Lex localis - Journal of Local Self-Government_11(1)_January

338 L EX LOCALIS - J OURNAL OF L OCAL S ELF -G OVERNMENT H. Wanivenhaus, J. Kovač, A. Žnidaršič & I. Vrečko: Vienna Construction Projects: Redirection of Project Management Critical Success Factors—More Focus on Stakeholders and Soft Skills Development 1 Introduction The complexity of business environments is growing progressively due to different reasons and is the subject of ever more dynamic change, which results in a progressive increase of the number of projects to be carried out (Kerzner, 2013; Lock, 2013). Therefore multi-project environments exist at all levels of human activity, including organizations, where multi-project operation is emerging and needs to be mastered (Müller, 2012; Platje et al., 1994; Turner & Speiser, 1992). The key challenge of multi-project operation is not merely implementing an individual project successfully; rather, it is the synergic and organizational handling of all projects while taking into consideration the limited available resources and the need for carrying out incessantly and simultaneously the basic continuous processes in every organization. While project management is a scientific and management field that is critical for dealing with changes, it is also itself subject to change (Morris, 2010; Slevin et al., 2002). The start of the modern project management discipline occurred in the late 1940s (Hillier & Lieberman, 2002) as an offshoot of optimization theory from the field of operations research. Since then, a substantial amount of research has resulted in expanding the range of the discipline and the tools available. Research has expanded in both breadth of topics covered and the sheer volume of papers produced on different aspects of the field. Some recent areas within the project management research stand out in particular. The massive recognition of projects as levers for achieving change and progress as well as tools for managing change pose new challenges for the theory of project management (Bredillet, 2008; Bredillet, 2009). At the turn of this century, many researchers’ and project management practitioners’ findings led to viewing projects and project management in a wider context, particularly their role in development. Experts started to link projects and concepts of project management with strategies, concepts of strategic management, and development of a certain social environment (Cleland & Ireland, 2006; Gareis & Stummer, 2008; Grundy, 1998; Hauc & Kovač, 2000; Shi, 2010). Project management has developed from a systemic perspective through goal- orientation theory to project oriented strategic management and, more recently, agile project management and project management 2.0, based on the use of modern ICT. Turner et al. (2012) demonstrated that there has been a significant increase in papers related to the themes of risk, human resource management, partnering and alliances, and project-based firms. Kerzner (2013) predicted that the project management will continue to develop in the direction of designing project methodologies developed for each project (i.e.,