A model for assessing and correcting construction project health

Abstract Maintaining the health of a construction project can help to achieve the desired outcomes of the project. An analogy is drawn to the medical process of a human health check where it is possible to broadly diagnose health in terms of a number of key areas such as blood pressure or cholesterol level. Similarly it appears possible to diagnose the current health of a construction project in terms of a number of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). The medical analogy continues into the detailed investigation phase where a number of contributing factors are evaluated to identify possible causes of ill health and through the identification of potential remedies to return the project to the desired level of health. This paper presents the development of a model that diagnoses the immediate health of a construction project, investigates the factors which appear to be causing the ill health and proposes a remedy to return the project to good health. The proposed model uses the well-established continuous improvement management model (Deming, 1986) to adapt the process of human physical health checking to construction project health.

A soft approach to solving hard problems in construction project management

Construction projects are faced with a challenge that must not be underestimated. These projects are increasingly becoming highly competitive, more complex, and difficult to manage. They become ‘wicked problems’, which are difficult to solve using traditional approaches. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a systems approach that is used for analysis and problem solving in such complex and messy situations. SSM uses “systems thinking” in a cycle of action research, learning and reflection to help understand the various perceptions that exist in the minds of the different people involved in the situation. This paper examines the benefits of applying SSM to wicked problems in construction project management, especially those situations that are challenging to understand and difficult to act upon. It includes relevant examples of its use in dealing with the confusing situations that incorporate human, organizational and technical aspects.

Talking the talk and walking the walk : how managers can influence the quality of work-life balance in a construction project

Purpose – The construction industry in Australia is characterised by a long work-hours culture, with conditions that make it difficult for staff to balance their work and non-work lives. The objective of this paper is to measure the success of a work-place intervention designed to improve work-life balance (WLB) in an alliance project in the construction industry, and the role the project manager plays in this success. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on an alliance case study. Interviews were conducted at two points in time, several months apart, after the interventions were implemented. Findings – Results showed that staff on the whole were more satisfied with their work experience after the interventions, and indicated the important role that managers' attitudes and behaviours played. Originality/value – Managerial support for work-life initiatives is a critical element in achieving WLB and satisfaction with working arrangements. The fact that the manager “talked the talk and walked the walk” was a major contributing success factor, which has not previously been demonstrated.

Construction project delivery and industry skills : crafting a better fit

The construction industry should be a priority to all governments because it impacts economically and socially on all citizens. Sector turnover in industrialised economies typically averages 8-12% of GDP. Further, construction is critical to economic growth. Recent Australian studies estimate that a 10% gain in efficiency in construction translates to a 2.5% increase in GDP ----- ----- Inefficiencies in the Australian construction industry have been identified by a number of recent studies modelling the building process. They have identified potential savings in time of between 25% and 40% by reducing non-value added steps in the process. A culture of reform is now emerging in the industry – one in which alternate forms of project delivery are being trial. ----- ----- Government and industry have identified Alliance Contracting as a means to increase efficiency in the construction industry as part of a new innovative procurement environment. Alliance contracting requires parties to form relationships and work cooperatively to provide a more complete service. This is a significant cultural change for the construction industry, with its well-known adversarial record in traditional contracting. Alliance contracts offer enormous potential benefits, but the Australian construction industry needs to develop new skills to effectively participate in the new relationship environment. ----- ----- This paper describes a collaborative project identifying skill needs for clients and construction professionals to more effectively participate in an increasingly sophisticated international procurement environment. The aim of identifying these skill needs is to assist industry, government, and skill developers to prepare the Australian construction workforce for the future. The collaborating Australian team has been fortunate to secure the Australian National Museum in Canberra as its live case study. The Acton Peninsula Development is the first major building development in the world awarded on the basis of a joint alliance contract.

Capturing organisational innovation in construction project procurement

Management of change in construction organisations to capture internal knowledge and maximise innovation is central to construction process re-engineering. Recent international trends toward privatisation and outsourcing of many government functions has seen wholesale changes to the role of government departments. In Brisbane, Australia, the Port of Brisbane Corporation has responsibilities for development and maintenance of all port and harbour facilities in the Brisbane region. The PBC is an acknowledged leader in encouraging internal technical development. Yet 20 years ago, this organisation operated as a small division within a large and bureaucratic Queensland Government public service department. This paper reviews construction project procurement strategies for the port’s civil and structural facilities since a separate organisational entity with responsibilities for Port of Brisbane was formed in 1976. The Port of Brisbane Corporation serves as an initial case study setting for a larger research project studying innovative practices in the context of the trend towards corporatising and privatising public sector organisations.

International review of computer usage and applications by construction project managers

As computer applications become more available—both technically and economically—construction project managers are increasingly able to access advanced computer tools capable of transforming the role that project managers have typically performed. Competence at using these tools requires a dual commitment in training—from the individual and the firm. Improving the computer skills of project managers can provide construction firms with a competitive advantage to differentiate from others in an increasingly competitive international market. Yet, few published studies have quantified what existing level of competence construction project managers have. Identification of project managers’ existing computer application skills is a necessary first step to developing more directed training to better capture the benefits of computer applications. This paper discusses the yet to be released results of a series of surveys undertaken in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and the United States through QUT’s School of Construction Management and Property and the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction at the University of Florida. This international survey reviews the use and reported competence in using a series of commercially-available computer applications by construction project managers. The five different country locations of the survey allow cross-national comparisons to be made between project managers undertaking continuing professional development programs. The results highlight a shortfall in the ability of construction project managers to capture potential benefits provided by advanced computer applications and provide directions for targeted industry training programs. This international survey also provides a unique insight to the cross-national usage of advanced computer applications and forms an important step in this ongoing joint review of technology and the construction project manager.

Evaluating the influences of stakeholder management on construction project quality

The issue of ensuring that construction projects achieve high quality outcomes continues to be an important consideration for key project stakeholders. Although a lot of quality practices have been done within the industry, establishment and achievement of reasonable levels of quality in construction projects continues to be a problem. While some studies into the introduction and development of quality practices and stakeholder management in the construction industry have been undertaken separately, no major studies have so far been completed that examine in depth how quality management practices that specifically address stakeholders’ perspectives of quality can be utilised to contribute to the ultimate constructed quality of projects. This paper encompasses and summarizes a review of the literature related to previous research undertaken on quality within the industry, focuses on the benefits and shortcomings, together with examining the concept of integrating stakeholder perspectives of project quality for improvement of outcomes throughout the project lifecycle. Findings discussed in this paper reveal a pressing need for investigation, development and testing of a framework to facilitate better implementation of quality management practices and thus achievement of better quality outcomes within the construction industry. The framework will incorporate and integrate the views of stakeholders on what constitutes final project quality to be utilised in developing better quality management planning and systems aimed ultimately at achieving better project quality delivery.

Development of a data mining-based analysis framework for multi-attribute construction project information

Data mining techniques extract repeated and useful patterns from a large data set that in turn are utilized to predict the outcome of future events. The main purpose of the research presented in this paper is to investigate data mining strategies and develop an efficient framework for multi-attribute project information analysis to predict the performance of construction projects. The research team first reviewed existing data mining algorithms, applied them to systematically analyze a large project data set collected by the survey, and finally proposed a data-mining-based decision support framework for project performance prediction. To evaluate the potential of the framework, a case study was conducted using data collected from 139 capital projects and analyzed the relationship between use of information technology and project cost performance. The study results showed that the proposed framework has potential to promote fast, easy to use, interpretable, and accurate project data analysis.

Delphi study for improving sustainable construction project management in universities

As sustainability becomes an important principle guiding various human activities around the globe, the higher education sector is being asked to take an active part in educating and promoting sustainability due to its moral responsibility, social obligation and its own needs to adapt to new circumstances. There is a global trend of higher education institutions embarking on responses to the sustainability challenge. On-campus building performance is one of the most important indicators for “sustainable universities”, because buildings carry substantially environmental burden such as considerable consumption of raw materials and energy as well as huge amount of waste generation and greenhouse gas emission. Plus, much research proves that building performance can impact on students and staff’s awareness about and behaviours related to sustainability. The past studies rarely discussed about sustainable construction projects in universities’ unique context. Universities are labeled with distinct characteristics such as complex governance, multiple cultures and juggling missions and so on. It is necessary and meaningful to examine the project management system in terms of universities’ organizational environment. Thus, this research project applies Delphi study to identify primary barriers to green technology application in on-campus buildings, critical factors for sustainable project success, key actions in project phases and strategies for project improvement. Through three rounds of questionnaires among panel experts, the authors obtain a profound understanding of project delivery system in universities. The research results are expected to provide sustainability practitioners with holistic understanding and generic information about sustainable construction project performance on campus as an assistance tool.

The distribution of construction project bids

This paper describes an analysis of construction project bids to determine (a) the global distribution and (b) factors influencing the distribution of bids. The global distribution of bids was found, by using a battery of ll test statistics, to be approximated by a three-parameter log normal distribution. No global spread parameter was found. A multivariate analysis revealed the year of tender to be the major influencing factor. Consideration of the construction order, tender price and output indices lead to the conclusion that distributional spread reflected the degree of difference in pricing policies between bidders and the skewness of the distributions reflected the degree of competition. The paper concludes with a tentative model of the causal relationships between the factors and distributional characteristics involved.

Integration of XML Schemas for the Exchange of FDOT Construction Project Data

An investigation of the construction data management needs of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) with regard to XML standards including development of data dictionary and data mapping. The review of existing XML schemas indicated the need for development of specific XML schemas. XML schemas were developed for all FDOT construction data management processes. Additionally, data entry, approval and data retrieval applications were developed for payroll compliance reporting and pile quantity payment development.

Toward a model for forming psychological safety climate in construction project management

The nature of construction projects and their delivery exposes participants to accidents and dangers. Safety climate serves as a frame of reference for employees to make sense of safety measures in the workplace and adapt their behaviors. Though safety climate research abounds, fewer efforts are made to investigate the formation of a safety climate. An effort to explore forming psychological safety climate, an operationalization of safety climate at the individual level, is an appropriate starting point. Taking the view that projects are social processes, this paper develops a conceptual framework of forming the psychological safety climate, and provides a preliminary validation. The model suggests that management can create the desired psychological safety climate by efforts from structural, perceptual, interactive, and cultural perspectives. Future empirical research can be built on the model to provide a more comprehensive and coherent picture of the determinants of safety climate.