Innovation in construction eBusiness

The use of e-Business within the construction industry has steadily grown over the last decade. However, despite the successes being widely publicized, it is perceived that progress is limited and constrained within the industry. Thus, there are still drivers to be harnessed and barriers to be overcome. The successes achieved in other industries could be transposed and implemented within the construction industry. Many models have been suggested to successfully implement, integrate and embed e-Business within the construction industry. The aim of this special issue is closely aligned with that of a special session on ‘Innovation in Construction e-Business’ at the 6th International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) on June 9-11, 2010. A selection of papers submitted to the conference special session in Innovation in Construction e-Business has been reviewed along with additional papers for publication in this ITcon special issue

Electronic commerce in construction-trends and prospects

There is growing interest in the conduct of business transactions by electronic means through the Internet and/or dedicated networks, this is often referred to as electronic commerce. This paper reviews developments in electronic commerce, with a particular focus on its applicability and uptake within the construction industry. Electronic commerce business models are reviewed and the enablers and barriers to their uptake in the construction sector presented. The paper concludes with future trends in electronic commerce and the need for construction organisations to make the necessary investments that will enable them to take advantage of these

Communities of practice in construction case study organisations: questions and insights

Purpose – At the heart of knowledge management (KM) are the people – an organisation's important knowledge asset. Although this is widely acknowledged, businesses seldom understand this axiom in terms of the communities through which individuals develop and share the capacity to create and use knowledge. It is the collective learning that takes place within the social systems, i.e. communities of practice (CoP) that are of particular significance to an organisation from a KM perspective. This paper aims to review, critique, and raise some pertinent questions on the role of CoPs; and with the help of case studies shed light on the “goings-on” in construction practices. Design/methodology/approach – After critically reviewing the literature on CoPs and querying some underlying assertions, this research investigates how these issues are addressed in practice. A case study approach is adopted. Three organisations operating in the construction sector are interviewed for the purpose of this paper. Findings – Case study findings highlight the potential challenges and benefits of CoPs to a construction organisation, the role they play in generating and delivering value to the organisation and their contribution towards the collective organisational intelligence. From the findings, it is clear that the question is not whether communities exist within organisations, but how they deliver value to the organisation. From an organisational perspective, the key challenge is to provide an environment that is conducive to developing and nurturing such communities as opposed to merely creating them. Practical implications – Challenges and benefits demonstrated through the case studies should be taken in context. The findings are not intended to be prescriptive in nature, but are intentionally descriptive to provide contextual data that allow readers to draw their own inferences in the context of their organisations. They should be applied taking into account an organisation's unique characteristics and differentiators, the dynamics of the environment in which it operates and the culture it harbours within. Originality/value – Investigating the role of CoPs in the context of case study construction organisations forms the prime focus of this paper

Developing a conceptual lean briefing process model for lean design management

Although the concept of lean design management in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) is still evolving and open to debate, it has helped to emphasise the importance of value and waste to the design team. An essential element of lean design management is briefing. Briefing is the process by which clients express and articulate their desires, and from which the design team develop their design. From a design management perspective briefing is a crucial stage in which values are explored and value expressed; and a process that could be better managed to help eliminate uncertainty and waste in the design and construction phases. A comprehensive literature review found that, aspects of process waste relating to ineffective briefing appear to have been neglected to date, which stimulated the idea of rethinking the briefing process to address waste at its origin. The research exposed limitations with current approaches to briefing and identified the potential for change. Applying lean thinking to the briefing process, with emphasis on value and flow, appears to provide an alternative approach to the traditional methods. A conceptual lean briefing process model is introduced by the authors, using lean management principles to achieve best value from the briefing process. This work reports the outcome of the first phase of the on-going research that aims to investigate and analyse the application of lean management principles in the briefing process for lean design management implementation; and to explore its validity within Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) projects' by looking at the theory and the application of lean design management. It is hoped that, this study followed by the outcome of the on-going research will contribute to the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of lean design management in AEC