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To examine the development of a viable framework for the enhancement of construction site management practices through an integration of knowledge management (KM) processes ‐ underpinned by case study findings from construction organizations that have implemented knowledge management. A multiple case study approach (that incorporates qualitative comparators with observations made within five construction sites) was adopted. The main aims were to investigate the key problems of site management practices, to observe existing practice in managing knowledge on the construction site, and to present opportunities for improvement. The case study findings revealed that services obstruction, poor site communication and information, incomplete design, local residents, and cooperation and motivation issues are major problems inhibiting construction site performance. They also identified that the site management team used conventional approaches (meeting and observation) to resolve management and technical problems onthe construction site. The site management teams should be prepared to deal with on‐site problems and risks in a systematic and efficient way.KM can help to prevent the site management team from repeating past errors; by capturing best practices, lessons learned,and especially, the solutions to problems that arise on site, similar situations in the future can be dealt with efficiently and effectively.There is little written on how to improve site management practices through knowledge management.This paper focuses on a KM deployment at site management level and demonstrates that site management teams still do not have any systematic methods for the creation, capture, storage, sharing and reuse of knowledge.

The engineering management of housing subsidence cases is an important field of work for many UK engineers, and remains of enduring interest to householders, insurers and other parties involved in the construction and maintenance of residential buildings. There are often difficulties in the diagnosis and repair of buildings subject to subsidence damage due to several factors, including the complex interaction between the various causative agents, the lack of a systematic investigation procedure, and the large number of available courses of remedial action. In many cases, inaccurate diagnosis of the subsidence problem has resulted in expensive remedial measures which are either unnecessary or inappropriate (and fail to arrest the movement). This paper reviews the management of subsidence cases and describes the development of a knowledge‐based system intended to improve existing procedures by ensuring greater accuracy, consistency and effectiveness of the management regime adopted by engineers. The system addresses three key aspects of the management procedure: initial diagnosis, choice of an appropriate course of investigations, and the specification of effective remedial measures. The benefits of the knowledge‐based system are contained in the concluding section of the paper.

Through its advanced computational capabilities, cyber–physical systems (CPS) proffer solutions to some of the cultural challenges plaguing the effective delivery of facilities management (FM) mandates. This study aims to explore the drivers for the uptake of CPS for FM functions using a qualitative approach – the Delphi technique.

Using the Delphi technique, the study selected experts through a well-defined process entailing a pre-determined set of criteria. The experts gave their opinions in two iterations which were subjected to statistical analyses such as the measure of central tendency and interquartile deviation in ascertaining consensus among the experts and the Mann–Whitney U test in establishing if there is a difference in the opinions given by the experts.

The study’s findings show that six of the identified drivers of the uptake of CPS for FM were attributed to be of very high significance, while 12 were of high significance. Furthermore, it was revealed that there is no significant statistical difference in the opinions given by experts in professional practice and academia.

The study’s outcome provides the requisite insight into the propelling measures for the uptake of CPS for FM by organisations and, by extension, aiding digital transformation for effective FM delivery.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, evidence from the literature suggests that no study has showcased the drivers of the incorporation of CPS for FM. Hence, this study fills this gap in knowledge by unravelling the significant propelling measures of the integration of CPS for FM functions.

The quest for improved facilities management (FM) delivery is receiving immense focus through the incorporation of innovative technologies such as cyber-physical systems (CPS). The system’s high computational capabilities can aid in the abatement of some of the challenges plaguing FM functions. However, the requisite ingredients for the uptake of the system for FM have still not gained scholarly attention. Because performance measurement is a vital index in determining the outcome of FM methods, this study aims to investigate the influence of performance measurement indicators that are influential to the uptake of CPS for delivering FM functions.

A qualitative technique was adopted using the Delphi technique. The panel of experts for the study was selected through a well-defined process based on stipulated criteria. The experts gave their opinions in two rounds before consensus was attained on the identified performance measurement indicators, whereas methods of data analysis were measures of central tendency, inter-quartile deviation and Mann–Whitney U test.

Results from this study showed that 11 of the performance indicators were of very high significance in the determination of the uptake of CPS for FM functions, whereas 5 of the indicators were proven to be of high significance. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference in the opinions of the experts based on their affiliation with academic institutions and professional practice.

The findings of this study contribute practically by aiding policymakers, facility managers and relevant stakeholders with the vital knowledge of delivery mandates for efficient FM services that can spur the uptake of digital technologies such as CPS.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge as it unveils a roadmap of the expected performance output and its accompanying evaluation that would drive the adoption of a promising technology such as CPS in the delivery of FM tasks.

This paper aims to present a review of research developments relating to the application of building information modeling (BIM) to facilities management (FM). It sheds light on major technical and organizational issues with the view of identifying how existing BIM for FM knowledge applies to large capital projects.

The study adopted a literature search approach to retrieve relevant articles which were subjected to keyword analysis to enable categorization of extant BIM for FM research into appropriate sub-domains. A qualitative analysis of 94 BIM for FM-related literature was carried out in addition to a review of 9 capital project-related articles, leading to the establishment of research trends, gaps and future directions.

The review found that research in the BIM-FM integration field is predominantly technology and process-oriented, with less attention paid to people or organizational aspects. Therefore, there is a need for expanding the knowledge base in this direction. Several future research directions were identified to lay the foundations for research on BIM application to FM in large capital projects and other application areas for interested researchers. These future directions were categorized under the identified sub-domains of the field and mapped onto two generic activities, i.e. technical integration and business integration, involved in technology adoption by organizations.

The main contribution of this study is the categorization of existing research on BIM for FM, leading to the identification of research gaps concerning the initiation and implementation of BIM for FM in large capital projects. As a secondary benefit, this study has validated some sub-domains of the BIM for the FM research field identified in previous review papers using an empirical approach. This validation of defined sub-domains is useful for an emerging research field as it provides a common understanding of trends and specific application areas.

States that trees often contribute to subsidence damage to low‐rise buildings, particularly in areas with shrinkable clay sub‐soils. Posits that engineers investigating subsidence cases have to determine the extent to which any trees in the vicinity of an afflicted property are contributing. Describes the approach adopted in the development of an object‐oriented knowledge‐based system which will, among other things, enable engineers to assess more accurately the influence of trees in such situations. Presents details of the implementation of objects, classes, sub‐classes, messages, and the concept of inheritance within the system, and the operation of the system demonstrated using hypothetical examples as well as a real test case. Discusses the benefits and problems of the adopted approach.

The South African construction industry (SACI) is a huge employer of labour as the industry depends mostly on human resources to carry out its activities. However, the industry has also been noted for its poor workforce management and lack of attention to human resource management (HRM) issues. Therefore, this study aims to assess the challenges facing the effective management of the construction workforce in South Africa with a view to improving HRM activities in the industry and improve overall service delivery through an effectively managed workforce.

A pragmatic philosophical view using a mixed-method research design was adopted. The study’s qualitative strand was achieved through a Delphi, whilst the quantitative strand was achieved through a questionnaire survey. In addition, descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean item score, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were adopted for data analysis.

With high reliability, construct validity and model fit indices, the study found that for effective HRM to be attained within construction organisations, careful attention must be given to issues surrounding the nature of the industry, unhealthy working environment, employee-related issues, diversity and working condition in the industry.

Whilst several studies have been conducted on HRM, there is a lack of studies on the major challenges facing effective HRM in the SACI. The findings also offer future research studies a good theoretical platform to build upon.

Ongoing research and development into the implementation of concurrent engineering(CE) within the construction industry have made researchers think how to make CE implementation better, more effective, and more efficient. This has led researchers to investigate CE implementation efforts within other industry sectors, which suggest to carryout a CE readiness assessment of a construction organisation before the adoption of some CE aspects within the industry that has facilitated the CE adoption in other industries. Now the problem is that there is no model or tool available, which will help in assessing the readiness of the organisation. Therefore, this paper discusses the development of a CE readiness assessment model for the construction industry. It also includes a comparative review of existing readiness assessment tools and models that have been specifically developed and successfully used in the manufacturing andIT sectors. It argues that readiness assessment of a construction organisation is a necessity for the implementation of CE in construction and assesses the applicability of existing tools and models to the construction industry. And finally the development of a new readiness assessment model for the construction industry called “BEACON” is presented.

A major contributory factor to poor project performance in the construction industry is known to be the lack of integration and coordination between the different disciplines involved in various stages of the procurement process. Attempts by researchers to address this problem have met with limited success, as they have focused mainly on adapting integration techniques originally developed for use in the manufacturing industry. There is therefore a need to develop a detailed understanding of the fundamental sciences that underpin the problem of integrating the procurement process across the construction project life cycle. Presents and discusses a research model for addressing major methodological issues in the analysis of design/construction relationships.

The construction industry is plagued by fragmentation of the functions carried out by the various disciplines involved in a project, particularly between the design and construction teams. Concurrent engineering (CE) is seen as a possible means of overcoming this problem. However, for the use of CE to produce the desired benefits, various issues have to be addressed, one of which is the use of appropriate organisational structures. To this effect, this paper explores organisational structures for the implementation of CE in the construction industry. It does so by first reviewing the main principles of, and issues concerning, CE and organisational structures, and by examining the structures which have been proposed for CE by researchers and those which have been used by manufacturing companies in their implementation of CE. By taking into account the peculiarities of the construction industry, this information is used, in conjunction with the results of case studies of companies within the industry, to suggest suitable types of corporate and project level organisational structures to support CE.