Integrated Business Project Management in the Energy Sector: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Integrated business project management is a holistic approach for project-oriented organisations to achieve optimal benefit realisation, Project management and business development play a significant role in organisations to obtain sustainable business performance and improved position market. However, the implementation of integrated business project management has not been achieved due to the missing links in aligning project management and business development. Furthermore, the uncertainty and instability of emerging markets, and Saudi Arabia, may lead to failure in operating a profitable and sustainable business in the energy sector. The drastic changes and the transformation phase toward the Saudi vision 2030 can be interpreted as threats or opportunity for energy enterprises wishing to enter the market, or existing enterprises which aim to penetrate the market. This research aims to investigate the issues of integrating business project management while focusing on aligning projects with the overall organisational objectives. The integration of business and project management has not been thoroughly examined in literature and has not considered the market conditions in an emerging market. Thus, this gap is intended to be addressed through analysing project and business success factors. This research evaluates and analyses the alignment frameworks between project and business management by considering project success factors. Furthermore, it examines the laws of interactions between project management units and business development units to meet optimal benefits realisation. To address the research’s gap, the research examines existing knowledge in the literature and employs a qualitative data collection approach through examining the current practices in the energy enterprises in Saudi Arabia. The data collection was carried out through purposive selection of individuals in the energy sector by conducting online semi-structured interviews which adapts to the recent health concerns. The findings of this research contribute to the emerging body of knowledge of integrated business project management by developing a framework to enhance practitioners and decision-makers in energy enterprises, as well as enrich and encourage academics to utilise the findings to produce validated and robust frameworks. The framework incorporates alignment factors and project success factors in a holistic approach to enhance business development within energy enterprises in Saudi Arabia and emerging markets.