Project practitioners in practice: an investigation of project management competency in the oil and gas sector.

The aim of this study is to critically examine project management competency requirements from the perspectives of practitioners in the oil and gas industry. Furthermore, the study will explore how project managers enter the profession and how they acquire the competencies required to practice. The research will also explore whether the APM competency framework adequately reflects the role of practicing project managers. The study used both practice theory and career theory as a lens to explore the socially constructed nature of project management and give insight into how project managers develop themselves and their careers. The research takes a social constructionism approach and employs a qualitative methodology. Data has been gathered through semi-structured interviews with project management practitioners in the oil and gas sector to explore practitioner's concepts of competence and explore their route into the profession and project managers use their experience to build their careers. The findings suggest that rather than being an accidental profession there are defined routes into the profession that are established, though informal career paths. This is contrary to much of the literature that contends that one of the key challenges for project management development is the lack of career pathways. The findings of this study indicates that there is a defined path into the project management through a process of career crafting. Project management competency is achieved largely through informal learning and competency development through social learning. The findings here align with practice theory and the methods in which social networks develop and reproduce practice. The focus on social learning and interaction in practice theory where practices are developed, replicated, sustained and constantly renegotiated suggests that practice theory is valuable lens for understanding the process of project management competency development. The study also identifies a misalignment in the conceptualisation of practitioner and professional body understanding of project management competency. There is a degree of misalignment between the competencies identified by the practitioner and those outlined in the APM competency framework. The skills most highly valued by practitioners are soft skills, but also meta skills which are higher level cognitive skills which allow for the integration of skills and the ability to be flexible and apply in situational contexts. The findings indicate that competency frameworks need to be more adaptable, context specific and incorporate meta skills. This study is significant as it addresses a number of knowledge gaps in terms of project managers' career paths, competency development, key competencies and a misalignment between the current APM competency framework and project managers' perception competence. The study suggests that there are established career routes into project management and that it is not an accidental profession. This may inform how the shape and structure of project management career paths are viewed and may provide insight into developing more structured career paths for project managers. The work contributes to theoretical insights into project management by using practice theory and career theory to validate the socially constructed nature of project management.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Robert Gordon University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Rowley, Sheonagh

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• R. Marcella and H. Fulford

• Project management competency
• Career development
• Practice theory
• Professional bodies
• Oil and gas industry
• Social learning

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:3020708
https://doi.org/10.48526/rgu-wt-3020708

Author Identifier

0000-0002-3795-4639

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:3020708