Parametric analysis of different project planning and control functions | |
| Author | Kazi, Abdul Samad |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.CM-04-01 |
| Subject(s) | Industrial project management Construction industry--Planning |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Engineering, School of Civil Engineering |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. CM-04-01 |
| Abstract | The construction industry typically operates on the modus operandi of the virtual enterprise whereby distinct and often unrelated organisational entities share complementary competencies to deliver a particular product or service, such as a building, or maintenance respectively. Much research has been conducted on the different project planning and control functions that support construction processes. Some have focussed on a particular function such as schedule planning and control, whereas others have taken a more integrative perspective. In most cases, the focus is on the refinement of certain processes, and the management of the same through different ICT solutions. While we do observe interoperability between some solutions that cover all planning and control functions, this is still more of an exception than a commonality. This study makes an attempt to explore the nature of different project planning and control functions, and in particular their parameters. An attempt through both literature reviews, questionnaires, and interviews was used to explore the nature of these parameters. The underlying hypothesis being that better awareness of the nature of these parameters and their inter-relationships can contribute to better project planning and control. Results of the analysis showed that few practitioners (involved in medium sized construction projects) were well versed on the different planning and control parameters, and their nature. It was furthermore observed that few ICT solutions were used for integrated planning and control. Most organisations used a combination of solutions or had developed their own proprietary solutions. During the interviews, many of those interviewed mentioned that poor planning and control of projects was not necessarily due to inefficient ICT solutions or poor practices within a given organisation, but in fact a consequence of product or service delivery in collaboration with other organisations. Here the exchange of information between organisations with regard to processes was of little importance as compared to product related information. An unforeseen challenge for this research was the exploration of the dynamics of interenterprise collaboration within construction organisations. This challenge was mainly an outcome of the interviews mentioned earlier. The exploration conducted centred on the identification of the operational norms of construction organisations in collaborative environments, functional and technical requirements (hardly any ICT solutions exist today to support inter-enterprise collaboration and project planning and control in construction) from an ICT solution. This exploration was conducted under two large scale research projects, GLOBEMEN and OSMOS. A generic ICT reference architecture was developed, and a set of system components for the same identified. This was furthermore demonstrated through a case study on distributed engineering in construction and one on facilities management. |
| Year | 2004 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. CM-04-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Civil Engineering |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Construction Engineering and Infrastructure Management (CM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Chotchai Chareonngam; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ogunlana, Stephen O.; Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai; Vilas Wuwongse;Aouad, Ghassan ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004 |