Ximena Ferrada

A competency‐based model for construction supervisors in developing countries

Purpose – To analyze the role of construction site supervisors, including foremen and general foremen, as front‐line managers. The role is treated as a critical labor function and a source of value‐added for construction management.Design/methodology/approach – An original model based on the labor competency management framework is proposed for training, developing and certifying construction supervisors in Chile and other developing countries. This model was developed from the findings of a case study in which the competency framework was applied to a specific construction company.Findings – This case study has demonstrated the significant potential of the competency framework for the Chilean construction sector, with its underdeveloped human resources management methods. In particular, this framework can be an effective approach to achieving the competencies required by construction site supervisors who must deal with inadequately trained workers, as is the case in many developing countries. The structu...

Selection of Construction Methods for Construction Projects: A Knowledge Problem

AbstractAppropriate selection of construction methods used in the execution of a project is a decisive factor for its development and the achievement of the desired results. In many cases, this process is undertaken without suitable attention, generating negative consequences for the project. It is therefore necessary to search for different approaches that would accomplish greater efficiency in the realization of this process. This requires a deep understanding of current practices for implementing the process for construction methods’ selection and the major problems that affect this selection process. The purpose of this article is to report the results of a study oriented to identify the main features of this process such as is currently the standard practice in construction firms. The results obtained allowed the identification of current practices, process problems, and information involved, and the knowledge required for carrying out the selection of construction methods for a construction project....

Fostering the effective usage of risk management in construction

AbstractThe effective management of risk is critical for construction projects. However, research findings show that risk management is either not used or done ineffectively in domestic construction projects. One of the primary reasons for this appears to be the lack of risk management (RM) capabilities and knowledge. A study aimed at developing a system for supporting the effective use of RM is presented. The system has been designed so as to provide the required functionality to assist owners and contractors to develop their capabilities to manage risk effectively, including: a) to assess the existing RM organizational maturity and to report on the existing gaps, b) to propose recommendations for improving the organizational RM capabilities in the light of the detected gaps, and c) to help companies with the implementation and improvement of RM within the organization. The system prototype has been successfully applied in several companies that served as initial case studies. It is anticipated that the ...

A Mobile Cloud Shared Workspace to Support Lessons-Learned in Construction Companies.

Construction is a project-based industry, and for each project, companies have to cope with specific challenges. Nevertheless, most of these challenges are similar to each other and share many common elements. Thus, projects are an important source of expert know-how and organizational knowledge, but lessons learned in each one are not systematically incorporated into the design and construction phases of subsequent projects. Typically, construction companies do not have effective tools to make an appropriate transfer of this valuable knowledge for future projects. Therefore, shared workspaces could play an important role to do this by increasing communication among workers, organizing work more efficiently, reducing the coordination cost, and keeping an updated overview of the project. This paper presents a mobile cloud shared workspace to support knowledge management along each project. The platform is the result of the research and development work conducted by the authors, supported by a construction company, during the last two years.

Selección de los Métodos de Construcción en Proyectos: Un Problema de Conocimiento

ResumenLa correcta seleccion de los metodos de construccion a utilizar en la ejecucion de un proyecto, es un factor determinante para el desarrollo de este y para el logro de sus requerimientos, pero muchas veces este proceso se lleva a cabo sin el cuidado que requiere, generando consecuencias negativas para el proyecto. Por ello, se considera necesario buscar enfoques distintos que permitan lograr una mayor eficacia en su realizacion. Para lograr lo anterior, es necesario comprender en profundidad las practicas actuales de ejecucion del proceso y los principales problemas que lo afectan. El proposito de este articulo es compartir los resultados de un estudio dirigido a conocer las principales caracteristicas del proceso de seleccion de los metodos de construccion tal como se realiza actualmente en la practica normal de las empresas constructoras. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron identificar las practicas actuales, los problemas del proceso y la informacion y los conocimientos requeridos para llevar a...