Utility-Function Model for Engineering Performance Assessment

The issue of evaluating the effectiveness of the ecological system project using the "discoun­ted payback period" criterion, which takes into account transformational changes in its life cycle model, is considered. The specific peculiarities of the life cycle of the ecological system project were studied, in which it is proposed to include, in addition to the generally accepted pre-investment, investment and ope­rational phases, ecologically oriented phases. Regenerative and revitalization phases are conside­red to be ecologically oriented, that is, during which actions aimed at reducing the eco-destructive impact of the ecological system on the environment are performed. In the regenerative phase, an ecological product is created, which includes a complex of logistics services for the promotion of reverse recycling-utilization and related flows. The revitalization phase should end with the revival of the ecosystem damaged as a result of the creation and functioning of the ecological system. The phases of the life cycle are divided into stages, between which serial and parallel connections are established. The life cycle of the project is divided into time intervals during which from one to three stages of different phases of the project can proceed in parallel. A model of the life cycle of the ecological system project was developed, which shows the relationships between time intervals and cash flows corresponding to the phases of the project life cycle. A mathematical formula for calculating the discounted life of the project is proposed, which takes into account the specific features of the formation of cash flows of individual phases of the life cycle of the ecological system project. The application of the formula is possible when the assumption of constancy of cash flows of the stages of operational and regenerative phases is fulfilled, which corresponds to the impossibility of their exact forecast at the beginning of the project. Functional dependencies between the discounted payback period and cash flows during the phases of the project's life cycle were studied. Depending on the phase of the life cycle, the dependence is expressed as a linear, polynomial or power function. The detection of functional dependencies allows to study the dynamics of changes in the discounted payback period in response to changes in the project's cash flows, which can be used to predict the effectiveness of the ecological system project. In order to take into account the uncertainty of the conditions for the implementation of the ecological system project, an approach based on the use of the tools of fuzzy set theory is proposed.

The traditional construction project performance indicators are no longer the sole determinant of the performance of construction projects, firms, and actors because other construction performance indicators and factors such as Building Information Modelling are increasingly becoming important and relevant. This paper identifies a comprehensive set of construction project performance indicators, and it establishes a new, integrated, model for evaluating construction performance. The model uses ten types of performance indicators and four types of performance factors for Building Information Modelling-based construction projects. The result of the study is a set of comprehensive construction project performance indicators that are useful in enhancing the performance of construction firms, projects, and actors. The paper concludes with recommendations for the development of relative weightings and measurement models for the indicators and the development of measurement models for the various components of construction project performance indicators and Building Information Modelling performance indicators in future studies.

In construction industry safety issues are the major concern for the stakeholders due to its hazardous nature as it causes injuries and losses of lives to workers. A lot of safety mitigations have been taken but still, the fatalities in construction projects are increasing day by day. The focus of this theoretical review is to underline the critical factors causing poor safety performance in construction projects. The review was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, critical factors causing poor safety performance were highlighted. Besides emphasizing the critical factors, other studies have been reviewed in the second phase where various methods and techniques have been highlighted as safety assessment tools to knob the accidents at the earliest stage of the project. The key findings of this review paper are the main critical factors which influence the construction safety and the developed techniques to enhance the project safety performance. By focusing on the issues and available solutions, stakeholders can bring betterment into their projects.

In this paper, a framework is proposed for the investigation of base level components in the assessment of performance in construction projects. A multi-method simulation paradigm is proposed to provide a structure for bottom-up abstraction and modeling of construction projects based on micro-behaviors at the base level. The proposed framework and the model are used in a numerical example related to concrete pouring to evaluate the impacts of micro-behaviors at the base level on project performance. The findings of the case study highlight the importance of modeling the base level components and demonstrate the capability of the proposed framework in enhancing the assessment of performance in construction projects.

This dissertation investigated how personality traits and team criteria influence team performance in real construction projects. Though personality influence on team performance has been significantly investigated in other business sectors, the literature revealed that the construction industry lacks investigations regarding personality influencing team performance. The existing literature revealed that the Big Five Factors (BFF) was the most popular assessment tool for personality. Thus, this dissertation adopted the 50-Item Personality questionnaire developed by Goldberg, which consited of extraversion, aggreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. The literature also revealed several common team criteria to evaluate team performance: team member satisfaction, shared values/goals/culture, commitment/responsibility, communication/information sharing, and trust/respect. This investigation aimed to find what personality traits influence team performance in construction projects and determine the accuracy of the personality traits and team criteria conditions. The qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) revealed that personality traits influence team performance only in combination with team criteria. It also revealed that agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experiance are the most influential traits in the sampled construction projects. QCA also revealed team criteria conditions were the most influential and that trust and respect must be present in construction teams to achieve high team performance. This dissertation provided valuable findings to the construction industry by demonstrating that personality traits and team criteria are influence team performance. The practical implication of the results is that construction stakeholders must value trust/respect and use personality, especially agreeableness, to access and maintain trust/respect levels during the project's construction phase.

This study conducts a Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Analysis on three-storey building in Abuja, Nigeria, addressing existing gaps in LCC approaches tailored to the challenges of the local building sector. The research aims to uncover financial allocations, decision making criteria, and sustainability factors throughout the construction project's life cycle, utilizing a mixed-methods approach for data collection. Structured questionnaires provide quantitative insights, while interviews and document analysis offer qualitative depth. Guided by a robust theoretical framework encompassing literature on life cycle costing, sustainability practices, and construction-specific decision-making criteria in Abuja, the study critically examines the life cycle costs of the building. It emphasizes identifying decision-making criteria that balance economic efficiency and sustainability. Anticipated outcomes include a nuanced understanding of life cycle costing dynamics in Abuja, providing actionable insights for project stakeholders and policymakers. The study contributes valuable insights to the broader discourse on life cycle costing in dynamic urban environments, aligning with global imperatives for sustainable construction practices. The research outcomes offer practical guidance for sustainable decision-making in construction projects, addressing both global principles and local complexities.

Purpose: Aviation sector in Kenya facilitates both international and domestic trade, promotes tourism and foreign investment thus contributing to government revenue and employment opportunities. Therefore, improving airport infrastructure would help reduce travel time, improve connectivity. The high rates of project failure have become a major concern for stakeholders hence the need to identify key factors that promote project success or failure. This study seeks to assess the critical success factor influencing the performance of construction projects in Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted quantitative method to examine critical success factors for the performance of aviation construction projects in Kenya. Descriptive case study research design was adopted and self –administered questionnaires were used to collect quantitative for analysis. The variables of interest include timely financing project activities, competency of contractors, participation of stakeholders, and management skills. Descriptive analysis and inferential tests were conducted with the aid of IBM SPSS version 23 software.Results: The study found that timely financing, contractor competency, stakeholder participation, and management skills have positive and significant influence on the performance of aviation construction projects. Descriptive results suggest that tractors competency, timely financing, management skills, and stakeholders’ participation have a strong positive influence on project performance. The study has also established a significant contribution of contractor competency to the successful performance of aviation construction projects. It was also noted that participation of key stakeholders in projects identification, decision making, and resource mobilization can enhance the success of aviation construction projects. It was observed that these factors account for over 54.9% of changes in project performance.Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: In light of these results, the study recommends industry players to put measures in place that would allow timely provisions of finance for all project activities. It is also important to source for competent and experienced contractors, engage key stakeholders in decision making about the project, and recruit a competent and skilled project manager. The study results have a significant contribution to practitioners in the aviation construction sector in Kenya. The study provides the practitioner with the most critical variables likely to influence the performance of aviation construction projects. It further acknowledges that external factors also influence the success of these projects. In light of this, the practitioners can institute contingency plans to mitigate the risks to ensure successful completion of their projects. To the academic, the current study has filled literature gap on critical success factors for aviation project performance. Given the upcoming mega project in aviation sector around the world, these factors provide the basis for future research in this area to ensure these projects are executed successfully within budget and schedule

This article presents a methodology to calculate the social cost of sustainability metrics with environmental footprint evaluation tools. Measuring the impacts of a remediation project on society is challenging because the methods by which these impacts can be measured have not been established. To perform a complete sustainability assessment of a project's life cycle, costs borne by society in terms of environmental, economic, and community impacts must be evaluated. Two knowledge gaps have been identified among the sustainability assessments currently being performed during a remediation project's life cycle: (1) lack of methodologies available to evaluate impacts on the socioeconomic aspects of remediation and (2) lack of sustainability assessments conducted during the site characterization stage. Sustainability assessments were conducted on two case studies using the methodology proposed in this article: one during the site characterization stage and the other during remedial action. The results of this study demonstrated that costs borne by society from a remediation project are significant and metric specific. This study also highlighted the benefits of conducting a sustainability assessment at the site characterization stage using environmental footprint analysis tools, cost benefit analysis, and an evaluation of costs borne by society. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fleet replenishment projects represent a specific category of projects, which is manifested in features of the life cycle of the project and product. The article presents the structure of the marketing activities, taking into account the specifics of the fleet replenishment project (life cycle, a product of the project). The object of research is marketing activities of the fleet replenishment projects. The purpose of research is the identification of the marketing activities structure in the fleet replenishment project management. The specificity of the different kinds of product, which are connected with different kinds of fleet replenishment projects, is based on two forms of shipping and two categories of services marketing position - standardized and differentiated (unique). For fleet replenishment projects the project product variants and their marketing specifics have been identified, taking into account their specificity. It is proposed to divide the products of the fleet replenishment projects into two components: the material part of the project product and the intangible part of the project product. The material part is connected with the ship, as with a material object. The non-material part is a transportation service and the potential ability to provide transportation services. The article shows the relationship of marketing in operational and project activities for shipping companies. Also, the study establishes their main differences. The article presents marketing structure of the fleet replenishment projects according to management processes, knowledge areas, phases of the project lifecycle and the lifecycle of the product. Basic directions of marketing research for every stage of fleet replenishment project life cycle are presented. The results are focused on their use as basic content of marketing research in the fleet replenishment projects. There have been proposed methods of processing of data, which were received as a result of sociological questioning of people concerning their attitude to this or that party.

The ability of engineers to adapt and compete is crucial for the success and effectiveness of an organisation. Human capacity development (HCD) has been acknowledged as a concept to improve individual and team skills in setting goals and maintaining the competencies needed to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Therefore, it is important to focus on HCD in order to strengthen engineers for long-term efficiency. Although previous studies have primarily focused on environmental and economic dimensions, the social dimension, specifically HCD, has received less attention. This paper aims to identify the attributes of HCD in sustainable construction during different phases of a construction project's life cycle. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify and critically evaluate papers related to HCD. The attributes identified as important for improved company or agency performance include Leadership, Knowledgeability and Accountability. Based on these findings, management initiatives to apply HCD can improve performance among civil engineers.

This article focuses on enhancing the performance of supervisory consultants in construction projects through assessments conducted in the LKPP's SIKaP application. Supervision plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth execution of construction activities and addressing potential obstacles. The quality and safety of construction operations have become increasingly important, necessitating effective supervision. The article highlights the importance of conducting assessments to measure the success of supervisory consultants in meeting project objectives and adhering to established standards. It emphasizes the evaluation of various performance criteria, including human resources, equipment, materials, costs, time, and quality. The assessment process enables the identification of strengths and weaknesses, facilitating corrective measures and improving future performance. The article also emphasizes the interconnectedness of construction supervision and project management, with project management playing a pivotal role in achieving project goals. Communication management is highlighted as a crucial aspect for effective project execution. The regulatory framework governing technical supervision activities in construction projects is discussed, along with the roles and responsibilities of construction management and construction supervision service providers. The article emphasizes the importance of on-site inspections, project administration, progress monitoring, and quality management in construction supervision. Lastly, the article discusses the evaluation of providers' performance in goods/services procurement, emphasizing the importance of quality, cost efficiency, and adherence to standards. The implementation of the SIKaP application is seen as a means to enhance transparency, accountability, and project quality in the construction industry, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and industry benchmarking.

The recent notable emergence of a body of research in requirements management on one hand and benefits realisation has contributed to addressing a growing need for improved performance in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects. However, front end design (FED) as one of the vital processes in the project life cycle and delivery has attracted limited research to date within this understanding. This paper aims to map current evidence on requirements management in facilitating benefits realisation from an FED perspective. This is to bring about an updated and unified position on requirements management for its impact on design decision making. A systematic review of the literature covering the last ten years (2008–2018) aims first to build understanding and support identification of these emergent conceptual positions and secondly underscore essential requirements and their categorisations that impact on design discourse in FED. One hundred sixty-one peer-reviewed journal papers in the areas of benefits realisation and/or requirements management and/or FED based are identified on a pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-six requirements are identified as important in influencing use case changes important in design decision making broadly grouped into nine major categories. Following analysis, this research finds little evidence supporting an integrated requirements management practice and understanding to support design decision making. The research further finds bias in current research discourse towards four requirements categories (technical, economics, governance and environment); and 14 requirements, dominated by three strategic values, collaboration and project governance, with over 80% share of literature. The least 14 requirements such as “flow of spaces, social status/aspiration, mobility and integrated design” among others only account for less than 10% of literature. The authors argue for new research to bridge this gap, highlight the essential role of requirements management and broaden understanding to improve benefits realisation, particularly for FED processes.

Safety performance in construction projects is attributed to many determinants (factors) in a safety system. This study identifies various directly or indirectly related determinants and their effects on safety performance of construction projects. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study empirically examines the effect of safety climate (SC), hazard management (HM), safety budget (SB), safety rules and regulations (SR), and safe work behavior (WB) of employees and workers on safety performance (SP) of projects. The unit of analysis of this study is a construction project. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and 230 responses were collected from different types of construction projects across India. The results provide evidence that safety climate, safety budget, and hazard management positively influence safe work behavior of employees and the safety performance of the project. Conversely, the SEM findings demonstrate that implementation of safety rules and regulations are positivel...

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the outcome of construction projects and explore the moderating effects of emerging technologies on the relationship between COVID-19 and construction project outcomes.Design/methodology/approachData for the study was collected through a Web-based, semistructured questionnaire. The responses of 62 construction practitioners were analyzed using a hierarchical linear regression model. The model consists of 16 independent variables, three control variables (organization size, organization type and project size), one moderator (adoption level of emerging technologies) and three dependent variables (project time, project cost and project quality).FindingsThe study confirms the negative significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of construction projects. It also identifies the significant moderating effects of emerging technologies in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on construction projects. Further, it shows a significant increase in the application of emerging technologies in construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings related to the moderating impact of the technology, this study provides a clear set of recommendations for construction firms, public sector and research community in combating the unavoidable situation similar to the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to identify the moderating role of technology on the impact of COVID-19 on the performance of the construction sector in Pakistan. The findings can also be used for the construction sectors of other developing countries.

Safety incentive and penalty (I/P) provisions in construction contracts are one of the most common forms of I/P. Contradictory opinions on the effectiveness of these provisions have been expressed in the literature. Statistics on safety provisions were collected from 32 construction projects, which include both types of contracts – those with safety I/P provisions and those without them. Although inclusion of safety I/P provisions in contracts helps in improving the overall safety performance in construction projects, further scope for improvement still exists. Literature review and structured personal interviews, coupled with a survey based on preliminary questionnaire, revealed that successful formulation and implementation of such provisions are dependent on 25 attributes which need the attention of both clients and contractors. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to evaluate these attributes. The six factors extracted by carrying out factor analysis are: incentive distribution method, proper labour training, special attention to risky situations, role of safety committee and sub-contractors, specialised works and safety equipments, and right form of I/P. If taken care of, these attributes have the potential to improve the safety performance in construction projects. The results would be useful to clients and contractors in implementing the safety I/P provisions and thereby improving safety performance.