Developing a Project Manager Competency Model for Large-Scale Infrastructure and Transportation Projects in Iran Based on Industry 4.0 Characteristics: A Fuzzy Delphi–DANP Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Shahriyari 1
Farhad Saeedi 2
Mahyar Zandpourasl 1
1 Department of Construction Engineering and Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Civil Engineering, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/road.2026.562649.2457
Abstract
The increasing complexity of large-scale infrastructure and transportation projects—together with schedule pressures, rising costs, and emerging technologies—has intensified the importance of project managers’ competencies in determining national project outcomes. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and technologies such as Building Information Modeling , the Internet of Things , big data analytics, and cyber–physical systems have made traditional project management approaches insufficient, highlighting the need to redefine essential competencies. Despite this need, Iran’s construction and transportation sectors lack a comprehensive, context-specific, Industry 4.0–oriented competency model for identifying and prioritizing project managers’ capabilities. This study aims to develop such a model using a Fuzzy Delphi–DANP approach. A mixed-method design was employed: first, 57 competencies were extracted from 90 academic sources and standards including PMCDF and ICB, then refined through two rounds of Fuzzy Delphi with 15 experts, resulting in 34 validated competencies. In the quantitative phase, DEMATEL–ANP was used to determine causal–influential relationships and compute final weights. The DEMATEL results showed that four main categories—technical, leadership–behavioral, digital–technological, and integrated Industry 4.0 competencies—had a total influence of 0.842 and dependence of 0.691, indicating strong interactions. Integrated Industry 4.0 competencies ranked highest (0.321), followed by leadership–behavioral (0.286), digital (0.241), and technical competencies (0.152). At the sub-competency level, systems thinking (0.097), transformational leadership (0.091), digital literacy (0.083), data-driven decision-making (0.078), and proactive risk management (0.074) were top priorities. The proposed model offers a practical tool for selecting and developing project managers and supports the transition toward digital, agile, and data-driven project management in national infrastructure projects.
Keywords
Project Manager Competencies
Large-Scale Infrastructure and Transportation Projects
Fourth Industrial Revolution
Smart Project Management
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