Project pathogens: The anatomy of omission errors in construction and resource engineering project

Construction and engineering projects are typically complex in nature and are prone to cost and schedule overruns. A significant factor that often contributes to these overruns is rework. Omissions errors, in particular, have been found to account for as much as 38% of the total rework costs experienced. To date, there has been limited research that has sought to determine the underlying factors that contribute to omission errors in construction and engineering projects. Using data derived from59 in-depth interviews undertaken with various project participants, a generic systemic causal model of the key factors that contributed to omission errors is presented. The developed causal model can improve understanding of the archetypal nature and underlying dynamics of omission errors. Error management strategies that can be considered for implementation in projects are also discussed

The new role for emerging digital technology to facilitate IPD and improve collaboration: A disruptive innovation perspective

© 2020 selection and editorial matter, Derek Walker and Steve Rowlinson. All rights reserved. This chapter focuses on the role of emerging digital technology as a disruptive agent, a role that emerging digital technology can play simply as the catalyst of change. It deals with a consideration of the construction industry and why it is ripe for disruptive innovation. The chapter provides an overview of the emerging digital technologies of particular relevance to the construction industry at this time. It proposes a new role for emerging digital technology in the context of integrated project delivery (IPD), in the role as a catalyst for change. The broader impact of Industry 4.0 has also been discussed elsewhere in terms of collaboration and the integration of knowledge, skills and attributes. In order for new technology innovation to provide the necessary catalyst for the substantive, whole-of-industry changes, required to drive IPD and radically improve the performance of the construction industry, a different perspective is required

Delivering better outcomes through customer-led project management: the case of the major project BT 21st Century Network in the UK

Traditional approaches of major project management take the strategy of selecting a supplier-led prime/systems integrator. Although this strategy pushes a significant amount of risk to the supplier, project performance may suffer due to lower engagement of the customer in the anticipation of potential issues involving a major project. Thus, this research investigates the implications of the customer, as opposed to a selected external supplier, assuming the role of systems/prime integrator, as a Problem Structuring Method (PSM) to better deal with the soft side and uncertainties of the project. A case study approach is conducted on the major project BT 21st Century Network (BT21CN) to demonstrate that customer-led systems integration projects may provide more balance in the relationship and distribution of risks between supplier and customer, having a positive impact on project performance, accelerating the development of BT’s organisational capabilities, and producing better project outcomes in the long term

Establishment of a <i>Wolbachia</i> Superinfection in <i>Aedes</i> <i>aegypti</i> Mosquitoes as a Potential Approach for Future Resistance Management

Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium estimated to chronically infect between 40-75% of all arthropod species. Aedes aegypti, the principle mosquito vector of dengue virus (DENV), is not a natural host of Wolbachia. The transinfection of Wolbachia strains such as wAlbB, wMel and wMelPop-CLA into Ae. aegypti has been shown to significantly reduce the vector competence of this mosquito for a range of human pathogens in the laboratory. This has led to wMel-transinfected Ae. aegypti currently being released in five countries to evaluate its effectiveness to control dengue disease in human populations. Here we describe the generation of a superinfected Ae. aegypti mosquito line simultaneously infected with two avirulent Wolbachia strains, wMel and wAlbB. The line carries a high overall Wolbachia density and tissue localisation of the individual strains is very similar to each respective single infected parental line. The superinfected line induces unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) when crossed to each single infected parental line, suggesting that the superinfection would have the capacity to replace either of the single constituent infections already present in a mosquito population. No significant differences in fitness parameters were observed between the superinfected line and the parental lines under the experimental conditions tested. Finally, the superinfected line blocks DENV replication more efficiently than the single wMel strain when challenged with blood meals from viremic dengue patients. These results suggest that the deployment of superinfections could be used to replace single infections and may represent an effective strategy to help manage potential resistance by DENV to field deployments of single infected strains