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Continuously increasing demand for faster project delivery of emergency and non-emergency projects, project complexity, and pandemic caused price escalations and material shortages requiring real time pricing and use of available equipment are showing that construction industry needs to shift toward creating designs that will be driven by the construction process or construction-driven designs. The construction-driven designs enable faster than fast project delivery or flash tracking by adopting the mindset that construction is the last phase of the design and by integrating the building approach with the design where the means and methods of construction drive the design development process. However, the development of such designs requires the involvement of the key stakeholders such as contractor, major subcontractors and equipment vendors, and operations and maintenance personnel at the appropriate time in the design. This research presents the framework which addresses the key areas needed to develop construction-driven designs such as (1) formalizing the construction-driven design definition; (2) determining construction-driven design characteristics and the preferred level and timing of involvement of the key stakeholders (contractor, major subcontractor, major equipment vendor, and operations and maintenance personnel) in the design development process; (3) determining key stakeholder’s (contractor, designer, and owner) experience requirements for the successful development and execution of construction-driven designs; (4) identifying potential contractual, licensure, and insurance barriers that can affect contractor’s early involvement in the design and providing recommendations to overcome those barriers; (5) ranking project delivery methods based on their effectiveness and suitability to develop and implement construction-driven designs; (6) identifying and ranking the best practices specific to construction-driven designs; and (7) providing a tool that will allow a company or a project team to measure their readiness to develop a construction-driven design for a project. / Ph.D. / Continuously increasing demand for faster project delivery of emergency and non-emergency projects, project complexity, and rising prices and material shortages caused by pandemic require real time pricing and use of available equipment. Moreover, these issues are showing that construction industry needs to shift toward creating designs that are constructible and led by the means and methods of construction or construction-driven designs. The construction-driven designs enable faster than fast project delivery by adopting the mindset that construction is the last phase of the design and by integrating the building approach with the design process where the means and methods of construction influence and guide the design development process. However, the development of such designs requires the involvement of the key stakeholders such as contractor, major subcontractors and equipment vendors, and operations and maintenance personnel at the appropriate time in the design. This research presents the framework which addresses the key areas needed to develop construction-driven designs such as (1) formalizing the construction-driven design definition; (2) determining construction-driven design characteristics and the preferred level and timing of involvement of the key stakeholders (contractor, major subcontractor, major equipment vendor, and operations and maintenance personnel) in the design development process; (3) determining key stakeholder’s (contractor, designer, and owner) experience requirements for the successful development and execution of construction-driven designs; (4) identifying potential contractual, licensure, and insurance barriers that can affect contractor’s early involvement in the design and providing recommendations to overcome those barriers; (5) ranking project delivery methods based on their effectiveness and suitability to develop and implement construction-driven designs; (6) identifying and ranking the best practices specific to construction-driven designs; and (7) providing a tool that will allow a company or a project team to measure their readiness to develop a construction-driven design for a project.

Since the 1950s, Capacity Development (CD) has been an important component of international development agendas. It established the widespread consensus that the capacity of individuals and organizations is critical to maintaining and enhancing the effectiveness of development projects and programs. A problem, however, is that the concept has been applied without due consideration to how it should be adapted to the local context, making it more of a symbolic gesture. The application of CD to urban infrastructure projects in India is one such example. Recognizing the shortage of urban infrastructure as one of the major impediments in India's economic growth and rapid urbanization, the Government of India (GOI) launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005 to provide substantial central financial assistance to cities for urban development over a period of seven years. The GOI expected the JNNURM to reform institutions and strengthen human resource capability related to many areas of project delivery. During its implementation, however, the JNNURM has been confronted by problems related to a lack of capacity. This research reviews the capacity challenges related to the JNNURM program and considers the broader implications for urban infrastructure development in other developing countries. This research begins with the question "How can CD be operationalized?" From this starting point, the research seeks to reveal the operational values of CD. Following a detailed literature review on CD, capacity factors that are applicable to the urban sector in India are identified and a CD framework is developed. Two research methods--case studies and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)--are adopted to answer the primary research questions. By leveraging the strength of these two methods, this research advances our understanding of the relationship between capacity and development goals such as improving project performance. In the case studies, this research investigates the gaps between CD theory and practice through the lens of practitioner perceptions of CD. In addition, unlike traditional thinking on the linear relationship between capacity and project outcomes, the case studies reveal two-way causal relationships between capacity and project outcomes that form a spiral structure between the project delivery process and capacity factors. Better capacity can enhance project performance and lead to better outcomes, and project performance and outcomes also influence and reinforce capacity in the reverse direction. Moreover, through the fsQCA, this research identified causal relationships between capacity factors and outcomes and demonstrated that the capacity factors generate different outcomes through their interactions with other capacity factors. This finding contributes to our understanding of how capacity is interconnected with development goals. In summary, this research contributes to both CD theory and CD practice based on a comprehensive approach that not only considers CD at multiple levels (environmental, organizational/network, and individual/project), but also covers different CD subjects such as context, actors, dimensions, processes, and impacts. Through this comprehensive approach, a range of important findings are developed that can help researchers and practitioners operationalize the complex concept of CD. / Ph. D.

Accelerated Bridge Construction, also known as ABC, is a methodology that seeks to improve project development of bridges by reducing the overall project schedule and the impact on the traveling public by implementing innovative technologies and strategies in any phase of project development. However, ABC may incur additional direct costs for the project and some risks are associated because of the accelerated constraints implied in this methodology. On the positive side, the opportunity costs and reductions of traffic disruptions costs may overcome the additional costs associated with ABC. Decision-making methodologies for assessment of ABC as an alternative to traditional construction are of great interest for project developers. The topics of research about ABC are diverse but focus mainly on the means and methods, technical aspects, applications, innovations, and decision-making of ABC. Decision-making is of great concern for project developers, especially government organizations, to sustain project goals of serviceability and to validate the additional expenditures in a project. In addition, project developers improve their decisions and project outcomes by reviewing success and failure cases for completed projects in the past. This study seeks to improve the decision-making processes in ABC by finding a more direct correlation of projects to compare by means of a categorization of these ABC projects. Smaller groups in this categorization will help narrow the scope of the characteristics of the projects to consider and to find more relevant lessons learned from the smaller groups of the categorization. To develop the categorization in this study, the data source used is the completed ABC projects database from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The statistical categorization methodology for this study is the Agglomerate Hierarchy Clustering which developed a determined number of cluster based on the closeness among data parameters with "n" number of dimensions of analysis. The number of dimensions for the analysis in this study was established as 13 parameters collected from the database and these were considered critical decision-making parameters and consequential parameters to reflect project decisions and consequences of those decisions. The results of this study rendered 3 categories, and into these categories, 5 sub-categories were distributed according to the same analysis developed. The sub-categories show similarities between the projects according to the parameters established, so the sub-categories help narrow the scope of projects for project developers. As a complement to the categorization, a project matching tool for external projects was also developed to help decision-makers to test their projects according to the analysis in this study and also help developers narrow their review of cases in search for lessons learned. Uses of this study include the prediction of information of parameters according to the variables and ranges in this categorization, and the narrowing of study cases to review. Stakeholders interested can be government organizations seeking to establish the viability of an ABC project, or to improve their project outcomes at any stage of development. Other stakeholders can be designers and contractors that also need to improve their projects at any stage of development. / Master of Science / Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) reduces construction time and diminishes traffic disruption by applying strategies and innovations to the way bridges are designed and constructed. However, it implies additional initial costs that need to be justified. Project developers need to evaluate their projects to make decisions to assure the best execution and outcomes. The review of lessons learned from previous bridge projects has been one of the sources that developers have found to find strategies and tips to implement best practices or to avoid mistakes during planning and construction of new bridge projects. This study relies on the lessons learned compiled on the completed ABC project database from the federal transportation authority, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in order to help developers, narrow the scope of projects to be reviewed and find more relevant cases to compare their projects. This scope includes the development of a categorization or a structured hierarchy of completed ABC projects with the FHWA database by applying a statistical analysis and a validation procedure. The results of this study rendered a categorization with 3 categories and 5 subcategories, each with its definition of parameters, which highlight the similarities among projects in the same groups and the differences among different categories. In addition, a framework was developed to match external projects with the categorization in this study to help project developers narrow the projects to review, or even predict missing information according to the parameters in this study. These results may help decision-makers better inform their decisions and support the research in the field of study.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) introducerades tidigt på 2000-talet för att främja ett arbete med datorbaserade modeller samt involvering av produktionsplanering i designfasen. VDC är ett koncept som idag har anammats inom många bygg- och konsultföretag för att utveckla arbetet med Building Information Model (BIM), innovationer och samverkan inom byggprojekt. Konceptet VDC förändras ständigt och omdefinieras av enskilda individer och företag. Det här resulterar i att det råder en begreppsförvirring hur VDC ska definieras och hur arbete med VDC ska genomföras. Vidare tenderar många byggprojekt att vara fragmenterade med projektmedlemmar som främst fokuserar på sitt eget teknikområde. För att minska fragmentering mellan projektmedlemmar kan integrerade arbetsmetoder tillämpas. Syftet med examensarbetet är därför dels att undersöka innebörden av VDC som koncept och även hur VDC kan stimulera integrerade arbetsmetoder. Ämnet utforskas kvalitativt med vetenskaplig litteratur och intervjustudie. Den vetenskapliga litteraturen definierar konceptuellt VDC och två integrerade arbetsmetoder Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) och Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Varvid intervjustudien inkluderar respondenter från byggsektorn vars reflektioner om det studerade ämnet presenteras. Studien är geografiskt avgränsad till Sverige.  I resultatet påvisas den rådande tvetydigheten huruvida VDC definieras. För att undvika begreppsförvirring kan det vara behövligt med en gemensam definition av VDC i byggbranschen och även nationella riktlinjer vilka beskriver hur arbete med VDC ska utföras. Vidare kan VDC stimulera ett integrerat arbetssätt genom en ökad samhörighet inom byggprojekt med bland annat gemensamma formuleringar av projektmål och gemensam problemlösning mellan projektmedlemmar. / Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) was introduced early in the 21st century in order to encourage work with computer based models and construction planning in the design phase. VDC is a concept that has been embraced by several construction and consulting companies in order to develop their work with Building Information Model (BIM), innovations and cooperation within construction projects. VDC is a concept that keeps evolving and is being redefined by individuals and companies. This has contributed to a conceptual confusion within the construction sector about the definition of VDC. Furthermore, construction projects tend to be fragmented with project members that are working in silos and primarily focusing on their own discipline. In order to decrease the fragmentation within construction projects integrated working methods can be applied. Therefor the purpose of this master thesis is to explore the concept VDC and how it can stimulate integrated working methods.  The study is examined using qualitative methods based on scientific literature and an interview study. The scientific literature is defining VDC conceptually and two integrated working methods Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Furthermore, the interview study includes respondents from the construction industry whose reflections and thoughts about the subject are being presented. The study is geographically limited to Sweden.  The result shows the current ambiguity of how VDC is defined. In order to avoid a conceptual confusion a common definition should be formulated with national guidelines that describe how work with VDC should be conducted. Furthermore, VDC can stimulate an integrated approach through increased cohesion within construction projects, including common objectives within the project and joint problem solving between project members.

Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.'s) require state agencies to procure construction contracts using the design-bid-build project delivery system, unless special legislation is enacted to allow the use of alternative methods. Considering the wide range of alternative delivery methods for construction contracts, this thesis focuses on design-build on public projects. Even though Massachusetts laws do not expressly prohibit design-build, they do preclude its use indirectly by requiring the separation of design and construction services, and by requiring that construction contracts be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder only after the project is fully designed. The objectives of this study are to specifically examine the reasons behind the legislature unwillingness to allow design-build as a conventional project delivery method; and to determine the likelihood that design-build will become a conventional delivery system in Massachusetts in the future. For this purpose, several academic research papers, case studies and industry reports have been reviewed. As well, pertinent sections of the M.G.L.'s and other references have been examined. Personal interviews were conducted with key representatives of the public and private sectors, who provided valuable input regarding design-build on public projects. The analysis of the information collected reveals that three principal areas seem to hinder any successful attempts to enact a legislation making design-build a conventional delivery method. These areas can be summarized as (1) loss of opportunities for the design and construction community, (2) technical and management issues at the public sector level, and (3) nature of the political environment in Massachusetts. Due to the unpredictable political environment, and the competing interests within the private sector, within the public sector, and between the private and public sectors, it is highly unlikely that design-build will become a conventional delivery method for public projects in the near future. The report concludes with recommendations to increase the likelihood of design-build to become a conventional project delivery method, considering the issues denoted above.

Project process\' hindrances over office architectural design production are common at civil construction sector, implying on schedule loss, reworks and higher costs. Many academic literature approaches to that hindrance resulted from failure in project process. Predominantly failures concern translating customer needs and expectations into design conditions. This research objectives to propose scope of work guidelines, securing customer satisfaction and avoiding unforeseen additional costs, reworks, schedule and project benefit loss. Additionally, for each guideline proposed, it is suggested an accountable for it (project manager, architect or client). The adopted methodology was the research and analysis of project methodologies from academic literatures, contenting responsibilities definitions and design criteria that should be considered on the approved scope of work. Furthermore, the creation and implementation of an interview plan with one Brazilian high concept corporative architecture firm and its three clients, in a way that it is possible to measure client\'s point of view over contracted project process. Results from the interviews identified scope definition and project process planning hindrances. Then, in comparison with academic literatures, main project and scope of work issues were identified and used as base to the scope of work development guidelines. / A produção de projetos de arquitetura e engenharia no setor de construção civil apresenta entraves em seus processos de projeto, que implicam em perda de prazo, aumento de custos de projeto e retrabalhos. Diversos autores abordam falhas na gestão do processo de projeto, principalmente na interpretação das necessidades dos clientes e na definição dos critérios que o projeto deve seguir, alguns não previstos no escopo de contratação entre a empresa de arquitetura e o cliente. Esta pesquisa propõe diretrizes para que as empresas de arquitetura possam, junto ao gerente de projetos dos clientes, definir um escopo de serviços em que retrabalho, custos adicionais, atrasos e a insatisfação do cliente com o processo sejam reduzidos ou evitados. Para cada diretriz, há também a definição de quem é o responsável por executá-la (se o arquiteto ou o cliente). A metodologia utilizada para obtenção desse objetivo foi o levantamento e revisão de bibliografia sobre metodologias de projeto e de contratos de projetos, que auxiliem na definição de responsabilidades, atividades e critérios de projeto. Em acréscimo, foi formulado um roteiro de entrevista e eleita uma empresa de arquitetura corporativa com experiência de mercado no Brasil, assim como três clientes da mesma, de forma a mapear o ponto de vista do cliente sobre o processo empregado pela contratada. Com os resultados das entrevistas, fez-se uma análise comparativa entre os métodos de projeto empregados pela empresa de arquitetura e o encontrado em bibliografia, identificando os principais entraves no desenvolvimento e definição do escopo de serviços. Por fim, tais resultados foram utilizados como base para propor diretrizes para que o escopo de serviços entre arquitetos e clientes prevejam revisões de projeto, traduzam efetivamente as necessidades do cliente e atendam prazos e custos esperados.

Project process\' hindrances over office architectural design production are common at civil construction sector, implying on schedule loss, reworks and higher costs. Many academic literature approaches to that hindrance resulted from failure in project process. Predominantly failures concern translating customer needs and expectations into design conditions. This research objectives to propose scope of work guidelines, securing customer satisfaction and avoiding unforeseen additional costs, reworks, schedule and project benefit loss. Additionally, for each guideline proposed, it is suggested an accountable for it (project manager, architect or client). The adopted methodology was the research and analysis of project methodologies from academic literatures, contenting responsibilities definitions and design criteria that should be considered on the approved scope of work. Furthermore, the creation and implementation of an interview plan with one Brazilian high concept corporative architecture firm and its three clients, in a way that it is possible to measure client\'s point of view over contracted project process. Results from the interviews identified scope definition and project process planning hindrances. Then, in comparison with academic literatures, main project and scope of work issues were identified and used as base to the scope of work development guidelines. / A produção de projetos de arquitetura e engenharia no setor de construção civil apresenta entraves em seus processos de projeto, que implicam em perda de prazo, aumento de custos de projeto e retrabalhos. Diversos autores abordam falhas na gestão do processo de projeto, principalmente na interpretação das necessidades dos clientes e na definição dos critérios que o projeto deve seguir, alguns não previstos no escopo de contratação entre a empresa de arquitetura e o cliente. Esta pesquisa propõe diretrizes para que as empresas de arquitetura possam, junto ao gerente de projetos dos clientes, definir um escopo de serviços em que retrabalho, custos adicionais, atrasos e a insatisfação do cliente com o processo sejam reduzidos ou evitados. Para cada diretriz, há também a definição de quem é o responsável por executá-la (se o arquiteto ou o cliente). A metodologia utilizada para obtenção desse objetivo foi o levantamento e revisão de bibliografia sobre metodologias de projeto e de contratos de projetos, que auxiliem na definição de responsabilidades, atividades e critérios de projeto. Em acréscimo, foi formulado um roteiro de entrevista e eleita uma empresa de arquitetura corporativa com experiência de mercado no Brasil, assim como três clientes da mesma, de forma a mapear o ponto de vista do cliente sobre o processo empregado pela contratada. Com os resultados das entrevistas, fez-se uma análise comparativa entre os métodos de projeto empregados pela empresa de arquitetura e o encontrado em bibliografia, identificando os principais entraves no desenvolvimento e definição do escopo de serviços. Por fim, tais resultados foram utilizados como base para propor diretrizes para que o escopo de serviços entre arquitetos e clientes prevejam revisões de projeto, traduzam efetivamente as necessidades do cliente e atendam prazos e custos esperados.

Contract management starts with the contract negotiations and lasts until the end of the contract, and is the process that covers three fundamental functions required to compensate the goals of the project / Relationship Management, Project Delivery, and Administration of the contract. This thesis focused on investigating contract management behavior of Turkish construction companies in international projects. A survey was composed and interviewed with professionals for investigating the contract management behavior of contractors. The survey aimed to investigate / factors influencing contractors&rsquo / behaviors, key success factors for contract management, company contract management organizations, claim issues, and conflict and dispute resolution behavior of firms. 51 companies participated to the survey. The survey results revealed that Turkish contractors consider contract management to be significant for success at international markets. Contractors are aware of the need for a continuous contract management application although this rate cannot be achieved in practice. Considering awareness as a driving factor for improvement it can be estimated that in future Turkish contractors will be managing their contracts in more efficient, organized and systematic ways than today. Results revealed that / contract management behaviors are mostly affected by the risk and complexity of the project, regular contract process is the most impactful process on the success, and change order requests of the owners are the most frequent reasons of claims. According to respondents contract management can reduce number of conflicts and disputes.

Highway projects are delivered in a complex environment that involves participation of diverse stakeholders with different objectives. Technological advancements have provided better tools and techniques that if incorporated can lead to effective project delivery complying with the multitude of objectives. Often the projects are cost-driven, schedule-driven, or both. Presence of ongoing traffic poses an additional challenge for the developers as it impacts the safety and comfort of both the commuters and the construction workers. A wide variety of tools, techniques and work processes are adopted across many projects depending on the project and agency requirements to make the process of project management efficient across its life-cycle. Civil Integrated Management (CIM) is a terminology that encompasses all such tools and technologies that can facilitate the process of digital project delivery and asset management. This study examines the current state of practice for CIM through surveys conducted at agency and project level. The results of these surveys are summarized to provide an understanding of the organizational and contractual issues related to CIM implementation and comprehend the process of technologies implementation and associated performance benefits at the project-level. Significant factors impacting successful life-cycle CIM utilization are elicited through the surveys and follow-up interviews and are investigated further under four main categories – Technology Implementation Planning, Model-based workflow and processes, design for construction automation and Information Management. Specific examples have been provided for each of these factors to demonstrate their utility on projects. The findings of this study will provide practitioners a list of key issues to be considered for profitable and effective implementation of the CIM technologies across a project’s life-cycle. / text