The challenges of project management in small and medium-sized enterprises: a literature review based on bibliometric software and content analysis

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to design an overview about Project Management (PM) in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) by analysing the evolution of publications and the main topics since 1996 to 2016 to motivate future research that helps SMEs to apply PM practices more efficiently. This study performed bibliometrics associated with content analysis of publications collected in scientific bases Web of Science and Scopus and in the periodic International Journal of Project Management. For that, the software VOSviewer, Nvivo, Minitab, and Excel were used in the analyses. The scan of 235 papers about Project Management in SMEs supported a literature overview. Furthermore, four thematic categories are highlighted: Project Management Practices, Planning and Control Systems, Collaboration, and Knowledge Management. Moreover, it was observed that SMEs requires a lighter PM methodology, focused on people and flexible. Besides that, the results show that the main challenges involve a lack of resources and qualified people and the high turnover. However, overcoming these issues, PM can benefit growth and innovation in SMEs. Therefore, this study presents a conceptual framework of benefits and challenges in Project Management in SMEs, reducing the research gap. Furthermore, recommendations for future research, mainly in Brazil, are given.摘要：本文旨在通过分析1996年至2016年间相关出版物的演进脉络与核心主题，构建一篇关于中小企业（Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, SMEs）项目管理（Project Management, PM）的综述研究，为推动中小企业更高效地应用项目管理实践的后续研究提供支撑。本研究针对从Web of Science、Scopus两大科学数据库以及《国际项目管理期刊（International Journal of Project Management）》中收录的文献，采用文献计量学与内容分析相结合的方法开展研究，分析过程中使用了VOSviewer、Nvivo、Minitab及Excel等工具。本次综述共梳理了235篇关于中小企业项目管理的相关论文，并提炼出四大核心主题类别：项目管理实践、规划与控制系统、协作以及知识管理。研究发现，中小企业亟需轻量化的项目管理方法论，该方法论需以人员为核心且具备灵活性。此外，研究结果显示，当前面临的主要挑战包括资源匮乏、合格人才短缺以及人员高离职率。然而，若能克服上述问题，项目管理可助力中小企业实现增长与创新。据此，本研究提出了中小企业项目管理的收益与挑战概念框架，填补了相关研究空白。同时，本文还给出了后续研究的建议，尤其针对巴西地区的研究方向。