Project Management and Scheduling through National Project Management Phases in Government Construction Agencies

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Jesper Kranker Larsen ◽  
Thomas Ditlev Brunoe ◽  
Søren Munch Lindhard ◽  
Kim Noergaard Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Project Management And Scheduling ◽  
Project Coordination

Effective project coordination and management of time and cost scheduling in public funded construction projects receive a considerable focus from academics, politicians, and the construction industry itself with opposing points of view. The study objective is therefore to investigate the process of time and cost scheduling during the different project stages, and their relationships between critical factors affecting project schedules. Applied data collection was based on semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey with publicly agency employed project managers and property managers. A multiple research approach was thus utilized to mix the two dataset. Findings demonstrate that project complications in the execution stage is associated to lack of project requirements and design with too optimistic project deadline and budget from the initial project stages. Moreover, a relationship was found between the presence of experienced consultants and the achievement of project success throughout the project phases as particular vital.

scholarly journals The client-side project manager: A practitioner of Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Stewart Usher ◽  
S. Jonathon Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Client Side

SYNOPSISOur research adds to the client-side project management body of literature by demonstrating that these professionals display all the characteristics of Design Thinking Mentalities, Thinking Styles and Practices as identified by Hassi and Laakso (2011a) and that they utilize a broad range of the Design Thinking tools identified by Liedtka (2015) and Johansson-Sköldberg et al. (2013) when they deliver construction projects.RELEVANCE FOR PRACTICE/EDUCATIONOur findings indicate that client-side project managers should view their role differently to what has been traditionally accepted. The use of Design Thinking within the project management construct highlights that practitioners need to develop skills and tools that address, not just the compliance and control elements of project management, but also information gathering and problem solving techniques. This change of perspective creates opportunities for project managers to broaden their skill set in order to be able create further value in the Construction process.RESEARCH DESIGNOur research uses a Grounded Theory methodology to explore the ‘lived experience’ of client-side project managers to determine if they utilize Design Thinking when managing Construction projects. This is achieved by creating a framework from the work of Hassi and Laakso (2011a), Johansson-Sköldberg et al. (2013) and Liedtka (2015) to guide semi-structured interviews with a cohort of ten client-side project managers.MAIN FINDINGSOur research provides evidence of Design Thinking Mentalities, Thinking Styles, Practices and Tools being utilized by client-side project managers when delivering Construction projects. Our findings also identifies 15 project management tools used by client-side project managers when delivering Construction projects and highlight that the practice of client-side project management should not be viewed exclusively as part of the ‘Implementation’ process. RESEARCH IMPLICATIONSOur results support existing research on client-side project management and expand the Project Management body of literature by demonstrating how client-side project managers employ Design Thinking to handle poorly-defined projects.

Factors affecting the delivery of optimum health and safety on construction projects during the covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benviolent Chigara ◽  
Tirivavi Moyo
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Monitoring And Enforcement

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of construction professionals relative to factors that affect the delivery of optimum health and safety (H&S) on construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative design which entailed the distribution of a web-based questionnaire among construction professionals, namely, architects, construction/project managers, engineers, H&S managers and quantity surveyors working for contractors and construction consultants in Zimbabwe. The data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Factor analysis was used to reveal interrelated significant sets of factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S. Findings Factor analysis revealed nine components/factors: change and innovation-related, monitoring and enforcement-related, production-related, access to information and health service-related, on-site facilities and welfare-related, risk assessment and mitigation-related, job security and funding-related, cost-related and COVID-19 risk perception-related factors as the significant factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. Research limitations/implications The results highlighted the need for social dialogue among construction stakeholders to support initiatives that will enhance the delivery of H&S on construction projects. Construction stakeholders may find the results useful in highlighting the areas that need improvement to protect workers’ H&S during the pandemic. However, the small sample limits the generalisability of the results to construction sectors in other regions. Originality/value The study investigated factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 to inform interventions to enhance H&S.

scholarly journals The Awareness Of ICT Implementation For Materials Management In Construction Projects

2011 ◽  
pp. 159-168
Author(s):  
N. B. Kasim ◽  
Peniel Ang Soon Ern
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Materials Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ict Implementation ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Main Barrier

Construction materials usually constitute a major portion of the total cost in a building construction project. Despite the potential benefit of ICT, convincing construction organisations to embrace its use and implementation has proved a difficult task. This research seeks to identify the implementation of ICT in construction materials management processes and to investigate on the acceptance of contractors for ICT transformation to the materials management in construction projects. In relation to that, current constraints that are found hindering the acceptance of ICT in materials management processes are also identified. A triangulation research approach which consists of standard derived questionnaires, semi structured interviews with class A contractors and review of previous research were conducted. The findings from this research reveal that the implementation of ICT in the materials management for construction projects in Malaysia is at early stage. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and handheld devices are found to be the common ICT tools adopted in the materials management processes. Meanwhile, there is only an average level of acceptance towards the transformation of ICT implementation in the construction materials management. The main barrier is found to be the cost involvement at the initial stage or overall implementation of ICT in the materials management processes. Finally, it can be concluded that there is a lack of awareness towards the ICT implementation of materials management in the construction projects.

Enhancing the Effect on Project Success through Information Presentation

2015 ◽  
Vol 764-765 ◽  
pp. 895-899
Author(s):  
Shiow Luan Wang ◽  
Thi Hoa Vu
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Information Presentation ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Project Participants ◽  
Project Data

Construction projects are becoming ever more complex and time driven, especially as the amount of project data and active project participants’ increase. For achieving a project success, project management not only must to meet time, cost, quality objectives, but also satisfies the project stakeholders needs related to the project management process. Project managers were difficult to effectively seizing, collecting and handling information which are generated from different systems. The elements of information presentation in web-based was contributed an important role to project management success. The purpose of this study is to provide a background to denote the enhancing project management via information presentation based on effective information technology/information systems which are emphasized in web-based.

scholarly journals Understanding Relationship between Milestone and Decision-Making in Project Management: A Qualitative Study among Project Managers in Saudi Arabia

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Altahtooh ◽  
Thamir Alaskar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pragmatic Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the importance of milestone as a key knowledge in project management, there has been lack of research to understand the relationship between milestones and decision-making. This paper presents a pragmatic research context that aims understanding the nature of milestones and their relationship with different decision-making structures and responsibilities across projects. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with project managers and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings explore the concepts of project milestones among project managers in Saudi Arabia. The paper finds that there is a relationship between milestones and the impact on decision-making.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Critical Factors Affecting Quality Performance of Government Financed Construction Projects: Evidence from Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwahula Raphael ◽  
Augustine Wittonde Phillip
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Level Of Significance

The study objective was “An assessment of critical factors affecting quality performance of government financed construction projects in Tanzania”. The study was initiated as much of government financed construction projects are executed with variations on delivering time, cost and quality. The study identified factors if not considered can lead to poor quality performance of projects. Closed end questionnaire consisting of 20 performance factors were issued to 80 respondents dealing with construction related activities, they were required to rank them on a 5 point Likert scale. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 (SPSS). The findings revealed that the critical factors that have direct impact on quality performance of government financed construction projects are; project financing processes, experience of contractors in construction industry, project technology, availability of plant and equipment, procurement system and processes as well as the project manager knowledge and skills. A multiple regression model developed showed a positive linear relationship between project quality performance and the critical quality performance factors. All the critical quality performance factors had positive coefficients with an acceptable level of significance. The study recommends further studies on the economic and social factors that hinder women participation in construction relation activities and how training and learning opportunities for continuous improvement will have positive impact on the performance of construction projects.

scholarly journals Project Managers’ Competencies in Collaborative Construction Projects

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Moradi ◽  
Kalle Kähkönen ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Behavioral Approach ◽  
Operational Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Collaborative Construction

Collaborative delivery methods in construction projects provide a new operational environment, which can foster effective interaction and cooperation between different project stakeholders. Project managers are one of the most important players in this environment, who therefore need to possess appropriate competencies. Collaborative construction projects and their managerial solutions are still a relatively new field and, thus, special aspects such as competencies of project managers in such projects have been limitedly studied. The present research aimed to evaluate project managers’ competencies in collaborative construction projects in Finland through a human behavioral approach, where project managers’ everyday work was the main source for understanding the competencies of relevance. Accordingly, a web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection from the case projects. Based on the gained data, project managers’ behaviors were analyzed, and consequently, their specific competencies were identified. Findings of this study propose 10 core competencies for project managers in collaborative construction projects, e.g., group capabilities, language proficiency, and leveraging diversity. Additionally, a set of supportive competencies were identified which, together with the core competencies, form the profile of project managers’ competencies for collaborative construction projects. Finally, the differences between competencies needed in traditional and in collaborative construction projects are discussed.

scholarly journals Integration of Cost and Work Breakdown Structures in the Management of Construction Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Cerezo-Narváez ◽  
Andrés Pastor-Fernández ◽  
Manuel Otero-Mateo ◽  
Pablo Ballesteros-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Scope Management ◽  
Project Objectives

Scope management allows project managers to react when a project underperforms regarding schedule, budget, and/or quality at the execution stage. Scope management can also minimize project changes and budget omissions, as well as improve the accuracy of project cost estimates and risk responses. For scope management to be effective, though, it needs to rely on a robust work breakdown structure (WBS). A robust WBS hierarchically and faithfully reflects all project tasks and work packages so that projects are easier to manage. If done properly, the WBS also allows meeting the project objectives while delivering the project on time, on budget, and with the required quality. This paper analyzes whether the integration of a cost breakdown structure (CBS) can lead to the generation of more robust WBSs in construction projects. Over the last years, some international organizations have standardized and harmonized different cost classification systems (e.g., ISO 12006-2, ISO 81346-12, OmniClass, CoClass, UniClass). These cost databases have also been introduced into building information modeling (BIM) frameworks. We hypothesize that in BIM environments, if these CBSs are used to generate the project WBS, several advantages are gained such as sharper project definition. This enhanced project definition reduces project contradictions at both planning and execution stages, anticipates potential schedule and budget deviations, improves resource allocation, and overall it allows a better response to potential project risks. The hypothesis that the use of CBSs can generate more robust WBSs is tested by the response analysis of a questionnaire survey distributed among construction practitioners and project managers. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), the correlation (agreement) and perception differences between two 250-respondent subsamples (technical project staff vs. project management staff) are also discussed. Results of this research support the use of CBSs by construction professionals as a basis to generate WBSs for enhanced project management (PM).

Connecting adaptability strategies to building system lifecycles in hospital retrofits

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riikka Kyrö ◽  
Antti Peltokorpi ◽  
Lauri Luoma-Halkola
Keyword(s):  
Project Managers ◽  
System Level ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Operations ◽  
Hospital Construction ◽  
New Type ◽  
Building System ◽  
Structured Approach

PurposeThe fast advancement of medical technology and processes poses challenges to hospital construction and management. The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured approach to advancing adaptability in hospital retrofits, proposing the preferable timing and scope of different adaptability strategies.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was chosen, with 28 semi-structured interviews designers, project managers, clients and healthcare professionals as the primary research data.FindingsThis paper presents a model for planning for the future in hospital retrofits. The model includes 11 different adaptability strategies, categorized based on the level of adaptability. Furthermore, each strategy is linked to an open building system level, indicating the appropriate timing. Based on the findings, generality strategies in the tertiary building system level are the most effective forms of adaptability, as they are easy to implement and answer to non-specific changes in hospital operations.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings contribute to existing knowledge on adaptability in buildings, and provide practical guidance particularly for designers. A new type of service offering, an adaptability roadmap detailing the scope and timing of adaptability, is suggested.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the existing research by detailing different approaches and knowledge related to adaptability and its strategies in hospital retrofits. More specifically, the three-fold categorization of adaptability is linked to both timing and intrusiveness in a novel way.

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