Core Competencies for Construction Project Management

Despite its prominent role in the global economy, the construction industry is still dealing with declining productivity, workplace safety, work disputes, etc. The human element, particularly construction project managers, is critical to resolving many of these long-standing problems. The ability to identify training gaps and link qualified construction project managers with the relevant projects requires a deep awareness of the competencies necessary for construction project managers. This study examines definitions of competency and its components, proposes a conceptual competency model for education and training application, investigates competencies required for construction project managers, and reveals essential knowledge areas and personality characteristics required for each skill. A systematic review of 63 references, published from 1955 to 2019, is conducted for definition examination. The examination reveals that definitions of competency, knowledge, skill, behavior, and behavioral competencies could be clustered into 4, 8, 4, 4, and 3 major categories. In addition, an investigation of ten existing competency conceptual models leads to a more comprehensive conceptual competency model for construction project management. The proposed conceptual competency model considers skills as a function of knowledge and personality characteristics. Another systematic review of 92 references, published from 1989 to 2019, is conducted to determine the competencies required for construction project managers. The review shows that skills, universal knowledge, domain-specific knowledge, and personality characteristics could be clustered into 21, 10, 10, and 12 major categories. A survey including 672 ranking questions is developed to explore construction academics’ perception of the importance of each recognized knowledge area/personality characteristic to each identified skill. This study proposes a conceptual framework for dividing the extensive survey into shorter sections, including 21 ranking questions. Next, the data, collected from 2,016 professors, post-docs, and students worldwide, is analyzed to identify the importance of each knowledge area/personality characteristic to each skill. The findings of this study can assist the construction industry in directing its efforts toward key competency development areas and catering training and professional development to the real needs of the workforce

A review of design considerations in glass buildings

In the past few decades, the use of glass in buildings has remarkably increased. As a result, several transparent buildings have been constructed, in which the materials have almost disappeared. Given that the advancement of architecture is inextricably linked to the acquisition of general knowledge on future developments, this study was conducted to predict the paths of development that glass structures are likely to take in the future. Investigations such as this increase the possibility of advancing both design and construction at the same speed as technology. To achieve this goal, this study evaluates the present situation by investigating new possibilities and assessing their effect on the development of glass buildings. The findings of this study show that the durability, safety, appearance, and efficiency of transparent buildings can be improved through continuous refinement of designs, replacement of aged elements, prompt repair of damaged protective coatings, and greater exploitation of double-sided screens

Application of Behavioral Analysis Phase of PRECEDE Model on Women’s Psychological Well-being in the Menopausal Period

Background and Aims Positive psychology introduce mental health as a positive psychological functioning and represent it as wellbeing psychology and having positive characteristics such as self-esteem, positive social relationships, and life satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological wellbeing of postmenopausal women based on the behavioral analysis phase of PRECEDE model. Materials and Methods This study is a cross-sectional survey and carried out through random sampling in the case of 110 postmenopausal women at Ferdows city, Iran in 2014. The psychological wellbeing variable was studied by Ryff test, including 84 questions and six components containing autonomy, purposeful in life, dominance on environment, personal development, positive relationships with others, and self-acceptance. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS v.20 using descriptive statistics and analytic statistics through correlation and ANOVA. Results The mean age of participants and the average number of their children were 51.62 &plusmn; 4.26 and 3.42 &plusmn; 1.38, respectively. 61.80 percent of participants had primary education. Pearson correlation test indicated a positive and significant relationship between psychological wellbeing and predisposing factors (knowledge, attitude toward menopause), environmentalbehavioral factors, enabling factors and reinforcing factors (P < 0.01). Conclusion The results indicated that increasing awareness, creating positive attitude and promoting healthy behaviors are the effective steps to improve the psychological wellbeing in postmenopausal women. * Corresponding Author: Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Public Health. Email: [email protected]

[In Press] Critical managerial measures on financial risks of sustainable public-private partnership projects: a PRISMA review

Purpose – Public–private partnership (PPP), a project financing arrangement between private investors and the public sector, has revolutionized the approach to the funding and development of public infrastructure worldwide. However, the increasing cases of financial risks and poor financial risk management related to the model threaten the sustainability and financial success of PPP projects leading to huge financial investment losses. This study aims to review existing literature to establish the key measures to control the financial risks of sustainable PPP projects. Design/methodology/approach – A PRISMA-compliant systematic literature review method was used in this study. Data were sourced from academic databases consisting of 56 impactful peer-reviewed journal articles. Findings – The review outcomes demonstrate 41 critical factors (measures) in mitigating the financial risks of sustainable PPP projects. They include minimum revenue guarantee, strategic alliance with private investors, financial transparency and accountability and sound macroeconomic policies. The principal results of the study were categorized and conceptualized into a financial risk management maturity model for sustainable PPP projects. Lastly, the study reveals that further studies and project policies must focus more on addressing financial challenges relating to climate risks, and health and safety concerns such as COVID-19 outbreak that have negative impacts on PPP projects. Research limitations/implications – The results provide essential research gaps and directions for future studies on measures to mitigate the financial risks of sustainable PPP projects. However, this study used small but significant existing publications. Practical implications – A checklist and a conceptual maturity model are provided in this study to help practitioners to learn and improve upon their practices to mitigate the financial risks of sustainable PPP projects. Originality/value – This study contributes to managerial measures to reduce huge losses in financial investments of PPP projects and the attainment of sustainability in public infrastructure projects with a financial risk maturity model

Toward the attainment of climate-smart PPP infrastructure projects: a critical review and recommendations

Extreme climate change is an existential threat to humanity and infrastructure development. At the same time, the construction and operation of carbon-intense public–private partnership (PPP) infrastructure such as road transport, water, public houses, energy supply and sanitation unleash most of the greenhouse gas emissions that impacts negatively on the climate. Increasingly, there is a heightened interests in the development and financing of climate-smart PPP solutions to promote resilient and sustainable public infrastructures. Therefore, this article aims at identifying the critical solutions to the provision of climate-smart PPP infrastructure projects together with the driving factors and challenges of its implementation in public facilities. The paper utilized a systematic literature review method where data were sourced from prominent academic databases of Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The outcomes of the review demonstrate that the adoption of climate finance, renewable energy, and maintaining resilient infrastructures are prominent solutions to attain low-carbon infrastructure development. Key drivers such as the global call to reduce huge emissions from construction projects and transition to sustainable green construction management account for the shift toward climate-smart PPP projects. The barriers identified include poor and unconcerted practice and policy directions to resolve emission problems in the construction industry. The outcomes of this article provide incentives for the development and management of climate-smart public projects. Researchers can harness the results to investigate and develop adaptation and mitigation strategies for low-carbon PPP projects

[In Press] A review of circular economy models and success factors on public-private partnership infrastructure development

Purpose – The application of circular economy (CE) has received wide coverage in the built environment, including public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects, in recent times. However, current studies and practical implementation of CE are largely associated with construction demolition, waste and recycling management. Few studies exist on circular models and success factors of public infrastructures developed within the PPP contracts. Thus, the main objective of this article is to identify the models and key success factors associated with CE implementation in PPP infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of the literature was undertaken in this study using forty-two (42) peer-reviewed journal articles from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed. Findings – The results show that environmental factors, sustainable economic growth, effective stakeholder management, sufficient funding, utilization of low-carbon materials, effective supply chain and procurement strategies facilitate the implementation of CE in PPP infrastructure projects. Key CE business models are centered around the extension of project life cycle value, circular inputs and recycling and reuse of projects. Research limitations/implications – Although the study presents relevant findings and gaps for further investigations, it has a limited sample size of 42 papers, which is expected to increase as CE gain more prominence in PPP infrastructure management in future. Practical implications – The findings are relevant for decision-making by PPP practitioners to attain the social, economic and environmental benefits of transitioning to circular infrastructure management. Originality/value – This study contributes to articulating the key models and measures toward sustainable CE in public infrastructure development