Self-Directed Learning, A Guide for Learners and Teachers

Ethnography: Step By Step

Construction project managers work under conditions of uncertainty and high risk, and this can contribute to an excessive level of work‐related stress being experienced. To date, there has been limited research that has examined how project managers cope with work‐related stress. This paper investigates whether coping and affect (both negative and positive) influence adjustment (anxiety, depression and stress) among project managers. A sample of 100 male project managers from Australian contracting organizations completed a questionnaire that measured coping strategies, affect state and potential stressors. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that specific work‐related characteristics such as work experience, project size, age and level of education influenced the psychological adjustment of the project managers sampled. Further, those who engaged in a more problem‐focused style of coping, such as active coping were found to be better adjusted than those who engaged in more emotion‐focused style...

Psychological adjustment and coping among construction project managers

Proceedings of the 32nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2016, Manchester. UK, Association of Researchers in Construction Management

Total Productive Maintenance

Developments in safety management on large UK construction sites have seen a paradigm shift from enforcement-based systems to safety-culture programmes, which seek to engage with the workforce to create fully cooperative and safety-conscious sites. Founded in social constructionism, recent research sought out the master discourses of safety on large UK construction sites through the examination of safety signage, talk around safety and safety documentation. Two of the most prominent discourses of safety on sites were found to be safety as enforcement and safety as engagement, reflecting the change in safety management strategies. These discourses were found to be interrelated in their constructions of safety, yet also varied in their associations with practice, responsibility, social interactions and the management hierarchy of the sites. These findings develop the current understanding of safety found on sites, with relation to the hierarchical structures of safety management and the discourses of enforc...

UK construction site safety: discourses of enforcement and engagement

The construction industry encounters substantial challenges in its evolution towards sustainable development and in the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) technology and lean construction (LC) practices on construction mega-projects. This research aims to investigate the critical barriers encountered by key construction stakeholders in their efforts to integrate BIM and LC in the construction mega-projects.,A two-round Delphi survey shaped the foundation of aggregating consensus between an expert panel that examined a set of 28 barriers resulting from a detailed analysis of the extant literature. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were exploited for data analysis, and interrater agreement analysis was used to elaborated and validate results.,The research concluded that the key barriers by descending order of significance are lack of mandatory BIM and LC industry standards and regulations by the government, resistance of the industry to change from traditional practices to LeanBIM, high cost of software licenses and training and running of BIM.,The research findings and the proposed mitigation strategy will enhance the application of BIM and LC practices in construction mega-projects and allow project key stakeholders to place emphasis on tackling the crucial challenges and barriers identified in this research.

Barriers to integrating building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction practices on construction mega-projects: a Delphi study

Peter Farrell has written a comprehensive and practical introductory guide for first time researchers in the built environment disciplines. As Farrell notes, within the UK system and others, most undergraduates are required to undertake a dissertation and to write a short thesis. In my 20 years’ experience final year built environment students are often overwhelmed and intimidated with the seemingly onerous task of what they perceive as ‘writing a book’. Their knowledge and understanding of the task that lies ahead and the research process is often limited and a book, such as this, starts by demystifying some of the new and unfamiliar terms associated with research.

Writing a Built Environment Dissertation: Practical Guidance and Examples

The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question: “does the incorporation of sustainability as a new school of thought in project management support project success?” The authors carried out a systematic literature review (SLR) on relevant empirical studies before 2018 to answer this question.,The authors carried out an SLR by selecting, extracting, analysing and critically appraising relevant literature that met pre-specified criteria by using transparent, well-organised and replicable steps. The main sources are publications in peer-reviewed journals regardless of their impact factor because the topic of incorporating sustainability in project management practices is restrained by a lack of research.,Based on the analysis, it seems that incorporating sustainability into project management may support project success. However, more evidence is required to support this finding as there are too few relevant empirical studies in the literature.,Therefore, considering sustainability as a new school of thought in project management is premature, and there are recommendations for further research at the end of this study. There are several limitations to the studies chosen, which may have significantly affected results, and thus may affect outcomes in this study.,Project success needs to be the main endeavour when incorporating sustainability into project management, and it should be a key criterion when considering sustainability as a new school of thought in managing projects. The most challenging elements of project success that need to be addressed are cost and time. This study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of PSM on project success. It facilitates decision making in considering sustainability as a new school of thought in project management. Furthermore, it defines a need for more research work in this potential paradigm shift in managing projects.

The impact of project sustainability management (PSM) on project success: A systematic literature review

The purpose of this paper is to investigate critical success factors (CSFs) that enhance integration between building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction (LC) practices on construction mega-projects. BIM and LC have gained momentum in the past decade.,The Delphi survey technique was used to gauge opinions of a panel of 16 experts through a two-round Delphi questionnaire survey. Panel responses were scrutinised using inferential and descriptive statistical techniques.,In total, 30 CSFs were identified in the literature. The top ranked factor out of 30 that supports LeanBIM synergy was “collaboration in design, construction works and engineering management”. Other top rated CSFs were centric on people, data and technology elements. The research findings are important for project stakeholders, organisations, contractors, engineers and local authorities who implement LC and BIM synergies in construction mega-projects.,The research findings are important for project stakeholders, organisations, contractors, engineers and local authorities who implement LC and BIM synergies in construction mega-projects. The research recommends further hands-on training to increase the integration of BIM and LC practices in the architecture, engineering and construction industry and to enrich the extant body of knowledge in construction of mega-projects.

Critical success factors for adopting building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction practices on construction mega-projects: a Delphi survey

Peter Farrell

Papers

UK construction site safety: discourses of enforcement and engagement

Barriers to integrating building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction practices on construction mega-projects: a Delphi study

Writing a Built Environment Dissertation: Practical Guidance and Examples

The impact of project sustainability management (PSM) on project success: A systematic literature review

Critical success factors for adopting building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction practices on construction mega-projects: a Delphi survey