The effect of relationship management on project performance in construction

Construction projects often suffer from poor performance in terms of time delays, cost overruns and quality defects. The causes of poor performance have often been analysed. However, few studies have addressed the influence of supply chain relationships on project performance in construction. To fill in this gap, a questionnaire survey is carried out in the UK construction industry to explore the specific characteristics of supply chain relationships in construction and to assess their impact on project performance. In this study, a supply chain relationship is described by key indicators in ten areas: mutual objectives, gain and pain sharing, trust, no-blame culture, joint working, communication, problem solving, risk allocation, performance measurement, and continuous improvement. The analysis reveals that the deterioration of the relationship between project parties may increase the likelihood of poor performance. Poor performance can be effectively reduced by improving some aspects of the relationship. The adoption of supply chain collaboration and partnering helps to solve the performance problems, in which a long-term collaboration is more favourable for performance improvement than a short-term collaboration. In addition to the questionnaire survey, a series of industrial experts are interviewed to provide a deeper insight into the effect of relationship management on project performance.     

Subcontractor perspectives on supply chain alliances

Since the publication of the Egan report in 1998, there has been a strong and consistent emphasis on the need to integrate the project delivery process via partnering and strategic alliancing agreements throughout the UK construction industry. However, given the continued reliance on subcontracting within the sector, future performance improvement also requires an acceptance of the benefits of supply chain partnering and integration from the small-to-medium size businesses who carry out the majority of construction work. This paper presents the findings of a research project that examined subcontractor perspectives on supply chain alliances. The study has uncovered serious concerns among subcontractors that point towards a fundamental mistrust and scepticism within existing supply chain relationships. These have the potential to inhibit further improvements in the efficacy of the project delivery process. A range of attitudinal change requirements for integrating smaller companies into the drive for continuous improvement are identified. It is suggested that leading clients should take responsibility for engendering the necessary attitudinal change throughout their supplier networks if further performance improvement is to be realized within the sector.     

基于 DEMATEL-ISM 模型的装配式建筑供应链韧性影响因素研究

装配式建筑供应链面临着巨大风险,而供应链在应对风险时能否及时复原取决于韧性水平的高低。通过文献研究、专家访谈确定 18 个影响韧性的重要因素,构建 DEMATEL-ISM 综合模型,运用 Matlab 工具进行数理计算,以探讨各因素对装配式建筑供应链韧性的重要性程度和影响力大小,并将因素进行层次划分,识别各因素之间的相互作用关系。模型运算结果表明,提高信息共享程度能够有效弥补恶劣天气带来的负面影响;在制定韧性提高决策时应重点关注采购、运输和装配环节;增进设计、制造和运输环节间的联系交流能够增强供应链韧性;注重员工因素可以显著促进供应链韧性水平的提高。研究结果为装配式建筑供应链的稳定运作和效率提升提供新的管理思路。     

An agent-based framework for supply chain coordination in construction

Supply chain coordination has become a critical success factor for supply chain management (SCM) and effectively improving the performance of organizations in various industries. Coordination refers to the integration of different parts of an organization or different organizations in supply chain to accomplish a collective set of tasks and to achieve mutual benefits. This paper defines the concepts of construction supply chain (CSC) and construction supply chain management, especially regards construction supply chain management as the coordination of interorganizations decision making in construction supply chain and the integration of key construction business processes and key members involved in construction supply chain. Much research and practice indicate that there still are many problems in construction, most of which are supply chain problems. The research analyzes the problems in construction supply chain. In order to resolve these problems and improving the performance of construction, an agent-based framework for construction supply chain coordination is designed based on the agent technology and multiattribute negotiation and multiattribute utility theory (MAUT). The framework, which integrates the construction organizations in construction supply chain and multiattribute negotiation model into a multiagent system (MAS), provides a solution for supply chain coordination in construction through multiattribute negotiation mechanism on the Internet. Finally, the prototype of the framework is developed and tentatively run based on an imaginary construction project. The trial run reveals the feasibility to implement the agent-based framework for coordination in construction.     

Management framework for technology clusters implementation

Much of the construction industry improvement agenda has been focused on achieving integration of the design and construction processes. However, the current approaches do not create an organizational framework to deal with the full integration of the supply chains for component based construction. The real construction supply chain of clients, designers, specialist designers, specialist manufacturers, constructors and assemblers is not integrated into one group with a common purpose. A major and ongoing challenge is to manage the essential grouping of contributors and participants, many of whom are involved for varying times on a relatively short‐term basis. Grouping, by using technology clusters, addresses many of these challenges as it creates a commonly shared sub‐organization and culture that aids the removal of barriers to efficient and quality production. A technology cluster approach is a management philosophy and its principles can be applied whatever the procurement approach, although managed forms of procurement provide a better framework. Our studies of projects that have adopted a clustering approach have provided an understanding of the implementation issues of technology clusters and established the consequent changes in organizational design and management necessary to achieve full integration of the supply chain.     

An industrial organization economic supply chain approach for the construction industry: a review

Understanding industries in terms of the concepts of chains, clusters and networks is becoming increasingly important in economies around the world. Supply chain management for an individual organization is an emerging field of research in the construction management discipline, but less attention has been devoted to investigating the nature of the construction supply chains and their industrial organizational economic environment. This selected review of construction and mainstream management supply chain literature is organized around four themes; distribution, production, strategic procurement management and industrial organization economics, and highlights the need to develop an industrial organization economic supply chain framework for construction. The merging of the supply chain concept with the industrial organization model as a methodology for understanding firm conduct and industry structure and performance is an important contribution to both construction supply chain and construction economic theory. Much of the industrial organization supply chain literature has tended to focus upon manufacturing industries, where typically firms are permanent organizations. This raises issues as to the differences between industries founded upon temporary compared with permanent organizations. There is potential for the development of an industrial organization methodology applicable to the project based industry. Ultimately industrial organization research seeks to have direct implications for industry performance and government policies.     

智能建造产业的核心企业供应链组织结构解析

智能建造将给传统建筑业产业链带来变革,进而引起全产业链条上相关企业供应链关系的重构、竞合与创新变化。根据智能建造的特征挖掘出四个关键子产业,构建供应链集成框架,并分析供应链组织元素,在此基础上,提出智能建造产业的核心企业供应链组织集成模式,以推动智能建造产业的发展。     

The non-adoption of supply chain management

Largely taken for granted within the UK construction sector has been a view that supply chain management theory is robust, relevant and reliable. As such it has formed a substantial aspect of previous and contemporary policy and government funded research. Despite this, the general view of its development and diffusion over the last 15 years within the construction industry has been problematic. Coincidentally, prevailing debates within the supply chain management academic community point to the lack of unified theory, models of diffusion and strong connections to organization theory. Using Straussian grounded theory, iterations between data and organization theory provided a fresh perspective on the development and diffusion of supply chain management in construction. This inductive research provided contextually rich explanations for development and diffusion that explicitly connected with and drew upon robust, relevant and reliable theories of institutions, innovation diffusion, triads, quasifirms and mechanisms of organizational governance. These explanations challenge the simplistic assumption that chains and networks of organizations are holistically managed and controlled by any single organization or institution in the construction industry. The debate therefore shifts away from proselytizing supply chain management towards research that explores the rigour, relevance and reliability of supply chain management assumptions in construction. The gap between industry practice and policy is exposed and the question is posed: to what extent policy and practice do, or should, constitute a recursive relationship.     

A service-oriented integrated information framework for RFID/WSN-based intelligent construction supply chain management

As buildings are now taller, larger, and more complex, it has become increasingly more difficult to secure stockyards for materials and to resolve the surrounding traffic problems, creating an increased need for Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery. To support JIT delivery, it is necessary to build a framework that can facilitate the collection and share of information on construction components and material flow throughout the whole supply chain process. Many researchers have suggested that radio frequency identification (RFID) and wireless sensor network technologies could improve the effectiveness and efficiency of JIT management. In addition, service-oriented architecture (SOA), the services of which enable the interfacing of a heterogeneous system environment of parties involved in the supply chain management process, is suggested in the manufacturing industry as one of the solutions for effective collection and sharing of information in supply chain management. However, the construction industry has limits in applying the framework suggested in the manufacturing industry since the supply chain process in the construction industry is extremely dynamic due to frequent changes in the design and plans of construction projects. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a seamlessly integrated information management framework that can provide logistics information to project stakeholders for their decision making. The pilot test of the framework developed in this research showed that it can improve time efficiency by about 32% compared to the traditional supply chain management. The result of this research is expected to be utilized effectively as a basic framework to manage information in RFID/WSN based construction supply chain management (CSCM) environments.     

建筑材料供应链性能评估研究

供应链管理模式的发展对供应链性能评估理念提出了新的要求,供应链概念的扩展拓宽了对供应链评估要素的研究范畴.基于对传统建筑业供应链性能的改进,本文提出了一个与供应链性能检测系统结构、设计、运行、管理有关的建筑业供应链性能评估模型,并对其进行了讨论.     

A new flood risk assessment framework for evaluating the effectiveness of policies to improve urban flood resilience

To better understand the impacts of flooding such that authorities can plan for adapting measures to cope with future scenarios, we have developed a modified Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to allow policy makers to evaluate strategies for improving flood resilience in cities. We showed that this framework proved an effective approach to assessing and improving urban flood resilience, albeit with some limitations. This framework has difficulties in capturing all the important relationships in cities, especially with regards to feedbacks. There is therefore a need to develop improved techniques for understanding components and their relationships. While this research showed that risk assessment is possible even at the mega-city scale, new techniques will support advances in this field. Finally, a chain of models engenders uncertainties. However, the resilience approach promoted in this research, is an effective manner to work with uncertainty by providing the capacity to cope and respond to multiple scenarios.     

A case‐based reasoning approach to application of value engineering methodology in the construction industry

A key point in value engineering (VE) methodology is to acquire and apply knowledge of the assorted fields. An appropriate definition of VE expert knowledge flow could, therefore, yield more productive VE workshops. A conceptual expert case‐based reasoning (CBR) framework is introduced in this paper to form a coherent basis for the provision of practically suitable VE expert models. The proposed framework outlines knowledge entities and their relations in the VE workshop. The model benefits from a fuzzy approach to handle uncertainties in the evaluation phase of the methodology. In addition, a computer program is devised, based on the proposed framework, using Borland Delphi 7.0. It comprises an interface representing several phases of the VE job plan. The model is employed in a tunnelling project to demonstrate feasibility of the model in a practical workshop. Owing to its expert nature, the developed model contributes to efficiency of the methodology through providing VE teams with canalized expert knowledge of diverse domains. The propounded model may avail researchers in promoting expert models for pre‐construction and specifically VE studies in major construction projects.     

Towards an agent-based construction supply network modelling and simulation platform

The construction industry is being asked by more progressive clients to change its crude ways of working and to adopt more efficient business processes to improve its performance by adopting supply chain management (SCM) practices that have evolved in more advanced industries. This represents a major risk for many companies given the “one off” and complex nature of construction projects. The long-term aim of the work presented in this paper is to develop a modelling and simulation platform, which will provide an inexpensive and risk-free environment for organisations to experiment with emerging SCM practices prior to implementation. The wider adoption of such best practices has the potential to save the industry large sums of money. The case for the use of a multiagent systems framework for developing the platform is presented. A prototype system developed to explore the potential for the use of such an approach to model and simulate collaborative project supply network preplanning is presented. Future research work required to achieve the long-term aim is then presented.     

Coordinated construction logistics: an innovation perspective

Coordinated construction logistics is an increasingly discussed topic in the Swedish construction industry. It is suggested as a means to increase efficiency in transportation, decrease material usage, coordinate health and safety on-site, etc. Much research on construction logistics has been done from a supply chain management perspective, often highlighting construction logistics as a necessary rational tool to improve efficiency in construction industry. However, could there be other ways to study this phenomenon? The purpose of this paper is to map empirically found coordinated construction logistics models and explore them as different types of innovation. The findings suggest that coordinated construction logistics models should be regarded as not being a fully embedded innovation as they have not yet changed the processes in the way they set out to do initially. Furthermore, differences are identified between company-based models, project-based models and system-based models, and suggest that differences in, for example, development, impact and objectives should be regarded both when conducting research on and when implementing coordinated construction logistics in practice. Finally, it is concluded that commitment, communication and cooperation are important when implementing coordinated construction logistics, which is in line with findings within the supply chain management literature.     

Making sense of supply chain management: a comparative study of aerospace and construction

Current recipes for learning across business sectors too often fail to recognize the embedded and contextual nature of management practice. The existing literature gives little emphasis to the symbiotic relationship between supply chain management and the broader dynamics of context. The aerospace and construction sectors are selected for comparison on the basis that they are so different. The UK aerospace sector has undergone extensive consolidation as a result of the imperatives of global competitive pressures. In contrast, the construction industry has experienced decades of fragmentation and remains highly localized. An increasing proportion of output in the aerospace sector occurs within a small number of large, globally orientated firms. In contrast, construction output is dominated by a plethora of small firms with high levels of subcontracting and a widespread reliance on self‐employment. These differences have fundamental implications for the way that supply chain management is understood and implemented in the two sectors. Semi‐structured interviews with practitioners from both sectors support the contention that supply chain management is more established in aerospace than construction. The introduction of prime contracting and the increasing use of framework agreements within the construction sector potentially provide a much more supportive climate for supply chain management than has traditionally prevailed. However, progress depends upon an improved continuity of workload under such arrangements.     

基于模拟和混凝土材料特性的SCM混凝土施工方案表现计量与决策研究

全球混凝土庞大的消耗量带来了对环境的巨大负担，辅助胶凝材料混凝土（简称SCM混凝土）为降低混凝土的碳排放提供了可能。然而，目前还鲜有研究分析混凝土从供应链和施工的环境-经济综合表现，导致企业难以应用SCM混凝土，阻碍了SCM混凝土的推广应用。为此，结合离散事件模拟和混凝土材料特性数据建立方案分析-收集与拟合-模拟与计量-决策方法，并将该方法应用于工程案例。结果表明，建立的方法能够有效地计量SCM混凝土供应链和施工的环境-经济表现，并为施工方应用SCM混凝土提供决策辅助，为以后的相关研究提供了参考。     

A probabilistic-based framework for impact and adaptation assessment of climate change on hurricane damage risks and costs

This paper presents a probabilistic-based framework to assess the potential hurricane risks to residential construction under various wind speed change scenarios due to potential climate change. Every year hurricane (cyclone) hazards cause extensive economic losses and social disruption around the world. Annual hurricane damage in the United States (US) is around $6 billion in recent years. Hurricane intensity or/and frequency may change due to the increase in sea surface temperature as a result of climate change. Implications of the changing hazard patterns on hurricane risk assessment warrants an investigation to evaluate the potential impact of climate change. The framework includes probabilistic models of hurricane occurrence and intensity and conditional damage state probabilities (vulnerability model) for typical residential construction in the US, and an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of various climate change adaptation strategies. A case study of Miami-Dade County, Florida is presented to illustrate the framework under various scenarios of change in maximum annual wind speed over 50 years. Demographic information, such as median house value and changes in house numbers, and distribution of houses on different exposure, is used to estimate the time-dependent probable damage with or without possible climate change induced change in wind speed. This study shows that climate change may have a substantial impact on the damage and loss estimation in coastal areas, and that certain adaptation strategies can cost effectively decrease the damage, even if the wind speed does not change.     

Handling construction pollutions using multi‐objective optimization

Quantitative assessment of emissions associated with construction projects should be carried out during the planning phase of the projects. This is important to detect and highlight any excesses of residuals during the construction phase. A newly developed framework is proposed to handle construction pollution using multi‐objective optimization. The approach, utilized by the proposed framework, is based on calculating the generated pollution for each activity involved in the project, as a result of dust, harmful gases and noise. The results of the quantitative assessment are integrated in a utility function that expresses the amount of total pollution. Then, evolutionary genetic algorithms (GAs) are used to carry multi‐objective optimization, considering three objective functions (project duration, project cost and total pollution). The proposed application considers the dynamic nature of construction activities including different types of relationships and the change of activities' criticality. An actual case study is worked out to demonstrate the practical use of the proposed framework and to investigate the sensitivity of its parameters.     

Book Reviews

Recent research into the UK construction industry has identified various drivers for change and prominent among these is the need for better client leadership. The aim of this research was to examine the role of the client in securing a greater degree of supply chain integration. It used three diverse case studies to examine the association between clients, the environmental factors that affect their businesses, the procurement decisions made and the level of supply chain integration that can be achieved. The results of this research provide independent empirical support for some of the recommendations of the recently released Accelerating Change report and some practical amplification. Clients are shown to be key drivers of performance improvement and innovation and are the most significant factor in achieving integration in the supply chain.     

建筑企业供应链合作者间的利益协调机制研究

介绍了建筑企业供应链，详细地阐述了供应链合作伙伴间的信任关系，探讨了基于Shapley值法的利益协调机制，并结合工程实例，对基于Shapley值法的利益协调机制进行了说明，以促进建筑企业供应链合作者问的利益协调。