Lessons learned practices in the engineering, procurement and construction sector

The exploitation of lessons learned to improve performance on future projects is highly desirable for many construction organisations. The vision of an organisation that can readily recall what went well on a project and attempt to recreate those successes as well as avoiding the repetition of past mistakes offers commercial sense. This paper adopts a case study methodology to investigate how Canadian Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies address lessons learned on their construction projects. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for UK companies regarding how the process may be improved in terms of encouraging lessons learned to occur, the timing of lessons learned sessions, identifying participants, the format for documenting lessons learned and how these should be disseminated

The potential of knowledge management processes for facilitating PFI projects

Knowledge management (KM) is one of the strategies that can be used to improve organisational competitiveness and performance. Like the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), KM attempts to improve service performance. Facilities Management (FM) now has an increasingly important role to play in PFI projects. It is therefore important within the PFI-FM context, to manage knowledge for facilities, particularly on its processes, the approaches to dealing with problems, and the management of day-to-day operations. This allows facilities managers to be more effective at both the operational and managerial levels. The aim of this paper is to identify knowledge management’s potential and its relevance to the integration of facilities management practice in PFI projects. Reviews on current practice, issues and problems, indicate that it would be beneficial to adapt knowledge management in FM organisation, particularly at the operational level. By adopting KM, it could facilitate the effectiveness of managing services and later overcome the shortfalls in meeting expectations and the desired performance level of FM organisations. A discussion is also included on the future research direction for the development of a conceptual framework to support the integration of facilities management practices with relevant knowledge management principles

Knowledge management to learning organization connection

The changes in the engineering-construction (E-C) industry of the 21st century require organizations to take a more active role in developing knowledge management and learning organization initiatives. The need to both retain knowledge within the organization and focus on continuous human resource development throughout all levels of the organization is becoming a primary challenge throughout the industry. This paper addresses this challenge by focusing on the question of the link between knowledge management and learning organizations and how to transform an organization from a focus on knowledge management to a focus on developing a learning culture. Based on a series of studies by the PIs into the characteristics of both knowledge management and learning organizations, this paper outlines models of each of these concepts and introduces a bridge that details the level of knowledge management implementation that must be in place prior to an organization having the capacity to move to a learning focus. Additionally, the case studies conducted during the current study provide a basis for presenting potentially unsuccessful paths that may be selected by organizations during the implementation of a knowledge management to learning organization transition

Exploiting knowledge management: the engineering and construction perspective

Construction companies have always relied on their knowledge assets to provide services to clients. In recent years the terminology ‘knowledge management’ has been introduced. Knowledge management (KM) seeks to formalize the manner in which companies exploit their knowledge assets by harnessing organizational knowledge, promoting greater collaboration between groups with similar interests, capturing and using lessons learned on previous projects, etc. This paper investigates how major US engineering design and construction firms are implementing knowledge management initiatives in order to identify best practice. It adopts a case study methodology to investigate companies’ Strategy and Implementation, People Aspects and Metrics for Performance. The study finds that there is a clear distinction between the knowledge management activities undertaken by large engineering design firms and those of construction firms. There is also a much greater emphasis on knowledge sharing, which is just one component of knowledge management. Moreover, some companies have specific KM initiatives whilst others have activities that are part of their normal business processes

The knowledge management to learning organization connection

The changes in the engineering-construction (E-C) industry of the 21st century require organizations to take a more active role in developing knowledge management and learning organization initiatives. The need to both retain knowledge within the organization and focus on continuous human resource development throughout all levels of the organization is becoming a primary challenge throughout the industry. This paper addresses this challenge by focusing on the question of the link between knowledge management and learning organizations and how to transform an organization from a focus on knowledge management to a focus on developing a learning culture. Based on a series of studies by the PIs into the characteristics of both knowledge management and learning organizations, this paper outlines models of each of these concepts and introduces a bridge that details the level of knowledge management implementation that must be in place prior to an organization having the capacity to move to a learning focus. Additionally, the case studies conducted during the current study provide a basis for presenting potentially unsuccessful paths that may be selected by organizations during the implementation of a knowledge management to learning organization transition

Disseminating project learning in contracting firms

The construction industry is highly competitive with its clients demanding continuous improvement and highly innovative construction projects that are delivered to key performance indicators such as less time, reduced costs, high quality and fewer accidents. Capturing and disseminating lessons learned is one way of fostering project learning which in turn can contribute positively to continuous improvement. This paper proposes a roadmap that can foster project learning by addressing the challenges of capturing useful lessons learned and disseminating these in an effective manner. The data collection was done in three stages. Firstly a questionnaire survey was sent to the top 122 UK construction contractors to understand current lessons learned practices; this included what the processes were, why they were used, how they were carried out, their usefulness and the perceived barriers to dissemination. Secondly, nine interviews were undertaken to gain a more detailed understanding of companies’ lessons learned practices and the challenges experienced. The interviewees consisted of individuals based in the head offices of construction contractor organisations with responsibility for lessons learned practices. These respondents therefore provided the corporate view of what the organisations did. Thirdly, three focus group interviews where held with site based project teams. This provided a comparison between the corporate views and what happened on construction sites. The roadmap proposed addresses the needs of both corporate and site teams for (1) identifying what is relevant, (2) the processes that should be adopted, (3) the content and format of lessons learned, (4) the types of repositories, (5) the dissemination mechanisms and (6) the feedback loops. Each of these stages is accompanied by checklists to provide examples of typical tools

Stakeholder management in public private partnership projects in Nigeria: towards a research agenda

Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a viable alternative for procuring public infrastructure. PPPs bring together the best of both worlds; private sector managerial expertise and public sector regulatory and supervisory capacity to procure public infrastructure. While several PPP projects have been delivered successfully, others have experienced challenges such as stakeholders' opposition. PPP projects are by their nature complex involving multiple stakeholders and thus far, there is a lack of adequate and well-structured means of managing these stakeholders and their varied interests which has resulted in neglect of stakeholders. Neglect of interest of stakeholders has been identified as a major factor that undermines the success of PPP projects in Nigeria. To this end, managing stakeholders in PPP projects in Nigeria has become necessary owing to the fact that support for PPP projects by the general public and transparency in the PPP process are enhanced when end users, local communities and other stakeholders are involved in all phases of the PPP scheme. This paper reviews literature on stakeholder management and concludes that existing frameworks do not provide adequate guidance on how stakeholders in PPP projects should be managed from project conception to operation and maintenance. Some of the main flaws identified with existing frameworks are their lack of attention to multiple parties involved in PPP projects and the inadequacy of stakeholder identification process. This paper thus identifies the gaps in existing stakeholder management frameworks and makes a case for developing a framework for managing stakeholders in PPP projects which would be all inclusive, transparent and that gives end users, local communities and other stakeholders their rightful place as co-owners of the project. This will enhance public support for PPPs and attract private sector investment in infrastructure in Nigeria

PPP projects: Improvements in stakeholder management

Purpose The implementation of PPPs, particularly in low and middle-income countries, has been hampered by external stakeholders’ opposition leading to failure of several projects. This paper aims to develop a framework to improve external stakeholder management in PPP projects. Methodology Two case studies consisting of 23 interviews with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders were employed. This was supplemented with a focus group approach to validate the framework. Findings A new framework for the management of external stakeholders is developed. It encompasses new features such as the dynamic identification of stakeholders at each project phase and their corresponding interests. Research limitations/implications The scope is road transportation projects in Nigeria and thus the recommendations may not be globally applicable. Practical implications The findings can help the public sector and their agencies to manage external stakeholders and maintain successful relationships on PPP projects. Originality The paper contributes to existing knowledge in four key areas: (1) it confirms that the skill and actions of internal stakeholders are vital to the stakeholder management process; (2) it shows that one-off stakeholder identification proposed in literature is a flawed approach; (3) it proposes that the identification of external stakeholders’ interests be dynamic; and (4) it adds the perspective of low and middle-income countries in stakeholder management in PPP projects.</p

When will we learn? Improving lessons learned practice in construction

Purpose: The aim of the research is to improve lessons learned practices within construction contractor organisations. This will result in contractors' project teams having access to the most relevant lessons at the most appropriate time, in the most appropriate format. Scope: The research was based on the responses of 41 large UK contractor organisations to a questionnaire survey, detailed interviews with nine companies and three focus groups. The respondents were senior and middle managers variously involved in business improvement, knowledge management, and technical services. Results: The questionnaire survey identified methods, tools and processes used to collect lessons learned. The interviews and the focus groups uncovered the diverging requirements of corporate vs. site-based staff. The data contributed to the development of a project learning model and a conceptual model from which a Project Learning Roadmap was derived to support business leaders to improve their project lessons learned processes. This will enable organisations to develop individual solutions tailored to stakeholders' needs

Strategic e-business framework: a holistic approach for organisations in the construction industry

Strategic consideration and actions are crucial for organisations in the construction industry to implement e-business successfully and have continuous improvement. However, only focusing on one concept is not sufficient for construction companies to formulate their e-business strategy because of the fragmented needs and requirements within the organisations. To address the industry’s specific needs and requirements, an ebusiness strategy should include multiple elements rather than one element, and collaboration of partners should lie at the heart of the e-business strategy. Also, the strategic approaches currently available for ebusiness implementation are mainly ‘reactive’ and lack a long-term consideration or vision. To improve ebusiness implementation, it is important for organisations in the industry to create a positive organisational culture and consider both the emergent and long-term needs across organisation boundaries. This paper presents a Strategic e-Business Framework for organisations in the construction industry. The Framework provides a holistic approach for e-business strategy formulation and implementation. Organisations in the industry can work out a comprehension business solution for their e-business implementation using the Framework. The recommendations are also presented to illustrate how the Framework can benefit organisations in the construction industry potentially