Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

Paul M. Goodrum; Yinggang Wan; Philippe C. Fenouil

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938000

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the way in which State Transportation Agencies throughout the USA are under increasing pressure to preserve and expand the nation's roadway infrastructure in the shortest possible time with only a finite pool of resources with which to meet a state's transportation needs. With this in mind, a rapid construction methods decision‐making system was developed, to be used during the preliminary and conceptual design stage of a roadway project. Design/methodology/approach – The research completed an extensive literature review and examined case studies to identify rapid construction methods and summarize valuable lessons learned. Designed for use by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the research developed a series of conceptual road user cost (RUC) tables that reflect different socioeconomic conditions by varying the value of time based on average hourly per capita income and wages for different counties in Kentucky. Findings – The case studies identified that the most effective mean for State Transportation Agencies to accelerate construction is through their construction contracts. Furthermore, determining RUC as outlined in the research way simplifies the method of calculating RUC by using fewer variables than would typically be available during the preliminary and conceptual design stage. Research limitations/implications – The proposed decision‐making model is designed for State Transportation Agencies who are involved in the scenarios of determining the value of accelerating construction in both an urban and rural environments. Practical implications – The project's intent in determining conceptual road user costs is to support a decision‐making process to identify the need and type of rapid construction methods for any given project. Originality/value – A specific decision‐making process is proposed, and it uses the ratios of the Conceptual Road User Cost to the Maximum Allowable Road User Cost and a set of additional criteria based on project features to recommend a selection of rapid construction methods for a given highway project.

S. Tai; Y. Wang; C.J. Anumba

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938019

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how effective project team communications is one of the major challenges to a construction project's success. The success of large‐scale construction projects is critical to Chinese economy. The purposes of the research are to grasp the current status of communications in large‐scale construction projects in China and lay a basis for further research on project communications. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted by postal questionnaire and telephone. Findings – Through analyzing the data obtained from the survey, the communication problems in large‐scale construction projects in China are exposed. The roots of the problems are summarized as lack of good communication mechanism, weak organizational structures of construction teams, lack of uniform standards for construction information, and lack of support for advanced communication technologies. Originality/value – The paper presents the directions for further research to improve communications in large‐scale construction projects in China.

Andrew Baldwin; Heng Li; Ting Huang; C.W. Kong; H.L. Guo; Neo Chan; Johnny Wong

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938028

Purpose – Virtual prototyping technologies linked to building information models are commonplace within the aeronautical and automotive industries. Their use within the construction industry is now emerging. The purpose of this paper is to show how these technologies have been adopted on the pre‐tender planning for a typical construction project. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology taken was an “action research” approach where the researchers and developers were actively involved in the production of the virtual prototypes on behalf of the contractor thereby gaining consistent access to the decisions of the planning staff. The experiences from the case study were considered together with similar research on other construction projects. Findings – The findings from the case studies identify the role of virtual prototyping in components modelling, site modelling, construction equipment modelling, temporary works modelling, construction method visualization and method verification processes. Originality/value – The paper presents a state‐of‐the‐art review and discusses the implications for the tendering process as these technologies are adopted. The adoption of the technologies will lead to new protocols and changes in the procurement of buildings and infrastructure.

Mary Ansell; Rees Evans; Mike Holmes; Andrew Price; Christine Pasquire

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938037

Purpose – This paper describes the use of the construction management framework (CMF) in the Highways Agency's (HA) Areas 9 and 10, two of the HA's 14 areas within England, defined by geographical boundaries. It examines: how the CMF has adapted itself to the changing needs of the client; how it has captured and used innovation and lessons learnt; and how the number of companies involved has impacted on the effectiveness of the framework. Design/methodology/approach – The research compares the advantages and disadvantage of frameworks as reported in literature with the case study of the HA's CMF. The framework is examined in terms of: how well it met the client's changes/expectations; how it can be used to anticipate those changes; how it used innovations and lessons learnt to achieve competitive advantage; and how the number of parties involved in the framework can affect the effectiveness of this arrangement. Findings – The CMF in Areas 9 and 10 has formed its own “Community” and established joint processes, including procedures and measures that have been put in place following changes in HA policy. The innovations process used in the CMF shows that savings of 6.3 per cent on average can be made with clear benefits resulting from the lessons learnt. Finally, it is recommended that the selection of specialisms in the framework should be considered carefully, taking into account the likely workload over the anticipated life of the framework in terms of continuity and percentage share of construction works for each specialism. Practical implications – This research provides a model of the CMF that can be used in other HA areas. Presenting the CMF model will: allow better informed decisions to be made on whether or not to adopt the CMF; help identify how many specialist contractors are to be included; and raise awareness of some of the potential pitfalls. Originality/value – This paper presents a review of an application of the HA's CMF, an innovative long‐term collaborative working arrangement. The CMF is an option for delivering highways major maintenance and renewal schemes which is expected to be extended to other HA areas. This paper also helps to identify how this option can be best implemented.

S.B. Kaplanogu; D. Arditi

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938046

Purpose – A “pre‐project peer review” (PPPR) is conducted by a construction company or CM‐at‐risk firm to mitigate or reduce project risks prior to committing to a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) or lump sum. The purpose of this paper is to find out the common PPPR practices that may affect the outcome of a GMP/lump sum contract and to provide guidelines to the construction industry for PPPR implementation. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to the top 400 construction companies listed by Engineering New‐Record that also includes the top 100 construction management firms . The closed survey method was used. Respondents were asked to select from multiple answers to each question. The survey preparers worked on the predetermined answers carefully to ensure that respondents are comfortable with their selections. For some questions, respondents were allowed to provide their own answers in addition to the selection. Findings – Even though conducting formal PPPRs is not common practice in the industry, the results confirm the necessity and importance of this process in GMP or lump sum contracts. The other findings provide information about the current practices related to PPPR implementation. For example, more companies prefer conducting PPPRs on an informal basis; the PPPR team in most companies is composed of professionals in the local office with day‐to‐day responsibilities; the cost of PPPRs is included in the budget as part of overhead; and finally, a follow up process to PPPRs is conducted by many companies and is considered to be a critical by even those companies that do not conduct PPPRs. Originality/value – A literature survey indicates that there are no published studies related to PPPRs. The study reported in this paper fills this gap.

S. Senaratne; M.G. Sexton

2009 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980910938055

Purpose – Unplanned changes in construction projects are common and lead to disruptive effects such as project delays, cost overruns and quality deviations. Rework due to unplanned changes can cost 10‐15 per cent of contract value. By managing these changes more effectively, these disruptive effects can be minimised. Previous research has approached this problem from an information‐processing view. In this knowledge age, the purpose of this paper is to argue that effective change management can be brought about by better understanding the significant role of knowledge during change situations. Design/methodology/approach – Within this knowledge‐based context, the question of how construction project teams manage knowledge during unplanned change in the construction phase within collaborative team settings is investigated through a selected case study sample within the UK construction industry. Findings – Case study findings conclude that different forms of knowledge are created and shared between project team members during change events which is very much socially constructed and centred on tacit knowledge and experience of project personnel. Originality/value – Building on the case study findings the paper finally offers a model that represents the role of knowledge during managing project change.