Qiping Shen

An application of the Internet-based project management system

Abstract The great advance in information technologies (IT) and the availability of a wide range of software in recent years have brought many changes in the construction industry. The Internet, a new member of IT, offers a medium with new opportunities to manage construction projects. This paper describes an Internet-based project management system called “Total Information Transfer System” (TITS). TITS comprises six major functions including data exchange, information exchange, Internet chat, live video-cam, search engine and auxiliary services. TITS is demonstrated for project monitoring with a real-life project.

Critical Review of Collaborative Working in Construction Projects: Business Environment and Human Behaviors

The changing business environment characterized by tense competitiveness and wide global links requires construction organizations to establish effective and efficient interorganization collaborative management systems. Collaborative working (CW), as a new term and especially as a working model, is emerging for improving performance and enhancing competitiveness by responding to the changing environment in construction. This research presents the definition of CW underpinned by the principle of collaboration. Through a thorough literature review of selected papers from the well-known academic journals in construction management, the business environment and human behavior are identified as two key areas which impact the performance of CW in construction projects. Critical reviews on these areas are presented by focusing on different subcategories in each area to investigate the state of the art and trends of CW in construction projects. Some limits of research and practice on CW in construction projects are discussed and future research directions are recommended.

A framework for identification and representation of client requirements in the briefing process

The briefing process is critical to the successful delivery of construction projects. Although a number of briefing guides have been developed, attempting to address the problems of briefing, they are often criticized as being too general and implicit. This paper describes a structured framework for identifying and representing client requirements (CRs) in the briefing process. It integrates the value management (VM) methodology with function analysis system technique (FAST) and functional performance specification (FPS) to enable the client organization and project team to systematically identify, clarify and clearly represent CRs in the briefing process. It comprises four interrelated phases: preparation, information, analysis and evaluation. This paper starts with a critical review of previous work in briefing and function analysis, followed by an introduction to the research methodology and detailed illustration of the proposed framework. The use of this framework can facilitate and lead to systematic identification and clarification of client requirements and the formation of a more precise and explicit representation of these requirements. The limitations of the approach are also discussed in the paper.

Critical Success Factors for Transfer-Operate-Transfer Urban Water Supply Projects in China

Over the years, build-operate-transfer (BOT) has continuously attracted research interests. Many studies on BOT have been carried out. Variations of BOT such as build-own-operate-transfer and build-own-operate have also been reported in some relevant publications. However, few investigations thus far have been conducted for transfer-operate-transfer (TOT). Therefore, there is a knowledge gap in this particular field. TOT is a new model that is suitable for existing infrastructure and public utility projects formerly funded by the governments and currently operated by state-owned enterprises. It refers to the transfer of a running public project to a foreign business or domestic private entity. Based on four case studies carried out in the Chinese water supply industry, this paper examines why there is an increasing need for TOT projects and identifies the distinctive features of TOT practice in China. This is followed by an introduction of a framework of critical success factors (CSFs) for TOT projects. T...

Is the Hong Kong construction industry ready for value management

Abstract This paper introduces the findings of a research project entitled “Value Management (VM) in the Construction Industry in Hong Kong”. It starts with background information on the research project, followed by a detailed analyses of the findings, including knowledge and perceptions of VM, applications of VM in the industry, approaches adopted in Hong Kong and the results of VM studies. Future prospects and the obstacles impeding the application of VM in the Hong Kong construction industry are discussed. As revealed by the survey, misunderstanding and false perceptions of VM still persist in the minds of clients and construction professionals; many construction professionals have not even heard the term, and very few respondents have participated in a VM study. In addition, the savings in construction costs through the application of VM are insignificant in the eyes of local developers, due to high land costs. The traditional contracting method imposes a strict distinction between the design and construction phases, which leads to a confrontational attitude between the design and construction teams. Add to this the problem of professional barriers, and it is clear that VM in Hong Kong is engaged in a struggle for survival! Whether VM is able to make the transition from the infancy stage to the development stage will much depend on the willingness of government to take a leading role, and on the attitudes of clients and construction professionals.

A framework for benchmarking the value management process

Aims at developing an analytical framework for benchmarking value management. After a review of the extant literature on value management, identifies several critical success factors and related performance metrics. These critical success factors, such as management commitment, facilitator’s skills, brainstorming, group effectiveness, customer satisfaction, etc., represent the key characteristics of the value management methodology. Such a framework provides a foundation for researchers to undertake further research on benchmarking value management. It also serves as an evaluation platform for value management teams to assess their performance.

Factors constraining the development of professional project management in China's construction industry

Abstract This paper introduces a survey aimed at identifying the underlying factors that constraint the development of professional project management in Chinas construction industry. Professional construction project management, which is known as construction supervision (CS) in China, was introduced into Chinas construction industry in 1988. After more than 10 years of rapid growth, the further development of CS is challenged by a number of arising problems. Based on the findings of the survey, this paper highlights the most significant factors causing these problems. These factors are related not only to CS companies, but also to clients, other construction professionals, and the environment of the construction market. It is anticipated that the discussion of these factors will provide a basis for future strategies to promote the development of CS in China and also provide a useful reference for other developing countries which face similar problems in promoting the applications of professional construction project management in the construction industry.

A group decision support system for value management studies in the construction industry

Abstract Group Decision Support System (GDSS) is a branch of information technology, which combines communication, computing and decision support technologies to facilitate the formulation and solution of unstructured problems by a group of people [DeSanctis G, Galluple RB. A foundation for the study of group decision support systems. Management Science 1987;33(May):598–600]. It has the potential to promote active participation, encourage interactions, and facilitate decision analysis in Value Management (VM) studies. Because of this potential and the strong demand for improving VM studies in Hong Kong and the rest of the world, this paper presents findings of a research project which demonstrates how GDSS can improve VM studies and the potential benefits of using a GDSS in VM studies. It begins with an introduction to the GDSS technology and its development, followed by a detailed description of the structure and functionalities of an Interactive Value Management Systems (IVMS)—a special GDSS designed for supporting and improving VM studies. The potential benefits of using the system in VM studies are also discussed.

Virtual experiment of innovative construction operations

The planning of construction operations is a complicated activity involving abstraction of construction activities from the drawings, choosing of suitable plants and falseworks, allocation of resources on site, planning of safe working place for labourers, and the scheduling of activities sequence. The increasing competition among contractors demands them to adopt innovative construction methods, which have not been used or tested previously. It is not until the beginning of actual construction that the construction planner can realize the validity of his construction operations planning. The lack of tools for the construction planner to evaluate and validate his planning can result in incorrect construction plans, which cause a lot of rework in the construction phase. Virtual Reality (VR) technology, on the other hand, is very likely to provide a solution to the above problem. VR system generates virtual environment containing objects with real world properties and allows user/planner to interact with the objects. This paper proposes an integrated VR system that generates near to reality construction environment for the construction planner to perform construction activities in a real world manner in order to plan, evaluate and validate the construction operations.

A computer-aided decision support system for assessing a contractor's competitiveness

This paper presents a computer-aided decision support system for assessing a contractors competitiveness. Measures of competitiveness are employed to describe a contractors strengths and weaknesses, thus to assist project clients in identifying proper contractors at the pre-qualification stage. The identification of a contractors weakness can also help the contractor adopt proper measures to improve its competitiveness. Based on a competitiveness scoring model, a Windows-standard Decision Support System Contractors Competitiveness Assessment Scoring System (C-CASS) was developed in this study. Case studies in a simulated environment are used to demonstrate the application of this system.