Many research investigations have indicated that projects have a higher chance of success when thorough front end planning is performed. Previous research efforts have sought to determine a statistical link between front end planning and the performance metrics for both building and industrial projects. The author of this thesis intends to supplement prior research with case study analysis that provides situational insight that supports business decision making of business managers and project representatives. The research conducted in this study was performed in conjunction with CII Research Team 213, Support for Pre-Project Planning. The data for this thesis was gathered through a series of questionnaires and interviews with project representatives from 17 projects totaling $1.5 billion. Case studies were written by the author, reviewed by supervising professor and project representatives for accuracy and anonymity. The lessons learned from the case studies were distilled and evaluated to uncover correlations between front end planning issues and project success. A matrix of issues was created, and along with pattern-matching techniques, project data were sorted. The conclusions were drawn using expert knowledge of the author, supervising professor and research team. The case study analyses identified several planning related issues that affect project success, including: defined front end planning process, adequate scope definition, existing conditions definition, correct contracting strategy, alignment, teambuilding, participation of owner and contractors in the front end planning process, leadership, experience, and labor availability and skill. Anecdotal evidence is provided to support the proper implementation of these issues. / text

In recent yerars there has been a general concern over the performance of the UK construction industry. This has been reflected in the reports of Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) stating that the UK is still suffering from underachievements and low productivity. Clients critisise the industry for not always achieving what they need and the majortiy of them are not satisfied with the quality of the construction industry. Many of the problems encountered in the design and construction phases orginate from from the pre-project planning phase. The main problems are frequently attributed to poor planning and poor identification of client needs which act as contributory factors to poor project performance. These problems have led to the need for a change in the construction industry by focusing on the roots of the problems attributed to poor performance. One approach that could help to improve construction performance is to pay more attention to the pre-project planning phase since major decisions concerning the project are made during this phase. The main aim of the research is to develop a framework for improving pre-project planning to enable construction clients overcome the problems that they encounter with other project participants. Such a framework would assisst construction clients to identify and communicate their needs more clearly to other stake holders. The framework provides a comprehensive tool to help solve problems that occur during pre-project planning with respect to project objectives and goals of the construction project to enable performance to be measured and improved. This thesis presents a framework for improving pre-project planning of construction projects. The methodology adopted to conduct the research involved a comprehensive literature review. Critical pre-project planning functions have been presented and tested through the questionnaire survey and case interviews to determine how clients perform pre-project planning

This diploma thesis deals with the topic of offshore outsourcing in a chosen company. The strategy of outsourcing will be carried out with using tools and methods of project management. First part of this thesis will analyse relevant characteristics of the company and target market and should explain importance of this project. Next part will cover detailed planning of scope and timeline of the project, risk analysis and cost analysis, which will also provide the basis for evaluation of the outcomes of this project.

No / The paper explores some of the political assumptions implicit in the use of social cost-benefit analysis, and the role of economic planners using this analysis. It is argued that the recent emphasis on income distribution in project planning techniques rests on questionable assumptions about the nature and intentions of governments. These techniques can be thought of as attempts to redistribute income ‘through the back door’. Some possible justification for the use of income distribution weights in project planning is given, but it is concluded that they are very much second best to direct macro-economic policies and popular participation in planning.

<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>

The construction industry ranks high in the number of occupational incidents due to the complex and interdependent nature of the tasks. However, construction firms using lean construction have reported better safety performance than the rest. The situation reflects the limitation of traditional planning methods used in construction firms focusing on project level planning, at the expense of production level planning. Lean construction involves participants in the formal production planning process to minimize variability in workflow thus reducing probability of incidents. Considering the involvement of various participants in the production planning process, this research study hypothesized that communication levels afforded by participants during formal production planning have a positive impact on safety performance. The goal of this research study was to understand the role of communication in the formal production planning process and its impact on safety performance. A case study approach was adopted for analyzing two projects, one following formal production planning and another following traditional project planning. Weekly subcontractor coordination meeting was selected as the unit of analysis. Data has been collected using direct observations, open-ended interviews, and examination of archival documents. For this study, the independent variables were categories of communication and dependent variable was recordable incidence rate (safety performance). Communication data was analyzed using Robert Bales' Interaction Process Analysis. Based on the analyses, the participants involved in formal production planning demonstrated: more sensitivity and higher degree of control by frequently providing suggestions/opinions, more enthusiasm in exchange of commitments, sincerity by declining inquiry for commitments in case of conflict of interest, and greater involvement by engaging in frequent dialogues with others. In addition, participants involved in production planning adopted a proactive approach toward safety performance by ensuring that safety was considered while preparing production plans, thus helping improve awareness. The findings indicated a better safety record by the project following formal production planning in comparison to the other project. The research study provides a "meso" level understanding of the role of communication among project participants during formal production planning, and indicates that production planning might have a beneficial impact on safety performance. / Ph. D.

<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>

Na sociedade do conhecimento, condições que promovem a criatividade no ensino superior e no mercado de trabalho constituem-se tema de atenção crescente nos diversos campos de saber. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo é conhecer e compreender o desenvolvimento do potencial criativo de alunos de graduação de engenharia com base em planejamento de projetos com um jogo computacional. A investigação é uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, com enfoque qualitativo do tipo teoria fundamentada, envolvendo ativamente a participação de alunos de graduação de engenharia, a partir do procedimento de pesquisa-ação. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foi desenvolvido o protótipo de um jogo computacional interativo para o domínio de planejamento de projetos, aplicando diretrizes de um processo criativo. A realização da pesquisa-ação integrou 4 ciclos com etapas dinâmicas, envolvendo 84 alunos de 3 turmas dos cursos de engenharia de produção e engenharia da computação de uma instituição de ensino superior privada. Como principais resultados observou-se a evolução e consistência dos planos de projetos elaborados, destacando algumas características do processo e da pessoa criativa, como a fluência, flexibilidade, originalidade, elaboração e emoção. Também foi evidenciado que a mediação e interação entre os atores envolvidos na elaboração e validação dos planos de projetos foi um fator importante para assegurar a motivação e persistência dos alunos durante o processo de elaboração dos seus planos de projetos. Conclui-se, portanto, que a promoção do potencial criativo de alunos de engenharia com base em planejamento de projetos com o jogo computacional proposto estimula habilidades criativas essenciais para novas soluções de engenharia. / In the knowledge society, conditions that promote creativity in higher education programs and in the job market are gaining more and more attention from several fields. For this reason, the objective of this study is to learn about and understand the development of the creative potential of undergraduate engineering students based on project planning with a computational game. This study is composed of exploratory and descriptive research with a theory-based qualitative approach, involving the active participation of undergraduate engineering students in actionresearch procedures. In order to achieve our objectives, the prototype of an interactive computer game, designed for project planning, was created applying the creative-process guidelines. The action research was carried out in 4 cycles with dynamic stages and involved 84 college students, who belonged to 3 different groups from production engineering and computer engineering courses of a private institution. The main results observed were the evolution and consistency of the project plans created, which highlighted characteristics of the process and the creative person, such as fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration and emotion. Also, the mediation and interaction between the subjects involved in the elaboration and validation of the project plans were proven to be important factors to assure students\' motivation and persistence during the elaboration process of their project plans. In conclusion, promoting the creative potential of engineering students based on project planning with the proposed computational game does stimulate the creative skills which are essential for new engineering solutions.

<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>

As abordagens Tradicional e Ágil de gerenciamento de projetos são tidas como antagônicas, porém, há autores defendendo a combinação de práticas oriundas das duas abordagens. Por meio de uma Revisão Bibliográfica Sistemática, foram identificadas definições, benefícios esperados, fatores críticos e propostas de combinação, na forma de métodos e frameworks. Conclui-se que até o momento não há um termo comum, as definições são amplas e não auxiliam o desenvolvimento de métodos combinados. Analisou-se qualitativamente dez propostas utilizando os critérios de diferenciação identificadas em Eder et al. (2014). O resultado da análise indicou que as propostas não se diferenciavam da gestão Ágil ou não apresentavam informações para debater a combinação adotada. Identificou-se ainda duas estratégias de combinação: top-down e a bottom-up. Entre essas questões, optou-se por contribuir em duas áreas: a proposição de uma definição de abordagem híbrida ou combinada, e a recomendação de práticas para o uso dessa abordagem. O objetivo da pesquisa foi desenvolver um procedimento de planejamento de tempo combinado, baseado em uma definição nova de combinação. A concepção do procedimento utilizou a estratégia top-down e a proposta final é apresentada na forma de fluxo de atividades em um modelo de processos de negócio. Adotou-se o Estudo de Caso como método de investigação. O caso consiste em uma simulação de projeto com alunos da graduação do curso de Gestão de Projetos. Os dados foram coletados em duas dimensões, a primeira consiste na combinação de práticas, baseada nos seis critérios de Eder et al. (2014), e a segunda refere-se a usabilidade do procedimento. O resultado indicou que é viável combinar práticas. A usabilidade do procedimento pode ser considerada satisfatória para o contexto da aplicação, em termos de facilidade de uso e aprendizado. Recomenda-se como trabalhos futuros investigar a integração de outros processos de planejamento, como recursos e stakeholders, e desenvolver um procedimento considerando a estratégia bottom up. / The Traditional and Agile project management approaches are seen as polar opposites. However, the combination of agile and traditional practices could be preferable to the isolated use of either. Through a Systematic Literature Review (RBS), definitions, expected benefits, critical factors and combination proposals, among models, methods and frameworks, were summarized. The conclusion indicates the definitions present wide meaning and do not support the development of combined proposals. A qualitative analysis of ten combination proposals uses the criteria of differentiation of agile and traditional approaches identified in Eder et al. (2014). The result of the analysis indicated the proposals do not differ from Agile or lack of information to discuss the combination adopted. In addition, the analysis identifies two combination strategies: top-down and bottom-up. This dissertation contributes in two main areas: to propose a definition of hybrid or combined approach, and recommended practices for using this approach. The objective of the research was to develop a combined time planning procedure, based on a new definition of combination. The procedure used to design top-down strategy and the final proposal is presented as flow of activities in a business processes model. The research method adopts the case study. The case consists of a project simulation with under-graduate students of project management course. Two dimensions of analysis are used to assess the data, the first is the combination of practices, based on the six criteria of Eder et al. (2014), and the second relates to the procedure usability. The result indicated that it is viable to combine practices, the procedure usability can be considered satisfactory for the application context, in terms of use and learning facility. It is recommended as future work to investigate the integration of other planning processes, as resources and stakeholders, and develop a procedure considering the bottom-up strategy.