Evaluating the value IT adds to the process of project information management in construction

This paper looks at the potential applications and benefits of using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a framework to evaluate the value IT adds to the process of project information management in construction. The paper builds upon recently published works by the authors, by further strengthening the conceptually developed ‘Construct IT’ BSC framework, through the validation of the frameworks five (5) IT-related performance measurement perspectives and associated performance indicators. Construction professionals from large construction contracting and project management organisations located within Australia were used as the target group for a questionnaire survey. The survey results supported the five perspective ‘Construct IT’ BSC framework. Evidence of reliability and validity is presented for the conceptual framework.     

中国建筑业技术创新面临的问题与创新战略

通过对中国建筑业技术进步的研究,发现建筑业研发投入不足且缺乏战略性、成果转化能力薄弱、创新阻力较大、企业创新能力较弱、合作创新网络未普遍形成、缺乏国际化的技术标准与技术扩散战略指导等,是我国建筑业技术创新面临的主要问题;明确了未来5 年我国建筑业科技投入与产出、重点发展的技术领域、建设创新型建筑业等战略目标;提出了实现战略目标的总体思路和建议,包括构建中国建筑业科技政策研究的科学路径、改进和完善建筑业科技与创新政策、增进创新体系中相关方的合作伙伴关系、营造健康的创新文化与创新环境、开展自下而上的制度创新和建筑技术标准国际化活动等。     

A hierarchical structural model of assessing innovation and project performance

Research in construction innovation highlights construction industry as having many barriers and resistance to innovations and suggests that it needs champions. A hierarchical structural model is presented, to assess the impact of the role of the project manager (PM) on the levels of innovation and project performance. The model adopts the structural equation modelling technique and uses the survey data collected from PMs and project team members working for general contractors in Singapore. The model fits well to the observed data, accounting for 24%, 37% and 49% of the variance in championing behaviour, the level of innovation and project performance, respectively. The results of this study show the importance of the championing role of PMs in construction innovation. However, in order to increase their effectiveness, such a role should be complemented by their competency and professionalism, tactical use of influence tactics, and decision authority. Moreover, senior management should provide adequate resources and a sustained support to innovation and create a conducive environment or organizational culture that nurtures and facilitates the PM's role in the construction project as a champion of innovation.     

Users-orientated evaluation of building information model in the Chinese construction industry

In the last decade, building information modelling (BIM) has emerged as one of the most powerful dynamic decision-making tools throughout a project lifecycle, as its encapsulated information synchronises with construction practices. Many reports indicate that BIM has entered the mainstream use in some countries. However, BIM has experienced slow and limited spread adoption in other countries. We propose a comprehensive research model to examine the factors that influence the adoption of BIM. The model draws on technology acceptance model and innovation diffusion theory and is validated using survey data from the construction industry in China. The findings demonstrate that attitude, technological, and organisational dimensions indirectly affect the actual use of BIM through perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU), with PU and PEU being the primary determinants of BIM adoption. Furthermore, a striking finding was the positive influence of the attitude dimension on the actual use of BIM.     

Achieving the unlikely: innovating in the loosely coupled construction system

Previous research suggests that a characteristic of the construction industry is a lack of technological innovation. Since this is seen as a problem, much theoretical development within construction management focuses on explaining the lack of innovation. Less effort has been expended on using such explanatory theories for investigating those rare exceptions in which construction firms succeed in the unlikely: successfully developing a new technology. This article makes use of the recently suggested framework by Dubois and Gadde. They describe the construction industry as a ‘loosely coupled system’ with four types of couplings, discuss why the particular mix of couplings in the construction system leads to a lack of innovation, and suggest types of couplings that construction firms should experiment with and change in order to boost innovation. A case study of a contractor developing a new technology is presented in terms of Dubois and Gadde's concepts and implications. The findings partly support and partly contradict their hypotheses. It seems that innovation is possible even if only a few of the existing couplings are changed. The most important changes relate to the tightening of intrafirm sequential inter‐project couplings enabling learning from project to project, and contract‐related couplings especially the design‐construction interface.     

Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: Stakeholder perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large-scale public sector development projects

Performance measurement criteria vary from project to project. Despite much work on the subject, there is no commonly agreed framework of performance measurement on mega projects. To bridge this gap, this research targets to investigate the perception of the key performance indicators (KPIs) in the context of a large construction project in Thailand. The study explores the significance of key performance indicators in perspective of various construction stakeholders (client, consultants, and contractors). Findings indicate that the traditional measures of the iron triangle (on-time, under-budget and according to specifications) are no more applicable to measuring performance on large public sector development projects. Other performance indicators such as safety, efficient use of resources, effectiveness, satisfaction of stakeholders, and reduced conflicts and disputes are increasingly becoming important. This implies that the Thai construction industry is slowly departing from the traditional quantitative performance measurement to a rather mix of both quantitative and qualitative performance measurement on large-scale public sector development projects.     

How do project management competencies change within the project management career model in large Chinese construction companies?

Due to the increasing complexity and flexibility of business activities, project-based organizations have become common. In such organizations, project management competencies, which refer to a collection of knowledge, personal attitudes, skills, and relevant experience, are core assets that must be taken seriously. Formalized project management career paths have been widely implemented in the construction industry. However, most recent studies treat project management competencies as static constructs and fail to consider their dynamic changes as a career path advances. To fill this gap in the literature, this study conducted an empirical examination of project management competencies integrated with a career model for the construction industry. First, key project management competencies are identified through a literature review. Then, a project management career model for large Chinese construction companies is developed based on an empirical investigation of six large Chinese construction companies from various sectors. Moreover, a quantitative analysis is performed to explore how these competencies dynamically change as position levels rise in the career model. The research findings indicate that significant differences in project management competencies exist at different levels of the career model. However, the distribution remains steady at different project management position levels for conceptual and organizational competencies, human competencies, and technical competencies.     

Perspectives on experiences of innovation: the development of an assessment methodology appropriate to construction project organizations

The UK construction industry is in the process of trying to adopt a new culture based on the large‐scale take up of innovative practices. Through the Demonstration Project process many organizations are implementing changed practices and learning from the experiences of others. This is probably the largest experiment in innovation in any industry in recent times. The long‐term success will be measured by the effectiveness of embedding the new practices in the organization. As yet there is no recognized approach to measuring the receptivity of the organization to the innovation process as an indication of the likelihood of long‐term development. The development of an appropriate approach is described here. Existing approaches to the measurement of the take up of innovation were reviewed and where appropriate used as the base for the development of a questionnaire. The questionnaire could be applicable to multi‐organizational construction project situations such that the output could determine an individual organization's innovative practices via an innovation scorecard, a project team's approach or it could be used to survey a wide cross‐section of the industry.     

城市道路竣工验收测量与计算方法探讨

结合广州市大学城道路竣工验收测量工程,从外业数字化测量,到内业数字化成图、道路竣工误差计算等各方面进行了探讨,并介绍了如何利用一些程序提高作业效率和测量成果质量。     

Understanding the early stages of the innovation diffusion process: awareness,influence and communication networks

The themes of awareness and influence within the innovation diffusion process are addressed. The innovation diffusion process is typically represented as stages, yet awareness and influence are somewhat under-represented in the literature. Awareness and influence are situated within the contextual setting of individual actors but also within the broader institutional forces. Understanding how actors become aware of an innovation and then how their opinion is influenced is important for creating a more innovation-active UK construction sector. Social network analysis is proposed as one technique for mapping how awareness and influence occur and what they look like as a network. Empirical data are gathered using two modes of enquiry. This is done through a pilot study consisting of chartered professionals and then through a case study organization as it attempted to diffuse an innovation. The analysis demonstrates significant variations across actors’ awareness and influence networks. It is argued that social network analysis can complement other research methods in order to present a richer picture of how actors become aware of innovations and where they draw their influences regarding adopting innovations. In summarizing the findings, a framework for understanding awareness and influence associated with innovation within the UK construction sector is presented. Finally, with the UK construction sector continually being encouraged to be innovative, understanding and managing an actor’s awareness and influence network will be beneficial. The overarching conclusion thus describes the need not only to build research capacity in this area but also to push the boundaries related to the research methods employed.     

Industrialized construction in the Swedish infrastructure sector: core elements and barriers

Improving productivity and innovation is a central challenge in all industries, but particularly in construction where improvements have been slow. To meet this challenge, a recent investigation into the actions of Swedish government clients has recognized needs to improve planning during project procurement phases, increase numbers of turnkey contracts and raise industrialization of the sector. In response, the Swedish Transportation Administration has launched a research and innovation programme to foster an industrial approach and identify ways to increase the standardization of products and processes. However, increasing industrialization has been difficult to achieve in the project-based construction industry except in the process-based housing sector. Further, there has been little research on the concept of industrialized infrastructure construction and barriers to its implementation. Opinions and attitudes of clients, consultants and contractors in the infrastructure sector were investigated in relation to the core elements of industrialized construction, and the barriers hindering its development. Opportunities and obstacles related to both product and process standardization for continuous improvements and the relationships between clients and contractors are revealed. Hence, the implementation of industrialized construction requires tightly focused governance at the outset of projects and profound changes to established attitudes, norms and regulations.     

RFID tracking implementation model for the technical trade and construction supply chains

The use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking has increased considerably in supply chain management during the past ten years. Despite the large diffusion of the technology, the use of RFID tracking has remained scarce in the construction industry despite the intense research. The particular design and temporary operating sites of the construction supply chains delay the diffusion, because the best-known RFID tracking systems in other industries are mainly designed to support the retailers' processes. The particular supply chain structure of construction industry, demands different business logic to build and gain benefits of RFID tracking systems. This paper presents RFID tracking implementation model for technical trade and construction industries. The approach for building feasible model was Technology Acceptance Model. The model design is based on the research project, where 16 manufacturing and wholesaler companies of technical trade were involved, and survey where customers of these manufacturers and wholesalers were interviewed.     

Conceptual phase of construction projects

An important topic addressed in the Emerson report in 1962 and the Latham report in 1994 is the issue of productivity in the construction industry. However, attention has only been focused on phases other than the conceptual phase of construction projects. The conceptual phase is of strategic importance in the project environment. Understanding this phase is a prerequisite for improving productivity on site. The paper discusses the conceptual phase of construction projects. An extensive literature review and interviews with four experienced practitioners from major client and construction organisations identified the definition, relationships and tasks for the conceptual phase. These characteristics of the conceptual phase will be the basis of an a priori hypothesis, which will be tested through a postal survey of 144 companies throughout Europe. Case studies will be carried out of six major projects: a nuclear power station, a petrochemical plant, a sewage treatment plant, an off-shore North Sea oil project, a major international airport, and a motorway project.     

Diffusion characteristics of private sector financed innovation in Sweden

Although construction is considered to be slow in adopting new technology and new processes, innovation, research and development are performed routinely. Nonetheless, knowledge about what affects the diffusion of research results—in the context of innovations—is incomplete, limiting the effectiveness of procedures designed to evaluate project proposals. The aim is to examine the factors that can influence the diffusion of results, in this case from externally funded construction innovation projects. A Fisher's exact test is performed on six concepts derived from general innovation theory which are tested on 20 development projects. The test is used to establish the significance of the six concepts and their applicability to construction‐related innovation. The results reveal support for all six concepts, although only four of them attract a high level of significance. External lateral and vertical communication and external integration during the development phase are shown to increase the chances of successful diffusion and should therefore be assessed in project proposals.     

Enabling and measuring innovation in the construction industry

Innovation is vital to successful, long-term company performance in the construction industry. Understanding the innovation process, how innovation can be enhanced and how it can be measured are key steps to managing and enhancing innovation. The factors that affect innovation on a project were identified, as well as how these factors can be used to measure the level of innovation on a project, and the practices and processes that encourage and facilitate innovative changes. Case studies of construction projects in the United States revealed three necessary components of innovation: idea generation, opportunity and diffusion. A variety of practices are used to optimize each component including support and commitment from the owner/client and firm upper management, workforce and project team integration and diversity. Applying the practices identified in the research leads to enhanced innovation through better communication among project team members, integration of the design and construction disciplines, more efficient designs, development of unique ways of completing work and sharing of the lessons learned. The end result of innovation will be projects that successfully meet and exceed cost, quality, schedule and safety goals.     

Governing the project process: a conceptual framework

There has been considerable development in a process approach in construction management research in recent years. However, such work begs the question of how those processes are governed. Processes, be they flows of information or materials, need to be channelled in the desired direction as they are handed from team to team. This paper aims to present a conceptual framework for understanding the governance of construction project processes, drawing on transaction cost economics. Earlier attempts to apply this theoretical framework in construction management research have been partial, in that they have focused on only one type of transaction, typically that between client and principal contractor. This paper aims to be comprehensive in covering all the different transactions throughout the project lifecycle within one conceptual framework, and thereby it is hoped that more incisive empirical research can be developed and executed.     

Safety climate in conditions of construction subcontracting: a multi‐level analysis

A multi‐level safety climate model was tested in the Australian construction industry. Subcontracted workers’ perceptions of the organizational safety response (OSR) and supervisor safety response (SSR) in their own organization and that of the principal contractor were measured using a safety climate survey administered at a large hospital construction project in Melbourne. One hundred and fourteen construction workers completed the survey, representing nine subcontractors engaged at the project. Two requisite conditions for the existence of group‐level safety climates, i.e. (1) within‐group homogeneity; and (2) between‐group variation were satisfied for perceptions of subcontractors’ OSR and SSR. This supports the contention that subcontractors working in a single construction project exhibit a unique group‐level safety climate. Subcontracted workers also discriminated between group‐level safety climates (i.e. the SSR) in their own and in the principal contractor’s organizations. The results suggest some cross‐level influence. Perceptions of the SSR were positively predicted by perceptions of the OSR in both the principal and subcontractor organizations. Perceptions of the OSR of the principal contractor were also a significant predictor of the perceived OSR and SSR in the subcontractor organizations. Perceptions of the subcontractors’ SSR were a significant predictor of the rate of lost‐time and medical treatment incidents reported by the subcontractor. Although perceptions of the principal contractor’s SSR were not directly related to subcontractors’ injury rates, they were a significant predictor of subcontractors’ SSR, revealing an indirect link. The results suggest that supervisory personnel (e.g. foremen and leading hands) play an important role in shaping safety performance in subcontracted workgroups.     

A framework for proactive construction defect management using BIM,augmented reality and ontology-based data collection template

In construction process, defects occur inevitably and repeatedly. It is one of the primary causes of project schedule and cost overruns. Many studies on defect causation analysis and management system have been conducted to facilitate defect measures and rectifications as well as to reduce the reoccurrence of the defect. However, those studies did not sufficiently consider the relationship of defect information flow in the construction process, which resulted in reactive rather than proactive defect management plan. This paper investigates the issues and needs of current defect management practices in the construction industry. It also presents a conceptual system framework for construction defect management that integrates ontology and augmented reality (AR) with building information modeling (BIM). The following three main technical solutions are proposed in the system framework: 1) defect data collection template to assure data quality and accuracy; 2) defect domain ontology to search and retrieve project or work-specific defect information; and 3) AR-based Defect Inspection System to support field defect management. It is envisaged that the system framework and solutions could enable proactive reduction of the defect occurrence during the construction process and that could greatly improve current defect management practices in the construction industry.     

Group‐level safety climate in the Australian construction industry: within‐group homogeneity and between‐group differences in road construction and maintenance

In modern organizations it is overly simplistic to assume that a uniform, organization‐wide climate for safety develops. Workgroup‐level safety climates are more likely to arise in decentralized organizations and their influence on occupational health and safety (OHS) behaviour is likely to be stronger when work is non‐routine, as in construction. The existence of workgroup‐level safety climates was examined in the Australian construction industry. A group‐level safety climate survey was conducted in a road maintenance and construction organization. The clear factorial structure produced in a larger sample of Australian defence logistics workers was not replicated and factors splintered, possibly due to the subject‐to‐item ratio in the construction study. However, the internal reliability consistency of the factors produced in the earlier pilot study was found to be acceptable for the construction industry data. Two requisite conditions for the existence of group‐level safety climates, i.e. (1) within‐group homogeneity; and (2) between‐group variation, were satisfied within the road construction and maintenance organization. The results indicate that distinct workgroup safety climates exist in construction, providing a theoretical explanation for why some workgroups perform better in OHS than others, despite having similar risk exposure.