Managing employers' requirements in construction industry: Experiences and challenges (original) (raw)
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Facilities, 2013
Purpose-This paper aims to focus on requirements management of projects constructed under traditional procurement system. It seeks to discuss the requirements management processes highlighting the limitations and addressing the need for a practical framework for facilitating the implementation of requirements management in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach-Two research instruments were used in this paper: semi-structured interviews and case studies. Findings-The literature review introduced a generic process for requirements management practice potentially to be adopted in the construction industry. The research study identified that the processes and limitations of current practice included the lack of a practical framework, misinterpretation of requirements, difficulties in identifying requirements, conflicts between expectation and constraints, complex hierarchy of client's organisation and communication problems in eliciting client requirements. Recommendations are given that an inclusive project brief and a competent project manager to manage the project requirements are necessary in capturing and tracing the requirements during the project development process. A practical framework is needed to improve the requirements management practice within the construction industry. Research limitations/implications-The research findings establish the basis for further research to examine the implementation of these potential solutions and development of a systematic framework for RsM. The research is of significant value to the construction industry where value generation is essential and critical, especially in difficult economic and financial situations. Originality/value-Requirements are the foundation of the projects which are critical to the successful delivery of the projects. Although many guidelines have been published for managing client requirements, the existing practice on requirements management is still considered to be inadequate. This research provides insight for professional practitioners in the construction industry to improve the requirements management practices for development projects.
CLIENT REQUIREMENT MANAGEMENT IN BUILDING PROJECTS
In recent years, concern with value management has increased in construction, mainly due to the increasing demand for quality from clients and to the increasing complexity of construction projects. This has resulted in changes on the roles of construction organizations and professionals. In this context, the success of a project depends strongly on how the requirements are prioritized and communicated to the design team throughout the product development process. This paper describes the main results of a research study that aimed to establish a set of guidelines for managing client requirements in building projects throughout the product development process. Two case studies involving construction companies acting as the product development co-coordinators were carried out. The first was concerned with the development and construction of a house building projects for the lower middle class. The other one was carried out in a fast, uncertain and complex industrial project. For both cases, multidisciplinary product development teams were formed. They were in charge of several tasks throughout the project such as to identify the objective of the project, to plan and control the product development process, to devise the design brief, and to make design decisions, taking into account the production system requirements. The main contributions of the study are concerned with the introduction of systematic client requirements management in product development, and the application of tools for collecting data and supporting decision-making.
Facilities, 2010
Purpose-This paper aims at investigating the prevailing practice of managing client requirements for design and build (D&B) construction projects in Hong Kong. It attempts to evaluate the limitations and addresses the need for a practical framework for facilitating the implementation of client requirements management within the industry. Design/methodology/approach-Two research instruments were used in this paper: semi-structured interviews and case studies. Findings-The study revealed that the limitations of the current practice included the lack of a comprehensive client's project brief, inadequate involvement of client in the briefing process, the lack of impartial agents, the controversy caused by the uncertain legal status of end-users and the improper timing of raising requirements by key project stakeholders. Recommendations are given that an inclusive project brief is necessary in clarifying the goals and covering all-rounded perspectives. A practical framework is needed to improve the client requirements management practice within the construction industry. Research limitation/implications-The D&B procurement system adopted in Hong Kong actually exists in various forms within the construction industry, which differ from This is the Pre-Published Version. the prototype that has long been recognized. Therefore, a more detailed study into D & B projects covering a broader area is necessary in the future. Originality/value-Little research work has been undertaken on the study of client requirements management especially for D&B construction projects. This paper has improved the comprehension of the nature of client requirements and has provided valuable insights into the prevailing problems associated with the management of client requirements.
Knowledge Requirement Theoretical Framework for Construction Procurement Management
The 7th International Conference of EACEF, University of Stuttgart-Germany, 2019
Procurement management has been a focal point of many studies. This led to several industry stakeholders to produce reports on how best to achieve it. The construction sector comprises of loosely integrated activities and assemblage of various products from other industries. These characteristics makes it unique from other industries, and as such its success is largely dependent on the quantum of knowledge applied in its products design, strategy and implementation. However, clients of the industry and other stakeholders failed to appreciates this salient difference between the construction industry and others, thereby treating the procurement of its product as though is an off-the-shelf. This is found in several procurement frameworks reviewed by this study, where procurement for construction is lumped together with same consideration as procurement for goods and services. In view of the above, this study explore literature in order to develop a knowledge requirement theoretical framework for construction procurement management. Exploratory design was used as a stand-alone approach through critical review of extant literature on construction complexities, general procurement competencies and procurement management. The reviews were applied in the context of systems thinking theory to develop knowledge requirement theoretical framework for construction procurement management. The framework conceptualized knowledge requirement for construction procurement management as a conglomerate of knowledge (system) that is made up of units of knowledge aligned to accomplish a construction project. Thus, for full attainment of construction procurement management knowledge, a manager needs to possess the various units of knowledge that are appropriate for the execution and coordination of the various activities in construction procurement processes.
2008
Changes in client requirements are most frequent in construction and are known to contribute to budget over-runs and late delivery of projects. Such changes need to be managed adequately to enhance visibility, traceability and linked to the original requirements and communication with all stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a facility. Traditionally, requirements management has principally been focused at the early stages of the construction process where elicited client requirements information is used as the basis for design and does not extend to the later phases. A life cycle approach is important because client requirements often change dramatically over a facility’s life. This evolution needs to be understood, for example, particularly if the facility is to be refurbished or adapted for uses other than those for which it was originally designed. This paper presents an empirical study to highlight the current state of managing clients’ requirements and to propose the need ...
INCREASING CLIENT CAPABILITIES THROUGH REQUIREMENT ENGINEERING
Studies have demonstrated the relationship between project failure and poor requirement management. Whereas information technology (IT) organizations have adopted requirement engineering or configuration management tools and methodologies to ensure alignment between IT strategy and project outcomes, there is almost no research for the construction industry to develop clients' capabilities to manage their requirements. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for client-driven integrated requirement management. It argues that the client needs to describe and measure project outputs not only in terms of expected end results, but also as requirements to be met. This framework aims to help the client track project performance and alignment with strategic expected outcomes, using requirement metrics. It also seeks to provide industry with the infrastructure to move to performance-based e-procurement. The objective is to get away from traditional and inefficient cost and schedule metrics to move to systematic planning, management and tracking of client requirements for measuring the efficiency of the project team and construction suppliers in generating best value for money.
Toward a Client-Driven Requirement Management Framework for Achieving Best Value for Money
Studies have demonstrated the relationship between project failure and poor requirement management. However, there is almost no research in the construction industry about developing clients' capabilities to manage their requirements. The research objective is to propose a systematic planning, management and tracking of client requirements to improve the efficiency of the project team and construction suppliers' ability to generate best value for money. A constructive approach based on three case studies is used to develop and test a client-driven integrated requirement management framework. Such a framework could drastically leverage project contributions to business strategy using far fewer resources, while reducing cost and schedule.