Abstract
M.Ing. (Engineering Management)
This dissertation covers research into the principles and processes associated with the management of geographically dispersed project teams in the railway industry of South Africa; and aims to highlight possible problem areas as well as techniques in order to assist with effective virtual project management.
The paper details several key areas in virtual team management and railway signalling, that are spread over various chapters. An introduction to the railway industry is presented in Chapter 1 to provide the background on which this research is based. Thereafter the problem statement and research objectives are outlined, with particular attention paid to the organisation on which this study is aligned: Transnet Freight Rail, a division of Transnet Ltd.
The concept of teams and its importance in project management (using both classic and virtual teams) is a topic widely explored in the academic world. A literature review is necessary to identify areas which need further expansion. The topic of virtual projects in the S.A. railway industry is one such example. Virtual teams do not benefit from working together in a lab or boardroom, hence the need for an alternative form of management. Teamwork cannot be successful unless there is trust, and this is more evident in a virtual team whereby trust is harder to form and easier to break. Chapter 2 elaborates on various methods to build trust and how not to break it.Various methods of research exist and are generally divided into two categories: Qualitative and Quantitative. A review is required in order to accurately select the applicable form of research. This resulted in the decision to utilise both qualitative and quantitative research, via case studies, surveys and casual-comparisons. This topic is further expanded on in chapter 3.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 present all results obtained during the course of this research. The case study in Chapter 4 aims to analyse the detailed processes used in the management of a railway signalling project with a widely dispersed project team.
Chapter 5 introduces the research survey performed by various signalling project and engineering managers in the organisation.