Untar Doctoral Dissertation Develops New Integration-Based Model for Megaproject Management

PROMOVENDA of the Doctoral Programme in Civil Engineering at Tarumanagara University (Untar), Rafama Dewi, presented her dissertation titled ‘Programme Management Model for Megaprojects: A Case Study of Development Projects within the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN)’ during an open doctoral examination in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/6). The research was motivated by Rafama Dewi’s involvement in preparing the Basic Design Package for one of the areas in IKN. This experience raised various questions regarding the effectiveness of construction management in large-scale and complex projects. ‘From there, we explored what the common thread is that needs to be improved to enhance the performance of the IKN project as a national-scale area development. Through literature reviews and existing theories, the research objective was formulated to create an adaptive programme management model for megaprojects,’ said Rafama Dewi. According to her, the novelty of the developed model is not to replace the existing programme management system, but rather to strengthen the current functions and mechanisms so they operate more effectively. ‘The novelty of this programme management model does not mean replacing the existing programme management. Instead, this model strengthens the programme functions and mechanisms that are currently being implemented,’ she stated. Rafama explained that although the research uses IKN as an empirical context, the resulting model is generic and can be applied across various development sectors, both public and private. ‘IKN in this research serves as an empirical representation. However, the resulting model can be generalised and implemented in other sectors, with adjustments to their respective contexts,’ she said. She assessed that one of the main challenges in large-scale projects is ensuring coherence or integration between work packages that run concurrently. So far, success is often measured only within individual work packages without considering the impact on other interrelated packages. ‘When construction activities are carried out simultaneously, integration between these work packages is necessary. The integration function actually already exists, but the implementation mechanism has not been running optimally,’ she explained. Furthermore, she noted that project planning is generally well-prepared. However, the biggest challenge lies in synchronising the planning stage with field execution. ‘What sometimes happens in development is that each work package runs independently. In fact, the success of one package must be accompanied by the success of other adjacent and interdependent packages. When one package does not run well, it means the integration mechanism function has not been optimal,’ she said. Through this model, Rafama offers an adaptive mechanism-based approach that acts as a connector to manage project dynamics and reduce risks that arise during megaproject execution. ‘This model helps by strengthening the adaptive mechanism function. All dynamic aspects can be controlled and managed based on a priority scale without neglecting other aspects that must still be accommodated. Therefore, this adaptive function must be carefully designed,’ she stated. The research results are expected to serve as a reference for managing national strategic projects and other megaprojects in Indonesia, so that coordination, integration, and risk control can run more effectively to support development success.