Stakeholder identification, management and engagement are recognized as key project management skills; however, this is a ‘soft’ skill that requires both intuition and a strong capacity for analysis. There are few tools and methodologies to which people undertaking stakeholder management activities can turn. Highly complex problem solving activities, such as stakeholder management, can benefit from high level conceptual approaches that allow those involved to see clearly or to visualize the situation being examined. Metaphors, particularly highly visual representations of complex situations, can be very helpful in triggering simplification of complex situations to a level where understanding of the situation can yield fruitful results in moving forward to developing plans and actions. Visualization tools for stakeholder management can be of great value. Describing stakeholder visualization tools that can be used to develop a stakeholder engagement strategy can therefore raise awareness of these tools. The development and use of two such tools are described. While they are both independently useful they could be effectively combined. This prospect could reduce the chances of project failure and enhance success through having clearer pictures of stakeholder influence patterns.

A no-blame culture is widely accepted as a collaboration driver yet we see surprisingly scant literature on the theoretical underpinnings for the construction and project management context. A no-blame culture in project alliances, as conducted in Australasia, promotes innovative thinking in action. Innovation is dependent upon collaboration and true collaboration is inextricably linked with behavioural drivers. Foremost of these is a culture of openness and willingness to share the pain and gain from experimentation, one that requires that collaborators be protected from the threat of being blamed and held accountable for experimental failure. The Australasian project alliance procurement form has a unique ‘no-blame’ behavioural contract clause that can result in the type of breakthrough thinking crucial in developing a collaborative culture where innovation can evolve through a process of trial and error.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore recent literature on the impact of changes in the workplace environment and projected trends through to the year 2030. This allows the authors to identify and discuss what key trends are changing the nature of project organising work. The authors aim to identify what knowledge and which skills, attributes and experiences will be most likely valued and needed in 2030. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is essentially a reflective review and is explorative in nature. The authors focus on several recent reports published in the UK and Australia that discuss the way that the future workforce will adapt and prepare for radical changes in the workplace environment. The authors focus on project organising work and the changing workplace knowledge, skills, attributes and experience (KSAE) needs of those working in project teams in 2030 and beyond. The authors draw upon existing KSAE literature including findings from a study undertaken into the KSAEs of project alliance managers working in a highly collaborative form of project delivery. Findings: The analysis suggests that there is good and bad news about project workers prospects in 2030. The good news is that for those working in non-routine roles their work will be more interesting and rewarding than is the case for today. The bad news is that for workers in routine work roles, they will be replaced by advanced digital technology. Research limitations/implications: Few, if any, papers published in the project organising literature speculate about what this discipline may look like or what KSAEs will be valued and needed. Practical implications: This paper opens up a debate about how project management/project organising work will be undertaken in future and what skills and expertise will be required. It also prompts project managers to think about how they will craft their careers in 2030 in response to expected work environment demands. This will have professional and learning implications. Social implications: The issue of the future workplace environment is highly relevant to the social context. Originality/value: This paper is about a projected future some 12 years onward from today. It bridges a gap in any future debate about how project organising jobs may change and how they will be delivered in the 2030s.

Interest in construction industry (CI) innovation, particularly in information communication technology (ICT), has been steadily growing with the advent and widespread use of the Internet. However, despite its potential for delivering competitive advantage, many companies have failed to effectively realize promised benefits from ICT due to misunderstanding the relationship between factors and processes influencing ICT implementation. Results from recent in‐depth qualitative ICT implementation research on three construction contractors provides useful insights and practical experience of lessons learned that can be more broadly disseminated. These research results provide an ICT innovation diffusion organizational level framework with insights about how it may be applied to improve ICT adoption at different implementation stages for the CI. They suggest that strategic ICT implementation planning needs to consider issues of critical management support, technical support, supportive workplace environment and ICT users' individual‐characteristics so that the framework processes offered can be effectively applied.

Project and program alliances have been an accepted form of project procurement for public infrastructure engineering projects in Australia and New Zealand (Australasia). Alliancing often provides best value and superior value for money when compared to traditional approaches such as Design and Construct, however considerable debate continues about its success and applicability. This paper reports on three studies of completed construction project alliance performance in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Consolidated findings are presented on 61 project alliances, data is analysed and emerging trends discussed. Recent government policy changes in Australia at Federal and State level have led to a decline in the number of project alliances, however, while the volume of alliance activity is declining it still represents billions of dollars of infrastructure construction work being undertaken. Results also revealed that communication and trust between the executive leadership and operational management teams was a major factor contributing to the functioning of the alliance. Furthermore, the research identifies several key factors that were necessary preconditions for successful alliances.Paper Type: Research article