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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 13, No. 1
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
DOI:10.14738/aivp.131.18068.
Alkhatatneh, O. A., Li, W., Cheng, Y., Frah, M. A., Dao, D., & Almajali, I. O. I. (2025). Digitalization, Planning, and Sustainability in
Project Management in Jordan’s Construction Sector: Enhancing Project Success through Stakeholder Engagement and Virtual
Work Dynamics. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 13(1). 46-78.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Digitalization, Planning, and Sustainability in Project
Management in Jordan’s Construction Sector: Enhancing Project
Success through Stakeholder Engagement and Virtual Work
Dynamics
Omar A. Alkhatatneh
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Wu Li
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Yao Cheng*
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Mohamed A. Frah
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and
Technical Studies, University of Kordofan, El- Obeid, 51111, Sudan
Daojun Dao
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
Ibrahim Omar Ibrahim Almajali
School of Economics and Trade,
Hunan University, Changsha 410006, China
ABSTRACT
Due to the growing client requirements for cost-effective solutions and
environmentally friendly projects, the construction business remains pressured to
deliver sustainable project results and objectives. Although the role of
sustainability in project management has been widely explored and documented,
there is growing research interest regarding integrating digitalized tools and
sustainable project planning into sustainable project success; its relation to virtual
teams is explicitly relatively unknown, especially within the developing world
context such as Jordan. This research is intended to fill this gap by assessing the
effect of sustainability in project management, Digitalization, and sustainable
project planning on sustainable project success, with the virtue of the work
environment acting as a moderator and stakeholder engagement as a mediator. To
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Alkhatatneh, O. A., Li, W., Cheng, Y., Frah, M. A., Dao, D., & Almajali, I. O. I. (2025). Digitalization, Planning, and Sustainability in Project Management
in Jordan’s Construction Sector: Enhancing Project Success through Stakeholder Engagement and Virtual Work Dynamics. European Journal of
Applied Sciences, Vol - 13(1). 46-78.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.131.18068
meet this research aim, the structured questionnaire was distributed to one
hundred project engineers, managers, and other project professionals in Jordan's
construction industry. The gathered data were investigated to evaluate the claimed
link using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach using the Smart PLS tool. The
findings show that the success of a project mainly depends on digitization,
environmentally friendly project design, and sustainable project management.
Moreover, the virtual work environment and stakeholder engagement were
recognized as the significant mediator and moderator of these relationships. The
implications drawn from the study point to the critical need for construction firms
to embrace integrated and sustainable project management models, incorporate
technology in their execution, and be keen to involve stakeholders. Therefore, these
concepts might be used to raise project-level organizational performance and help
to meet more general sustainable development targets in the building sector.
Keywords: sustainability in project management, Digitalization, sustainable project
planning, sustainable project success, virtuous work environment, stakeholder
engagement.
INTRODUCTION
Sustainability is the ability to sustain a specific level. In this study, sustainability refers to
project management's economic, environmental, and social advantages inside a construction
organization. Sustainability must be included in project management strategies to secure future
economic, environmental, and societal advantages [1]. The previously mentioned constraints—
time, money, scope, and quality—have historically dominated the conventional perspective on
project success. Recent studies indicate that a successful project nowadays consists of customer
advantages, organizational learning, stakeholder engagement and enjoyment, and society well- being [2–6]. Academics have lately underlined the importance of substituting a more all- encompassing perspective that takes social, environmental, and financial issues as fundamental
success determinants for projects for short-term measurements, including time, money, and
quality. Complementing this long-term strategy is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept, which
has developed into a valuable tool for completely and environmentally friendly evaluation of
project performance [7–11].
According to Rahim et al. [12], indicate that Sustainability in project management (SPM)
significantly influences project outcomes by aligning with the Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
approach, which incorporates financial, social, and environmental factors. Sustainable project
management includes the strategic planning, supervision, and regulation of project execution
and support mechanisms. This method considers the ecological, economic, and social aspects
of the project's resource lifecycle, procedures, deliverables, and impacts. Its purpose is to
promote openness, equity, ethical behavior, and active stakeholder engagement while
providing advantages to stakeholders [13]. The Sustainability in Project Management is
explained in figure 1.
Sustainability
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Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom 48
European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 13, Issue 1, February-2025
Figure 1: Sustainability in project management
Source: Developed by the researcher
Jordan's construction industry lacks labor-intensive industries, innovation, competitiveness,
and enablers [14]. Shortages of raw materials, limitations in data storage capacity,
unpredictability in handling, and the need for consistent streaming adversely affect the overall
economic sustainability of organizations[15]. Triple bottom-line management is a term
commonly used to define sustainable enterprises. According to Odeh and Mohammad [16], the
construction sector gradually integrates sustainability managers' functions into standard
operating practices. Many organizations in Jordan have chosen a sustainable strategy. Yet, there
is still significant variance in how it is executed, and project planners and sustainability
managers frequently encounter opposition, indifference, and misconceptions[17].
Effective project management throughout the life cycle relies heavily on project planning,
which is crucial in achieving project success [18]. Sustainability measurement components
must be included as a project success requirement to encourage sustainability in project
management and planning.
To effectively integrate stakeholder demands and establish sustainable practices, it is essential
to actively engage stakeholders in managing sustainable projects. This leads to better decision- making and project results [19]. Establishing a stable project environment has various benefits,
including assuring project success, guaranteeing efficient knowledge acquisition and
stakeholder participation, and thus enabling long-term project management practices[20–23].
Virtual tools and solutions for information and communication technology (ICT) can be
negative or positive, depending on how effectively the infrastructure works, which applications
are acceptable, and how well stakeholders adapt to new technologies[24–26]. However, the
virtual collaborative environment is believed to be a more realistic and long-term means to
manage project and general organizational tasks [19]. The introduction of virtual team settings
•Administrative •Social
•Environment •Economics
1-Climent Change
2-Biodiversity
3-Energy
Efficiency
1-Affordability
2-Profit
3-Risk
Management
1-Human rights
2-Equity &Equality
3-Community
1-Legislation &
Regulation
2-Health & Safety
3-Resource
Efficiency