Measurement of the importance of knowledge areas and competency levels of construction project managers in the Lao PDR
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Abstract
This paper presents a ranking of the important levels of knowledge and the results of competency level measurements of construction project managers (PMs) in the Lao PDR. The important levels of knowledge in various areas were analyzed and ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, and their competency levels were measured using a Relative Level Index (RLI) from the perceptions of primary stakeholders such as contractors, consultants, and project owners. The results of this ranking showed that time, quality, cost, and safety management were the most important knowledge areas for construction PMs in the Lao PDR. However, the relative importance of these knowledge areas for construction PMs was different among the various stakeholders. Moreover, the result of these measurements indicated that the levels of competency of construction PMs in the Lao PDR is medium to low. In spite of this, construction PMs’ are perceived by contractors to be more competent than by consultants and project owners.
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