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Business performance measurement practices in construction engineering organisations

Herbert S. Robinson (Senior Research Associate at Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. His industrial experience includes working on major construction projects at Ove Arup (UK) and a World Bank funded Project in The Gambia.)
Chimay J. Anumba (Chair in Construction Engineering and Informatics and he is the founding Director of the Centre for Innovative Construction Engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. He recently held the post of Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University.)
Patricia M. Carrillo (Senior Lecturer in Construction Management in the Department of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK and Visiting Professor at the University of Calgary, Canada. She has worked in industry and her research interests focus on knowledge management, business performance, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic management.)
Ahmed M. Al‐Ghassani (Lecturer in the Construction Department, Salalah College of Technology in Oman. Prior to that, he worked for Dhofar Municipality, in Oman, on several prestigious projects.)

Measuring Business Excellence

ISSN: 1368-3047

Article publication date: 1 March 2005

4727

Abstract

Purpose

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The need for performance improvement has led to the implementation of industry‐specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and greater awareness of the benefits of measurement in construction engineering organisations. This paper aims to present and discuss the findings of a survey based on the practical experiences of leading UK construction engineering organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

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The paper is based on a questionnaire survey, the findings of which are discussed and analysed. The survey focused on establishing current industry practice and forms part of a larger study, which involved detailed case studies and led to the development of an innovative framework for links knowledge management initiatives with business performance measurement.

Findings

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The survey shows that a significant proportion of organisations are now using a range of financial and non‐financial measures to assess business performance, and a growing number are adopting the excellence model and/or the balanced scorecard to facilitate a structured approach to implementing continuous improvement strategies. The paper identifies the barriers to the use of performance measurement models and discusses the differences between the practices in smaller and larger construction engineering firms.

Originality/value

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The paper concludes with some practical considerations for implementing performance measurement models, which will be of value to business improvement managers and other senior managers in construction and other project‐based industries.

Keywords

Citation

Robinson, H.S., Anumba, C.J., Carrillo, P.M. and Al‐Ghassani, A.M. (2005), "Business performance measurement practices in construction engineering organisations", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/13683040510588800

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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