Managing building and civil engineering project claims to reduce conflict intensity and contractors' potential to dispute

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

A study of best management practices for enhancing productivity in building projects: construction methods perspectives

This research investigates management practices that have the potential to enhance productivity in building projects by focusing on construction methods. In phase 1 of the study, face-to-face interviews with nineteen experts were conducted to identify the best management practices for construction methods. The qualitative data analysis reached saturation and resulted in a list of best practices for construction methods that are relevant to the local industry. The second phase used an industry-wide survey to prioritize the best practices. Accordingly, project start-up plan, traffic control plan, machinery positioning strategy, project completion plan, and dynamic site layout plan were shown to be the top five best practices for construction methods. The study also revealed that high levels of implementation of best practices are associated with low levels of project delays. The use of best practices also varied according to the project costs. There were no discernible differences between the top five best practices. The authors suggest that they should be implemented jointly to improve productivity in building projects. Contractors could use the logistic regression model developed, to predict the probability of exceeding a baseline productivity factor and, on that basis, implement corrective actions to achieve the desired level of productivity

The relationship between distribution of control, fairness and potential for dispute in the claims handling process

Parties' concern for fairness has been identified as one of the underlying causes of dissatisfaction and protracted dispute in the process for handling contractors' claims. Social psychology literature suggests that distribution of control over the various stages of any conflict resolution process is a factor that may influence concern for fairness. Despite the numerous studies in social psychology and management research, little or no attempt has been made to systematically investigate how distribution of control over the various stages of the process for handling a contractor's claims for delay and disruption could influence concern for fairness and potential for dispute. This should be a useful exercise in that it would suggest ways of reducing potential for disputes in construction project delivery. This study is an attempt to fill this research gap. Drawing on social psychology theory, this study proposes that, in order to enhance perceived fairness and thereby reduce potential for dispute, (1) the claims certifier needs to exercise a higher degree of process and content control over the early stages of process for handling claims than the control exercised by the employer and contractor; (2) the claims certifier must exercise total decision control so as to enhance the perceived impartiality and neutrality of the decision rendered on the claims. By examining two litigated cases, the study illustrates the relationship between distribution of control, perceived lack of fairness and dispute potential. By adopting the proposed principle for distributing control into the claims handling process and coupled with the use of an independent claims certifier, potential for dispute could be reduced on construction projects.Claims, delay and disruption claims, claims process, control, fairness, dispute,

Association of Researchers in Construction Management

EARLY STAGE COST ESTIMATION AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF ARCHITECTS TO QUANTITY SURVEYORS Understanding the dynamics between cost estimation and design in the project delivery process is essential if accuracy of early stage estimates must be improved. In Australia architects are the primary designers of buildings. Yet, in the Australian context very little work has examined how architects view cost estimation in order to understand cost dynamics. A first step in ascertaining the key issues in relation to cost estimation and design is when architects engage a Quantity Surveyor. The aim is to examine the costing of the conceptual design of projects rather than focusing on professional roles between architect and QS. The point at which a QS is appointed in the design process is identified. The types of issues that arise in relation to costing and design are recognized. To do this, 1132 architects were approached and 85 surveys were received. Each respondent was asked to answer questions related to the highest value project completed by their office. The types of design issues that were acknowledged were related to finishes, construction methods and materials. Of concern was the ability of the QS to cost accurately in situations that required expert knowledge related to a location or particular building type. The results are a first step in formulating further research investigating the ongoing cost messages and costing iterations that take place during the project delivery process. Understanding this dynamic in the first instance will aid research into value management, project benchmarking studies, bidding and tendering as well as stakeholder management studies

The accuracy of pre-tender building cost estimates in Australia

A pre-tender building cost estimate is an important piece of information when making decisions at the project planning and design stage. The important project characteristics influencing the accuracy of pre-tender building cost estimates are examined and practical improvement for increasing the accuracy of estimates are considered. A quantitative approach is used to address the research problem. Analysis of data from 56 projects and from a postal questionnaire survey of 102 quantity surveying firms suggests that the accuracy of pre-tender building cost estimates varies according to project size and principal structural material. When eight identified project characteristics are controlled in a multiple regression analysis, the accuracy of estimates is influenced by project size. The estimates of smaller projects are more biased than the estimates of larger projects. It was discovered that pre-tender building costs are more often overestimated than are underestimated. Overestimated forecasts are incorrect by a larger amount than underestimated forecasts. Data analysis also revealed that the accuracy of pre-tender building cost estimates has not improved over time. The majority of the respondents are somewhat dissatisfied with the accuracy of estimates in the industry. Probability estimation and simulation of past estimates, reducing quantity surveying and cost engineering skill turnover, incorporating market sentiments into estimates, early involvement of the quantity surveyor at the brief stage, and proper documentation of experience gained in the estimation of projects should help firms increase the accuracy of estimates for new projects.Australia, estimating accuracy, pre-tender estimates, quantity surveying, tendering,

Green Building Success Criteria: Interpretive Qualitative Approach

Green buildings (GBs) are gaining popularity the world over. This study investigates the criteria that determine the success of GB projects. This study employs the interpretive qualitative approach. Semistructured interviews (n = 40) across five countries were conducted with experts active in different roles in GBs. Overall, 17 success criteria and 39 subcriteria are identified. Some key success criteria are about meeting the needs of building occupants (n = 25), meeting project aspirations (n = 16), realizing sustainable building operations (n = 15), and achieving GB certifications (n = 14). The identified criteria are inquired to determine whether they are about doing the “right things,” about doing “things right,” or about generating value. The interrelationships among success criteria and the priorities placed on some success criteria in GB projects according to the respondents are also discussed. Theoretically, the inquiry of criteria adds depth to the understanding of building project success in general, and GB success in particular. Practically, the comprehensive list of success criteria can be used as a guide on GB projects for performance evaluation and for controlling project performance

Structural equation modelling of organizational justice and cooperative behaviour in the construction project claims process: contractors' perspectives

A cooperative attitude is essential for successful teamwork in construction. The levels of conflict and dispute on construction projects are conceptualized as forms of cooperative/uncooperative attitude. A theoretical model demonstrates how conflict intensity, contractors' dispute tendencies and six identified constructs of organizational justice interact with and relate to each other. The model is tested using a structural equation modelling technique with partial least‐squares estimation. It uses survey data obtained from 41 contractors regarding their project experience. The results suggest that perceptions about organizational justice either promote or hinder cooperative behaviour in the construction project delivery process. Organizational justice, or at least people's perceptions of it, influenced 38% of conflict intensity levels, and altered 46% of contractors' tendencies to dispute. Perceptions about the quantum of claims approved (favourability of the outcome and the perceived fairness of the outcome) influenced the levels of conflict and dispute. However, the way people are treated (quality of treatment) and the way claims are administered (quality of decision‐making) have the largest impact on the model developed. Cooperative behaviour can be promoted on projects by managing construction claims in a proactive manner and by proper implementation of the claims mechanism.Claims, cooperation, conflict, organizational justice, structural equation model,

CONSTRUCTIONMANAGEMENT PRACTICES INFLUENCING PRODUCTIVITY IN BUILDING PROJECTS

The adverse effects of management related problems affecting productivity in construction projects can be reduced by implementing best management practices that are suitable for a specific project type. Previous studies identified the best practices for infrastructure and industrial projects. However, these practices could not directly be used for building projects as the management practices might vary from project to project and from country to country. Moreover, a little research has been conducted on what the best practices might be in the context of building projects in Victoria, Australia. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with nineteen experienced professionals in the construction industry and forty-seven context specific best practices for building projects such as long lead materials identification, machinery productivity analysis, short interval planning, incentive programs, dynamic site layout plan and safety policy are identified. The study revealed that some best practices that are applicable to infrastructure and industrial projects are not suitable for building projects. Therefore, implementation of the best practices identified in other contexts could not improve productivity in building projects and principal contractors involved in building construction should adopt context-specific practices to enhance the productivity of their projects