Delft University of Technology
The dynamics of Design & Construction Management
Wamelink, Hans
Publication date
2016
Document Version
Final published version
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Citation (APA)
Wamelink, H. (2016). The dynamics of Design & Construction Management. Boss Magazine, 57, 6-9.
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The dynamics of design & construction managennent
Hans W a m e l i n k
In the past 25 years I have worked in both the
practical and the academic domains. Exciting
times! Looking back, I can only conclude that
alternating between the t w o has given me a
great deal. It has enabled me to experience the
changes in the construction industry from different
perspectives: as a participating practitioner and
as an observing academic, and in both cases with
the drive to work innovatively and to change
the industry. Moreover, those 25 years have
been a period of interesting developments.
M u c h has c h a n g e d , b u t m u c h has r e m a i n e d t h e s a m e as w e l l . N o t least t h e c o n s t a n t q u e s t t o f i n d t h e o p t i m u m p r o c e s s , w i t h i n t e g r a t i o n a n d c o o p e r a t i o n a l w a y s as a c o r e t h e m e w i t h i n t h e " l o o s e l y c o u p l e d s y s t e m " t h a t c o n s t r u c t i o n s e e m s t o b e . A f t e r 2 5 y e a r s o f r e s e a r c h a n d e x p e r i e n c e , t h o u g h , o n e t h i n g is c l e a r t o m e : t h e r e is n o o p t i m u m p r o c e s s in g e n e r a l . R a t h e r , w e have t o l e a r n t o r e s p o n d b e t t e r t o t h e s p e c i f i c r e q u i r e m e n t s o f o u r c o n s t r u c t i o n a s s i g n m e n t s , a n d t o m a k e t h e r i g h t c h o i c e s a c c o r d i n g l y . T h e w h i m s i c a l h i s t o r y of m a n a g e m e n t in c o n s t r u c t i o n T h e s p i r i t o f an age s e e m s t o g r e a t l y i n f l u e n c e its m a n a g e m e n t m e t h o d s . R e s e a r c h e r s like Fayol a n d T a y l o r laid t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f t h e f i r s t m a n a g e m e n t t h e o r i e s e a r l y in t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y , d e v e l o p i n g " d e s i g n r u l e s " f o r e f f e c t i v e p r o c e s s e s (Taylor, 1 9 1 1 ) . A t t h e h e a r t o f t h e i r t h i n k i n g w e r e t h e d i v i s i o n o f l a b o u r ( s p e c i a l i s a t i o n ) a n d t h e a l l o c a t i o n o f s p e c i f i c t a s k s a n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t o p a r t i c u l a r e m p l o y e e s . In a d d i t i o n , t h e y b e l i e v e d t h a t n o s i n g l e p e r s o n w a s c a p a b l e o f d i r e c t l y m a n a g i n g m o r e
t h a n five o r six o t h e r s . A l t h o u g h still r e l e v a n t in c e r t a i n
s i t u a t i o n s , t h e s e ideas h a v e o b v i o u s l y b e e n s u p e r s e d e d by n e w c o n c e p t s o f m a n a g e m e n t r e s u l t i n g f r o m c h a n g e s in s o c i e t y . W i t h r e g a r d t o c o n s t r u c t i o n m a n a g e m e n t in p a r t i c u l a r , t h e p a s t fifty y e a r s have s e e n h u g e i n t e l l e c t u a l c h a n g e s . " P r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t " e m e r g e d as a f u l l y - f l e d g e d d i s c i p l i n e in t h e 1 9 6 0 s a n d 1 9 7 0 s , a p e r i o d o f m u c h r e s e a r c h a n d m a n y p u b l i c a t i o n s o n its m e t h o d s a n d t e c h n i q u e s . For e x a m p l e , t h i s w a s w h e n t h e " n e t w o r k s c h e d u l i n g " t e c h n i q u e w a s d e v e l o p e d a n d first a p p l i e d w i t h i n t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y . By t h e l a t e 197ÜS i n t o t h e 1 9 8 0 s , t h a t h a d b e c o m e t h e " m a i n c o u r s e " in c o n s t r u c t i o n m a n a g e m e n t e d u c a t i o n . F r o m m y o w n s t u d e n t d a y s , I r e m e m b e r t h e a s s i g n m e n t s t o p r o d u c e c o m p l i c a t e d n e t w o r k s c h e m e s a l o n g t h o s e lines. T h e a p p e a r a n c e o f t h e first c o m p u t e r s r e i n f o r c e d t h e idea t h a t n e t w o r k p l a n n i n g c o u l d b e u s e d t o k e e p e v e r y d e t a i l o f a p r o j e c t c o m p l e t e l y u n d e r c o n t r o l .
"Project management emerged
as a fully-fledged discipline in the
1960s and 1970s, a period of much
research and many publications
on its methods and techniques
(...) From my own student days,
I remember the assignments to
produce complicated network
schemes"
In t h e late 1 9 8 0 s a n d 1 9 9 0 s , h o w e v e r , it b e c a m e c l e a r t h a t t r a d i t i o n a l p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t m e t h o d s d i d n o t a l w a y s p r o v i d e t h e r i g h t a n s w e r s f o r t h e c o o r d i n a t i o n p r o b l e m s i n h e r e n t t o t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y . T h e f r a g m e n t e d p r o c e s s r e q u i r e d n e w s t r u c t u r a l s o l u t i o n s . W h i l s t s u c h f r a g m e n t a t i o n h a d a l w a y s e x i s t e d , in t h o s e y e a r s it w a s e x a c e r b a t e d by i n c r e a s i n g s p e c i a l i s a t i o n w i t h i n t h e i n d u s t r y as w e l l as by s u c h p h e n o m e n a as t h e rise o f i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t e c h n o l o g y . T h e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t h e ease w i t h w h i c h it c o u l d b e m o d i f i e d m a d e it d i f f i c u l t t o m a i n t a i n t h e s t r i c t p h a s i n g p r o p a g a t e d by t r a d i t i o n a l p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t t h e o r i e s . T h e a m o u n t o f i n f o r m a t i o n t o h a n d a n d t h e l e v e l o f r e d u n d a n c y r e s u l t e d in i n e f f i c i e n c i e s a n d m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s , i n c r e a s i n g t h e risk o f c o o r d i n a t i o n p r o b l e m s a n d h e n c e o f f a i l u r e c o s t s . A n o t h e r t r i g g e r6 MBE Anniversary IVlagazine
o f f u n d a m e n t a l c h a n g e w a s t h e w a y c o n s t r u c t i o n c o m p a n i e s d e a l t w i t h t e n d e r s . T h e h a b i t o f d i s c u s s i n g t h e s e in a d v a n c e , w h i c h w a s c o m m o n p r a c t i c e - a n d a r e g u l a t e d a c t i v i t y - u n t i l 2 0 0 2 , led t o q u e s t i o n s in t h e D u t c h P a r l i a m e n t a n d w h a t w o u l d b e c o m e k n o w n as t h e ' C o n s t r u c t i o n F r a u d ' s c a n d a l . F r o m t h a t p o i n t o n w a r d s , d e m a n d s t h a t t h e i n d u s t r y c h a n g e s t r u c t u r a l l y in c e r t a i n areas b e c a m e m o r e a n d m o r e u r g e n t : its p e r f o r m a n c e a n d i m a g e w e r e in n e e d o f s u b s t a n t i a l i m p r o v e m e n t . In r e s p o n s e , t h e i n d u s t r y i n i t i a t e d v a r i o u s p r o g r a m m e s in t h e p r o c e s s i n n o v a t i o n d o m a i n . For e x a m p l e . Process a n d S y s t e m I n n o v a t i o n in t h e D u t c h C o n s t r u c t i o n I n d u s t r y (PSIBouw, 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 1 0 ) . T h e s e c a l l e d f o r a f r e s h n e w a p p r o a c h , o n e t h a t is less p r o j e c t - b a s e d a n d m o r e i n t e g r a t e d , in o r d e r t o t a c k l e t h e c o o r d i n a t i o n p r o b l e m s m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r Since t h e n , i n t e g r a t i n g p h a s e s , a c t o r s a n d p r o d u c t s has b e c o m e a c l e a r l y r e c o g n i s a b l e t h r e a d in t h e r e s e a r c h c o n d u c t e d , also in m y c h a i r W i t h t h e r e s u l t t h a t m a n y n e w ideas h a v e e m e r g e d a b o u t h o w t o o r g a n i s e a n d m a n a g e t h e p r o c e s s . I n t e g r a t e d P r o j e c t D e l i v e r y , Best V a l u e P r o c u r e m e n t , Lean C o n s t r u c t i o n , t h e L i v i n g B u i l d i n g C o n c e p t , S u p p l y C h a i n I n t e g r a t i o n a n d B u i l d i n g I n f o r m a t i o n M o d e l l i n g a r e all n o t i o n s l a u n c h e d d u r i n g t h e last t w o d e c a d e s . R e f l e c t i o n o n c u r r e n t d e v e l o p m e n t s Personally, I have t w o s o m e w h a t c o n t r a d i c t o r y v i e w s o f all t h e s e d e v e l o p m e n t s . O n t h e o n e h a n d t h e y h a v e c e r t a i n l y b r o u g h t a l o t t o o u r i n d u s t r y : ( p i l o t ) p r o j e c t s have d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e p r a c t i c a l a p p l i c a b i l i t y o f s u c h c o n c e p t s as S u p p l y C h a i n I n t e g r a t i o n a n d I n t e g r a t e d P r o j e c t D e l i v e r y . P a r t l y t h a n k s t o o u r r e s e a r c h o v e r t h e past t e n y e a r s , w e n o w k n o w t h e e x a c t c a u s e s o f p r o j e c t f a i l u r e s a n d also h o w p a r t i c u l a r s o l u t i o n s can b e m a d e t o w o r k . W e k n o w w h a t f a c t o r s f a c i l i t a t e c o o p e r a t i o n o n m a j o r p r o j e c t s , h o w b e s t t o i m p l e m e n t B u i l d i n g I n f o r m a t i o n M o d e l l i n g a n d t h e d o s a n d d o n ' t s o f S u p p l y Chain I n t e g r a t i o n . In t h e s e a r e a s , h u g e a d v a n c e s h a v e b e e n m a d e ( V r i j h o e f , 2 0 1 0 ; Bel<tas, 2 0 1 3 ) . T h e flip side o f t h e s t o r y , h o w e v e r , is t h e c o n f u s i o n b r o u g h t t o t h e i n d u s t r y by all t h e s e i n i t i a t i v e s in t h e field o f p r o c e s s i n n o v a t i o n . E x p e r t s a d v o c a t e t h e i r c o n c e p t in o r d e r t o c o n v i n c e i m p o r t a n t s t a l < e h o l d e r s t h a t t h e i r a p p r o a c h is t h e b e s t . T h e p r o b l e m is t h a t s o m e o f t h e i m p r o v e m e n t s s u g g e s t e d a n d t h e n t e s t e d in e x p e r i m e n t s a n d p i l o t p r o j e c t s are s u c c e s s f u l a n d s o m e are n o t . A n d w h a t m a y w o r k w i t h m a j o r p u b l i c - s e c t o r c l i e n t s o n large p r o j e c t s , s u c h as t h e use o f I n t e g r a t e d P r o j e c t D e l i v e r y , c a n n o t b e t r a n s p o s e d d i r e c t l y t o s m a l l e r o n e s , l e t a l o n e t o t h e p r i v a t e s e c t o r . For e x a m p l e , w e k n o w t h a t t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f B I M w o r k s c o m p l e t e l y d i f f e r e n t l y in large a n d s m a l l p r o j e c t s , b u t in e a c h case c a n p r o v i d e m o r e o r less a d d e d v a l u e ( W a m e l i n k & H e i n t z , 2 0 1 5 ) .
'The structural changes our
industry is undergoing thus give
rise to questions for parties across
the construction process. They
are asking themselves how they
need to adapt to those changes,
what their role is and - last but by
no means least - what their own
revenue model might be in this new
situation"
T h e s t r u c t u r a l c h a n g e s o u r i n d u s t r y is u n d e r g o i n g t h u s g i v e rise t o q u e s t i o n s f o r p a r t i e s a c r o s s t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o c e s s . T h e y a r e a s k i n g t h e m s e l v e s h o w t h e y n e e d t o a d a p t t o t h o s e c h a n g e s , w h a t t h e i r r o l e is a n d - last b u t by n o m e a n s least - w h a t t h e i r o w n r e v e n u e m o d e l m i g h t b e in t h i s n e w s i t u a t i o n . T h a t p r o m p t e d us t o i n i t i a t e r e s e a r c h i n t o t h e c h a n g e s as v i e w e d f r o m t h e p e r s p e c t i v e o f p a r t i c u l a r a c t o r s . T h e F u t u r A p r o j e c t is a g o o d e x a m p l e o f t h i s a p p r o a c h , in w h i c h w e are t r y i n g t o a n a l y s e h o w t h e v a r i o u s c h a n g e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e i n d u s t r y a r e a f f e c t i n g t h e r o l e p l a y e d by a r c h i t e c t s a n d a r c h i t e c t u r a l firms, a n d h o w t h e y c a n r e s p o n d t o t h e m b u s i n e s s w i s e (see w w w . f u t u r e -a r c h i t e c t . n l ) . A n o t h e r e x -a m p l e is t h e -a p p o i n t m e n t o f Hans Wamelink Hans is professor of Design and Construction m a n a g e m e n t since 2006. Besides t h a t , in 1 9 9 1 he was one o f t h e foundersV... /
of t h e master track that is |
V... /
now/called M a n a g e m e n t in t h e Built Environment.
