Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Building Construction, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Oberle, Rita A.; Committee Co-Chair: Castro-Lacouture, Daniel; Committee Member: Bluestein, Fradya; Committee Member: Dobbins, Michael; Committee Member: Roper, Kathy

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-130).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 320-341).

In recent years the construction industry has become increasingly aware of the potential of the technical knowledge held by construction professionals and the need to manage it effectively. However, organisations have experienced numerous problems in implementing and sustaining Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives. A key reason for this, which has been cited both within industry and academia, is a lack of understanding of the best-suited KM approaches available and how to adopt them. In particular, the importance of people-orientated KM practices, specifically in the case of construction firms who have a high level of dependence on the tacit knowledge of their employees, has been well documented with many KM authors calling for further research in this area. The research undertaken for this study was initiated in response to the need for further research and an improved understanding of KM (people-orientated KM in particular) best practice. The research was also focussed on establishing an effective KM initiative within Ramboll Whitbybird; the sponsoring organisation. The central aim of the research was therefore to “deliver a framework that facilitates the retention and reuse of knowledge, which will increase Ramboll Whitbybird's potential to drive engineering best practice and respond appropriately to conventional and emerging business opportunities.” To achieve this an action research approach was adopted, facilitated through the use of literature reviews, interviews, focus groups, and other data collection methods, to enable the findings to be implemented within an industrial setting. Through extensive industry involvement the research highlighted the core components necessary for a successful KM initiative, and the actions necessary from those involved in implementing, managing and sustaining KM activities within construction firms. The findings demonstrated that an organisation wishing to realise effective KM needs to establish a clear definition and understanding of KM across the business, which can be achieved through the compilation of a KM strategy (statement) and action plan. It also needs to acknowledge the importance of addressing the critical factors that will determine the success of its KM initiative such as the need for KM champions and a supporting team, a fit with the way people work and an alignment with business objectives. The research also highlighted the importance of people-orientated KM practices, and that construction organisations in particular should identify and prioritise KM activities such as Communities of Practice (CoPs), due to their reliance on tacit knowledge transfer. However, in order to maximise the benefits to individuals and the business, the organisation will need to take a ‘light touch' approach to the management of CoPs. Supporting people-based KM activities with the right technology is an important factor, particularly as organisations expand and become more geographically dispersed. To ensure that this technology is an effective supporter of KM it needs to be tailored to fit with the KM needs of the business, and will need to become de-centralised in its operation. Finally, the research outlined the importance for the organisation to consider the integration of KM within the daily operation of the business by incorporating KM effectively into communication and reporting structures, while also ensuring that it becomes a core aspect of its Quality Assurance (QA) procedures.

Implementing risk management (RM) effectively in construction projects and organisations has long been recognised as key to ensuring successful project performance. Therefore, it has become increasingly vital for construction organisations to have RM as an integral part of their project management practice. Such necessity has driven significant increase in research on RM practice in the construction industry. However, little research has been conducted to systematically investigate the RM implementation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s construction industry. Therefore, this research study was aimed at thoroughly investigating RM implementation in this industry toward developing an appropriate framework for improving existing practice. Specifically, this research study has developed a RM framework for enhancing RM implementation practice in construction firms and an informed list of best practice recommendations, all of which aid as a road map for implementing an effective RM system, thereby contributing to the enhancement of practice. In addition, the research has developed a RM maturity model purposely for measuring firms’ existing RM maturity level and identifying key areas for further improvement. Mixed method approach was chosen for the purpose of addressing the research aim and objectives. The first stage of the approach involved a comprehensive review of relevant literature. Then, a pilot study and two questionnaire surveys were designed and distributed to professionals from construction organisations in the GCC countries. Moreover, six case studies from real-life projects were conducted. The RM framework was validated through a series of experts’ interviews. This research has identified and ranked 62 key risk factors affecting construction project performance, and were categorised under four levels, namely: country level, industry and market level, firm capability level, and project implementation level. Also, this research study has identified 28 RM maturity criteria and 15 critical barriers to RM implementation. These were used to develop a comprehensive RM maturity system, which can serve as a guide for determining the RM capability of construction organisations to enable them decide on the most appropriate implementation strategies. Moreover, the case studies provide rich in-depth qualitative data that explains, among others, the status of RM implementation in practice and the level of maturity displayed by GCC construction organisations on this subject. The cross–case comparison results substantiated the survey findings, and highlighted the influence of the firms’ characteristics on the RM implementation. Also, the findings serve as a case-study from GCC countries from which other countries in the Middle East and developing world can benefit immensely from the lessons learnt, since these countries share a lot in common as far as RM practices are concerned. The empirical results and outcomes of this research are arguably the first to be presented for the GCC construction industry, and therefore have a high potential of contributing significantly to the existing body of knowledge and understanding in RM. The results of this research do not only fill a major gap in the literature on the subject of RM practice in this industry, but also offer greater awareness and understanding of RM implementation in construction firms. Future studies would be conducted to assess the RM maturity in other projects or in other countries and to investigate the relationship between the RM maturity and improvement in project performance. For instance, the case studies would be performed to uncover RM implementation and the associated managerial implications which will allow practitioners to understand the real implementation issues in practice and the experience of firms that is worth learning from.

Bakgrund Byggföretagen står för en väsentlig del av det svenska näringslivet och har de senaste åren upplevt en hög omsättningstillväxt. Dessa företag arbetar i en projektbaserad miljö vilket skapar ett behov av en styrning för att hantera alla projekt ur ett helhetsperspektiv. Med hjälp av Project Portfolio Management kan byggföretagen hantera den risk och låga marginaler som präglar branschen och i bästa fall öka sin lönsamhet. Syfte Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en helhetsbild av hur hanteringen av projektportföljen ser ut i svenska byggföretag och att analysera vilka faktorer som är betydelsefulla vid projekturvalet. Detta sker genom att utveckla en teoretiskt förankrad referensram som sedan används för att analysera byggföretagens process för hanteringen av företagets projektportfölj. Metod Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod där semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförts med beslutsfattare och chefer inom respektive byggföretag. Intervjuerna har genomförts för att söka efter mönster och samband mellan de studerade byggföretagens hantering av projektportföljen. Slutsats De svenska byggföretagens hantering av projektportföljen sker i en decentraliserad organisation där graden av formell styrning varierar beroende på företagets storlek. En formalisering av byggföretagens PPM kan bidra till förbättrad riskhantering och en möjlighet för ökad lönsamhet. Resurser, tid och kompetens är grundläggande kriterier för att byggföretaget ska kunna ta sig an ett projekt. Vem kunden är och vad det är för typ av projekt har också en betydelse då byggföretagen är riskaverta och föredrar att ge sig in i projekt de är duktiga på. / Background The construction industry represents a vital part of the Swedish GDP and have been experiencing a high revenue growth during the last years. The construction companies work in a project based environment which calls for a holistic management system. Using Project Portfolio Management, the construction companies can manage their risks and low profit margins that characterizes the industry and in best case scenario increase their margins. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to create a holistic view of the management of the project portfolio in Swedish construction companies and to analyze which factors are important in the project selection process. This is done by developing a theoretically-based reference frame that is used to analyze the construction companies process for managing their project portfolios. Method The thesis is based on a qualitative research method where semistructured interviews were conducted with decision makers and managers within each construction company. Interviews have been conducted to search for patterns and relationships between the studied construction companies' management of the project portfolio. Conclusio The management of the Swedish construction companies’ project portfolios occurs in decentralized organizations where the degree of formal management varies depending on the size of the company. A formalization of construction companies' PPM can contribute to improved risk management and an opportunity for increased profitability. Resources, time and skills are fundamental criterias for the construction company to be able to undertake a project. Other significant criterias in this process are the customer and the type of project.

The improvement of construction systems and management systems do not move together in construction industry, not using the effective management approaches decrease the productivity of the work. The firms both in national and international area in manufacturing industry use supply chain management to preserve their competitive force. As material costs account for a high percentage of the overall cost, the success of a project is heavily dependent on material related factors and processes. In Turkey because of extensively using in-situ concrete in construction, the supply chain for reinforcement and concrete is very important. One of the components of concrete is &ldquo / re-bar&rdquo / and its supply chain, rbSC (rebar supply chain) was investigated within the scope of this research. In this study a framework was developed on the basis of the information from a literature survey and a field-test consisting of face-to-face interviews and questionnaire to determine the factors affecting the rbSC externally and those related to the supply chain participants. The developed rbSC performance framework was analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling rules. LISREL software was used, and the outputs of LISREL were evaluated by relationing with the information obtained from literature survey. The developed framework can be used to maximize both effectiveness of the rbSC process and efficiency of time and cost related issues in the rbSC. rbSC performance was associated with the project performance at the end of the study to reach a higher-level scale. The difference between the performance ratings obtained by self-assessment of a participant and those obtained through assessment done by the others was used to determine the affects of cultural issues on performance. Common reasons for the lower performance were analyzed due to cultural context and recommendations were set down for rbSC participants to solve the problems.

Nos últimos anos, a discussão sobre a implementação do conceito de modelagem da informação da construção tem permanecido nas pautas das empresas do setor da construção civil em todo o mundo; no entanto, no cenário brasileiro, o descompasso entre a estratégia setorial e as iniciativas individuais de algumas empresas tem chamado a atenção. Partindo do princípio de que o conceito de modelagem da informação da construção, em função do seu caráter de inovação tecnológica, carrega consigo a necessidade de mudanças, a reflexão e adaptações sobre os diversos processos que permeiam a produção dos empreendimentos de construção torna-se fundamental. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desta tese é propor um conjunto de Diretrizes para Gestão do Processo de Projeto em Empresas Incorporadoras e Construtoras. As Diretrizes estão pautadas na necessidade de definir o projeto como um processo estratégico, inserindo a sua gestão como elemento fundamental para a facilitação e integração do fluxo de informações no âmbito do empreendimento. Para a concretização do objetivo da tese, realizaram-se Estudos de Caso em empresas Incorporadoras e Construtoras brasileiras com o objetivo de diagnosticar as práticas vigentes de gestão do processo de projeto. Em paralelo, conduziu-se a reflexão sobre as responsabilidades do gestor do processo de projeto no âmbito da modelagem por meio de Grupos de Foco envolvendo gestores do processo de projeto e especialistas em tecnologia da informação aplicada à construção. Além disso, a metodologia de pesquisa contempla um Estudo de Caso com foco para a implementação do Conceito de Modelagem da Informação no contexto setorial do Reino Unido. Como resultado das Diretrizes, apresenta-se o Modelo para Gestão do Processo de Projeto no Contexto da Modelagem, seguido pelo Plano de Reestruração para o Departamento de Projetos, o qual visa à proposição de um modelo estruturado para condução das mudanças necessárias nas áreas responsáveis pelo processo de projeto das empresas Incorporadoras e Construtoras. / The discussion about BIM (Building information Modelling) implementation has remained on the agendas of construction companies worldwide in recent years; however, in the Brazilian context, the gap between the industry strategy and few companies which have decided to implement BIM autonomously has been the main aspect that draw attention. Assuming BIM as a technological innovation, which carries with it changes, it is fundamental to analyse and adapt the design and construction processes. In this context, the thesis aims propose a set of Guidelines to Manage the Design Process of Brazilian Real Estate Development Companies. The Guidelines has taken the Design Management as a strategic process which must facilitate and integrate information flow among the Construction Project agents. In order to achieve the objective of Thesis, Case Studies have carried out in order to diagnose the design management current practices in the Brazilian Real Estate Development Companies. Aiming to discuss the Design managers\' responsibilities in contexts where BIM is applied, Focus Groups were organized and Design Managers, BIM specialists and also Academics have participated in the discussions sections. In addition, the research methodology have included a Case Study focusing on the BIM implementation in United Kingdom construction industry. As results and Guidelines, the Design Management Modeling in BIM context, followed by the Restructuring Planning are proposed. The Restructuring Planning was defined specifically for Real Estate Development Companies and aims to propose structured way, comprehending processes which should be re-designed and a set of steps for driving the necessary changes in order to use Design Management Guide in BIM context are proposed.

A indústria da construção é responsável por grande parcela da economia em todas as nações, quase sempre excedendo 10% do PIB - Produto Interno Bruto e sendo, inúmeras vezes, o setor responsável pelo maior número de empregos. Nas últimas décadas a globalização, com as suas exigências de adequação do Brasil aos padrões de competição internacionais em todas as áreas, as exigências de consumidores mais atentos, com mais liberdades e mais direitos (Código do Consumidor), a velocidade das mudanças sociais e culturais, tudo isto catalisado pela tecnologia da informação têm provocado um grande número, que não para de crescer, de disputas na construção civil. A insatisfação com os métodos tradicionais de solução dos conflitos na indústria da construção civil fez com que grande variedade de alternativas fosse e continuasse a ser explorada. A investigação das técnicas e procedimentos usados para gerenciar os conflitos, prevenir e solucionar as disputas, deles originados, nos empreendimentos de construção civil é necessária para a definição e criação de mecanismos que contribuam para seu eficaz gerenciamento, evitando a perda de tempo e dinheiro com intermináveis discussões e litígios nos tribunais. A existência de conflitos nos empreendimentos da construção é um fato e decorre diretamente da natureza das suas atividades: a singularidade de cada empreendimento, cada um deles constitui uma experiência sempre primeira e única, o tamanho e duração das obras, a complexidade dos documentos contratuais, as mudanças das condições, a limitação dos recursos, problemas financeiros, projetos inadequados, questões trabalhistas, despreparo dos gestores nestes temas. A revisão bibliográfica dos mecanismos existentes em outros países e no Brasil, comparando-os, serve de embasamento para outras pesquisas, seja na proposição de um sistema de gestão para estes conflitos e de solução para as disputas, adequado às características do Brasil, ou, ainda, na condução de um estudo de caso onde as técnicas poderão ser utilizadas e sua eficiência comprovada, ou ainda uma pesquisa para determinar as perdas provocadas por estas disputas. / The construction industry is responsible for great portion of the economy in all countries, almost always exceeding 10% of the GDP - gross domestic product and being countless times the largest employer. In the last decades the globalization, demanding Brazil adaptation to the international patterns of competition in all areas, the more attentive consumer\'s demand with more freedoms and more rights (Consumer\'s Code), and the speed of social and cultural changes, all of those, catalyzed by the information technology, have been provoking a great and growing number of disputes in the building site. The dissatisfaction with traditional methods of conflict resolution in the construction industry led to the use of a wide range of different alternatives, and new ones continue to be explored. The investigation of these new and alternative techniques and procedures used to manage conflicts, to prevent and resolve disputes in the civil construction projects is necessary for the definition and creation of mechanisms to contribute to the effective project management, avoiding waste of time and money with endless discussions and litigations in the tribunals. Because of the characteristic of their activities: the singularity of each project, each one of them is a first and only experience, the size and duration of the works, the contractual documents complexity, the variations, the resources limitation, financial problems, inadequate projects and labor subjects, the existence of conflicts in construction projects is a fact. Bibliographical revision and comparison of the techniques adopted in Brazil and other countries serves as basis for other researches, such as the proposition of a conflict management plan appropriated to Brazilian industry characteristics, or as a case study in which techniques can be used and its efficiency proven or, still as a research to determine the losses caused by these disputes.