A Framework for Public Infrastructure Construction Project Management: Synthesizing Theoretical Knowledge and Lessons Learned

Despite public infrastructure projects historically delivered bad project performance, their demand is steadily increasing. In the last decades, infrastructure projects got the attention of scholars that generated knowledge with articles and books using exploratory research and analyzing case studies. Today, there is still no standard or framework to guide infrastructure project managers. Standard project management frameworks can be the starting point but are unsuitable for much more extensive, complex projects involving public interest and money, carrying an unmatched level of risks, changing the environment, attracting political figures, and creating tremendous benefits and value for citizens. This thesis attempts to synthesize knowledge produced in the past decades to craft an initial framework for public construction infrastructure projects that spans from the initial portfolio creation to the recommendations for managing individual megaprojects. The results include a framework that presents some concepts drawn from an agile approach. This is by no means a one-size-fits-all framework, but it can help decision-makers and practitioners structure their thinking. One goal is to encourage scholars and professional organizations to consider elaborating a framework for megaproject management.