Using social network analysis techniques to study the efficiency of interproject communication

Abstract

Traditional performance monitoring techniques in project management are based on classical measures costs, schedule and scope of work. But focusing our view on these indices and their derivatives we can overlook one of the most important elements of project management project participants. Degrees of their coordination, cohesion and collaboration directly influence on the extent to which project goals could be achieved. Communications and relations between participants play a vital role of special glue holding project parts together. Besides, communication environment integrate within itself information about all aspects of a project successes, failures and conflicts. Character of interpersonal relations and structure of communications between participants are proposed as indicators of successfulness or failures. In present report project participants are considered as a social network. Using social network analysis (SNA) techniques provides opportunities to examine links between structural characteristics of interproject communication networks and project performance.