Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management

Communities of practice in construction case study organisations: Questions and insights : Table of Contents

Kirti Ruikar, Lauri Koskela, Martin Sexton — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – At the heart of knowledge management (KM) are the people – an organisation's important knowledge asset. Although this is widely acknowledged, businesses seldom understand this axiom in terms of the communities through which individuals develop and share the capacity to create and use knowledge. It is the collective learning that takes place within the social systems, i.e. communities of practice (CoP) that are of particular significance to an organisation from a KM perspective. This paper aims to review, critique, and raise some pertinent questions on the role of CoPs; and with the help of case studies shed light on the “goings-on” in construction practices. Design/methodology/approach – After critically reviewing the literature on CoPs and querying some underlying assertions, this research investigates how these issues are addressed in practice. A case study approach is adopted. Three organisations operating in the construction sector are interviewed for the purpose of this paper. Findings – Case study findings highlight the potential challenges and benefits of CoPs to a construction organisation, the role they play in generating and delivering value to the organisation and their contribution towards the collective organisational intelligence. From the findings, it is clear that the question is not whether communities exist within organisations, but how they deliver value to the organisation. From an organisational perspective, the key challenge is to provide an environment that is conducive to developing and nurturing such communities as opposed to merely creating them. Practical implications – Challenges and benefits demonstrated through the case studies should be taken in context. The findings are not intended to be prescriptive in nature, but are intentionally descriptive to provide contextual data that allow readers to draw their own inferences in the context of their organisations. They should be applied taking into account an organisation's unique characteristics and differentiators, the dynamics of the environment in which it operates and the culture it harbours within. Originality/value – Investigating the role of CoPs in the context of case study construction organisations forms the prime focus of this paper.

Extended GIS for construction engineering by adding direct sunlight visualisations on buildings : Table of Contents

Vijay K. Bansal, Mahesh Pal — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The applications of geographic information systems (GIS) are described in the civil engineering literature for generation, visualisation and evaluation of the construction schedule. GIS use is also explored for construction quantity takeoffs and cost estimation. The purpose of this paper is to supplement the already explored capabilities of GIS in construction by providing the methodology for direct sunlight visualisation on buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed methodology for direct sunlight visualisation is to calculate the solar angles and use them for spatial distribution representation of the amount of sunlight received on different faces of a building by rendering it with the colour of varied gradients. The colour gradient on any face of a building depends upon the amount of direct sunlight received. The solar gain is demonstrated through the multi-dimensional data visualisation like sun angle variations with diurnal and annual cycles in a navigable 3D animation. Findings – GIS-based methodology provides the planner a way to control the natural lighting and solar gain on a building which can be combined with the project schedule, quantity takeoffs, cost estimate and 4D visualisation in a single environment. Beginning with this idea, the planner may store and share information about a construction project, site and surrounding geography. Originality/value – Most of the existing 4D CAD technologies do not have project management capabilities and are used mainly for the planning and design stage of a construction project. In comparison, GIS-based tools may be used in different stages. These are more management-based and allow more collaborative and cooperative relationships between designer, constructor and client. By using a GIS-based approach, construction documents like schedules, drawings, quantity takeoffs, cost estimates, project specifications and direct sunlight visualisations are more consistent with each other.

Editorial: Communities and champions of practice: catalysts for learning and knowing : Table of Contents

Peter E.D. Love — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The concept of community of practice is a common parlance in many organisations, but has yet to be utilised as strategic tool by construction organisations to improve the performance of their operations. The purpose of this paper is to how they can be used to improve the performance of projects made. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses the normative literature to develop a proposal for using communities of practice in construction projects. Findings – An inter-organisational form of community of practice, known as “champions of practice,” is propagated for use in the construction industry. The “champions of practice” is independent from the project team and comprised of individuals from a learning alliances that have been established. The “champions of practice” is developed as an active know-how platform to provide advice pertaining to issues of “best practice” that have been accumulated from projects. Originality/value – The “champions of practice” provides a continuous source of learning and knowledge for all those organisations that have formed a learning alliance. The creation of such a form of community of practice can provide invaluable insights about best practice, which can be formalised and shared in a meaningful and reflective way. It is through proactively sharing knowledge and learning together that the industry can change and obtain the significant improvements that have been asked for by various governments worldwide.

Construction virtual prototyping: a survey of use : Table of Contents

Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The introduction of Building Information Model (BIM) tools over the last 20 years is resulting in radical changes in the architectural, engineering and construction industry. One of these changes concerns the use of virtual prototyping – an advanced technology integrating BIM with realistic graphical simulations. Construction virtual prototyping (CVP) has now been developed and implemented on ten real construction projects in Hong Kong in the past three years. The purpose of this paper is to report on a survey aimed at establishing the effects of adopting this new technology and obtaining recommendations for future development. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2007 of 28 key participants involved in four major Hong Kong construction projects – these projects being chosen because the CVP approach is used in more than one stage in each project. In addition, several interviews are conducted with the project manager, planning manager and project engineer of an individual project. Findings – All the respondents and interviewees give a positive response to the CVP approach, with the most useful software functions considered to be those relating to visualisation and communication. The CVP approach is thought to improve the collaboration efficiency of the main contractor and sub-contractors by approximately 30 percent, and with a concomitant 30 to 50 percent reduction in meeting time. The most important benefits of CPV in the construction planning stage are the improved accuracy of process planning and shorter planning times, while improved fieldwork instruction and reducing rework occur in the construction implementation stage. Although project teams are hesitant to attribute the use of CVP directly to any specific time savings, it is also acknowledged that the workload of project planners is decreased. Suggestions for further development of the approach include incorporation of automatic scheduling and advanced assembly study. Originality/value – Whilst the research, development and implementation of CVP is relatively new in the construction industry, it is clear from the applications and feedback to date that the approach provides considerable added value to the organisation and management of construction projects.

Validation of an empirical model for innovation diffusion in Australian design firms : Table of Contents

Kriengsak Panuwatwanich, Rodney A. Stewart, Sherif Mohamed — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The paper is an extension to a previous empirical study that models the process of innovation diffusion in Australian architectural and engineering design (AED) firms. This paper aims to utilise explanatory case studies to assist in the verification of this empirical model that depicts pathways that explain the role of enabling “climate for innovation” constructs in determining the level of innovation diffusion outcomes (IDO), and subsequent business performance (BPM) in Australian AED firms. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the latter of a two-stage sequential mixed method research design: quantitative empirical study; and qualitative explanatory case studies. Specifically, this stage extracts findings from five explanatory case studies using a qualitative pattern matching analysis technique. Interview-based data collected from the case studies are analysed to formulate the relationship patterns between constructs, which are then compared with those predicted by the empirical model. This approach affords a determination on the extent to which the case-based findings (i.e. work-setting phenomena) explains (i.e. validated) the empirical model. Findings – The results of the case studies on five Australian AED firms indicate that the model can be adequately explained by the actual phenomena. This is evident in four of the cases providing a good to perfect match, and one showing a partial match to the predicted patterns of relationships between the model constructs. Thus, the paper presents verified empirical pathways for AED firms, which suggest that, by increasing the level of leadership for innovation, the level of team climate and organisational culture for innovation can be improved. The improved culture for innovation will then heighten the level of IDO, which can in turn, result in an enhanced BPM. Originality/value – This paper expands and improves upon the current understanding of how the diffusion of innovation can be accelerated within the AED firm context. By focusing on the socio-psychological processes, the paper depicts the pathways to improve IDO and BPM through fostering a robust climate for innovation. These pathways have been constructed empirically and are verified in this paper under real-work settings. Based on the validated model and the specific insights derived from the explanatory case studies, the paper also highlights a number of strategic implications for AED firms seeking to enhance their BPM through improving innovation diffusion practices.

Critical planning processes in construction projects : Table of Contents

Ofer Zwikael — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve construction project planning capabilities. As project management is a core capability in the construction industry, high-quality project planning processes are necessary for project success. Design/methodology/approach – This paper involves data collected from 555 project managers across four industries spanning three different countries. The project planning capabilities of construction project managers are compared with other industrial sectors. In addition, critical project planning processes for the construction industry are identified. Findings – It is found that, relative to other industrial sectors, organisations belonging to the construction sector obtain a high quality of project planning and the highest success rate. In comparison with other sectors, schedule, quality, and procurement planning are most frequently executed in construction projects. Finally, the impact of the different planning processes on project is success are investigated. The processes that have the greatest impact on project success in the construction sector are “activity definition” and “project plan development.” However, construction project managers do not always invest enough effort in these critical planning processes. Practical implications – Construction project managers wishing to improve project performance at the planning phase of a project should concentrate more on the accurate identification of all project activities. They should focus on the development of a high-quality project plan that can be approved by key stakeholders. Originality/value – This paper identifies the most critical planning processes in construction projects. This represents new information for the construction management body of knowledge.

Framework for a generic work breakdown structure for building projects : Table of Contents

Yahaya Makarfi Ibrahim, Ammar Kaka, Ghassan Aouad, Mike Kagioglou — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for the standardisation of the work breakdown structure (WBS) for building projects. This is based on the premise that buildings in general retain basic elemental options, and that there is a commonality of activities in the procurement of building projects. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the objective, the general practice of developing the WBS is investigated. This is achieved by means of an industry-wide questionnaire survey designed to identify the most widely used criteria among UK construction organisations in segregating building works into packages. The survey also investigates the sequencing of these criteria across the WBS hierarchy. Findings – The findings reveal that the most frequently used decomposition criteria in the formulation of WBS for building projects are elements, work sections, physical location and construction aids. The proposed framework is presented as a hierarchical decomposition of a building project based on these criteria. It allows for flexibility in level of detail while maintaining a rigid sequencing of the criteria based on their frequency of use. Originality/value – This paper reports on a specific part of an EPSRC funded project that aims to investigate the application of computer vision techniques to the on-site measurement of construction progress. The part reported in this paper addresses planning issues that will lead to automatic generation of work packages. Previous studies have focused on automating the planning aspect by associating individual components with schedule information. However, large construction projects usually consist of thousands of components. Planning and tracking progress at the level of the component is unrealistic in these instances. The standardisation framework reported in this paper will form the basis for automating the formulation of work packages, thus providing a uniform basis for tracking progress (based on computer vision) during project execution.