<p dir="ltr">Circularity or circular economy (CE) offers an approach to creating a closed-loop system toward minimizing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. Such a solution is vital in construction as it is known for its substantial resource consumption and waste generation. Despite the growing adoption of this framework in the construction industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag behind their larger counterparts. This study examines the barriers to implementing circularity practices within SMEs in the United States (U.S.). Through a comprehensive investigation involving case studies comprised of company data and semi-structured interviews with industry professionals from three varying-sized construction firms, the research elucidates client preferences, financial constraints, supply chain fragmentation, and a prevalent skills gap as significant obstacles to the adoption of circularity in construction SMEs. Large enterprises with more resources exhibit a distinct set of challenges, particularly in aligning their established practices with the emerging paradigms of CE. Despite the hurdles, circularity's potential economic, environmental, and societal benefits motivate SMEs and large enterprises alike. The research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable construction by identifying strategic, operational, and market-based factors stymieing CE adoption. It recommends financial incentives, regulatory support, and increased stakeholder collaboration to overcome identified barriers. The study also underscores the need for continued research to advance the understanding and practical application of circularity principles within the construction industry.</p>

Effective estimation, planning, and control of the functions, operations, and resources of a project are among the most challenging tasks faced by the management of today's engineering and construction organisations. The increase in size and complexity of modern projects demand a sound organisational structure and a rational approach. The main objectives of the present study are two-fold. Firstly to report and critically review theoretical and practical developments of different aspects of the management of engineering and construction projects. Secondly to further develop conceptual, practical techniques and processes; also to provide Guidelines to make more effective use. of resources and systems. To achieve these objectives the present research was carried out in close collaboration with various indurtrial organisations. The current literature on project management is critically examined from the point of View of project cost estimation, planning and control. Various existing and recommended procedures, approaches and techniques are reviewed with particular emphasis on using probabilistic techniques. As the problems of scale are increasing, progressively more industries are adopting systems and project management approaches. Problems, deficiencies and gaps in the existing systems are identified. An analysis of a questionnaire survey on Systems-Caps is carried out and the results of the analysis are reported. . S-curves (or progress curves) are widely used in the plauaing and control of cost, time and resources. A mathematical model for the S-curve is adopted for this purpose. Expenditure data on a number of ii recent projects is analysed and fitted to two S-curve models suggested by Keller-Singh and the Department of Health and Social Security (D. H. S. S. ). A comparative study of the models is carried out. A set of standard parameters for the models is obtained and the predicting accuracy of these models for forecasting expenditure for future similar projects investigated. Quantification aspects of risk involved with the completion time of a project are studied. 'A number of stochastic distributions arc fitted for this purpose to the programed and actual durations for the different activities of a housing project. The maximum likelihood method is used for the estimation of parameters of the fitted distributions. Due to the increasing use of indices in the construction industry, building cost and tender price indices, their application, limitations and methods of formation are discussed. Box-Jenkins models are employed to study past behaviour and to forecast future trends for labour, materials and building cost indices. Finally, general conclusions derived from the present regearch are sunmarised and areas requiring further research are proposed.

Embarking on a construction project means taking a risk. Project risk management (PRM) provides an effective approach to improve decision making and minimise project risk. Project risks may not possess the same level of significance for different countries, markets and projects. Current research on PRM in China has been rather theoretical, addressing technology issues. Considering the current practice in the Chinese construction industry (CCl), the PRM needs understanding and support from the industry and a mature market environment. This research aims to establish PRM strategies for identifying and adopting the best practice to provide practical guidelines for the CCl, thus improving the PRM, motivating the reform of the Chinese construction market, and enabling the CCl to function in the competitive environment of globalisation. An extensive literature review and a number of case studies for construction projects in China have been conducted, addressing issues closely related to the research. A systematic analysis is employed and developed for project planning and decision making. Contractual risks are considered as the first step and catalyst for improving the PRM in the CCl. Built on the findings from the case studies and analysis, the research puts forward a framework of contractual risk management to study the concept, identification and classification of contractual risks. Contract interfaces are analysed for contractual risk management under various project procurement routes (PPRs). The potentially large improvements to the PRM and reform of the Chinese construction market from the introduction and application of innovative PPRs and their contractual conditions are addressed. Two mathematical models -a probabilistic analysis model and an effective information entropy model for key contractual risks -are presented. The validity and applicability of the models are demonstrated with sample data for the CCl. Detailed recommendations and guidelines for the implementation of the proposed strategies are suggested.

TITLE: Headmaster as a project manager AUTHOR: Mgr. Bc. Iva Lokajová DEPARTMENT: The centre of school management SUPERVISOR: RNDr. Jana Marková ABSTRACT: The thesis "Headmaster as a project manager" focuses on the topic of project management in schools. The processed topic should help novice headmasters in particular with the fundamentals of project management. It explains the basic concepts of project management and deals with the description of the forms and methods of project management. It explains the basic tasks, activities and competence of the project manager in education. The research part is trying to map out a so far relatively unexplored area of project management for headmasters of primary schools and kindergartens as well as analyze and visualize the needs of school headmasters in the area. The conclusions show that although elementary schools in particular recognize the benefits of participating in projects for schools, their support in this area is inadequate. The thesis offers proposals for measures that could be used to improve support for project managers in education.

Dans le cadre de la gestion de projet, pour une plus grande efficacité, il est important de connaître les critères qui aident les acteurs et porteurs de projet à mieux orienter le devenir de leur projet. Notre travail a consisté dans la construction et la validation d'un descriptif du processus d'un projet de changement. Cette construction s'est faite à l'aide de l'analyse fonctionnelle et d'analyse décisionnelle de chaque élément constituant le processus de projet. Ces critères ainsi définis ont été validés par des sondés issus de l'entreprise et de la santé afin de déterminer leur capacité à stabiliser le projet dans sa phase de mise en place (robustesse) ou d'impulser de nouveaux projets (émergence). Une analyse des résultats entre la santé et l'entreprise, nous a permis de mettre en évidence la pertinence de nos hypothèses en caractérisant un certain nombre de critères influençant le devenir du projet. La connaissance de ces critères est donc une aide supplémentaire pour piloter les projets en milieux complexes comme dans le secteur de la santé et de l'entreprise / Within the framework of the management of project, for a bigger efficiency, it is important to know the criteria which help the actors and the carriers of project to direct better the future of their project. Our work aim to the design and the validation of the process of a project of change. The design of the criteria was elaborated with the functional analysis and the decision-making analysis of every element constituting the process of project. These criteria so defined were validated by pooled stemming from the company and from the health to determine their capacity to stabilize the project in its phase of implementation (robustness) or to impulse of new projects (emergence). An analysis of the results between the health and the company, allowed us to put in evidence the correctness of our hypothesis by characterizing a nwnber of criteria that influencing the future of the project. The knowledge of these criteria is thus a supplementary help to pilot the projects in complex organization in health sector and the company

<div> <p>The residential building sector is one of the most energy intensive sectors in today’s civilization. With population growth and a rise in number of homeowners the effect is bound to worsen. A wave of green and sustainable strategies is on the rise hoping to moderate some of the negative effect on the environment. From embracing renewable sources of energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, to improving existing home systems to become more efficient, the construction industry is evolving into becoming more energy conscious. One of the biggest obstacles to this wave is a lack of awareness and a fear of initial costs among contractors, homeowners and clients alike. This research will use Life Cycle Cost Analysis on a varying combination of residential energy systems and the researcher hopes to establish the trade-off between initial investment and long-term benefits. The case being considered is a residence located in Indiana, US. Using past and current utility bills and energy simulation data of different energy consuming systems in the residence over its lifetime, economic models are generated. This research establishes that a combination of passive and active energy conservation measures results in the lowest life cycle cost. The study will be beneficial for further research and as a framework for residential life cycle cost analysis.</p></div>

<p>Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is a process that is quickly changing the way Architectural, Engineering, and Construction companies manage construction projects. Being a company specific process, only parts of the process have been accepted as a standardized method across every company. Those components that are not standardized have become proprietary to each specific company. The goal of the research is to provide a rich and complete description of the use of BIM across multiple Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) companies in order to inform and integrate BIM into construction graphics and management curricula in higher education. The literature review generated a thorough understanding of BIM standards currently identified. The methodology, a comparison of BIM theory to industrial practices, provided a broader picture of all aspects of BIM being utilized in current AEC companies. The results identified a comparison of all aspects of BIM to current AEC practices and paints a well-defined picture of what is being accomplished with BIM within company construction processes across AEC companies that are classified into several categories. BIM practices within each company indicate similarities and differences that give a rich BIM description across the entire AEC industry. The results suggest a high usage of BIM across more areas than just construction of the building branching out to all areas within a set of construction documents for project management. </p>

Ce travail de thèse s’intéresse à l’analyse de la performance au cours du cycle de vie des projets systèmes d’information nécessitant un changement et une transformation de l’entreprise dans des contextes évolutifs (économique, organisationnel et social). Nous avons pour objectif de mieux comprendre le processus de mise en place des projets SI et d’identifier les déterminants de performance dans les différentes phases de ce processus. Nous prenons en compte le fait que les projets SI sont mis en place dans le cadre d’un processus composé essentiellement de trois grandes phases : lancement, mise en œuvre et généralisation. Le cadre théorique mobilisé est la théorie des ressources qui met en évidence le rôle et l’articulation des ressources, notamment, à travers leurs complémentarités dans la détermination de la performance de projets SI. Sur la base d’une recherche qualitative et d’une démarche inductive, nous avons réalisé 28 entretiens semi-directifs dans dix grandes entreprises françaises. L’idée que nous défendons dans cette thèse est que la performance des projets SI ne dépend pas uniquement des caractéristiques technologiques d’un nouveau SI, mais très largement du contexte et de l’environnement dans lesquels ils sont mis en place. Nous démontrons que la performance est fonction de la prise en compte d’un ensemble de déterminants identifiés (analyse financière, organisationnel, managérial, humain et social, technique et fonctionnel, stratégique) avec des niveaux d’importance variables selon les phases de projets. La capacité des entreprises à prendre en compte la nature multidimensionnelle des déterminants de la performance dans les différentes phases d’un projet SI est de nature à expliquer également les différences des niveaux de performance. / This thesis focuses on the analysis of the performance during the life cycle of information system (IS) projects that requires change and transformation of the firm in evolutive contexts (economic, organizational, social). Our objective is to understand the process of establishment of IS projects and to identify the determinants of performance in the different phases of this process. We consider that the process of implementation is composed of three phases : starting, implementation and generalization. The theoretical framework mobilised is the Resource Based View (RBV) which underlining the role and the articulation of the resources especially through their complementarities for the determination of IS project performance. Based on qualitative and inductive research, we realized 28 semi-directive interviews in ten large French firms. The idea which is defended in this thesis is that the performance of IS project does not depend exclusively from the technological characteristics of a new information system but more widely on the context and environment in which they are established. We demonstrated that performance is function of the capacity to take into account a larger scope of determinants (financial rentability, organizational, managerial, human and social, technical and functional, strategic) identified in this thesis with different levels of importance according to the phase of project. The capacity of the firms to take into account a multidimensional nature of determinants of performance in the different phases of IS project is also likely to explain differences in performance levels.

The focus of this thesis is to investigate the roles of leaders, managers, and mutual roles in aligning strategy and project management (ASPM) in public sector organisations (PSOs) in developing countries (DCs). ASPM as a phenomenon has emerged to support organisations to improve the performance of their projects and fulfil their strategic objectives. In reviewing the normative literature in this area, it is evident that a limited number of studies have been conducted on ASPM, particularly studies related to PSOs in DCs, where the statistics reflect a higher percentage of failed and/or delayed projects. To the best of this author's knowledge, and having conducted a thorough review of the literature, it is believed that none of the existing research studies conducted on ASPM have explored the roles of leaders, managers, and mutual roles in ASPM in PSOs. Thus, the author asserts that it is of high importance to investigate this area within ASPM and to prepare a study that contributes by shedding light on the roles of leaders, managers, and common roles between them in ASPM in PSOs in DCs. This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge related to strategic alignment and management, project management, the public sector and leadership/management as it investigates the roles of leaders, managers, and mutual roles in ASPM in PSOs in DCs. Furthermore, this thesis presents the factors that influence leaders and managers as they carry out their individual as well as mutual roles. The proposed conceptual framework is developed and presented in Chapter 3. From a practical perspective, this thesis contributes by providing the decision makers with a tool that has been tested through multiple units in KSA government case, which may support them in improving the performance of their projects and bring benefits to organisations. In addition to that, in Chapter 5 this thesis presents some lessons learned from the pilot unit study. The author assumes that such the conceptual framework and the factors influencing the roles of managers and leaders and the mutual roles in ASPM are significant and novel and may help to improve project performance, highlighting the importance of strategy management, and ultimately improving the performance in PSOs. The author uses qualitative, interpretive, multiple unit studies research strategy to validate the proposed conceptual framework. The author found from the pilot unit study and other four units study results, present that this kind of approach contributes to more strong decisions for ASPM implementation and highlight that it is acceptable by the unit studies. In spite of the fact that these results cannot be generalised, they can allow others researcher's to link their views with the ones reported in this thesis. This thesis proposes tests and presents a novel framework for ASPM and contributes to the body of knowledge by enriching the literature. The findings from the five units study organisations reveal that the proposed framework is acceptable and clearly indicate the significance of ASPM in PSOs.

Principles, structure and problems of project financing today. Evaluation of real estate development projects. Analysis of risk factors of the projects with emphasis on their influence over quality, time heftiness and project expenses. General influence of the risk factors on the economic result of the project. Retrieving solutions for work with hazard factors in common plains. Application of the knowledge on specific case study of a real estate development project and comparison of the actual project course with the theoretical course according to Risk Management.