Bonaventura H.W. Hadikusumo

Web‐based application for managing change orders in construction projects

A change order is an order from an employer authorizing a variation. Success in managing change orders results in uninterrupted construction operations and an agreed final project cost as well as duration. One of the methods to manage change orders is to establish good communication and cooperation among project team members. Success of this method can be enhanced by developing and utilizing a web‐based change order management system that supports documentation practice, communication and integration between different team members in the change order workflow. This paper discusses our web‐based project management system, change order management system (COMS), to manage change orders using the Internet. In order to show COMS’ potential benefits, a test case was conducted for comparing the COMS with the conventional practice of change order management.

4DCAD‐Safety: visualizing project scheduling and safety planning

Safety planning in construction project management is separated from other planning functions, such as scheduling. This separation creates difficulties for safety engineers to analyse what, when, why and where safety measures are needed for preventing accidents. Another problem occurs due to the conventional practice of representing project designs using two‐dimensional (2D) drawings. In this practice, an engineer has to convert the 2D drawings into three‐dimensional (3D) mental pictures which is a tedious task. Since this conversion is already difficult, combining these 2D drawings with safety plans increases the difficulty. In order to address the problems, 4DCAD‐Safety is proposed. This paper discusses the design and development of 4DCAD‐Safety application and testing its usefulness in terms of assisting users in analysing what, when, where and why safety measures are needed.

Measuring effectiveness of safety programmes in the Thai construction industry

Some safety programmes are more effective than others in improving safety performance at the project level. The effectiveness of safety programmes was evaluated by studying 70 construction projects in the Thai construction sector, examining the relationship between their actual status and associated site safety performance. The actual status was assessed by using an evaluation tool developed in compliance with Thai safety legislation and validated by safety experts. Safety performance was assessed by using reactive and proactive measures. Particularly, the accident rate was used as a reactive indicator, while the unsafe act index and the unsafe condition index were used as proactive indicators. The results demonstrated that safety performance was influenced by the nature of implemented safety programmes. First, safety programmes which positively affect accident rates include accident investigations, jobsite inspections, control of subcontractors and safety incentives. Secondly, five programmes, namely jobsite inspections, accident investigations, job hazard analysis, safety committees and safety record keeping, were found to have the most contributions to fewer unsafe acts. And thirdly, accident investigations, jobsite inspections, job hazard analysis, safety inductions and safety auditing were the most effective programmes in reducing unsafe conditions.

Identification of Important Organisational Factors Influencing Safety Work Behaviours in Construction Projects

Abstract Although the importance of organisational factors in human error has been acknowledged, the influence of organisational factors in the area of work behaviour in construction industry has rarely been examined. The first step of investigation should begin with identifying the relevant contributing factors affecting at-risk work behaviours. Thus, the aim of this research is to identify important organisational factors that will reduce at-risk work behaviours. The implications of these findings are further used to quantify and investigate the role of organisational factors as an integral feature of safety intervention. Case studies are used to identify and categorize organisational factors. This identification process begins with literature reviews as commonly performed. The literature related with organisational factors was used as a primary source to investigate the influences of organisational factors on at-risk work behaviours. Hence, semi-structured interviews and reviews of the companys docume...

Heavy equipment management practices and problems in Thai highway contractors

Purpose – This study is intended to investigate the current practices and problems in heavy equipment management as well as to identify practices capable of alleviating equipment management problems for highway contractors in Thailand.Design/methodology/approach – Equipment management practices were identified and analysed by SPSS using a questionnaire survey. ANOVA test was used to reveal significant differences in equipment management practices among different contractor sizes. Relationships between equipment management practices and problems were also revealed.Findings – The equipment management practices vary, to some extent, among different contractor sizes. While practices of medium and small contractors tend to be similar, practices of large contractors are different from those of smaller contractors. Large contractors often put more emphasis on outsourcing strategy for equipment management. Moreover, large contractors frequently dispose of or replace equipment as soon as the equipment becomes inef...

Modeling the Dynamics of Heavy Equipment Management Practices and Downtime in Large Highway Contractors

Machine downtime is invariably perceived as one of the most critical problems faced by highway contractors. Attempts to reduce downtime often result in failure due to the dynamic behaviors between equipment management practices and downtime. This paper is thus intended to highlight the dynamics of heavy equipment management practices and downtime in large highway contractors and utilizes them as a framework in constructing a simulation model using a system dynamics approach. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with equipment managers from five different large highway contractors in Thailand. The finding reveals that, to be successful in alleviating downtime, contractors must view their practices on equipment management as an integration of multiple feedback processes, which are interrelated and interdependent with downtime. Based on various validation tests, the simulation model is deemed appropriate in representing the equipment management system as related to downtime of large highway contractors. Th...

Modelling service quality in the construction industry

Service quality is seen as an important factor that affects client satisfaction and behavioural intention, which are considered as important contributors of business success. This research investigated the relationships between the three constructs in the context of small and medium construction projects in Thailand. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the theoretical model and to establish relationships among the research variables. The results show that there are four dimensions of service quality: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and tangibility, in which the first three dimensions are more important than the last in influencing service quality. Furthermore, client satisfaction is a mediator of the causal relationship between service quality and behavioural intention. Contractors should focus on maintaining and identifying factors that affect client satisfaction, particularly after projects are completed, to encourage client behavioural intentions.

Using Social Interaction Theory to Promote Successful Relational Contracting between Clients and Contractors in Construction

AbstractThe construction industry, with its adversarial culture, could use relational contracting (RC) to improve project outcomes by nurturing healthy social interactions among its key players, particularly clients and contractors. The aim of this research is to investigate the application of social interaction theory in RC in construction. A literature review was used to identify factors from social interaction theory that affects RC performance. These factors were verified by experts and practitioners to determine their relevance. Questionnaires were then distributed to measure the level of implementation of the verified factors in the Pakistani construction industry. In total, 204 data were collected and analyzed using factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that in order to have successful RC, clients and contractors must identify motivational factors, develop a collaborative culture, and establish structured interactions. The research has found 6 dimensions and 36 fact...

System dynamics modelling of machine downtime for small to medium highway contractors

Purpose – Downtime resulting from equipment failure is a major problem consistently faced in highway construction. Since managing construction equipment is tightly connected to various activities and parties inside as well as outside of the firm, failure to account for this fact invariably causes downtime to be even more severe. Variation in equipment management practices is thus, indeed, a root cause of the dynamics of machine downtime. This study is intended to address key dynamic features of heavy equipment management practices and downtime in small to medium highway contracting firms and propose policies for equipment performance improvement.Design/methodology/approach – Face‐to‐face interviews with equipment managers from five different small to medium highway construction companies in Thailand were conducted. Data were analysed using a system dynamics (SD) simulation approach.Findings – To overcome downtime problems, contractors need to understand the dynamics of downtime as well as its influential ...

Emotional Intelligence for Managing Conflicts in the Sociocultural Norms of the Thai Construction Industry

AbstractAlthough research has been done to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict-resolution styles, such research has not been done in the construction industry particularly by considering the influence of sociocultural norms. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys from project managers and engineers (PMEs) in Thailand. The results show that PMEs with high emotional intelligence frequently use the accommodating conflict-resolution style because of the collectivist nature of Thai culture which tends to uphold harmony among people. However, emotionally intelligent PMEs are also flexible. They are not always accommodating, but also comfortable in using the collaborating conflict-resolution style to find win-win solutions and satisfy all parties involved, contrary to their sociocultural norms. The implication of the finding is that construction organizations should consider incorporating emotional intelligence into their exiting human resource–development programs.