It is often argued that the core of organizational success is efficient collaboration.Some authors even posit that efficient collaboration is more important to organizational innovation and performance than individual...It is often argued that the core of organizational success is efficient collaboration.Some authors even posit that efficient collaboration is more important to organizational innovation and performance than individual skills or expertise.However,the lack of efficient models to manage collaboration properly is a major constraint for organizations to profit from internal and external collaborative initiatives.Currently,much of the collaboration in organizations occurs through virtual network channels,such as e-mail,Yammer,Jabber,Microsoft Teams,Skype,and Zoom.These are even more important in situations where different time zones and even threats of a pandemic constrain face-to-face human interactions.This work introduces a multidisciplinary heuristic model developed based on project risk management and social network analysis centrality metrics graph-theory to quantitatively measure dynamic organizational collaboration in the project environment.A case study illustrates the proposed model’s implementation and application in a real virtual project organizational context.The major benefit of applying this proposed model is that it enables organizations to quantitatively measure different collaborative,organizational,and dynamic behavioral patterns,which can later correlate with organizational outcomes.The model analyzes three collaborative project dimensions:network collaboration cohesion evolution,network collaboration degree evolution,and network team set variability evolution.This provides organizations an innovative approach to understand and manage possible collaborative project risks that may emerge as projects are delivered.Organizations can use the proposed model to identify projects’critical success factors by comparing successful and unsuccessful delivered projects’dynamic behaviors if a substantial number of both project types are analyzed.The proposed model also enables organizations to make decisions with more information regarding the support for changes in observed collaborative patterns as demonstrated by statistical models in general,and linear regressions in particular.Further,the proposed model provides organizations with a completely bias-free data-collection process that eliminates organizational downtime.Finally,applying the proposed model in organizations will reduce or eliminate the risks associated with virtual collaborative dynamics,leading to the optimized use of resources;this will transform organizations to become more lean-oriented and significantly contribute to economic,social,and environmental global sustainability.展开更多
The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reducti...The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reduction in capacity during construction activity; consequently road users as well as adjacent businesses must endure the delays and inconveniences associated with transportation construction. Recognizing the problems that construction can produce, state highway agencies （SHAs） have continually sought ways to minimize the negative impact from their construction operations. Incentive contracting has played an important role in this effort to improve project performance. The Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT） is one of the leading SHAs using such innovative contracting methods as Incentive/Disincentive （I/D）, A＋B （cost plus time bidding） combined with I/D, No Excuse Bonus, and Liquidated Savings. This paper analyzes the traffic impact on incentive project time performance using highway construction projects recently completed in Florida. Project data obtained from FDOT were evaluated using time performance indices. A survey of traffic impact on project work types was performed in Florida in order to evaluate the relationship between construction project types and road traffic influence during construction. Based on the survey results, the 38 most frequently used work types in Florida during the study period were categorized into three traffic impact levels： （1） high traffic impact, （2） medium traffic impact, and （3） low traffic impact. Statistical analysis was performed. The results show that there are significant differences on project time performance between low and high impact levels as well as low and medium impact levels.展开更多
This paper takes Hebei province of small water conservancy facilities construction project as the research object, the performance evaluation purposes of construction of farmland water conservancy facilities project, ...This paper takes Hebei province of small water conservancy facilities construction project as the research object, the performance evaluation purposes of construction of farmland water conservancy facilities project, the data sources when carry out performance evaluation, performance evaluation procedures and limitations of farmland water conservancy facilities construction project performance evaluation were discussed.展开更多
Sustainable performance is expected to become a major factor when examining the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its life cycle performance. The study on which this paper is based developed a simulati...Sustainable performance is expected to become a major factor when examining the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its life cycle performance. The study on which this paper is based developed a simulation model, using system dy- namics methodology, to assess the sustainable performance of projects. Three major factors are used to examine project sus- tainable performance (PSP): the sustainability of economic development (E), the sustainability of social development (S), and the sustainability of environmental development (En). Sustainable development ability (SDA) was used as a prototype to evaluate the degree of sustainable performance. The simulation software ‘ithink’ was used to help with the application of the model to a real life case. This paper explains and demonstrates the procedures used to develop the model and finally offers an approach for assessing the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its sustainable performance.展开更多
Construction delay is a widespread issue in the construction industry of developing countries, and Nepal is no exception. These delays extend project durations and lead to cost overruns and disputes among stakeholders...Construction delay is a widespread issue in the construction industry of developing countries, and Nepal is no exception. These delays extend project durations and lead to cost overruns and disputes among stakeholders. To address this problem, this study aimed to identify and analyze the significant factors that contribute to construction project delays in Nepal. To gather data, a well-structured questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 100 participants, including contractors, consultants, and civil engineers. Various statistical tests were conducted to ensure the data’s integrity and consistency, such as reliability assessments and factor analyses. The findings of the study highlighted multiple factors contributing to delays in construction projects such as inadequate design, poor communication, and coordination among stakeholders, insufficient experience and planning by contractors, delays in material delivery and testing, labor-related problems including shortages and low qualifications, and external factors like regulatory changes and unforeseen circumstances. By identifying these major causes of construction project delays, this study presented insightful information that can contribute to the analysis and evaluation of project performance.展开更多
The construction industry is increasingly using analytics tools to enhance decision-making and streamline project execution.However,human resource analytics(HRA)adoption has been slow due to concerns about cost and co...The construction industry is increasingly using analytics tools to enhance decision-making and streamline project execution.However,human resource analytics(HRA)adoption has been slow due to concerns about cost and complexity.Recent studies investigating HRA adoption rely on conceptual models and are in their early stages.To address this gap,this study takes an empirical approach by examining the antecedents and impacts of HRA adoption on project performance in the Jordanian construction industry.A deductive conceptual framework based on technology-organisation-environment(TOE)and resource-based view(RBV)theories is developed,and 198 individuals are surveyed.Using structural equation modelling(PLS-SEM),the study identifies eight factors that significantly impact HRA adoption and shows that adoption leads to significant project performance improvements.The study provides valuable insights into HRA adoption in the construction industry,with implications for human resource management,project performance,and the industry as a whole.展开更多
Mortgage-Financed Construction Projects in Kenya(MFCPs)have been associated with dismal performance.These projects have been riddled with cost and schedule overruns,among other challenges.This paper aimed to establish...Mortgage-Financed Construction Projects in Kenya(MFCPs)have been associated with dismal performance.These projects have been riddled with cost and schedule overruns,among other challenges.This paper aimed to establish the risk factors affecting the performance of MFCPs,their effects,and possible mitigation measures.A desk review approach was adopted whereby previous research published globally between the years 2004 and 2024 on the subject area was considered in the analysis.In total,58 studies were reviewed.However,data were collected from a total of 23 studies,representing a response rate of 39.7%.Some of the reasons why 35 studies were not considered were due to duplication of findings,lack of a clear method of data collection and analysis,and limited geographical scope,among other reasons.12 of the selected studies were from Kenya.Based on the reviewed studies,the research established a total of 31 individual factors.These were categorized into six groups,namely:X1-Market Risks,X2-Financial Risks,X3-Planning Risks,X4-Construction Risks,X5-Legal and Regulatory Risks,and X6-Environmental Risks.The four main effects of risks were found to be cost overruns,project delays,reduced profitability,and increased loan default risk.Some of the risk mitigation measures established included pre-construction due diligence,strict contract management,regular progress monitoring,contingency planning,and adequate insurance coverage.The paper concluded that the investigated risks were detrimental to the success of MFCPs and recommended an empirical study to be conducted in Kenya to evaluate the prevalence and effect on the performance of MFCPs,and the methods being used to mitigate them.展开更多
The stopping time of a one-dimensional bounded classical random walk（RW） is defined as the number of steps taken by a random walker to arrive at a fixed boundary for the first time.A quantum walk（QW） is a non-triv...The stopping time of a one-dimensional bounded classical random walk（RW） is defined as the number of steps taken by a random walker to arrive at a fixed boundary for the first time.A quantum walk（QW） is a non-trivial generalization of RW,and has attracted a great deal of interest from researchers working in quantum physics and quantum information.In this paper,we develop a method to calculate the stopping time for a one-dimensional QW.Using our method,we further compare the properties of stopping time for QW and RW.We find that the mean value of the stopping time is the same for both of these problems.However,for short times,the probability for a walker performing a QW to arrive at the boundary is larger than that for a RW.This means that,although the mean stopping time of a quantum and classical walker are the same,the quantum walker has a greater probability of arriving at the boundary earlier than the classical walker.展开更多
Drawing on resource dependence theory, this paper develops and empirically tests a model for understanding how the implementation of building information modeling(BIM) in construction projects impacts the performance ...Drawing on resource dependence theory, this paper develops and empirically tests a model for understanding how the implementation of building information modeling(BIM) in construction projects impacts the performance of different project participating organizations through improving their interorganizational collaboration capabilities. Based on two sets of survey data collected from designers and general contractors in BIMbased construction projects in China, the results from partial least squares analysis and bootstrapping mediation test provide clear evidence that BIM-enabled capabilities of information sharing and collaborative decision-making as a whole play a significant role in determining BIMenabled efficiency and effectiveness benefits for both designers and general contractors. The results further reveal that designers and general contractors benefit from project BIM implementation activities significantly nonequivalently, and that this non-equivalence closely relates to the different roles played by designers and general contractors in BIM-enabled interorganizational resource exchange processes. The findings validate the resource dependence theory perspective of BIM as a boundary spanning tool to manage interorganizational resource dependence in construction projects, and contribute todeepened understandings of how and why project participating organizations benefit differently from the implementation of interorganizational information technologies like BIM.展开更多
Energy performance contracting(EPC)has emerged as a useful project financ-ing and delivery tool for building retrofits,particularly among building owner-ships which have experienced reduced funding for capital project...Energy performance contracting(EPC)has emerged as a useful project financ-ing and delivery tool for building retrofits,particularly among building owner-ships which have experienced reduced funding for capital projects.Through EPC,a contractor(called the EPC contractor or the energy service company)guaran-tees minimum energy savings performance and enables the building owner to finance the project using utility savings over the length of the project(which is typically 12-15 years,or longer).Despite its growing use,there is a dearth of lit-erature regarding a contractor’s risks related to the delivery and execution of EPC building retrofits.This is particularly important as the performance guarantee effec-tively transfers project performance risk from the owner to the EPC contractor.This research proposes a project factors-based risk framework for EPC building retrofits,initially developed through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and project documents and refined through the elicited expertise of 19 highly expe-rienced EPC contracting professionals.A Delphi technique-based expertise elici-tation strategy was used to confirm the findings of the a priori(literature-based)framework and provide additional analysis related to risk causes and control mea-sures as well as relative risk importance.This information was used to construct a refined risk framework which provides insight into the lengthy project performance period during the earliest phases of the project’s life cycle.This has the advantage of providing rapid screening of the project factors that can potentially lead to the greatest project performance risks.展开更多
Energy performance contracting provides guaranteed minimum energy savings to building owners,enabling them to finance project costs using utility savings over the duration of the project.This has been an attractive pr...Energy performance contracting provides guaranteed minimum energy savings to building owners,enabling them to finance project costs using utility savings over the duration of the project.This has been an attractive project delivery method for organizations with reduced budgets for capital projects,particularly among correctional facilities which frequently have lengthy periods of deferred maintenance and ongoing building operations and maintenance concerns.This research builds on a previously developed project factors risk framework for energy service companies undertaking building retrofits.This paper proposes a risk analysis and evaluation model that includes quantitative,expert-based,and probabilistically derived information.Expected cost was used to evaluate risks over lengthy project life cycles and a new metric was developed for use in the model-expected life cycle value.Model results reveal that the most critical risk factors relate to the reduced availability of“low-hanging fruit”energy conservation measures,work scopes based on traditional design-bid-build procurement,unavailable or inaccurate facility information,facility age and current code requirements,and conducting the investment grade audit too quickly.The life cycle cost-based risk model employed in this paper is proposed as an advancement over traditional risk management methods,and it is expected to be applicable,with modification,across other municipal and state government subdomains,especially high security projects.展开更多
文摘It is often argued that the core of organizational success is efficient collaboration.Some authors even posit that efficient collaboration is more important to organizational innovation and performance than individual skills or expertise.However,the lack of efficient models to manage collaboration properly is a major constraint for organizations to profit from internal and external collaborative initiatives.Currently,much of the collaboration in organizations occurs through virtual network channels,such as e-mail,Yammer,Jabber,Microsoft Teams,Skype,and Zoom.These are even more important in situations where different time zones and even threats of a pandemic constrain face-to-face human interactions.This work introduces a multidisciplinary heuristic model developed based on project risk management and social network analysis centrality metrics graph-theory to quantitatively measure dynamic organizational collaboration in the project environment.A case study illustrates the proposed model’s implementation and application in a real virtual project organizational context.The major benefit of applying this proposed model is that it enables organizations to quantitatively measure different collaborative,organizational,and dynamic behavioral patterns,which can later correlate with organizational outcomes.The model analyzes three collaborative project dimensions:network collaboration cohesion evolution,network collaboration degree evolution,and network team set variability evolution.This provides organizations an innovative approach to understand and manage possible collaborative project risks that may emerge as projects are delivered.Organizations can use the proposed model to identify projects’critical success factors by comparing successful and unsuccessful delivered projects’dynamic behaviors if a substantial number of both project types are analyzed.The proposed model also enables organizations to make decisions with more information regarding the support for changes in observed collaborative patterns as demonstrated by statistical models in general,and linear regressions in particular.Further,the proposed model provides organizations with a completely bias-free data-collection process that eliminates organizational downtime.Finally,applying the proposed model in organizations will reduce or eliminate the risks associated with virtual collaborative dynamics,leading to the optimized use of resources;this will transform organizations to become more lean-oriented and significantly contribute to economic,social,and environmental global sustainability.
文摘The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reduction in capacity during construction activity; consequently road users as well as adjacent businesses must endure the delays and inconveniences associated with transportation construction. Recognizing the problems that construction can produce, state highway agencies （SHAs） have continually sought ways to minimize the negative impact from their construction operations. Incentive contracting has played an important role in this effort to improve project performance. The Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT） is one of the leading SHAs using such innovative contracting methods as Incentive/Disincentive （I/D）, A＋B （cost plus time bidding） combined with I/D, No Excuse Bonus, and Liquidated Savings. This paper analyzes the traffic impact on incentive project time performance using highway construction projects recently completed in Florida. Project data obtained from FDOT were evaluated using time performance indices. A survey of traffic impact on project work types was performed in Florida in order to evaluate the relationship between construction project types and road traffic influence during construction. Based on the survey results, the 38 most frequently used work types in Florida during the study period were categorized into three traffic impact levels： （1） high traffic impact, （2） medium traffic impact, and （3） low traffic impact. Statistical analysis was performed. The results show that there are significant differences on project time performance between low and high impact levels as well as low and medium impact levels.
文摘This paper takes Hebei province of small water conservancy facilities construction project as the research object, the performance evaluation purposes of construction of farmland water conservancy facilities project, the data sources when carry out performance evaluation, performance evaluation procedures and limitations of farmland water conservancy facilities construction project performance evaluation were discussed.
基金Project supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong,China
文摘Sustainable performance is expected to become a major factor when examining the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its life cycle performance. The study on which this paper is based developed a simulation model, using system dy- namics methodology, to assess the sustainable performance of projects. Three major factors are used to examine project sus- tainable performance (PSP): the sustainability of economic development (E), the sustainability of social development (S), and the sustainability of environmental development (En). Sustainable development ability (SDA) was used as a prototype to evaluate the degree of sustainable performance. The simulation software ‘ithink’ was used to help with the application of the model to a real life case. This paper explains and demonstrates the procedures used to develop the model and finally offers an approach for assessing the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its sustainable performance.
文摘Construction delay is a widespread issue in the construction industry of developing countries, and Nepal is no exception. These delays extend project durations and lead to cost overruns and disputes among stakeholders. To address this problem, this study aimed to identify and analyze the significant factors that contribute to construction project delays in Nepal. To gather data, a well-structured questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 100 participants, including contractors, consultants, and civil engineers. Various statistical tests were conducted to ensure the data’s integrity and consistency, such as reliability assessments and factor analyses. The findings of the study highlighted multiple factors contributing to delays in construction projects such as inadequate design, poor communication, and coordination among stakeholders, insufficient experience and planning by contractors, delays in material delivery and testing, labor-related problems including shortages and low qualifications, and external factors like regulatory changes and unforeseen circumstances. By identifying these major causes of construction project delays, this study presented insightful information that can contribute to the analysis and evaluation of project performance.
文摘The construction industry is increasingly using analytics tools to enhance decision-making and streamline project execution.However,human resource analytics(HRA)adoption has been slow due to concerns about cost and complexity.Recent studies investigating HRA adoption rely on conceptual models and are in their early stages.To address this gap,this study takes an empirical approach by examining the antecedents and impacts of HRA adoption on project performance in the Jordanian construction industry.A deductive conceptual framework based on technology-organisation-environment(TOE)and resource-based view(RBV)theories is developed,and 198 individuals are surveyed.Using structural equation modelling(PLS-SEM),the study identifies eight factors that significantly impact HRA adoption and shows that adoption leads to significant project performance improvements.The study provides valuable insights into HRA adoption in the construction industry,with implications for human resource management,project performance,and the industry as a whole.
文摘Mortgage-Financed Construction Projects in Kenya(MFCPs)have been associated with dismal performance.These projects have been riddled with cost and schedule overruns,among other challenges.This paper aimed to establish the risk factors affecting the performance of MFCPs,their effects,and possible mitigation measures.A desk review approach was adopted whereby previous research published globally between the years 2004 and 2024 on the subject area was considered in the analysis.In total,58 studies were reviewed.However,data were collected from a total of 23 studies,representing a response rate of 39.7%.Some of the reasons why 35 studies were not considered were due to duplication of findings,lack of a clear method of data collection and analysis,and limited geographical scope,among other reasons.12 of the selected studies were from Kenya.Based on the reviewed studies,the research established a total of 31 individual factors.These were categorized into six groups,namely:X1-Market Risks,X2-Financial Risks,X3-Planning Risks,X4-Construction Risks,X5-Legal and Regulatory Risks,and X6-Environmental Risks.The four main effects of risks were found to be cost overruns,project delays,reduced profitability,and increased loan default risk.Some of the risk mitigation measures established included pre-construction due diligence,strict contract management,regular progress monitoring,contingency planning,and adequate insurance coverage.The paper concluded that the investigated risks were detrimental to the success of MFCPs and recommended an empirical study to be conducted in Kenya to evaluate the prevalence and effect on the performance of MFCPs,and the methods being used to mitigate them.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11222430,11434011,and 11474049)the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2012CB922104)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Chinathe Research Funds of Renmin University of China(Grant No.16XNLQ03)
文摘The stopping time of a one-dimensional bounded classical random walk（RW） is defined as the number of steps taken by a random walker to arrive at a fixed boundary for the first time.A quantum walk（QW） is a non-trivial generalization of RW,and has attracted a great deal of interest from researchers working in quantum physics and quantum information.In this paper,we develop a method to calculate the stopping time for a one-dimensional QW.Using our method,we further compare the properties of stopping time for QW and RW.We find that the mean value of the stopping time is the same for both of these problems.However,for short times,the probability for a walker performing a QW to arrive at the boundary is larger than that for a RW.This means that,although the mean stopping time of a quantum and classical walker are the same,the quantum walker has a greater probability of arriving at the boundary earlier than the classical walker.
基金supported by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme in Hong Kong (Grant No. 2014. A6.054.15B)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71272046)
文摘Drawing on resource dependence theory, this paper develops and empirically tests a model for understanding how the implementation of building information modeling(BIM) in construction projects impacts the performance of different project participating organizations through improving their interorganizational collaboration capabilities. Based on two sets of survey data collected from designers and general contractors in BIMbased construction projects in China, the results from partial least squares analysis and bootstrapping mediation test provide clear evidence that BIM-enabled capabilities of information sharing and collaborative decision-making as a whole play a significant role in determining BIMenabled efficiency and effectiveness benefits for both designers and general contractors. The results further reveal that designers and general contractors benefit from project BIM implementation activities significantly nonequivalently, and that this non-equivalence closely relates to the different roles played by designers and general contractors in BIM-enabled interorganizational resource exchange processes. The findings validate the resource dependence theory perspective of BIM as a boundary spanning tool to manage interorganizational resource dependence in construction projects, and contribute todeepened understandings of how and why project participating organizations benefit differently from the implementation of interorganizational information technologies like BIM.
文摘Energy performance contracting(EPC)has emerged as a useful project financ-ing and delivery tool for building retrofits,particularly among building owner-ships which have experienced reduced funding for capital projects.Through EPC,a contractor(called the EPC contractor or the energy service company)guaran-tees minimum energy savings performance and enables the building owner to finance the project using utility savings over the length of the project(which is typically 12-15 years,or longer).Despite its growing use,there is a dearth of lit-erature regarding a contractor’s risks related to the delivery and execution of EPC building retrofits.This is particularly important as the performance guarantee effec-tively transfers project performance risk from the owner to the EPC contractor.This research proposes a project factors-based risk framework for EPC building retrofits,initially developed through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and project documents and refined through the elicited expertise of 19 highly expe-rienced EPC contracting professionals.A Delphi technique-based expertise elici-tation strategy was used to confirm the findings of the a priori(literature-based)framework and provide additional analysis related to risk causes and control mea-sures as well as relative risk importance.This information was used to construct a refined risk framework which provides insight into the lengthy project performance period during the earliest phases of the project’s life cycle.This has the advantage of providing rapid screening of the project factors that can potentially lead to the greatest project performance risks.
文摘Energy performance contracting provides guaranteed minimum energy savings to building owners,enabling them to finance project costs using utility savings over the duration of the project.This has been an attractive project delivery method for organizations with reduced budgets for capital projects,particularly among correctional facilities which frequently have lengthy periods of deferred maintenance and ongoing building operations and maintenance concerns.This research builds on a previously developed project factors risk framework for energy service companies undertaking building retrofits.This paper proposes a risk analysis and evaluation model that includes quantitative,expert-based,and probabilistically derived information.Expected cost was used to evaluate risks over lengthy project life cycles and a new metric was developed for use in the model-expected life cycle value.Model results reveal that the most critical risk factors relate to the reduced availability of“low-hanging fruit”energy conservation measures,work scopes based on traditional design-bid-build procurement,unavailable or inaccurate facility information,facility age and current code requirements,and conducting the investment grade audit too quickly.The life cycle cost-based risk model employed in this paper is proposed as an advancement over traditional risk management methods,and it is expected to be applicable,with modification,across other municipal and state government subdomains,especially high security projects.
