A systematic risk management model for construction project management: a case study of the new infrastructure project in the University of Mpumalanga

Abstract

The construction industry has become the significant player in the economy of many developed and developing countries in the world. The industry contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment rate of many nations. As such, the industry is the engine for the economic development and growth across the world. Recently, African countries have received global attention due to its calls for massive infrastructure development and maintenance thereof. Accordingly, the South African government has adopted a National Infrastructure Development Plan (NIDP), which seeks not only to transform the economic landscape of the country, but also to support the integration of the African economies through infrastructure development. To ensure that the execution of these infrastructure projects is successfully delivered in terms of time, cost, and scope; project risk management in the construction industry has become an important area of interest in the execution and delivery of the infrastructure projects. However, the constantly increasing complexity and dynamics in the delivery of construction projects have serious effects on the risk management processes during the execution of the project. In practice, risk methods and techniques have proven to be unrealistic when using the traditional risk management approach in the context of the complexity and dynamic environments wherein construction projects are delivered. Worryingly, project management practitioners in engineering and construction projects still lack the holistic and systematic insight and understanding of construction projects when applying the risk management procedures in the complex and dynamic projects environments. As a result, there are growing reports of unsatisfactory delivery of construction projects in terms of time, cost, quality, and environmental objectives. In this regard, the call for embracing the systems thinking paradigm as the alternative approach that will provide more clarity in dealing with the complex management challenges and which will gradually substitute the traditional theoretical approach of dealing with construction project management, is becoming prominent. Against this background, this study uses a multiple case study approach to explore how a systematic risk management approach could be developed and applied towards successful delivery of construction projects, and subsequently to propose a systematic risk management model that is designed to depict and grasp the underlying complexities and dynamics embedded ix | P a g e in construction projects. The choice of the case study design is founded on its utility and appropriateness for in-depth investigations into phenomena in its context as well as its usefulness for exploratory studies. Therefore, to explore the risk management phenomenon in real-life settings, the unit of analysis in this study was based on three construction projects built in one of the new Institutions of Higher Learning in South Africa during the period between 2017 and 2019. Notwithstanding the unique characteristics of these projects, the complexity and dynamic environments of these projects also emanated from the facts that i) the successful delivery of the projects was a predecessor activity to the academic schedule and activities; ii) this was one of the first universities to be built by the democratic Republic of South Africa; and, iii) the construction contract used for the delivery of the construction projects is relatively new to the professionals in the country’s construction industry. This qualitative case study design has its backbone in the constructivism philosophical paradigm which is underpinned by the ontology that there are multiple realities as conceptualized, experienced, and perceived by the people in their real-life situations or natural settings. Accordingly, the construction professionals, projects’ documents as well as field work observations were purposively chosen as the essential and reliable methods of data collection for this case study. For analysis, a conventional content data analysis methodology was applied on the empirical data that was obtained from the multiple data sources to provide a clearer understanding of the contexts in which the risk management for construction projects is performed. Accordingly, a qualitative data analysis software system called MAXQDA was used to enable the performance of data coding, managing coding, and eventually the retrieving of the coded segments in a form of visual models and summary tables. Ultimately, the qualitative content analysis approach in this thesis was performed in terms of a ‘critical filter of thick description’ which involved a balanced approach between the deductive analysis and the inductive analysis processes. With the assistance of the MAXQDA, performing the multiple levels coding and analysis processes in this thesis has not only been efficient, but also more reliable. To shed insight into the empirical findings of the study, a hybrid theoretical framework has been applied in the discussion and interpretation of the findings. The theoretical framework of this study is underpinned by the complexity theory and the theory of systems engineering. The applicability of these theories in this study is essential in providing a x | P a g e systematic and logical explanation of the practices of risk management in construction projects and further helps to explain why particular events occurred in the processes of risk management. Eventually, the theoretical framework has enabled the designing and developing of a systematic risk management model that will assist in depicting and grasping the underlying complexities while supporting proactive decision making in the delivery of construction projects. To this end, this study has made several major contributions in three multiple folds in the body of knowledge. Firstly, this study makes theoretical contributions by developing an empirically underpinned systematic risk management model which provide more clarity on comprehending the multifaceted and complex risk factors embedded in construction projects. Secondly, the qualitative case study approach and the associated analysis methods thereof in this thesis provides novelty and lays the groundwork for future research and methodological replicability in another similar phenomenon elsewhere in the world. Thirdly, this study has gone some way towards expanding the understanding and the basis for managerial decision making in relation to front-end planning and proactive approach for risk management, and eventually to improve projects’ performances on cost, time, scope, and environmental sustainability. In this regard, the key practical implication for project management practitioners is that the adoption and embracing of the systematic and holistic thinking approach in the risk management processes could enhance the successful delivery of construction projects. In the literature, there is paucity and need for more research into the exploration and analysis of the integration and interplay between the systems engineering and complexity perspectives and the other knowledge areas in the PMBOK. In conclusion, this thesis therefore argues that to address the deficiencies in risk management practices during construction projects’ delivery, the solution requires a paradigm shift from the traditional linear approach which, by design, overlooks the complexities, non-linearity and interdependences of the elements that are underpinning and characterizing the nature of the contemporary construction projects. Therefore, this thesis supports the increasingly emerging debate on the discourse that the superior traditional and linear approaches do not solve the current problems, and as such they should be replaced with the systems and holistic thinking approach that will provide more clarity in dealing with the complex management challenges in contemporary construction projects.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, Built environment and Information Technology, School of the built Environment 202