The quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations

Zigham, Saad, Bamford, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1050-1357, Reid, Iain ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2581-1283 and El-Qasem, Ahmed (2023) The quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 40 (9). pp. 2144-2165. ISSN 0265-671X

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Abstract

Purpose - This study examines the criteria for evaluating the quality of servitization and the factors influencing the project-service system's success. Design/methodology/approach - Evidence was collected through three rounds of Delphi consensus with 42 project managers. Findings - The results indicate that the quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations is conceptualized as a cumulative construct driven by the product-service system's overall ability to offer more customer value. This value is defined by three interconnected dimensions: the service, the project, and the integration system. The study also proposes a novel customer-oriented quality process with two connected levels comprising eight key factors influencing the quality of the project-service systems and nine key quality criteria that assist in evaluating the project-service systems. Implications - Offering extra services is crucial for successful project-oriented organizations to deliver more customer value. The value of servitization is the combined value of products and services. The failure of one of these components to satisfy customers leads to the collapse of the whole system, which entails the need for a balanced-focus quality system toward projects and services. Originality - This study contributes to the quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations, arguing that a balance between service-orientation and project-orientation is preferred to increase customer value and reduce the clash and ambiguity between project-operations and service provision.