contextual complementado con un análisis comparativo con las bases para la competencia en dirección de proyectos de IPMA con el fin de promover el desarrollo y certificación de estas habilidades para influir en la gestión de los proyectos educativos.