8TH Nordic Conference on Construction Economics and Organization (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Role of VDC Professionals in the Construction Industry
Procedia Economics and Finance, 2015
The increasing use of Virtual Design and Construction, VDC, is changing the way of working in the construction industry. With the introduction of VDC follows the creation of new roles and new ways of communicating within construction projects. The overall aim of the present paper is to map industry practitioners' view on VDC professionals' role. This includes mapping their perceptions on what characteristics a VDC professional should possess, what roles they play today and what role they should play in the future, and also to what extent they are perceived to contribute to project success. In order to shed light on these questions a questionnaire was sent to respondents working in varying degrees with VDC, in one of Sweden's largest construction companies. The results show that there is little agreement concerning the goals of VDC within the company. Furthermore, opinions also vary considerably with regards to what responsibilities a VDC professional ought to take within projects, and at the same time expectations of the characteristics of a VDC professional are high. Finally, the results show that there is demand for higher involvement of VDC professionals as compared to their current involvement.
The study focuses on the adoption and implementation of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) in the construction industry and its impact on the project manager's job. By utilizing VDC, project managers are now required to focus on collaboration, data management, technical expertise, and adaptability to effectively use the technology in their projects. These changes have expanded the skill sets required of project managers, while providing opportunities for improved project delivery and outcomes, but have not dramatically changed the role and responsibilities of a project manager. This study aimed to answer two questions: the changes in the digitalization of project manager work over the last five years, and the challenges that construction project managers face when using the VDC framework by conducting a literature review, interviews, and document study. Three direct challenges were identified: the absence of VDC mention in contracts, lack of mutual understanding between the team and stakeholders, and inadequate leadership support. Further analysis revealed four additional challenges: integration with traditional processes, data management and analysis, technical expertise, and change management.
Virtual Design and Construction: a new communication in construction industry
2018 International Conference on Computer Graphics and Virtuality
Construclion proiects involve a high dcgree ol' complcr procurement processcs. I'he incrcasing usc ol Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is changing the rvar of uorking in lhe construction industrl'. VDC. a visual representalion ol data. is introduced lbr a better communication to clicnts in a clcar and concise rvay. Its implemcntation in bidding stage is to support the construction planning in vi(ual environment and expcctcd to improve etllciencl. speed and accurac). Wilh the introduction of'
Virtual Design and Construction Leaner than Before
The virtual design and construction is turning into a more essential service to develop construction designs. Even though it is going through the processes of situated projects in the pre-BIM stage, builders-developers are demanding virtual design and construction. In this context, companies specialized in virtual construction need to get ready to meet its increasing demand. The aim of this study is to identify how the virtual design and construction process works to suggest improvements from lean construction tools. Based on a qualitative methodology and through lean construction diagnostic tools to collect data, process structure elements are described, stream mapping are designed, cycle times are analyzed, restriction are identified, process changes are suggested. Through feedback from case study respondents, this research has concluded that there would be a meaningful improvement in global productivity and decrease in the total amount of time.
Critical, manifest variables in virtual construction project value delivery
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2010
Purpose-This paper aims to examine the use of the increasingly important virtual concept to deliver value in projects, focusing on the manifest, critical issues which can enhance value delivery in virtual construction projects. Design/methodology/approach-The study uses both quantitative and qualitative triangulated methods to examine the concepts in the study. Triangulated data analysis is also used to give insight. Findings-The study disentangles 16 manifest, independent variables as being crucial in enhancing value delivery in virtual construction projects. Also the research gives a fresh view, by differentiating between influential and necessary crucial variables in virtual construction project value delivery. Research limitations/implications-The study demonstrates the use of triangulation in critical variables research. It also gives integrated insight on rigorous, triangulated, data analysis to enhance understanding in the critical variables research domain. Practical implications-The research gives insight to managers on the issues which need attention in the design and implementation of virtual construction projects to deliver value. Originality/value-The research adds value to the literature on the virtual construction project delivery concept, where little knowledge exists. Based on empirical evidence, the study also gives a fresh insightful lens, for the examination of critical variables from the perspective of influential and necessary items.
California. Dept. of Transportation. Division of Research and Innovation, 2020
Virtual Design Construction (VDC) and Civil Integrated Management (CIM) are recent innovations that have been shown to improve project delivery and reduce cost through the entire lifecycle of a project. Integrating VDC/CIM within the organization's delivery processes would lead to increased efficiencies for tax dollars, cost savings, reduce construction conflicts, decrease construction time, and enhanced workers' and public safety. This research has evaluated the current state of VDC/CIM within Caltrans and collected the known VDC/CIM best practices through literature review of existing public information. In addition, this research has also created a strategic high-level roadmap that identifies the gaps and provides guidance on bridging the gap between the current and future state of VDC/CIM at Caltrans. In order to develop an organic structure within Caltrans for VDC/CIM implementation, formation of organizational level task forces is recommended. The task forces can then work with groups in charge of each Activity area and assist in guiding them through closing the gaps identified in this report and in pushing towards digital transformation.
2005
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming more comprehensive and more integrated into the design and management phases of the construction industry. Not only are increasingly sophisticated electronic tools being widely used to assist construction professionals design and manage buildings -ICT is making significant contributions by assisting these people to work in virtual, electronic environments. As a result of the application of these enhanced ICT tools there is a trend to move away from co-located teams to virtual team collaboration. The operational differences which result from the use of different electronic communication media and its impact on generic skills on design and construction professionals have been the basis for the research reported in this Cooperative Research Centre Construction Innovation (CRC-CI) paper. The outcomes of this research include the development and mapping of generic skills profiles for virtual design teams. The research findings also describe changes in generic skills profiles between different operational states (low bandwidth-high bandwidth). The paper links our research findings with literature relating to design teams and processes, virtual teams and the generic skills required to effectively participate in these teams. The conclusions of our research indicate that design team participants require 'appropriate skills' to function efficiently and effectively, and that the introduction of ICT reinforces the need for ongoing skills mapping and measurement.
Reference Virtual Design Team (VDT) probabilities to Design Construction Project Organizations
Revista de la construcción, 2015
This paper reports the results obtained from five virtual models of construction project organizations developed using the Virtual Design Team (VDT) method. The results were compared with the real project organization performance in each case and their probabilities inputs were calibrated to obtain benchmark reference inputs for future projects. The models were validated comparing their predictions with real results obtained in the projects and the predicted behavior of the organizations was subjected to the assessment and approval of technical experts of the companies in the study. The calibrated models obtained represent reality within appropriate margins given the variable nature of the problem, being able to predict the performance of projects with results generally less than 5% difference between the real performance and modeling results, achieving probabilities close to those from literature and well received by companies in the structured interview, with over 70% approval in the predicted factors covered. These results contribute to expand the uses of VDT methodology and to adapt this methodology to local companies, which enables to model organizations at the planning and design phase, achieving improvements in terms of cost, schedule and quality risks.