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published_or_final_version / abstract / Civil Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

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Design Effectiveness is the degree to which the design effort helps in achieving project value objectives. Because Design Effectiveness largely exists within the context of the design phase, considerations on other project phases, such as front-end development or construction management, have been excluded from this study. Practices that promote Design Effectiveness are called Design Effectiveness Practices (DEPs), and the primary aim of this research was to develop a method for identifying suitable DEPs on a given project. The research consisted of three segments. The first segment of the research consisted of an ANOVA analysis of the CII benchmarking database to analyze the effect of Design on project performance metrics. The second (and main) segment of the research was the development and validation of a Design Effectiveness Practices Selection Tool. The MS Excel[Trademark] based tool determines the priority of application of 30 different DEPs on a project given the project's desired benefits (from 11 Project Value Objectives), design phase, and unique characteristics. All the 30 DEPs were correlated with the three input parameters using Score Matrices with the aid of expert opinion. The Score Matrices produced a score for each of the input parameters, and the three scores were combined to form a Composite Index Score for each DEP. The Selection tool was also validated in a two-step process, and met the validation thresholds set out for it. The third segment of this research involved the development of a Design Effectiveness Evaluation Tool, also based on MS Excel [Trademark]. This dissertation contributes to a growing area of research by providing comprehensive, structured compilation of DEPs and also by developing a selection method to effectively recommend the most suitable DEPs. From the perspective of the industry, the results of this research (and most notably the Selection Tool), facilitate the implementation of the DEPs and should help in maximizing the potential benefits to a particular project.

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The research emanated from an investigation of GB7, GB8 and GB9 main contractors in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study was focussed on the strident economic times in the construction industry following the FIFA Soccer World Cup from August 2010 to December 2012. The research was conducted to identify the key strategy or combination of strategies keeping construction entities in operation. The study further investigates the key elements of a successful turnaround strategy as well as the most effective methods in implementing strategies within construction organizations. The research took the form of an empirical quantitative study where a descriptive survey was used to collect data. Structured interviews were held with the target population to collect data in the field. The study established that geographic diversification was the most effective method utilized by main contractors for survival during the study timeframe. The study also found that lowering of profit margins and preliminary and general amounts were most effective methods in the use of turn around strategies. The study finally concluded that effective steps were taken by main contractors in the Eastern Cape to implement corporate strategies within their organizations. Step by step guidance to all employees on new processes was the key element in successful strategic implementation of a strategy within construction organizations. The research conducted contributes to the strategic management competency within the built environment as well as the existing body of knowledge within the construction industry. All members of the construction industry in South Africa involved with strategic level planning of entities would value the study.

The objective of this thesis is to develop a conceptual design of a computerized environment for detailed design of construction activities associated with projects characterized by significant repetition. High-rise building construction is used as the example of repetitive construction projects. The construction cycle design of a typical floor structure is studied to gain an understanding of the difficulty and complexity involved in the activity design process. Modeling techniques currently used in construction planning, modeling techniques developed in the field of operations research, and assembly line balancing techniques used in industrial engineering are reviewed to determine their applicability for detailed construction cycle design. Using the concept of decision support systems developed in the fields of management science and knowledge engineering for solving ill-structured and ill-defined problems, a conceptual design of a decision support system for construction cycle design is developed. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaf 84. / by Andrea Dickenson White. / M.S.