Enabling an effective knowledge and information flow between the phases of building construction and facilities management

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate ways of transferring knowledge and information during the life-cycle phases of construction projects, particularly between the construction and occupancy phases, and to find an approach to minimise knowledge and information gaps during the handover process. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a qualitative approach involving a literature review and an archival analysis of information flow in the studied cases of a construction project, followed by a cross-cases analysis and expert interviews. Data on information flow were collected from three cases of building construction projects in Perth, Western Australia. In addition, a total of 18 local facilities management experts were interviewed to identify the key reasons of knowledge and information gaps and to propose an effective knowledge flow model. Findings The findings of this study indicated a significant knowledge and information gap, which exists during the handover process in construction projects in Western Australia. The findings of case analysis and expert interviews identified that the project handover guidelines were often ignored in construction projects in Western Australia, and the handover phase was not given the same priority as the design and construction phases by most of the project stakeholders, which led to information and knowledge gaps between the project construction and post-occupancy phases. The study conducted, integrated knowledge and information flow modelling to analyse the knowledge and information gaps followed by mapping the gaps against existing knowledge sharing frameworks (KSFs) before proposing an integrated knowledge sharing conceptual model to improve current practice and to enhance the information flow during the various phases of the construction project life cycle. Research limitations/implications The study is based on three cases in Perth, Western Australia, and thus the findings and recommendations are contextual. Whilst laying a good foundation to do so, further research is needed to investigate more cases in Western Australia and beyond to fully generalise the findings from this study. Originality/value The study contributes to improve the handover process and information flows in project life-cycle phases in Western Australia and develop an information flow model followed by bringing together existing KSFs, namely, the open communication channel (OCC), soft landing framework (SLF) and building information modelling (BIM), to propose an integrated knowledge sharing conceptual model. The methodology used here to analyse the information flow in a diagrammatic manner, the mapping of FM issues against the KSFs’ capabilities and a conceptual model to facilitate change in the industry’s silo mindset are the main contributions of this paper

Guidelines of Using Project Management Tools and Techniques to Mitigate Factors Causing Delays in Public Construction Projects in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Delays can be considered a common problem within public and private construction projects around the world but the problem is endemic in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) where massive public funds are lost every year as a result. Delays may have significant negative impact not only to the KSA public construction projects but also on its economic and social status. Although several studies have examined the factors influencing delays in public construction projects in KSA, little attention has been paid to how project management tools and methods have made any impact to the incidence of project delays. This paper aims to develop the mapping and the guidelines using the principles of Project Management, after reviewing the critical factors for delays in public construction projects in the KSA. A careful attention was given to investigate the critical factors that are causing delays in building projects within public sector in KSA and the current practices of project management applications in order to develop guidelines to effectively mitigate construction delays in KSA. This review paper reports the top critical factors associated with delays in construction projects in KSA. It also identify project management tools and techniques that if implemented properly have the potentials to address the main factors contributing to the occurrence of delays. Following this, a new guideline to utilize Project Management tools and techniques in addressing the identified delay factors is also provided here with the view to help practitioners to minimize the potentials of construction delays in the KSA public projects

Innovation in the globalised world: educating future building professionals

Guest Editoria

Exploring the potential for achieving the triple-bottom-line of sustainability through offsite manufacturing

Triggered by the rapid depletion of natural resources, sustainability has now becoming a popular topic that has been linked to various aspects of human’s life. Given the very scale of the global construction industry, sustainability has emerged as one of the main features in the construction industry including in choosing the construction method such as offsite manufacturing (OSM) in construction. In fact, one of the main advantages of OSM has been expected as its potential to minimise waste as well as higher level of productivity and hence supporting sustainability. However, it has also been reported that despite all its advantages, the uptake of OSM is still considered relatively low in the construction industry. In discussing about sustainability, various scholars have championed the importance of looking into this matter through a more holistic view of sustainability including economical, social and environmental. This is also known as the triple bottom-line of sustainability. This paper presents a review of the current development in analysing the achievement of the triple bottom-line of sustainability throughout the lifecycle of offsite construction projects. The outcomes of this review are expected to unveil various points within the lifecycle of projects delivered with the offsite construction techniques that can be improved to better facilitate the achievement of the triple-bottom-line of sustainability in these projects. The findings can be used by practitioners to improve and better justify the implementation of offsite construction techniques and subsequently, further promoting the use of such techniques in the construction industry

Implementation of Earned Value Management in Unit-Price Payment Contracts

[EN] The earned value management (EVM) method is internationally considered a standard tool in the project management field, enabling professionals to plan and control cost and schedule in an integrated manner. However, evidence indicates that EVM is not typically implemented by contractors when the payment agreement is based on unit-prices. In this payment approach, the owner pays the quantities actually executed according to the preagreed rate established in the contract for each unit or task; the income received by the contractor from the owner (generally named production) is neither proportional to costs nor fixed a priori, as in cost-reimbursable and lump sum contracts, respectively. Therefore, contractors have to control not only cost but also production. The current formulation of EVM does not allow controlling production; an additional baseline is needed. In response, this paper presents a proposal for adapting EVM to contractors when using the unit-prices payment agreement. Using a case study to illustrate, an additional baseline to account for production and profitability, as well as new indicators, is applied to allow contractors using EVM with this payment approach; this is the contribution of this paper to the body of knowledge. The proposed EVM formulation provides information not only in terms of cost (as in the traditional EVM approach) but also in terms of production.This research was supported by the Universitat Politècnica de València, which funded a visiting scholarship for Dr. Monty Sutrisna (Action 19701344)Picornell, M.; Pellicer, E.; Torres-Machí, C.; Sutrisna, M. (2017). Implementation of Earned Value Management in Unit-Price Payment Contracts. Journal of Management in Engineering. 33(3):06016001-1-06016001-7. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000500S06016001-106016001-733

Modelling Knowledge Integration Process in Early Contractor Involvement Procurement at Tender Stage - A Western Australian Case Study

Purpose This paper aims to disseminate the knowledge integration process modelling throughout the phases of the early contractor involvement (ECI) procurement methodology, to optimise the benefit of ECI procurement method. The development of the model was aimed at taking advantage from the associated benefits of integrating knowledge and of ECI procurement. ECI provides contractors with an alternative means to tendering, designing and constructing projects. Thus, this paper explores knowledge interconnectivity and its integration involving numerous disciplines with various stakeholders to benefit from the collaborative environment of ECI. Design/methodology/approach The methodology implemented in the research includes a thorough literature review to establish the characteristics of the ECI tender stage as well as the characteristics of knowledge to be integrated in an ECI setting. Following this, an embedded case study research methodology was used involving three healthcare ECI projects undertaken by a Western Australian commercial contractor through 20 semi-structured interviews and project archival study, followed by the development of knowledge integration process models throughout the ECI process of the studied cases. Findings The research findings provide the basis to develop a knowledge integration process model throughout the ECI stages. The tender stage was found to be the most crucial stage for knowledge integration, particularly from the main contractor’s perspective to impart change and to influence the project outcome. The outcome of this research identifies the richness and interconnectivity of knowledge throughout the knowledge integration process in an ECI project starting from the intra-organisational knowledge integration process followed by the inter-organisational process of knowledge integration. This inside-out perspective of knowledge integration also revealed the need for mapping the implementation of knowledge integration from instrumental to incremental approach throughout the ECI stages in optimising the intended benefits of integrating knowledge. Originality/value This paper reports the development of a knowledge integration process model with the view to optimise the management effectiveness of integrating knowledge in ECI projects. Although knowledge integration and ECI can be considered existing and widely accepted concepts, the novelty of this research lies in the specific use of the knowledge integration process to analyse the knowledge flow, transformation and, hence, management in ECI projects. As it has been acknowledged that knowledge integration is beneficial but also a complex process, the methodology implemented here in modelling the process can be used as the basis to model knowledge integration in other ECI projects to further capitalise from ECI as a collaborative procurement method

Developing work breakdown structure matrix for managing offsite construction projects

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Offsite construction techniques continue to receive considerable attention in academic/research discourse. Whilst discourse in seminal literature critique the positive and negative aspects of offsite; on balance, the benefits outweigh the barriers, especially when fully integrated and managed. From a project management perspective, the techniques applied to construction projects typically commence in determining the project’s work breakdown structure (WBS). Whilst the WBS is applicable to offsite deliverables, reflecting site-based construction activities and concomitant dependencies with the manufacturing processes, there are slight discrepancies in processes, and equally, some areas of repetition and duplication. This mismatch has a fundamental impact on integration, creating pockets of confusion, where less seamless (sub-optimal) synergy between offsite and onsite works is lost. This is an acknowledged challenge. There is, therefore, a real need to retain the product breakdown structure, whilst ensuring a seamless interface with the onsite works is maintained. This is a challenge. Whilst the WBS-matrix has been implemented in the project management domain to bridge the ‘products’ and ‘activities’, this arrangement has not yet been developed for offsite building construction projects. This paper reports an on-going research project set up to implement WBS-matrix for offsite construction projects. Two cases of recently completed offsite construction building projects were studied to analyse current practices–to inform the way forward to further develop the WBS-matrix. Findings from this research provide clear guidance for practitioners involved in offsite construction projects; particularly on the development of the WBS-matrix for manufacturing deliverables/activities in order to more effectively manage offsite construction projects.Published versio

Developing a knowledge based system for the valuation of variations on civil engineering works

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A Decision Support Tool for the Valuation of Variations on Civil Engineering Projects

The valuation of variations has been recognised as a prime cause of conflict and dispute in construction management. Such disputes often concern the prices and/or rates to be applied to the varied works. Previous research has identified the subjectivity of the decision-maker in interpreting the valuation rules to be the major problem, particularly with regard to defining the work conditions and/or characteristics during a variation event. Findings of a survey, conducted to elicit the views and perceptions of experienced practitioners towards interpreting the valuation rules are presented. The development of a decision-making tool based on a robust framework for valuing variations in civil engineering projects is described. The tool was developed by analysing changes in various decision attributes. The result of the changes was then mapped to relevant sets developed using fuzzy-logic principles. Various operators were used to perform the fuzzy-aggregation operation. The modelling technique was demonstrated to be reliable in replicating the decision-making process performed by experienced practitioners. As such is considered a suitable aid for decision-making involved in valuing variations on civil engineering works. The results of the analysis reported here have suggested the fuzzy-logic as an appropriate tool to model human decision-making, particularly in valuing variations on civil engineering works. This is considered an essential progress of the current study in modelling human decision-making process, particularly since there are so many unknown aspects associated with such a process. The modelling technique successfully developed here is then used as the main algorithm for decision-making in the subsequently developed Knowledge Based System (KBS) which is intended to assist practitioners minimise conflict and dispute arising from the valuation of variations