This article aims to make a contribution to theory, as well as to practice, by identifying which project management practices are used by most private organizations in general and by sector of activity. The influence of practitioners’ characteristics in the choice of project management practices and their use in groups are also analyzed. The results show that the most used project management practices are kick-off meetings, activity lists, progress meetings, Gantt charts, and baseline plans; however, differences between activity sectors and practitioners’ characteristics were found. The results also indicate that the most used project management practices are, in fact, used as toolsets.

Organizations are experiencing increasing pressure that is amplified by the current economic crises we are facing, where innovation, cost reduction, resource optimization, quality and customer satisfaction are increasingly even more important issues. Likewise, project management appears as a subject that has been growing over the years helping organizations to meet their goals, through the implementation of their projects, following good practices that are documented in various standards and methodologies. This research focuses on such practices. The goal was to find which are the most used project management tools and techniques in Portuguese Private Organizations and what factors influence their use

Guimarães: Circular Economy Towards a Sustainable City

Occupational safety, reflecting the likelihood of work-related accidents, is crucial in work systems. A risk management model identifies, analyzes, and prioritizes risks, followed by the strategic application of resources to mitigate, monitor, and control the probability and impact of future events. Models integrating safety, ergonomics, and operational efficiency in risk management are non-existent, especially in the food retail sector. The proposed risk management model assigns the risk level to Safety using the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment index (HIRA), an integral part of the Global Safety Index (GSI), both indices with five risk levels: 1 to 5 (acceptable to very critical). The organizational hierarchy of the evaluated company includes levels from microtask to insignia. The research aims to apply the HIRA index from the microtask to the area level. The HIRA application was conducted in a food retail company, starting with the identification and characterization of tasks in the “food” section and “fresh products” area (butchery, fishmonger, bakery, charcuterie/takeaway, and fruits and vegetables sections). The risk level of each microtask was assessed, then aggregated to higher organizational levels. Results showed that two new solutions reduced the safety risk in the mentioned sections proving the HIRA value as decision-making tool.