The application of new technologies is rapidly increasing, not only in private but also in professional spheres, including project management. However, the use of social media (SM) may be both beneficial and dangerous. Therefore, the goal of the article is to investigate in which areas it is possible to use social media in project management and what the opportunities and threats surrounding it are. In order to reach the goal of the article and obtain answers to the research questions, the methods of diagnostic survey and questionnaire technique were used. The research was carried out on a sample of 108 respondents involved in the project's implementation. To complement the obtained data, additional qualitative research using unstructured interviews was conducted. The presented research indicates that managers who work in an Agile or Hybrid way are more likely to use SM than managers who work in a traditional way. A significant dependency between the use of SM and the way the project team works was confirmed, but no age differences were found. Moreover, the results of the study show that social media usually supports project managers and team members in such areas as communication, cooperation, engagement, knowledge management, work productivity, promotion of the project and employee development. Threats concerning the use of social media in project management are noted in relation to the security of the project and loss of sensitive project data. Analysis of the study and interviews resulted in a broad set of principles of SM usage within projects. Future research could provide further confirmation of these findings by using larger samples.

This paper constitutes an innovative attempt to analyse the risks and negative phenomena dependencies within a project portfolio. Based on the available literature, the risks and negative phenomena (that is, the problems with the availability of resources, interpersonal conflicts, irregularities in the portfolio balance, etc.) specific to a project portfolio were identified. Theoretical constructs were then used to connect the identified risks with the negative phenomena. Structural equations were used to confirm the existence and quality of these constructs, as well as models describing connections between phenomena. The determination of the structural equations also provided a setting in which statistical methods (χ², RMSEA and CFI) could be used to investigate the level of fit of the constructs and models to the empirical data.

The improvement of industrial engineering performance is currently a key issue.Companies can achieve such an improvement in different ways. One way, especially for companies operating in a multi-project environment, is a successfully operating Project Management Office (PMO). Recent studies have revealed that a successful PMO is a key factor influencing organisational performance. The author of this study conducted world-wide research with a sample of over four hundred PMO cases to identify what determines the success of their operations. This study revealed that to achieve a successfully operating PMO, we should focus on the activities of the PMO during two periods: short term (up to one year) and long term (two or more years).Consequently, in each of these time frames, there are different issues that need to be addressed to run a successful PMO and, thus, improve industrial engineering performance. Moreover, the efficacy of operations in a multi-project environment is crucial for practitioners. Therefore, the findings of this research will help managers to improve organisational performance, which should result in the ability to manage more projects on time and within the budget and scope of the PMO. This paper advances the current state of knowledge on PMO success factors and explores new research areas.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.2.3087

Purpose: – There is a significant knowledge gap in the common understanding regarding the value that investment leading to an increase in project management maturity brings to the organisation. The purpose of this paper is to narrow this gap by investigating the relationship between an increase in the project management maturity level and the project's performance. Additionally, it advocates the investment roadmap approach. Design/methodology/approach: – This study is part of a worldwide research initiative into maturity in project management covering 447 global companies. For this purpose, survey data from experts from 194 select companies was analysed. Findings: – The cost of forthcoming projects depends on the level of maturity of project management and type of industry. Research limitations/implications: – The study is limited to three different industries (machinery, construction and information technology) and by the method of assessing their future project costs. New research directions are suggested. Practical implications: – The results of the study should help companies in allocating limited resources appropriately using the proposed roadmap. Social implications: – An increase in project management maturity can be achieved through different investment methods. This will benefit society as well. Originality/value: – The paper focuses on global companies dealing in machinery. The area has not been explored sufficiently from the project management perspective. It discusses the relationship between an increase in maturity and future project costs in three industries: machinery, construction and information technology. The paper suggests practical guidelines for project management and sequences in proper investments when resources are limited.

The number of projects run by companies has increased significantly over the last two decades. Therefore, apart from the challenges associated with single-project realisation, the multi-project environment created new issues that companies have needed to address. In the mid-90s of the last century, the concept of project management office (PMO) was proposed to support companies simultaneously managing numerous projects. This article discusses the role of PMO as a facilitator of the activities supporting operations in the multi-project environment. The results of the study of PMO cases are presented according to the needs addressed to them by companies.

Project or problem-based learning (PBL) has been recognised as a teaching method. Due to its major aspect of the highly practical implementation of knowledge in order to achieve a final product at the end of the course, it is very often applied in non-academic courses. However, the issue of PBL's implementation at higher education institutions is of a more complicated nature. Under those circumstances, the challenges are of a different nature. In this paper, experiences from the first stage of implementation of PBL at a traditional teaching university are presented and discussed. The implications for further steps are drawn as well.