Léon Luc olde Scholtenhuis

High reliability organizing at the boundary of the CM domain

The construction management (CM) domain regularly develops and explores new theories and perspectives. These new insights can shift the existing paradigm radically, they can be assimilated smoothly, or they can stall as they are debated at CM’s domain boundary. During our current research, we experience that the concepts from high reliability organizing (HRO) are caught in such a debate. We elaborate this debate from the viewpoint of two distinctive scientific traditions and evaluate the main premises that hold HRO at CM’s boundaries. It seems that reductionist scientific traditions underlie much of the critique which currently diverts debate off into an unproductive intellectual cul-de-sac. An alternative pragmatic approach would allow CM’s HRO researchers to avoid the confines of the reductionist arguments as it redirects minds and action on productive and practical research to achieving more reliable construction project performance, as well as dealing better with health and safety issues. Above all, the examination of the HRO boundary debate in CM may help other researchers experiencing impasses in their debates to explore whether these debates address the actual notions at stake or are restricted by deeply held views rooted in scientific traditions.

Comparing mindfulness in manual and 4D supported coordination practices

This research investigates the role of 4D visualizations in enhancing mindfulness in construction project coordination. We introduce the mindfulness concept - defined as capacity to detect (potential) operational errors and take corrective action – to make a comparison of two distinctive coordination practices. To this end, manual and 4D supported coordination three cases of three inner city reconstruction projects were examined. Observations were structured using five principles underlying mindfulness. Four of these principles supported our hypotheses that 4D allows managers to better anticipate and contain errors. We conclude by describing how 4D creates focus on operational interdependencies (1), helps to detect potential conflicts (2), increases resistance to simplifications through detailed visualizations (3), and enables development of containment strategies (4). Such practices eventually reduce conflicts, delays, and cost overruns, enhancing the reliability of coordination processes.

Decision Support for Test Trench Location Selection with 3D Semantic Subsurface Utility Models

Subsurface utility construction work often involves repositioning of, and working between, existing buried networks. While the amount of utilities in modern cities grows, excavation work becomes more prone to incidents. To prevent such incidents, excavation workers request existing 2D utility maps, use detection equipment and dig test trenches to validate their accuracy and completeness. Although test trenches are of significant importance to reveal information about subsurface conditions, the process of determining their location, number and size is not explicated by experts to date. This study therefore aimed to explicate the reasoning and logic behind the selection of utility test trenches, and to formalize this in a semantically-rich utility model. To this end, we conducted interviews with experienced excavator operators. We then derived heuristics and rules that the experts used to determine trench locations. Such rules related to, for example, the layout of the excavation site, and the type of utilities, and accuracy of available data. Based on these rules, we integrated various incomplete sources of data, and generated a 3D utility model that could generate several alternative construction situations. We used queries to identify the most suitable location for a test trench. The resulting answers to queries helped optimize the test trench selection process. Our prototype demonstrates that the identified rules (1) facilitate the generation of semantically rich 3D utility models, and (2) support test trench decision making.

3D Approach for Representing Uncertainties of Underground Utility Data

Availability of 3D underground information models is key to designing and managing urban infrastructure construction projects. Buried utilities information is often registered by using different types of location data with different uncertainties. These data variances are, however, not considered in many existing visualization approaches. This study, therefore, aims to enable 3D-representation of uncertainties in underground utility data. To this end, the research team identified four different location parameters (unknown, standard, estimated, surveyed location), and explored how these could be integrated into models that visualize utilities in 3D. As proof of concept, we developed a first 3D uncertainty model for an urban road intersection and implemented this in a handheld augmented reality application. As a next step, we designed an improved 3D visualization model that incorporates standard, estimated, and surveyed location data to estimate utility locations, and to generate cylinder shapes that represent the uncertainty buffer around a visualized utility. The presented approach eventually allows city engineers to better estimate design and construction workspaces. We conclude the paper by elaborating both the contributions and consecutive research steps.

Mindfully implementing simulation tools for supporting pragmatic design inquiries

Based upon a conceptualization of the engineering design process as pragmatic inquiry, this paper introduces a framework for supporting designers and design managers with a better understanding of the trade-offs required for a successful implementation of simulation tools. This framework contributes to the field of technology implementation research by extending the four principles of mindfulness—accounting for novelty, alertness to distinctiveness, sensitivity to different contexts, and awareness of multiple perspectives—to the realm of implementing simulation tools within design organizations. At the same time, the framework contributes to engineering project organization theory, by providing a structured manner of organizing an engineering design effort that is resourcefully supported by simulation tools and the capabilities these tools offer. The paper illustrates these contributions by applying the framework to retrospectively analyse the implementation of a traffic simulation tool within the setting of municipal city engineering