Jake Smithwick

Project Risk Distribution during the Construction Phase of Small Building Projects

AbstractEarly identification and communication of risks throughout the construction phase allows project teams to manage and minimize cost increases and schedule delays while increasing customer satisfaction. A better understanding of the distribution of risks during a construction project can improve risk management. This research created a new term, risk encounter, which measures and defines when a risk is communicated on a project, relative to the project schedule. This paper examines risk-management data regarding 229 small building projects at a U.S. university. The project teams encountered 1,229 risk events. A risk encounter was calculated for each risk event and plotted against a project lifecycle timeline. Individual risks were found to have unique characteristics related to the impact on the project cost, the impact on the schedule, and the nature of the risk. This study attempted to identify whether the characteristics of risk affect the distribution of risks during construction. ANOVA results ...

Implementing New Project Delivery Strategies: Development of a Web-Based Multimedia Tool to Support Owner Project Team Training

For large public organizations, implementing a new project delivery strategy for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) services requires significant organizational change. A key challenge is how to address the specific needs of multiple individual AEC projects while maintaining organization-wide consistency. Numerous barriers exist to hinder successful implementation, and the delivery of training content to various stakeholder interests must address role-specific modifications to work processes. The Delphi method is employed to develop the framework for delivering organizational training through the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) to create a centralized process training tool that can be accessed by multiple distributed AEC project teams. Key aspects of the tool are presented, as well as feedback from experts in the implementation of value-based project delivery regarding the tool’s effectiveness in distributing training content, minimizing key technical barriers to change, and optimizing the allocation of training resources between project- and organizational-level aspects of implementation. Application of the tool within a project delivery change effort was demonstrated to reduce the in-person training requirements needed for project teams to accomplish work tasks. The framework for an ICT-based process training tool is a key contribution of this research and may be considered by industry practitioners.

Utilization of Value and Risk Assessments in Transportation Procurement: A Case Study of a New Highway Corridor

The Queen Elizabeth II Highway provides the sole transportation link between the city of Edmonton and the city of Leduc. Over 35,000 vehicles commute between these areas on a daily basis, while the Edmonton International Airport is strategically positioned between them. The Canadian government has recognized the need for an alternative transportation corridor in this area. The necessary funding for Phase 1A of the 14.4 mi of new road construction was provided under the Building Canada Fund. The proposed Nisku Spine Road will be completed in four separate phases. The objective of this study was to draw analysis from a government’s implementation of a value-based procurement model and risk management approach to minimize project cost. Under this procurement model, the overall project costs were reduced through past contractor experience, risk assessment plans, and value added options. The selected firm’s proposal was 30% below the original anticipated cost of

Overcoming resistance to change in engineering and construction: Change management factors for owner organizations

21.8 million dollars. Furthermore, the contractor was able to offer a value added option that resulted in additional savings of approximately

The Source of Degradation of the Construction Industry Performance

1 million dollars. In all, a total savings of

Utilization of a Best Value Structure on a City’s Park Renewal and Upgrade Program

7.5 million dollars was realized by the utilization of the value-based procurement method for this publicly funded heavy/civil construction project.