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Article
Publication date: 27 September 2023

Vincent Kwame Osei-Appiah, Ernest Kissi, Victor Acheamfour Karikari, Prosper Ayeng, Eugene Danquah-Smith and Michael Adesi

Works procurement performance is critical to successful project delivery. However, early supplier involvement (ESI) has been touted in other industries to impact procurement…

Abstract

Purpose

Works procurement performance is critical to successful project delivery. However, early supplier involvement (ESI) has been touted in other industries to impact procurement performance positively. Works procurement has been attracting significant attention from major players due to poor performance characterized by poor performance, budget overruns and incompetence. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of ESI on public works procurement performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a thorough review of the literature for a pilot survey, the main questionnaires were administered to 103 public procurement officers. To assess the impact of ESI on public works procurement performance, three constructs that served as factors for implementing ESI and five that measure works procurement performance were validated using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The outcome of this study shows a significant positive impact of ESI on works procurement performance. This included communication, trust and supplier capabilities. The study further showed that even though cost, schedule, quality, health and safety are essential, sustainability measures are also crucial for work procurement.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study could help firms make better decisions regarding public works procurement by encouraging ESI. This will likely significantly impact the successful project delivery and preservation of sustainability and efficiency objectives.

Originality/value

The application of PLS-SEM analysis in this study provides insights into how ESI can impact the procurement of public works in Ghana.

Details

Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-4387

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2024

Xinnan Liu, Jiani Meng, Jiayi Wang and Yingbo Ji

This study adopts the perspective of dynamic capabilities to investigate influencing factors and proposes improvement strategies of supply chain resilience of prefabricated…

Abstract

Purpose

This study adopts the perspective of dynamic capabilities to investigate influencing factors and proposes improvement strategies of supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation model (SEM) is used to identify and verify the relationship between factors influencing supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction from the perspective of dynamic capabilities. The system dynamics (SD) model is constructed to dynamically simulate the specific effects of different influencing factors.

Findings

Results indicate that: (1) An evaluation index system for supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction containing five first-level indicators and 36 second-level indicators is constructed; (2) Ability to anticipate, ability to respond, ability to adapt, ability to recover and ability to learn are positively correlated with the supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction and (3) ANT3 (information system), RES1 (quick response), ADA3 (buffer stock) and LEA4 (trust) are the most leading factors influencing supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction over time.

Originality/value

This study fulfills the need for an in-depth exploration of the various influencing factors on supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction from the perspective of dynamic capabilities. Furthermore, this study provides improvement strategies to enhance supply chain resilience of prefabricated construction in China.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Tai Wai Kwok, SiWei Chang and Heng Li

The unitized curtain wall system (UCWS), a symbol of modern architecture, is gaining popularity among prefabricated components. Previous studies have focused on both construction…

Abstract

Purpose

The unitized curtain wall system (UCWS), a symbol of modern architecture, is gaining popularity among prefabricated components. Previous studies have focused on both construction technology advances and material selection strategies to facilitate the UCWS. However, the topic of client satisfaction, which drives industry development by targeting clients' demands, has gone unnoticed. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate client satisfaction with UCWS products in Hong Kong by finding its influential factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review was employed to first identify the influential factors. A semi-structured interview was employed to validate the reliability of the extracted factors. The machine learning algorithm Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and the Pearson correlation were then employed to rank the importance and correlation of factors based on the 1–5 Likert scale scores obtained through a questionnaire survey.

Findings

The findings revealed that “reduction in construction time” and “reduction in construction waste” are the most important factors and have a strong positive influence on client satisfaction.

Originality/value

Unlike previous studies, the present study focused on a novel research topic and introduces an objective analysis process using machine learning algorithms. The findings contribute to narrowing the knowledge gap regarding client preference for UCWS products from both individual and collaborative perspectives, providing decision-makers with an objective, quantitative and thorough reference before making investments in the curtain wall management development.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 July 2023

Nyamagere Gladys Sospeter

The design documents are products of a process that aims to provide sufficient details to enable the contractor to efficiently implement the project at a realistic cost…

Abstract

Purpose

The design documents are products of a process that aims to provide sufficient details to enable the contractor to efficiently implement the project at a realistic cost. Accordingly, it is expected that these design documents must be of high quality to engender the attainment of the desired project objectives. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that affect the quality of design documentation in construction projects in the context of a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a descriptive research design involving professionals from firms offering services in areas of design and documentation, mainly architectural, quantity surveying and engineering. A total of 80 out of 84 questionnaires were received and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25, and a factor analysis approach was used to categorize the factors into smaller five groups.

Findings

The factors were subsequently categorized according to size, time, staff, quality and training-related factors. Collectively, large size of the project, inadequate supervision of junior design staff, low professional fees, procurement process and system, failure to adopt quality management systems and allocation or assigning of staff to more than one project at the same time have high influence (component loading of 700) in respective groups.

Research limitations/implications

The reliance on data to analyze the factors of design documents in construction projects in developing economies context, using a Tanzanian exemplar, is considered a limitation. Developing countries with similar economic characteristics, procurement systems and cultural setup could benefit from the results of this study.

Practical implications

The study of factors affecting quality of design and documents in construction projects serves as a guide for built environment firms in Tanzania in conducting effective business and ensuring quality design documents, hence improved project performance. Understanding the nature of relationship between the design and construction teams as well as the impact of design documents on project performance is of great importance for the design teams of future projects and other decision-makers to pay attention when preparing design and related documents, especially during design stage of construction projects in developing countries.

Originality/value

The study contributes the knowledge by providing useful insights on the subject through a categorization of the factors affecting the quality of design documentation and exploring the nature of relationship between the design and construction teams in construction projects within a previously unexplored Tanzanian context focusing on a traditional procurement system for future improvement of project delivery, hence project success.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2023

Christiana Ada Adah, Douglas Omoregie Aghimien and Olalekan Oshodi

The nature of construction works has a negative impact on physical, mental and emotional well-being and makes it difficult for the construction industry to attack and retain its…

Abstract

Purpose

The nature of construction works has a negative impact on physical, mental and emotional well-being and makes it difficult for the construction industry to attack and retain its workforce. The current study seeks to integrate the current knowledge focused on work–life balance (WLB) in the industry into an understandable whole.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretivist philosophical approach was adopted using a bibliometric review and a narrative review of existing studies from both Scopus and Google databases. The Visualisation of Similarities viewer (VOSviewer) was used to prepare co-occurrence maps from the bibliographic data garnered.

Findings

The study reveals that the prominent factors influencing the WLB of the construction workforce are organizational culture, salary earned, heavy workload, long working hours and inflexible working time. The recent WLB discourse is on organisational commitment, job satisfaction and workplace dynamics. While WLB areas for further exploration are job stress, safety performance, employee attrition and an ageing workforce. Meanwhile, Africa and South America are still lagging in WLB research.

Practical implications

The findings reported here will assist stakeholders in identifying appropriate WLB initiatives that can be used to improve the well-being of the construction workforce. Also, the gaps in knowledge for further research were highlighted.

Originality/value

The findings reveal current trends and a road map for future studies on WLB in construction. It also reveals prominent factors influencing the WLB of workers in the construction industry.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 February 2024

Qianwen Zhou and Xiaopeng Deng

Despite the knowledge transfer between projects has received increasing attention from scholars, few scholars still conduct comprehensive research on inter-project knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the knowledge transfer between projects has received increasing attention from scholars, few scholars still conduct comprehensive research on inter-project knowledge transfer from both horizontal and vertical perspectives. Besides, knowledge transfer is affected by multiple antecedent conditions, and these factors should be combined for analysis. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the key factors influencing knowledge transfer between projects using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method from both horizontal and vertical perspectives and how these factors combine to improve the effectiveness of knowledge transfer (EKT) between projects.

Design/methodology/approach

First, nine factors affecting knowledge transfer between projects were identified, which were from the four dimensions of subject, relationship, channel, and context, namely temporary nature (TN), time urgency (TU), transmit willingness (TW), receive willingness (RW), trust (TR), project-project transfer channels (PPC), project-enterprise transfer channels (PEC), organizational atmosphere (OA), and motivation system (MS). Then, the source of the samples was determined and the data from the respondents was collected for analysis. Following the operation steps of the fsQCA method, variable calibration, single condition necessity analysis, and configuration analysis were carried out. After that, the configurations of influencing factors were obtained and the robustness test was conducted.

Findings

The results of the fsQCA method show that there are five configurations that can obtain better EKT between projects. Configuration 3 (∼TN * ∼TU * TW * RW * TR * ∼PPC * PEC * MS) has the highest consistency, indicating that it has the highest degree of the explanatory variable subset. Configuration 1 (∼TN * ∼TU * TW * RW * PEC * OA * MS) has the highest coverage, meaning that this configuration can explain most cases. Also, the five configurations were divided into three types: vertical transfer, horizontal-vertical transfer, and channel-free transfer category.

Originality/value

Firstly, this study explores the key factors influencing knowledge transfer between projects from four dimensions, which presents the logical chain of influencing factors more clearly. Then, this study divided the five configurations obtained into three categories according to the transfer direction: vertical, horizontal-vertical, and channel-free transfer, which gives implications to focus on both horizontal knowledge transfer (HKT) and (VKT) when studying knowledge transfer between projects. Lastly, this study helps to realize the exploration of combined improvement strategies for EKT, thereby providing meaningful recommendations for enterprises and project teams to facilitate knowledge transfer between projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2024

Benjamin Boahene Akomah and Prasanna Venkatesan Ramani

This paper aims to identify the unidimensionality and reliability of 84 factors that influence the performance of construction projects and develop a confirmatory factor analysis…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the unidimensionality and reliability of 84 factors that influence the performance of construction projects and develop a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a deductive research approach and started by identifying the positive factors that influence construction project performance. This was followed by the modification of the identified factors. After that, a questionnaire was developed out of the factors for data collection. Exploratory factor analysis was used to establish the factor structure of the positive factors, and this was verified using CFA afterwards. A model fit analysis was performed to determine the goodness of fit of the hypothesised model, followed by the development of the confirmatory model.

Findings

The study demonstrated substantial correlation in the data, sufficient unidimensionality and internal reliability. In addition, the estimated fit indices suggested that the postulated model adequately described the sample data.

Practical implications

The paper revealed that performance can be enhanced if stakeholders identify and leverage the positive factors influencing performance. The paper suggests that project stakeholders, particularly government, project owners, consultants and construction firms, can improve project performance by critically examining economic and financial systems (EFS), regulation and policy-making systems (RPS), effective management practices (EMP) and project implementation strategies (PIS).

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper to the present literature is identifying the positive factors and developing the confirmatory factor model. The model comprised 42 positive variables under four indicators: EMP, RPS, PIS and EFS.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 December 2023

Guodong Ni, Qi Zhou, Xinyue Miao, Miaomiao Niu, Yuzhuo Zheng, Yuanyuan Zhu and Guoxuan Ni

New generation of construction workers (NGCWs) who were born in the 1980s and later have gradually become the main workforce of Chinese construction industry. They may behave…

Abstract

Purpose

New generation of construction workers (NGCWs) who were born in the 1980s and later have gradually become the main workforce of Chinese construction industry. They may behave differently when dealing with knowledge-related activities due to divergent characteristics caused by generational discrepancy. To provide a theoretical foundation for construction companies and safety managers to improve safety management, this research explores the factors and paths impacting the NGCWs' ability to share their safety knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on literature review, main factors that influence the safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs were identified. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory and Interpretive Structural Modeling were applied to identify the hierarchical and contextual relations among the factors influencing the safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs.

Findings

The results showed that sharing atmosphere ranked first in centrality and had a high degree of influence and being influenced, indicating itself an extremely important influencing factor of safety knowledge sharing of NGCWs. Six root influencing factors were identified, including individual characteristics, work pressure, sharing platform, incentive mechanism, leadership support and safety management system.

Research limitations/implications

The number of influencing factors of safety knowledge sharing of the NGCWs identified in this study is limited, and the data obtained by the expert scoring method is subjective. In future studies, the model should be further developed and validated by incorporating experts from different fields to improve its integrity and applicability.

Practical implications

The influencing factors identified in this paper can provide a basis for construction companies and safety managers to improve productivity and safety management by taking relevant measures to promote safety knowledge sharing. The research contributes to the understanding knowledge management in the context of the emerging market. It helps to answer the question of how the market can maintain the economic growth success through effective knowledge management.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the influencing factors of NGCWs' safety knowledge sharing from the perspective of intergenerational differences, and the 13 influencing factor index system established expands the scope of research on factors influencing safety knowledge sharing among construction workers and fills the gap in safety knowledge sharing research on young construction workers. Furthermore, this paper establishes a multi-layer recursive structure model to clarify the influence path of the influencing factors and contributes to the understanding of safety knowledge sharing mechanism.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Yazeed A. Alragabah and Mohd. Ahmed

There is a limited number of research work on critical success factors (CSFs) in public construction projects in Saudi Arabia. In response to this knowledge gap, the objective of…

Abstract

Purpose

There is a limited number of research work on critical success factors (CSFs) in public construction projects in Saudi Arabia. In response to this knowledge gap, the objective of this paper is to assess the impact of CSFs on the government construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The success factors are investigated from a broader consideration of failure criteria, from consideration of most effectiveness in successful project completion and also from consideration of the impact of implementing control processes for successful project completion.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has analysed the impact of success factors on construction projects in Saudi Arabia using a descriptive methodology. An exhaustive literature survey is undertaken to identify the success and failure factors related to government construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The survey data are sorted out and analysed by cost, schedule, technical, context and finance dimensions of the projects based on project types, engineering complexity, size, modality, jurisdictional control and funding approach. To evaluate the influence of success factors implementation, qualitative data were collected in a survey via a web-based questionnaire that was sent to officials working and occupying a responsible position in national project guidelines organizations and in government construction organizations in Saudi Arabia. In all, 28 CSFs were identified, ranked and evaluated for their impact on project success. The four identified factors belong to process categories of construction projects, nine factors belong to management of construction projects and 15 success factors are identified for impact assessment of implementation in construction projects.

Findings

The study's findings have identified and ranked the top five CSFs that significantly influence project outcomes, including meeting time targets, adhering to financial budgets, delivering desired outcomes for all stakeholders, effectively managing risks and assembling the appropriate team while optimizing resource allocation. Additionally, the research indicates that hindrances to projects primarily stem from execution, economic, human and political factors. The study advocates for strict controls over incomplete engineering designs and advises against contractors independently handling design work to ensure project success. Additionally, addressing contractors' qualifications and financial matters is crucial for project success. By highlighting these CSFs and challenges, the research provides actionable insights to enhance project management practices in the construction industry.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to the infrastructure projects constructed by governmental bodies with the participation of officials from government organizations. Further study, including private projects and officials working on private projects, may be needed to generalized the research outcome.

Originality/value

Numerous studies have investigated CSFs in construction projects, but few have examined their relevance to Saudi Arabian government projects. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying key CSFs specific to Saudi Arabian public sector construction projects and assessing their impact on project success. It advocates for stringent controls in the Saudi Arabian construction sector, emphasizing the importance of preventing incomplete or altered engineering designs by contractors to increase the success rate of public sector projects. This research offers practical insights to stakeholders, advancing project management practices in Saudi Arabia's construction sector for improved outcomes and resource utilization.

Details

Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-2499

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 June 2023

Sou-Sen Leu, Kuang-Jen Huang, Cathy Chang-Wei Hung and Pei-Lin Wu

In recent years, cost overrun becomes a common problem in steel building construction projects. The average percentage can vary widely depending on the project type, size…

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, cost overrun becomes a common problem in steel building construction projects. The average percentage can vary widely depending on the project type, size, complexity and location. The steel structure change ratio in Taiwan is from 1 to 18% in statistics. The contractors always put every possible effort into preventing or mitigating project cost overruns, and one of the approaches is an accurate cost overrun risk estimate. Traditional project cost overrun risk assessment models mainly focus on macro-level evaluation and may not function well for the project-specific level (micro-level). This study creates a network-like connection model between the outcome (i.e. cost overrun risk) and the associated root causes in which the project status evaluation checklists of design, manufacturing, construction and interfaces are used to evaluate the checklists' influences through the Bayesian network (BN) composed by intermediate causes.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to the constraint of data availability, BN nodes, relationships and conditional probabilities are defined to establish a BN-based steel building project cost overrun assessment model following the knowledge of experts. Because of the complexity of the BN, the construction of the BN structure is first to build BN's fault tree (FT) hierarchy. And then, basic BN framework is constructed by the transformation of the FT hierarchy. Furthermore, some worthwhile additional arcs among BN nodes are inserted if necessary. Furthermore, conditional probability tables (CPTs) among BN nodes are explored by experts following the concept of the ranked node. Finally, the BN-based model was validated against the final cost analysis reports of 15 steel building projects done in Taiwan and both were highly consistent. The overall BN-based model construction process consists of three steps: (1) FT construction and BN framework transformation, (2) CPT computation and (3) model validation.

Findings

This study established a network-like bridge model between the outcome (i.e. cost overrun risk) and the root causes in a network of which cost influences are evaluated through the project-specific status evaluation checklists of design, manufacturing, construction and interfaces. This study overcame several limitations of the previous cost overrun risk assessment models: (1) few past research support assessment of cost overrun based on real-time project-owned data and (2) the traditional causal models inadequately depict interdependencies among influence factors of cost overrun at the network. The main influence factors of the cost overrun risk at the steel building projects in Taiwan were also examined using sensitivity analysis. The main root causes of cost overrun in steel building projects are design management and interface integration.

Originality/value

The proposed model belongs to the project-specific causal assessment model using real-time project-owned status checklist data as input. Such a model was seldom surveyed in the past due to the complicated interdependence among causes in the network. For practical use, a convenient and simple regression equation was also developed to forecast the cost overrun risk of the steel building project based on the root causes as input. Based on the analysis of cost overrun risk and significant influence factors, proper tailor-made preventive strategies are established to reduce the occurrence of cost overrun at the project.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

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