A problem-solving approach to value-adding decision making in construction design

Purpose – To illustrate the use of a Value Adding Toolbox by construction industry designers when addressing customer value expectations using problem solving. Design/methodology/approach – Focused literature review establishes the need for construction industry design solutions to deliver customer value and a Value Adding Toolbox is proposed in response. Case studies validate Toolbox use and one illustrative example is provided. Interviews with prospective Toolbox users identify barriers to adoption and inform a recommended approach to organisational adoption. Findings – The Toolbox is found to be effective at helping construction designers to solve technical design problems with regard to customer expectations of value. However, designers are found to be initially reluctant to adopt the new tool. Organisation learning is therefore required to establish the importance of customer value satisfaction as a prerequisite to Toolbox adoption by designers. Originality/value – This paper provides a useful insight into the practical application of problemsolving tools by construction designers to better understand customer needs

Averting the construction skills crisis: a regional approach

The East Midlands construction industry is currently suffering from a severe skills shortage across its craft, professional and managerial occupations. The lack of available capacity within the regional labour market coupled with the poor image of the sector, call into question the industry’s ability to cope with the levels of new orders and output growth predicted over the next few years. In this paper, it is argued that the casualised nature of the industry’s labour market has rendered national, ‘top-down’ labour market policy measures ineffective in addressing the industry’s skills concerns. This hypothesis has been explored through research that canvassed the opinions of key industry stakeholders as to the actions necessary to avert the region’s skills crisis. This was achieved through a series of focus groups and workshops involving over 150 individuals with a vested interest in the region’s construction skills situation. The insights emerging from the analysis suggested that bespoke regional and sub-regional labour market policies are required to avert the current skills shortage. The recommendations provided by the participants were used as the basis for a strategic package of measures that are currently being implemented across the region’s five counties. This strategy aims to join-up hitherto disparate labour market measures within a single centrally coordinated framework. Nevertheless, overcoming the industry’s fragmented structure remains an obstacle to resolving successfully the East Midlands’ construction skills shortage

Integrated collaborative design

This paper describes an approach to managing the supply chain from the perspective of design. It describes the concept of a Design Chain and argues that the industry needs to centre the development of Integrated Teams (as proposed in Accelerating Change) around collaborative working of all parties involved in the design process. Integrated Collaborative Design (ICD) recognises that we are too often focussed on the short-term objectives of projects, rather than long-term business strategy and organisational relationships. In simple terms, it involves three steps: identifying tasks (process management); allocating roles (as part of supply chain management); and focusing design solutions to deliver value. The paper outlines the principles and approach to ICD, which is supported by a handbook contain 25 supporting practice notes, published by Thomas Telford

Design chains: introducing supply chain management into the construction design process

The continued fragmentation of the construction sector has led to a demand from clients for greater integration of the companies engaged in the construction process. Supply chain Management (SCM) which has been successfully applied in other industry sectors is now being viewed as a potential solution within construction. This paper proposes that whilst the practices of SCM are very much dependent on the industrial context, the principles are equally applicable to the design process within construction projects. The differences between the flows of goods or materials in traditional SCM contexts and the flows of information in the design process are discussed. The concept of the ‘design chain’ is introduced as a cognitive framework, which can inform and underpin the development of SCM practice for design and can provide the basis of integrating organisations and technical disciplines to provide a collaborative integrated approach to developing design solutions