This thesis integrates Lean construction (LC) with the organisational assessment method ofmaturity models (MM) and delivers an original contribution to knowledge in the form of avalidated innovative organisational framework to measure the current state of LC maturity,which is called Lean Construction Maturity Model (LCMM). This framework provides andsupports organisations towards the development of greater maturity and subsequentlyenhances the awareness and understanding of LC. The aim of this research was to enableorganisations to measure the gap between their current state and where they want to be interms of embedding LC. Accordingly, the research addressed this aim further by providingbusinesses with support and guidance in their LC maturation process in particular inmeasuring sought improvement in their journey towards greater maturity in LC. The studywas conducted as a qualitative mixed-method design in order to discover and achieve a richunderstanding of the phenomenon of LC maturity from LC key informants and best fulfil theresearch aim. Consequently, a phenomenological approach was utilised, with focus groups(FGs) as the primary study, combined with a group interview as well as individual interviewsas supplementary components. To ensure validity, three different approaches weredeployed: first the triangulation of three different methods to collect the data, second a richand thick-description, and finally the validation of the developed framework by memberchecks in the form of interviews and a FG. The major findings of this research are: thesuccessful integration of MMs and LC achieved through the development of the proposedframework, and the simplification of LC into 11 Key Attributes that explain LC in a simplerand better way than before. This framework defined a LC maturity assessment methodutilising five maturity levels, 11 Key Attributes, which have been described through 60Behaviours, Goals & Practices, and 75 Ideal Statements that more mature organisations willexemplify. Finally, the most important consequence of this work is the enabling oforganisations to obtain a systemic and holistic overview of their current state of LC maturityand providing them with support in their maturation.

In 1982, a new model of psycho-educational assessment, called the Initial Assessment and Consultation Approach (IAC), was introduced into the Education Clinic of the Division of Specialised Education at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). It has continued to be used in the new Emthonjeni Centre at WITS University. The IAC assessment model was developed in response to criticisms and limitations of existing assessment practices. It represents an approach that is client oriented, in that it encourages consultants and clients to arrive together at their own decisions. Key to the model is a joint problem-solving approach, where the concept of the client’s control, consent and commitment are imperative. The aim of this study was to explore student consultants’ perceptions of the IAC model of assessment. More specifically, the study explored the perceptions of the effectiveness of the IAC as a tool for psycho-educational assessment; the student consultants’ opinion regarding the model and lastly past students’ use of the IAC approach at internship sites or places of work. The results of the study were qualitatively examined through the use of thematic content analysis, which provided rich description participants’ opinions. The sample consisted of forty respondents. Information letters were distributed to all participants and data was gathered through the use of an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured specifically to elicit the participants’ perceptions of the IAC model of psycho-educational assessment. The results indicate that the IAC is perceived as an effective approach to psycho-educational assessment, by student consultants at WITS University, and many of the principles of the approach are continued to be adopted by past students at their internship sites or places of work.

Decisions to deploy IT systems on public Infrastructure-as-a-Service clouds can be complicated as evaluating the benefits, risks and costs of using such clouds is not straightforward. The aim of this project was to investigate the challenges that enterprises face when making system deployment decisions in public clouds, and to develop vendor-neutral tools to inform decision makers during this process. Three tools were developed to support decision makers: 1. Cloud Suitability Checklist: a simple list of questions to provide a rapid assessment of the suitability of public IaaS clouds for a specific IT system. 2. Benefits and Risks Assessment tool: a spreadsheet that includes the general benefits and risks of using public clouds; this provides a starting point for risk assessment and helps organisations start discussions about cloud adoption. 3. Elastic Cost Modelling: a tool that enables decision makers to model their system deployment options in public clouds and forecast their costs. These three tools collectively enable decision makers to investigate the benefits, risks and costs of using public clouds, and effectively support them in making system deployment decisions. Data was collected from five case studies and hundreds of users to evaluate the effectiveness of the tools. This data showed that the cost effectiveness of using public clouds is situation dependent rather than universally less expensive than traditional forms of IT provisioning. Running systems on the cloud using a traditional 'always on' approach can be less cost effective than on-premise servers, and the elastic nature of the cloud has to be considered if costs are to be reduced. Decision makers have to model the variations in resource usage and their systems' deployment options to obtain accurate cost estimates. Performing upfront cost modelling is beneficial as there can be significant cost differences between different cloud providers, and different deployment options within a single cloud. During such modelling exercises, the variations in a system's load (over time) must be taken into account to produce more accurate cost estimates, and the notion of elasticity patterns that is presented in this thesis provides one simple way to do this.