AbdulLateef Olanrewaju

Analysis and Findings

This chapter is included in this book for you to have an understanding of some of the sources of information that go into the model. It is the information and knowledge gained in this chapter that is grounded into the value maintenance management model. Following are the objectives and learning outcomes of this chapter: (1) Understand the problems facing maintenance organisations. (2) Appreciate some detailed information on how university buildings are maintained. (3) Be able to explain know how and why maintenance are on the increase. (4) Be able to explain the process and strategies required to enhance methods and process of maintenance.

Building Maintenance Processes, Principles, Procedures, Practices and Strategies

This chapter focuses on maintenance management in terms of its operation, procedure, systems, strategies, procurement and structures. Within this chapter, the main components of management activity are discussed: organising, controlling, directing and planning. However, these functions are not dealt with separately. An interactive and holistic system was used. That is, the functions are related to maintenance technology and engineering in theory and how it should be practiced. The literature on the principle of value-based management is also provided. In this way, a common thread is provided by interweaving all the themes and subjects together. Because of the unique nature of building users in relation to the functional requirements of the buildings, each building type has peculiar maintenance management that is applicable in order to improve the building performance as well as increasing productivity, user satisfactions and profits. After studying this chapter, you should do the following: (1) Appreciate the unknown factors, issues and elements that are peculiar to maintenance management. (2) Be aware of the often omitted or over sighted functions of maintenance management. (3) Recognise the different methods of maintenance. (4) Be able to identity what type(s) maintenance technique to apply, considering the functional requirement of the building or engineering services. (5) Understand the theoretical functions involved in building maintenance management.

An Overview of the Construction Industry

In this chapter the Malaysian construction market is described. This chapter is included because of the interrelationships that existed between the construction industry and quality of education. Their correlation is a positive one. The education sector has strong spill over implications on other sectors of the economy and has contributed directly to productivity enhancement directly, indirectly or both. But as we have illustrated in chapter one, the education sector requires infrastructural facilities including roads, buildings, services, that are produced by the construction industry. Likewise the human capitals needed by the construction industry are supplied by the education sector. Therefore, the learning outcomes the ability to: (1) Be able to describe and discuss the Malaysian construction industry, (2) Be able to explain the extent of maintenance market, (3) Understanding the problems facing the construction industry.

Measuring the service gaps in the roles of quantity surveyors in the emerging market

Purpose – The opportunities that the emerging markets present to the players in the construction industry means that the players need to expand on the scope and size of their responsibilities and duties to the stakeholders. Each of the professionals now demands more specialised and sophisticated services from one another. The other players in the construction industry now require more emerging responsibilities and duties from the quantity surveyors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles that “modern” quantity surveyors play by measuring the gaps that exist in the services that the quantity surveyors provide. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data are collected through survey questionnaires. In total, 23 roles played by modern quantity surveyors are identified and addressed to the respondents to rank the rate at which quantity surveyors provide these “emerging” services. The collected data were analysed statistically. Findings – The results of the findings led to the conclusion that the qua...

Sustainability Maintenance Initiatives

Maintenance plays strategic major functions in improving building performance for users and the environment. In fact, the major aim of the maintenance is entirely about sustainability of the constructed facilities. For instance, primarily, what building maintenance seeks to emphasise is that it is more valuable to the users and environment to ensure that the existing buildings are in optimum performance and thereby discourage the construction of new buildings. This makes a lot of sense from the sustainability requirements’ point of view. The duties and responsibilities of modern maintenance organisations are primarily concerned with the creation of sustainable future. On completion of studying this chapter, one will (1) understand the roles of maintenance in meeting the sustainability agenda, (2) understand how maintenance organisations in Malaysia are approaching the greening initiatives, (3) understand the roles various stakeholders could achieve in sustainable development through maintenance and (4) discover organisations that are yet to come to terms with the issue of green initiatives.

Perceived claim sources in the Nigerian construction industry

Purpose – With the increase in the cases of construction claims in Nigeria, many projects have remained uncompleted, while many of those completed receive poor client satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how construction claims are managed. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 58 claim factors were identified and addressed to construction professionals through survey to indicate the extent at which the factors contributed to claims. A case study was conducted to illustrate claim management. Findings – In total, 37 factors were the major source of claims. Late payment, delayed approval of change order and delay cost were the extremely influential while the least were storage charges, loss of productivity, and costs of preparing claims. Evidences revealed that all stakeholders should play active roles to deliver “claim free” projects. Practical implications – The findings will be useful to practitioners in the effort to improve project delivery by providing some guidance on claim min...

South Asian Migrants and the Construction Sector of the Gulf

The Human Rights Watch’s report in 2012 brought world attention to labor abuse of migrant construction workers in the Gulf States. Even though the oil prices prior to 2014 are unlikely to return, thereby bringing to an end lavish construction projects, demand for foreign workers will still remain. Most migrant construction workers are from South Asia. This chapter details the labor abuse many have suffered during recruitment and employment. Loopholes in legislation and weak enforcement have perpetuated the misery of these site operatives. South Asian countries try to manage labor migration, but avoid over-regulation because of much-needed remittances. Whatever positive changes that unfold in the Gulf region will reverberate around the globe, benefiting others suffering from the same fate.

Maintenance of Academic Buildings

This chapter discusses maintenance issues in the university buildings in Malaysia. Building requires maintenance to perform optimally. While there commitments to raise the performance of the university building little emphasise is placed on maintenance. There is a need to tie maintenance of buildings the productivity of the academic sector. In this chapter, problems facing maintenance organisations are identified and further elaborated. The specific objectives and learning outcomes of this chapter include: (1) Be able to define building maintenance and its purposes. (2) Understand the problems facing maintenance organisations. (3) Have a feeling of the connection between building performance and quality of education. (4) Be able to observe the maintenance expenditure.

Malaysian Education System and University Buildings

The education system in Malaysia is presented in this chapter. How education is funded and managed is also discussed. Furthermore, the connection between the performance of buildings and quality education was outlined. This chapter and the next chapter underpin the previous chapter. In part, this chapter consolidates and expands parts of the issues in the previous chapters. It outlines the significances and roles of buildings. Initially, it provides the background of the Malaysian education systems. This is followed by detailed information on educational buildings before focusing on the university buildings. Following are the objectives and learning outcomes of the chapter: (1) understand how education is funded, (2) understand the levels of user satisfaction with building performance, (3) appreciate the purposes of university buildings, (4) understand the implications of failure to maintain buildings and (5) appreciate the need to move beyond building.

Discussing the Findings

In this chapter, the fundamental and complex issues in the management of building maintenance are discussed in detail. The common and from time to time implicit assumptions of many studies are that “user value system” in maintenance services cannot be identified let alone be measured. But, this understanding and assumption are grossly inadequate and in fact unfortunate. But if we might ask, if you cannot measure it how then you can improve it? In part, with this question in our minds, we revealed the services mismatch in this chapter. The variability comprises both for the value systems and in building defects. It is emphasised that to create value to the maintenance services users, the “experience of the users” is a fundamental ingredient. The service gaps are an alignment tool connecting the parent organisation with maintenance department on the one hand and the maintenance department with the service users on the other hand. Furthermore, we also emphasise here that values in “services” are created along the supply chain. In other words, value is not delivered just by addressing the compliant or defect in the building. A salient point that this chapter revealed is the changing roles of the maintenance department. Objectives and learning outcomes of this chapter (1) Understand the problems facing maintenance organisation. (2) Have a feeling of the connection between building performance and quality education. (3) Able to explain and describe solutions to maintenance management problems.