R.A. Stewart, S. Mohamed and M. Marosszeky
The need for the improved implementation of information technology (IT) has been identified in both empirical and highly structured research studies as being critical to effective…
Abstract
The need for the improved implementation of information technology (IT) has been identified in both empirical and highly structured research studies as being critical to effective innovation and development at an industry and enterprise level. This need is greater in the construction industry as it has been relatively slow to embrace the full potential of IT‐based technologies. In an attempt to understand why the construction industry lags other industries in the uptake and effective implementation of IT, this study reports on an investigation of the Australian construction industry, which identifies the impediments or barriers to IT implementation and the most effective coping strategies to overcome them. A questionnaire‐based research approach was adopted for this purpose and a total of 134 valid survey responses were received from various architectural, engineering and construction professionals. The questionnaire was designed to identify perceptions of the most significant barriers to IT implementation and to determine the most “practical” and “effective” corresponding coping strategies to mitigate their effects at three decision‐making levels: Industry; Organization; and Project.
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A.R. Toakley and M. Marosszeky
The focus of quality management (QM) in the construction industry, and its literature, has been on during construction and on product quality. The construction phase represents…
Abstract
The focus of quality management (QM) in the construction industry, and its literature, has been on during construction and on product quality. The construction phase represents the final step in the construction procurement process, however it is the outcome of the previous stages of analysis, planning and design and represents but a small fraction of the overall cost and value that is created in the construction and use of buildings and built infrastructure. In other industry sectors and through the international quality movement, the focus in QM has moved to total quality. This is reflected internationally in the criteria for quality awards in which product quality represents only some 20 per cent of the total score for an enterprise. This paper briefly reviews the development of the quality movement and its application within the construction sector and suggests a broader scope for the application of quality concepts within the procurement process from a whole‐of‐life perspective. Identifies also areas which require further research.
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Khalid Karim, Marton Marosszeky and Steven Davis
To provide a decision support tool for long‐term management of subcontractor supply chain for achieving better quality in construction.
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a decision support tool for long‐term management of subcontractor supply chain for achieving better quality in construction.
Design/methodology/approach
Defects on three construction projects are investigated through direct observation, document analysis, and interviews. A method to analyse and present defects information as an aid to decision making in relation to subcontractor supply chain management is proposed, and its application is illustrated by using the information obtained from the study.
Findings
The importance of managing the subcontractor supply chain to reduce the incidence of defects is established. The nature and extent of the defects, along with what caused them, are discussed. Method for conversion of raw data into a decision support tool is presented.
Research limitations/implications
The data collection method was limited in that it was not based on continuous full‐time observation. Such presence by independent observers for full duration of the project would provide more accurate information.
Practical implications
A useful tool for the construction industry in view of the fact that most of the construction work is now done by subcontractors and the head contractors primarily act as project managers.
Originality/value
The concept of using Pareto analysis/histogram for managing quality has been around for a considerable period of time. This paper converts it into a more efficient and useful decision support tool.
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Seyi S. Stephen, Ayodeji E. Oke, Clinton O. Aigbavboa, Opeoluwa I. Akinradewo, Pelumi E. Adetoro and Matthew Ikuabe
The chapter provided a comprehensive overview of lean construction as a transformative paradigm within the building industry. It delved into the core principles, tools, and…
Abstract
The chapter provided a comprehensive overview of lean construction as a transformative paradigm within the building industry. It delved into the core principles, tools, and techniques of lean construction, emphasising its advantages and the challenges associated with its implementation. Furthermore, it highlighted the pivotal role of lean construction principles in streamlining building excellence during the construction stage. The chapter also explored the concept of lean construction for stealth construction, presenting practical applications and a case study to illustrate its efficacy. Overall, it offered a synthesised understanding of lean construction’s significance, potential, and challenges, concluding with a general summary of its implications for the building industry.
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Colette Russell and Joanne Meehan
In the UK, major IT public procurement projects regularly fail at significant cost to the taxpayer. The prevalence of these failures presents scholars with a challenge; to both…
Abstract
In the UK, major IT public procurement projects regularly fail at significant cost to the taxpayer. The prevalence of these failures presents scholars with a challenge; to both understand their genesis and to facilitate learning and prevention. Functional approaches have revealed numerous determinants of failure ranging from procurement specifications to risk escalation, but true and definitive causes remain elusive. However, since failure is not itself an absolute truth, but rather a concept which is reached when support is withdrawn, the survival of a project depends on there being sufficient belief in its legitimacy. We use critical hermeneutic methods and the conceptual lens of legitimacy to reveal powerful legitimating influences that enable and constrain action, but which are not analysed in the retrospective government inquiries that determine lessons learned.
M.Y.L. Chew, Nayanthara De Silva and S.S. Tan
This paper discusses some important findings from a research project on the maintainability of wet areas of high‐rise non‐residential, buildings. The implications of six key…
Abstract
This paper discusses some important findings from a research project on the maintainability of wet areas of high‐rise non‐residential, buildings. The implications of six key factors of maintainability namely water‐tightness, spatial, integrity, ventilation, material and plumbing on the occurrence of 14 most common defects found in wet areas were evaluated. Problem areas evaluated include water leakage from ceiling, staining/discolouration, paint defects, cracking/spalling of concrete, cracking/debonding of tiles, fungi/algae growth, pipe leakage and corrosion. An industry wide survey was conducted and the factors including workmanship, design detailing, maintenance and material incompatibility under tropical conditions are identified and discussed.
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Courses in strategic management should teach future strategists how to react to unexpected strategic events such as the appearance of innovative technologies, proposed mergers…
Abstract
Courses in strategic management should teach future strategists how to react to unexpected strategic events such as the appearance of innovative technologies, proposed mergers, drastic changes in production costs, or major actions by competitors or customers. Strategic events often trigger important changes in strategies, and reactions to strategic events make the difference between long-run success and failure. Courses can teach students about the philosophical and psychological difficulties posed by complex environments and uncertain futures and teach some procedures that help to assure that important issues receive consideration. Research may be able to identify some decision-making heuristics that foster success.
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Lorenzo Skade, Sarah Stanske, Matthias Wenzel and Jochen Koch
‘Acceleration’, that is, the performance of activities in ever-shorter periods of time, is a distinctive feature of contemporary organizations and societies that is reflected in…
Abstract
‘Acceleration’, that is, the performance of activities in ever-shorter periods of time, is a distinctive feature of contemporary organizations and societies that is reflected in, and driven by startups’ attempts to scale up their businesses in ever-faster ways. Although prior research has highlighted that temporary organizing is a key way to accelerate the startup process, little is known about how actors do so. Based on a one-year ethnographic study at a startup accelerator, the authors explore how actors enact temporary organizing to attempt to accelerate the startup process. Their analysis shows that this process involves a plurality of partly conflicting temporal structures. As their study shows, such conflicts invoke tensions that actors live out in their daily activities. The authors identify three temporal practices – sequencing, freezing, and merging – through which actors engaged in temporary organizing enact acceleration in the startup process by reconciling these temporal structures. Their study has implications for understanding time in the expanding literature on temporary organizing and acceleration.
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Gulden Gumusburun Ayalp and Eda Nur Erdem
Construction experts acknowledge the adverse effects of rework on project performance. However, the limited understanding of its underlying causes remains a significant challenge…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction experts acknowledge the adverse effects of rework on project performance. However, the limited understanding of its underlying causes remains a significant challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to thoroughly investigate the sources of construction rework.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed review using bibliometric analysis as a quantitative method and content analysis as a qualitative method was performed to understand the current knowledge in the field. The Web of Science (WoS) was selected for its comprehensive collection of major research articles and integrated analytical tools for generating representative data. The study involved an extensive bibliometric analysis of 107 journal articles on rework causes from 1991 to 2023. RStudio Bibliometrix, an R statistical programming package, was used to analyze rework origins. This method involved mapping the research landscape, identifying research gaps and analyzing emerging trends.
Findings
The causes of rework can be classified into three main clusters: human- and contractual-based rework causes, design-, quality- and project management-based rework causes and organizational-based rework causes.
Originality/value
Although several studies have addressed rework causes from various perspectives and methods, the topic has not been investigated holistically. This study is the first to leverage the quantitative and qualitative analytical capabilities of the RStudio Bibliometrix package. Innovative approaches, including the use of metrics, such as the h-index, thematic mapping and trend topic analysis, were employed for a comprehensive understanding of rework causes.
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Salinda Perera, Steven Davis and Marton Marosszeky
Value in construction is defined in so many ways and used to mean many different things, often linked to cost, time, objectives and customers that there exists no concise and…
Abstract
Purpose
Value in construction is defined in so many ways and used to mean many different things, often linked to cost, time, objectives and customers that there exists no concise and complete description of what constitutes value within a construction context. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to study the current perceptions of value by the construction players and compare with emerging theories of value in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical evidence of prevailing perceptions of value within the support role provided by the head contractor (HC) to the subcontractors (SCs) is presented based on two years of action research on six construction sites in Sydney, Australia.
Findings
The results show that value management during the construction phase is currently understood as intrinsic to other HC functions. The paper presents a list of activities identified by HCs and SCs as key support services to be performed by the HC to enable efficient progression of construction.
Research limitations/implications
There are limitations in generalising the outcomes of this study to the construction industry. Further research is required in advancing the role of the HC in overall construction organisation.
Originality/value
This paper adds value in advancing the role of the HC in construction. Empirical evidence of value‐based management closely following the current perceptions of the construction players compared to managing value as a separate function is presented.