Examination of the Perceived Importance of Technical Competence in AcquisitionProject Management

摘要

This research examined the importance Air Force acquisition project managersattribute to technical competence, and several individual and situational factors which might affect their perceptions of the importance of technical competence: extent of acquisition experience, degree of technical academic training, level of project technology, caliber of technical project team, and acquisition phase. A review of the literature revealed that previous studies of project and program managers suffered from several limitations with regard to a direct examination of the importance of technical competence. No single study has empirically supported a clear determination on the importance of this attribute to project managers. Considering the nature of today's projects and the ongoing dramatic rate of technological advancement and change, an investigation of the potential importance of technical competence in managing projects seems particularly critical for prospective project managers and those with little experience. In a study of 228 acquisition managers, the findings show a majority consider technical competence as extremely important or absolutely essential, even though they may rank the attribute low in terms of use when compared to other skills. Further, the results indicate the importance of technical competence among acquisition project managers varies significantly as a function of technical project team capabilities and phase of the acquisition life cycle. In addition, the research suggests technical competence is an important contributor to project managers' ability to communicate.