David Arditi

Total quality management in the construction process

Abstract There is great potential for quality improvement in the construction process. A study of the literature and of surveys conducted in the USA indicated that management commitment to quality and to continuous quality improvement is very important; construction industry professionals are well aware of the importance of quality training; partnering agreements among the parties in the construction process constitute an important step in securing a high quality product; a feedback loop could upgrade the original quality standards used in the industry; the clarity of project scope and requirements as well as of drawings and specifications is a prerequisite for high process quality.

Assessing contractor quality performance

This paper proposes a radical change in industry practice that will improve the quality of the construction process and the levels of customer satisfaction derived from it by evaluating the quality performance of the contractor. An alternative theory is developed of what constitutes quality, client satisfaction, performance, and their interrelationships in the context of the construction industry. It should be noted here that the term construction client includes both the owner (i.e. the agency or organization funding the project) and the end-user of the construction (i.e. the general public). A comprehensive view of construction quality is proposed that deals with both the service (as received by the owner) and product (as received by the end-user) aspects of the construction project as well as the corporate quality culture. Such a dissection of construction activity facilitates developing strategies to define, operationalize, measure and improve construction quality. A frame4 work for the assessment of a contractors quality performance is established. This involves gathering a list of contractor quality performance (CQP) indicators that are derived from various quality-related practices of the contractor at the corporate and project level. Finally, a contractor quality performance (CQP) evaluation model is introduced that can be used in a contractor prequalification and/or selection system. The CQP indicators are operationalized within the theoretical framework of the CQP evaluation model.

Use of information and communication technologies by small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in building construction

Scholars usually agree that small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) active in construction are not very innovative when compared with large‐size construction enterprises. This is particularly evident in the case of adoption and diffusion of innovation associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although ICTs are powerful instruments for the rapid and broader diffusion of technical knowledge, few SMEs are fully able to exploit their benefits. There is little evidence of how SMEs perceive ICTs and of the extent to which these technologies are actually used in the construction industry. There is a relationship between organizational size and the use of ICTs within the SMEs in the building construction sector in Turkey. A set of ICT variables comprising the perception, investment, usage and the software preferences of SMEs were analysed by making use of the data collected in a survey of a randomly selected sample of 227 building construction firms in Turkey. In contrast to the common approaches that consider SMEs as part of a homogeneous set of firms with similar characteristics, this study seeks the differences in ICT‐related attitudes between SMEs of different sizes. Rather than using arbitrarily pre‐defined intervals to classify firms by size, cluster analysis was used in this study. Although what emerges as a whole is the common under‐utilization of ICTs by SMEs in building construction, ‘organizational size’ appears to explain some of the ICT‐related attitude differences within these SMEs. Policy makers can consider using the findings of this study as inputs in their activities, as these findings represent a generic overview of the diffusion of new technologies and can assist in identifying future research directions. †. This paper is based on a research project in which the particular focus of interest was the diffusion of innovative technologies among construction SMEs in the Turkish building construction industry (Sey et al., 2002). The findings associated only with ICTs are extracted and reported in this paper.

Trends in productivity improvement in the US construction industry

Surveys of the top 400 US contractors were conducted in 1979, 1983 and 1993 to identify the areas with potential for productivity improvement in the construction industry. The trends in the findings of these surveys are observed and interpreted. The results indicate that cost control, scheduling, design practices, labour training, and quality control are the functions that consistently over the years are perceived as having considerable room for productivity improvement, whereas materials packaging and foreign developments in construction technologies are perceived consistently as functions that do not have much effect on improving construction productivity. The functions that were identified as needing more improvement in 1993 compared with the previous surveys were prefabrication, new materials, value engineering, specifications, labour availability, labour training, and quality control, whereas those that were identified as needing less improvement than in the previous surveys were field inspection and labour contract agreements. Also, respondents indicated consistently over the years that they are willing to participate in activities related to improving construction productivity but are not interested in funding any such activities.

Effect of learning on line-of-balance scheduling

Abstract An approach to formulate learning rates and include them in line-of-balance (LOB) calculations is proposed in this paper. Learning rates are generated by modifying historical learning rates of typical construction activities and by incorporating the impact of relevant factors such as, number of operations in one unit, activity complexity, and job and management conditions. Fuzzy set theory is used to develop production rules to treat both factual and uncertain information. An S-type membership function is used to interpret the fuzzy data and produce adjustment factors that are in turn used to modify consecutive learning rates, until an adjusted learning rate is obtained. The adjusted learning rate is then used to calculate expected worker-hours and activity durations at each unit of production (e.g., a floor in a high-rise building, a mile of pavement work, etc.). A final LOB diagram is generated using this information. Different pairs of curves represent the start and the finish times of each activity in sets of units that make use of different numbers of crews. Learning reduces project duration and resource requirements. The proposed approach demonstrates the potential for formalizing the inclusion of learning effects into the LOB scheduling of repetitive-unit construction.

General contractors’ relationships with subcontractors: A strategic asset

The general contractor‐subcontractor relationship has been a focus of interest in the literature and yet its impact on a general contractors economic performance remains a virtually unexplored area in the construction management literature. This research presents the findings of a questionnaire survey administered to 500 large US general contractors to explore this issue. The findings reveal that maintaining a relationship of high quality with subcontractors is positively and strongly associated with the perceived performance of general contractors responding to the survey.

Predicting the Outcome of Construction Litigation Using Neural Networks

In this study, neural networks were used to predict the outcome of construction litigation. Disagreements between the owner and the contractor can arise from such considerations as interpretation of the contract, changes made by the owner, differing site conditions, acceleration and suspension of work, and so forth. When there are disagreements between the contractor and the owner, the result is the inefficient use of resources and higher costs for both the owner and the contractor, as well as damage to the reputation of both sides. Neural networks may help to predict the outcome of construction claims that are normally affected by a large number of complex and interrelated factors. Data composed of characteristics of cases and circuit and appellate court decisions were extracted from cases filed in Illinois appellate courts in the last 12 years. A network was trained using these data, and a rate of prediction of 67% was obtained. If the parties to a dispute know with some certainty how the case would be resolved if it were taken to court, it is believed that the number of disputes could be reduced greatly.

Cost overruns in public projects

Abstract The effects of cost overruns are not confined to the construction industry but are reflected in the state of the overall economy of a country. This is particularly so in Turkey, where construction investments account for almost half of all investments. A large number of Turkish public agencies and contractors were surveyed to identify the causes of such cost overruns in public projects undertaken in the decade 1970–1980. The results indicate that inflationary pressures, increases in material prices and workmens wages, difficulties in obtaining materials at current official prices, construction delays and errors in first estimates were the most important sources for cost overruns.

Performance of International Joint Ventures in Construction

International joint ventures (IJVs) have become popular because of their importance as a strategic alternative in global competition. The measurement of the performance of IJVs has been an important research topic for a few decades, however there is no consensus on an appropriate definition and measurement of IJV performance. In this study, a model is proposed to assess IJV performance in construction. The validity of the proposed drivers and measures of performance is investigated and relationships between them are analyzed. The effects of interpartner fit/relations, structural IJV characteristics, host country factors, and project-related factors on IJV performance are examined through a questionnaire survey. IJV performance is defined by a four-dimensional construct that considers the performance of the project, the IJV partners, the IJV organization itself, and the perceptions of the IJV partners. The results point out the significance of the interpartner fit and the quality of partner relations for a successful IJV operation. The findings of the study also suggest that project-related factors have a moderate influence on IJV performance. In a properly designed IJV structure, partners with compatible skills, resources, and cultures are found to maintain good relations and are expected to achieve greater IJV success.

The JIT materials management system in developing countries

The just‐in‐time (JIT) approach to materials management appears to be superior to a just‐in‐case (JIC) approach in terms of reducing cost and improving productivity under most circumstances encountered in industrialized countries. However, is it truly more advantageous than the more commonly used approaches in developing countries? Contractors in developing countries may be compelled to keep excessive inventory under some circumstances to help manage uncertainty in the supply chain and production process, high inflation rates, available discounts on prices of large amounts of materials, and price cuts in case of early purchasing. This study presents a comparison of the JIT and JIC materials management systems in terms of total cost of inventory by means of a simulation model that makes use of actual data obtained from an ongoing trade centre project in Istanbul, Turkey. The study suggests that had the JIT system been used in the project in Istanbul the total cost of inventory would have been 4.4% higher than the total cost of inventory in the JIC system currently used.