EFFICIENCY IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESS TAHRINA TAIB UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA EFFICIENCY IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESS TAHRINA TAIB A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science (Construction Management) Faculty of Civil Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia APRIL 2010 ii Dedicated specially To my beloved family and friends Thanks for the never ending love and support iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the development of this dissertation, it seems that an infinite number of people have provided immeasurable amount of guidance, idea and assistance. While the writer gratitude goes out to all those that had assisted her, she could only mention a few of many benefactors here. Special thanks to the author’s supervisor, PM Dr. Mohamad Ibrahim bin Mohamad for guiding the writer on producing this project report. Despite of that, the highest appreciation is also conveyed to the all expert panels and respondents which had significantly contributed their time and patient in helping the author to collect the required data. At the same time, a distinct appreciation is also conveyed to Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur(DBKL), Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan Malaysia (CIDB) and Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) for willing to participate their time and also helping guiding, helping the author to collect the required data. Finally, getting this dissertation into a complete form was a team effort; the writer, the supervisor, colleagues and the one who had help indirectly. Though most of the parts were done individually, advice and guidance from the professional supervisor and colleagues is considered seriously in order to ensure that the best outcome for this report is achieved. Lastly to authors parents who supported her in everything she done. iv ABSTRACT Construction industry currently is facing with a lot of problems mainly associated to its inefficient work process. This phenomenon has been manifested by frequent news and critics about project delay and inferior quality. Therefore there is an urgent need for construction industry to improve this situation. Many efforts have been done to improve the performance of the construction industry reputation such as using alternative procurement system, adoption of tools and management philosophy from other industry and using to new technological advancement such as the used of modular construction in Malaysia. In view to these problems face by the industry, this study has been undertaken with the aim to determine the strategies to improve the efficiency in construction process. The methodologies adopted for this study are the interview with expert panels and the distribution of questionnaires survey. The findings from this study confirmed that the construction industry particularly in Malaysia need to be improved with regards to its efficiency. There are also a lot of problems associated to construction such as poor site management, redundancy of activities, project delay and lack of focus to customer/end users’ requirement. The study also determined that the main strategies currently promoted to achieve the improvement are by using Industrialized Building System (IBS). Many organizations also integrate the quality management system such as ISO 9001 and Total Quality Management System (TQM) in their business process. The used of management tools and philosophies from other industry is not a popular strategy. v ABSTRAK Industri pembinaan kini menghadapi pelbagai masalah yang berhubung kait dengan proses kerja yang tidak efisien. Fenomena yang seringkali dikhabarkan di dalam berita ialah mengenai kritikan kelewatan projek dan masalah kualiti. Sehubungan dengan itu, terdapat keperluan untuk memperbaiki perkara tersebut. Pelbagai usaha telah dijalankan bagi meningkatkan tahap prestasi dan reputasi di dalam industri pembinaan. Ini adalah termasuk mengenalkan sistem pemerolehan baru, kaedah dan filosofi daripada industri lain seperti perkilangan dan juga pemakaian teknologi baru seperti sistem modular di Malaysia. Oleh yang demikian, kertas kerja ini disediakan bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti strategi yang dapat meningkatkan tahap efisien di dalam pengurusan pembinaan. Dua kaedah yang telah digunapakai di dalam kertas kerja ini ialah temubual dengan panel pakar dan borang soal selidik. Hasil daripada kajian ini didapati industri pembinaan di Malaysia perlu ditingkatkan lagi tahap efisiennya. Terdapat juga pelbagai masalah yang berkaitan dengan pembinaan seperti masalah pengurusan tapak, aktiviti yang berlebihan, kelewatan projek dan kurang menitikberat kepuasan pelanggan. Kertas kerja ini juga telah mengenalpasti strategi kini yang telah digunakan untuk meningkatkan tahap efisien di dalam proses kerja oleh industri pembinaan di Malaysia adalah penggunaan sistem perindustrian pembinaan (IBS) serta pengurusan kualiti seperti ISO 9001 dan Total Quality Management System (TQM). Hasil kajian juga mendapati penggunaan sistem pengurusan baru yang telah digunapakai oleh industri lain kurang popular untuk diadaptasikan di dalam industri pembinaan. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 TITLE PAGE DECLARATION i DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv ABSTRAK v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xii LIST OF APPENDICES xiii INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Problem Statements 2 1.2 Aim and Objectives 3 1.3 Scope of Research 3 1.4 Methodology 4 1.5 Study Outline 6 vii CHAPTER 2 TITLE PAGE LIMITATIONS AND PROBLEMS OF TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 3 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 Traditional construction process 8 2.3 Efficiency in construction process 9 2.4 Inefficiencies in Construction Process 10 2.4.1 Poor Time Management 10 2.4.2 Construction waste 12 2.4.3 Communication breakdown 20 2.4.4 Lack of project control and monitor 21 2.4.5 Uncertainty handling approaches 24 METHODOLOGY IN ACHIEVING THE EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 3.1 Introduction 26 3.2 Construction process improvement 27 3.2.1 27 Adapting Project Management Perspective to Construction Management 3.2.2 Using Theory and Philosophy from Other 32 Industry 33 3.2.2.1 Lean Construction 34 3.2.2.2 Supply Chain Management 34 3.2.2.3 Materials Management 35 viii CHAPTER TITLE 3.2.3 4 5 PAGE 3.2.2.4 Kaizen Philosophy 36 3.2.2.5 Kanban Philosophy 38 3.2.2.6 JIT (Just in Time) Method 44 3.2.3.1 Buildability/Constructability Concept 45 3.2.3.2 Controlling Work Flow 47 Technological Advancement Perspective 48 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1 Introduction 50 4.2 Identification of research topic and scope of study 50 4.3 Data Collection 52 4.3.1 Interview with expert panels 52 4.3.2 Survey Questionnaire 53 4.3.3 Respond to questionnaire survey 56 4.3.4 Frequency analysis 57 4.3.5 Average Index Analysis (A.I) 57 4.4 Research findings 60 4.5 Make conclusion 60 4.6 Conclusion and recommendation 60 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 5.1 Introduction 61 5.2 Interview With Expert Panels 61 5.3 Questionnaires Survey 71 5.4 Demographic of Respondents 72 5.4.1 Respondents’ Position 72 ix CHAPTER TITLE PAGE 5.4.2 Respondent’s Working Experience 73 5.5 Major Causes to Project Delay 73 5.6 Problems and Limitation in Traditional Work Process 74 5.7 Strategies used to improve construction process 77 5.8 Element of Improvement in Enhancing Construction 78 Improvement 6 DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS 6.1 Introduction 80 6.2 Rationale needs to improve efficiency of construction 80 process 7 6.3 Urgent need to improve the current performance 85 6.4 Strategies to improve construction process 85 6.5 Definition of efficiency concept 88 6.6 Element of improvement 89 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 Introduction 90 7.2 Achievement of this study 90 7.2.1 Objective No. 1 91 7.2.2 Objective No. 2 91 7.2.3 Objective No. 3 92 Limitation of studies 92 7.3.1 Time limitation 93 7.3.2 Cost limitation 93 7.3.3 Area of coverage limitation 93 7.3 x CHAPTER TITLE 7.4 PAGE Recommendations 94 7.4.1 Recommendations based on findings 94 7.4.2 Recommendations for further research studies 95 LIST OF REFERENCES 96 APPENDIX A 103 APPENDIX B 110 xi LIST OF TABLES TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE 2.1 Waste generated from construction 16 2.2 Pre-construction people involved in materials management 19 2.3 Construction site people involved in materials management 20 2.4 Off-site 21 people involved in construction materials management 5.1 Content Analysis of current construction process 65 5.2 Questionnaires delivered 73 5.3 Respondents Position 74 5.4 Respondent Working Experience 75 5.5 Results of most causes due to project delay 76 5.6 Results of problems and limitations in construction process 77 5.7 Results of needs to improve construction process 78 5.8 Results of practical and widely used strategies to improve 79 construction process 5.9 Results on the most important elements of improvement in construction process 81 xii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE 1.1 The flow chart of the research methodology 5 2.1 Construction waste percentage by volume and weight 17 3.1 Target of improvement 31 3.2 Basic Ingredients in Project Management 33 3.3 Generic configuration of a supply chain in manufacturing 38 xiii LIST OF APPENDIXES APPENDIX TITLE PAGE A Interview Question 106 B Survey Questionnaire 113 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction The term traditional work process can be literally understood as the common practice inherited from the long established custom of delivering the construction project based on fragmented work process. In general this practiced has dominated the industry with the separation of design and construction function. There are a lot of definitions about efficiency in construction. In general, efficiency in construction process can be defined as the project constructed within time scheduled and cost budgeted. It is also were defined as process that produced less or no construction waste with a good quality project, no redundancy activities, good construction management and good monitoring and controlling construction process. Traditional construction process always been related with inefficiencies because it produced a lot of problems. Traditional construction process is always indicated as poor in management such as site management (resources and materials), quality management, communication management, waste management and personnel management. Traditional construction process always been connected with the inefficiencies in terms of project time. 2 Traditional construction method generally adopted by past experience or project. Furthermore there is no standard measurement in enhancing traditional construction process such as monitoring and controlling method for construction progress. Contractor used their past experience in predicting the project time. In reality, they faced a lot of problem in engaging the project and project time will be behind the schedule. It is very important to improve the efficiencies of construction process. Generally by enhancing the efficiencies in construction process, project time will be reduced, improved construction quality, eliminated waste and saved cost. 1.2 Problem statement Many issues were raised in traditional construction process due to its efficiencies. People do aware about issues and problems in traditional construction process but do not try to find the right solutions. Traditional work process usually is associated with problems and limitations. A lot of implications that been outline in this study such as project delay, redundant works and activities, poor management, and communication breakdown. They also are related to abandoned projects. Current construction industry also was sometimes not achieved the expectation of end user and customer. Problem of delay and low quality project seem to be happened in construction project. A serious actions need to be taken but there is no indicator can be measured towards the efficiencies of construction projects. Many new strategies and methodologies were introduced to the industry but the practicality of the strategies still cannot be assured. 3 1.3 Research aim and objectives The main aim of this study is to determine strategies to improve construction process. Below are the objectives of this study: • To review the rationale and the need to improve the efficiency of the current construction process • To evaluate the methodology used currently by the industry to improve the construction process • 1.4 To propose strategies to improve construction process. Scope and limitation The scope of this study was focused on the process of construction project in Klang Valley. It is limited on the construction stage/phase and time factor. Data analyzed were from the project manager, project management consultant (PMC), engineer and other construction players involve directly in construction process. 4 1.5 Brief Research Methodology This project conducted through several phases that included literature review, data collection, data analysis, findings, and recommendations. Literature review is to compile and determine the idea, theory and common practices in achieving the efficient construction process. Two methods were used in collecting data. They are through interviews and questionnaire survey. The panels interviewed are those directly in-charge in construction projects either in private or government sector. They include personnel from private and public agencies such as JKR, consultant firms and contractors. Then, the results from the interviews were used as a guide to develop the questionnaire survey form. Apart from that the findings from the literature review has been used as well to develop the questionnaire. A questionnaire is a series of questions submitted to a number of people to obtain data for a survey or report. This is a valuable method of collecting a wide range of information from a large number of individuals, often referred to as respondents. Good questionnaire construction is critical to the success of a survey. Inappropriate questions, incorrect ordering of questions, incorrect scaling, or bad questionnaire format can make the survey valueless. The analyses of the results were applied by using average index analysis. Upon the data provided from the face to face interviews and questionnaire, strategies on improving construction process were determined. Figure 1.1 showed the methodology of this study. 5 Basically objectives of this study were achieved as the flow shown below:- Introduction Literature Review Objective No. 1 Objective No. 2 Objective No. 3 Interview with expert panels -To review the factor of problems and limitation associates with traditional construction process -To review if construction industry meet customer expectation -to review strategies widely used to enhance construction efficiencies Questionnaire survey - To review the factor of problems and limitation associates with traditional construction process - To determine strategies used to overcome the problems - To define most element of improvement in enhance project time Data analysis Research Findings Conclusion and Recommendation Figure 1.1: The flow chart of the brief research methodology. 6 1.6 Study Outlined The study is presented in seven (7) main chapters. Chapter One introduces the report outlining aims and objectives and general overview of the paper. This chapter is very crucial because it provides the overall information about the research besides the subsequent process is derived from the research problem. Chapter Two described the problems faced in current construction process and its limitations. Chapter Three discussed on the improvement of construction process by using collaborative teamwork concept, integrating design and construction and using tool and philosophy from other industry. Chapter Four discusses on the type of study methodology and its procedures. The process of data collection and analysis is also explained in this chapter. Chapter Five presented data collected in this study. They are analyzed and presented in appropriate table. Chapter Six is on the discussion of results or research findings. Chapter Seven is the conclusion, which meets the objectives stated earlier and recommendation for future study. 7 CHAPTER 2 THE RATIONALE TO ACHIEVE EFFICIENCY IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 2.1 Introduction Construction processes include several activities. Construction processes are mapped onto the different construction stages that include feasibility and strategy, preconstruction planning and design, construction and completion and maintenance. Construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. However current construction process faced a lot of problems and inefficiencies. This chapter elaborated the limitations and problems that associated with current construction practice. 8 2.2 Traditional construction process Basically traditional construction process is a task or activity that viewed from only one perspective (generally time). It is useful in a restricted way and whereby conditions are stable, repetitive, predictable and certain. It is said not dependant on teamwork as the design and construction are separated. No integration between these two teams. Traditional construction is part of the informal sector of the building industry, largely carried out without professional involvement by builders working with a vernacular that they have learned through some form of apprenticeship. While construction methods vary across the world all share some simple characteristics. They make use of local materials, had to evolve to cope with local conditions and said to be robust. The building methods will have been developed to use the most economical materials available that will give adequate standards of performance. This performance includes both the satisfactory planning of the building to suit local patterns of use and a sufficient construction to provide adequate thermal performance and resist the imposed loads. There are two main deficiencies: it is not recognized that there are also other phenomena in production than transformations; it is not recognized that it is not the transformation itself that makes the output valuable, but that the output conforms to the customer’s requirements. The transformation view is instrumental in discovering which tasks are needed in a production undertaking and in getting they realized. However, the transformation view is not especially helpful in figuring out how not to use resources unnecessarily or how to ensure that the customer requirements are met in the best manner. Therefore, production, managed in the conventional method, tends to become inefficient and ineffective. 9 The traditional construction process is essentially linear, that is an input undergoes a transformation that results in an output. Thus the traditional view of process is that of a task or activity. Yet construction is not at any level a simple linear process brief in building out. What is required is a process that makes sense of the complex relationships in construction and responds to uncertainty and risk. What is required is a process that gets you from where you are to where you want to be. 2.3 Efficiency in construction process Construction time has always been seen as one of the benchmarks for assessing the performance of a project and the efficiency of the project organization. Timely completion of a construction project is one goal of the client and contractor because each party tends to incur additional costs and lose potential revenues when completion is delayed Thomas et al (1995). Chan and Kumaraswamy (1996) opined that a project is usually regarded as successful if it is completed on time, within budget and to the level of quality standard specified by the client at the beginning of the project. Attempts to predict construction duration represent a problem of continual concern and interest to both researchers and project managers. Skitmore and Ng (2003) identified the use of detailed analysis of work to be carried out and resources available as well as limited budget and time available to the client as the common methods of estimating construction time in practice. However, to reduce subjectivity according to them, serious interest in construction time performance commenced with a pioneering investigation by Bromilow in 1969 in Australia Chan and Kumaraswamy (1999). His efforts yielded result in 1974 when he established a model for predicting project duration for building projects based on a time cost relationship. 10 Efficiency in construction process can be defined as efficient construction site communication, managing time efficiently, managing waste and avoid waste production. According to Preece et al. (1998) effective communication is one of the strategic tools available for gaining employee commitment, improving morale, increasing productivity, quality and safety and introducing new technologies. All parties involved in a construction project are producers, suppliers and consumers of information. Hence, owners, designers, contractors, suppliers, and construction managers will benefit substantially from having the means to deliver and access to information wherever and whenever they need to Bakeren and Willems (1993). 2.4 Inefficiencies in Construction Process There are many factors contributed to the inefficiencies of projects. These factors are presented as follows: 2.4.1 Poor Time Management Time delay is the most widely held cause for construction disputes. In the past it was an accepted to have delays in construction projects completion time. However, today, with a client tight budget, delays became a very significant cost item. 11 Delays in construction projects are frequently related to word “expensive”, since there is usually a construction loan involved which charges interest, management staff dedicated to the project whose costs are time dependent, and ongoing inflation in wage and material prices. A lot of techniques are used to analyze delays. Some of these methods have inherent weaknesses and should be avoided. The most efficient management system is ultimately useless if the people who need to use it cannot. Here is an example of how the right materials management solution was implemented and then linked between buildings, various campuses and people, bringing the benefits of the system to everyone who needed them. Basically reducing time in construction could give effect and implication to other elements which are gave advantages to clients, consultants and contractor. “For example a rule of thumb for moderate-to high-technology firms is that a six-month delay in bringing a product to market can result in a gross profit or market share of about 30 percent. In these cases, high-technology firms typically assume that the time saving and avoidance of lost profits are worth any additional costs to reduce time without any formal analysis (Gray and Larson, 2000). Other reasons of reducing construction time because it is been imposed. It is explain such as when a project that been instructed by president or government for a certain reason. The rationale of reducing construction time is also because the project is important for all users or other function. For example, construction of the highway or road. Highway and road is important as that will be used for all residents. To measure the effectiveness of the material management process is needed in order to analyze problems, suggest solutions, and assess the impact of modifications to the process. Such measurement is also required for any benchmarking effort. Productivity is extremely important in the construction industry. Governments and other owners are investing significantly less money into capital works and preventative maintenance 12 programs, even though these programs would help curb the deterioration of the infrastructure. One of the reasons for this lack of financial commitment towards construction projects is that productivity and quality in the construction industry has as much as in other industries, and construction is therefore regarded as a poor investment. Inefficient use of allotted time 2.4.2 Construction waste Waste in construction is a result of inefficiency in project management strategy. It can also result in project failure or ability to get maximum profit for the contractor. It is also leads to environmental issues. The huge volume and various compositions of construction waste have made its disposal a serious problem because it leads to environmental impacts such as landfill space and resource depletion. A huge concern must be given to construction waste generation and management to reduce its burden to the environment. The most significant environmental aspect was disposal of paper-based packaging waste followed by disposal of inert waste and plastic-based packaging waste, and recycling of steel containers off-site. The most preferred sorting scheme was to sort at specific work area for different types of work tasks. On-site sorting should be encouraged to facilitate construction waste reuse and recycling. Specific guidelines for construction waste management should be formulated and enforced to ensure sustainable construction. 13 i. Types of construction waste Patterson (1999) stated that construction waste were included materials from all categories, the main components (by weight) are typically: Rubble, concrete etc 40-45& 20-25% concrete & cleanfill 10-15% plasterboard Timber 30-35% 20-25% timber framing, planks & pallets 10% plywood, particle board, MDF etc. Metal 6% According to American Institute of Architects Houston (1994) below is the sense on how much construction waste may be generated from construction by using following ballpark figures:- 14 Table 2.1: Waste generated from construction Material Lbs./Sq.Ft. Wood 1.3 - 2.11 Drywall 1.0 - 1.2 Cardboard 0.1 - 0.5 2 Metals 0.02 - 0.13 Other (plastics, shingles, etc) 0.5 - 1.3 Total 3.0 - 5.2 1 Range for wood waste depends on material used for wall sheathing, siding, tirm, and roofing. 2 Range for cardboard depends on type of siding and whether windows, doors, and cabinetry are locally manufactured. Source: American Institute of Architects Houston, 1994 15 Figure 2.1: Construction waste percentage by volume and weight Here are some important generalizations about residential construction waste. • By weight or volume, wood, drywall and cardboard make up between 60 and 80 percent of jobsite waste. • Vinyl and metals are generated in small quantities, but have good recycling value. 16 • Cardboard waste is increasing on most jobsites as more components, such as windows, appliances, cabinets and siding, are shipped to builders over long distances. • Most wood waste is "clean" -- unpainted, untreated and recyclable. This usually includes dimensional lumber, plywood, OSB and particle board without laminates. • Brick, block and asphalt shingle waste are insignificant in volume, but can be important in terms of weight. • For most builders, the largest share of waste that could be considered hazardous is generated from painting, sealing, staining and caulking. • Drive-by contamination (waste placed in a container by a party other than the builder or subcontractor) can be as much as 30 percent of the total volume hauled from a site. ii. Personnel involve in construction waste and management Successful materials and waste management is like any successful project that relies on the skills of many professionals and personnel from the architect and designers through project management to the trade contractors. Table I presents a list of personnel that are typically involved before the materials arrive on site, and their roles in achieving the effective materials management. 17 Table 2.2: pre-construction people involved in materials management Source: American Institute of Architects Houston, 1994 Table 2.3 lists personnel directly involved in the use of the materials. They may participate in the planning process, since they know first-hand the actual site and working conditions. For commercial buildings or multiple-housing projects, it may be prudent to employ a Site Materials Manager, a function that is not common in today's construction practice. Or the role may be given to one or more individuals as a part of their assignment on smaller projects. 18 Table 2.3: construction site people involved in materials management Source: American Institute of Architects Houston, 1994 People not employed by the owner, contractor or subcontractor are a part of the materials management team as well. Suppliers, haulers and recyclers each play a role in the successful reduction of waste and optimum utilization of materials. Refer to Table 2.4 19 Table 2.4: Off-site people involved in construction materials management Source: American Institute of Architects Houston, 1994 Construction Safety and Hazardous Materials Waste minimization is the best way to curb your hazardous waste generation and reduce potential liability. Minimizing waste involves good housekeeping practices, employee training, process modifications, or substitution of a non-hazardous material for a hazardous one. Examples include: • Minimizing your supply of raw materials to prevent overstocking • Adopting a "first-in, first-out" inventory policy • Labeling waste containers properly to avoid mixing incompatible wastes or contaminating clean materials • Controlling access to storage areas and routinely inspecting containers (received containers that are leaking or damaged should be rejected) • Maintaining vehicles and equipment at a central location, preferably in a garage or maintenance facility--not on the construction site • Training employees to use equipment properly 20 2.4.3 Communication breakdown Communication within project based environments presents special challenges. This is especially true within the construction industry, where interaction tends to be characterized by unfamiliar groups of people coming together for short periods before disbanding to work on other endeavors. Organizations undertaking multiple building projects or even single, highly complex project can face communications inefficiencies that create unnecessary and costly delays and disputes. Even as some organizations successfully streamline the communication of project information internally, they still struggle to communicate effectively with their external project team. Recognizing the impact of poor communication on project results, many companies involved in building design and construction have sought to optimize their internal processes and project controls. Some companies may even have a centralized repository for creating, managing, and storing project documents and information but they have no way to track and manage information created, revised, or reviewed externally. With the massive amount of information passed back and forth between companies at each stage of the design and construction process, this lack of centralized, streamlined communication represents a significant risk. Poor communication and collaboration is pervasive and impacts each phase of the construction process as well as everyone involved in the process from owners and construction managers to architects, engineers, and contractors. Building projects suffer from lack of accountability, poor information sharing, and not enough time to resolve problems that arise. Communication plays a critical role in a project’s success. Poor communication can lead to schedule problems, scope increases, excessive change orders, quality problems, and cost overruns for projects in any of these categories 21 Below are the time impacts regarding communication problem in construction:- i. Delays in document turnarounds between companies ii. Need to recreate data between companies iii. Need to update multiple logs, creating redundant data iv. Unnecessary travel 2.4.4 Lack of project control and monitor Any control system needs an objective against which performance can be measured. If the control system is to have beneficial effects by keeping the project orientated towards a meaningful result, then the objective needs to be framed in terms which relate to the task environment. 2.4.4.1 Cost control The application of ideas from control theory is easy and obvious when applied to something like cost control. The cost plan must be framed by reference to the financial environment of the project. (In its turn, the financial environment must be understood with reference to the wider economic situation.) Cost control is the activity which compares cost performance against the cost plan, adjusting one or the other dynamically by reference to the changing circumstances in the project's financial environment. These are the basic tenets of systems theory, applied to objectives, control and feedback. What is not so readily understood, but is implied by the foregoing analysis, is that the other four facets of the environment also have corresponding needs for control. 22 2.4.4.2 Time control The policy environment of the project is the major influence around the timing of the project. Timing is influenced by many environmental factors, but the client's attitude to the timing of the project is an issue of policy. Therefore, when considering time, the policy of the client needs to be unambiguous. 2.4.4.3 Functional control The physical environment dictates the technology which is available. Technology includes the physical resources being utilized in the provisions of the built facility. This also ties in the ecological issues about the effect that the construction project has upon the physical environment. In terms of a control system, it is functional control which forms the strongest link here. The function of the building, and its parts, is a direct result of the technological task environment. This environmental factor is concerned not only with the technology of construction, but also the technology of the client's organization. Therefore, the function of the building, and the way in which the client's requirements are achieved, are essential elements of functional control. 23 2.4.4.4 Conflict control The legal environment influences the development, or avoidance, of conflict. The control of conflict is an essential part of project management, but is often neglected. There seems to be unwillingness by many people to even consider conflict; almost as if they were being asked to contemplate divorce when planning a marriage! However, construction projects are not marriages, and the purpose of contracts and conditions of engagement is to make clear and unambiguous enforceable promises. A certain amount of conflict between the members of the team is a healthy source of new ideas. Therefore, just like cost, it needs to be controlled, not eliminated. 2.4.4.5 Quality control The aesthetic environment is a particularly subjective aspect. As such, previous studies have tended to avoid dealing with it. If a model is to be widely applicable, it cannot consist only of objective phenomena. Quality control and quality assurance are very topical at the moment. However, the word and the concept have been diluted by British Standards, and by quality programmes. There are two aspects to the definition of quality. First, it is a word used to describe the characteristics that something or someone has. It is this sense that has been used by quality assurance schemes, where it refers to characteristics which can be specified and quantified. These schemes have defined quality as "conformance to requirements" for the purposes of achieving some sort of uniformity in their application. Configuring a scheme to increase the reliability of the process is a useful and valuable exercise. However, it is not going to engender quality! Conforming to requirements means that if the client specifies poor quality, then that is 24 what will be provided. Perhaps this "conformance to requirements" belongs more properly under the heading of function control referred to above. The second meaning of quality refers to a subjective reaction to something which is good. This is a lot more difficult to define, and very difficult to control or assure. The quality that something has when it is good does not reside in its measurable characteristics. For example, considering a dining table, the components of which it is made do not individually contain the source of its tableness. What makes it a table is our perception of it. That perception resides in us, the subjects, not in the object. Quality in a building, in the sense of excellence, also depends upon the way in which people react to buildings. It is primarily a question of perception, and secondarily a question of characteristics. Therefore, this kind of quality control is not easy to deal with. Because it is difficult, many people avoid the issue altogether and restrict themselves to re-defining quality so that it holds no reference to anything subjective. What is needed is an exploration of these issues, to examine the possibility of addressing the subjective problems associated with describing quality, without compromising the more objective problems of ensuring reliability in function. 2.4.5 Uncertainty handling approaches Uncertainty is a risk element in construction projects. Many uncertainties such as uncertainty of activity duration, physical conditions, scope of work, resource requirement, and delivery of information are generally found. Three main uncertainty handling approaches existed to date are: i. Probabilistic analysis – normally deals with uncertainty of activity duration and resource requirement. Well known techniques are Program Evaluation 25 and Review Technique (PERT), Monte Carlo simulation, and process simulation (Mawdesley et al, 1997); ii. Buffer management – considers a wide range of uncertainty. The principle of this technique is to pre-identify possible uncertainties and insert appropriate size of buffers to absorb any effects that may interrupt critical paths or critical chains. Goldratt (1997), Ballard and Howell (1998); iii. Shielding production and look-ahead analysis –was designed based on Lean construction concept. The principle of this technique is to detect and satisfy all potential constraints prior to releasing operation assignments to the work face Ballard and Howell, (1998). 26 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY IN ACHIEVING THE EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 3.1 Introduction Inefficiencies of construction process always said to be influenced by lack proper management, no integration between teams, lack of awareness and other problems faced. When a project is no longer on the schedule track or over schedule, project manager will figure out on how to accelerate project completion. Basically by improvise the construction process performance could achieve its efficiencies. This chapter describes on the methodologies and strategies that can be used to achieve efficiency in construction process. 27 3.2 Construction process improvement According to the Egan (1998), process can be improved if there were radical changes applied to the entire process. The Egan report identified five drivers for change that in turn would give rise to targeted annual improvement. Figure 3.1: Target of improvement In general construction improvement can be described into three parts which are:- i. Adapting project management perspective to construction management ii. Using tool and philosophy from other industry iii. Using advance construction technology 3.2.1 Adapting Project Management Perspective to Construction Management According to Spinner (1997), project management is defined as managing and directing time, material, personnel/labor and costs to complete a project in an orderly, economical 28 manner and to meet the established objectives of time, costs and technical and/or service results. Current practice in construction management is very much influenced by the traditional management mindset. It is necessary for the manager in construction project to be more open minded and try to adapt management concept and practice from non construction project based to construction. Construction need to reconsider many aspects of modern project management system in managing the construction project. One of the important key area that has been given a lot of emphasis by other industry is related to the need to focus and end user requirement. This perspective cannot be achieved within the framework of traditional and fragmented construction process. The management of construction projects requires knowledge of modern project management as well as an understanding of the need to integrate design and construction process. Construction projects have a specific set of objectives and constraints such as a required time frame for completion. While the relevant technology, institutional arrangements or processes will differ, the management of such projects has much in common with the management of similar types of projects in other specialty or technology domains such as aerospace, pharmaceutical and energy developments. Generally project management is distinguished from the general management of corporations by the mission-oriented nature of a project. A project organization will generally be terminated when the mission is accomplished. According to the Project Management Institute, the discipline of project management can be defined as follows Wideman (l986). Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality and participation satisfaction. By contrast, the general management of business and industrial corporations assumes a broader outlook with greater continuity of operations. Nevertheless, there are sufficient 29 similarities as well as differences between the two so that modern management techniques developed for general management may be adapted for project management. The basic ingredients for a project management framework Stuckenbruck (1986) may be represented schematically in Figure 3.1. A working knowledge of general management and familiarity with the special knowledge domain related to the project are indispensable. Supporting disciplines such as computer science and decision science may also play an important role. In fact, modern management practices and various special knowledge domains have absorbed various techniques or tools which were once identified only with the supporting disciplines. For example, computer-based information systems and decision support systems are now common-place tools for general management. Similarly, many operations research techniques such as linear programming and network analysis are now widely used in many knowledge or application domains. Hence, the representation in Figure 3.1 reflects only the sources from which the project management framework evolves. Figure 3.2: Basic Ingredients in Project Management 30 Specifically project management in construction encompasses a set of objectives which may be accomplished by implementing a series of operations subject to resource constraints. There are potential conflicts between the stated objectives with regard to scope, cost, time and quality, and the constraints imposed on human material and financial resources. These conflicts should be resolved at the onset of a project by making the necessary tradeoffs or creating new alternatives. Subsequently, the functions of project management for construction generally include the following: i. Specification of project objectives and plans including delineation of scope, budgeting, scheduling, setting performance requirements, and selecting project participants. ii. Maximization of efficient resource utilization through procurement of labor, materials and equipment according to the prescribed schedule and plan. iii. Implementation of various operations through proper coordination and control of planning, design, estimating, contracting and construction in the entire process. iv. Development of effective communications and mechanisms for resolving conflicts among the various participants. v. The Project Management Institute focuses on nine distinct areas requiring project manager knowledge and attention vi. Project integration management to ensure that the various project elements are effectively coordinated. vii. Project scope management to ensure that all the work required (and only the required work) is included. 31 viii. ix. Project time management to provide an effective project schedule. Project cost management to identify needed resources and maintain budget control. x. Project quality management to ensure functional requirements are met. xi. Project human resource management to development and effectively employ project personnel. xii. Project communications management to ensure effective internal and external communications. xiii. Project risk management to analyze and mitigate potential risks. xiv. Project procurement management to obtain necessary resources from external sources. These nine areas form the basis of the Project Management Institute's certification program for project managers in any industry. Although owners and contractors may have different perceptions on project management for construction, they have a common interest in creating an environment leading to successful projects in which performance quality, completion time and final costs are within prescribed limits and tolerances. It is interesting therefore to note the opinions of some leading contractors and owners who were interviewed in 1984. Diekmann and Thrush (1986) 32 Diekmann and Thrush (1986)a cited that from the responses of six contractors, the key factors cited for successful projects are: • well defined scope • extensive early planning • good leadership, management and first line supervision • positive client relationship with client involvement • proper project team chemistry • quick response to changes • engineering managers concerned with the total project, not just the engineering elements. 3.2.2 Using Tool and Philosophy from Other Industry As been described earlier, it is critical for construction to consider the management tools and practices from other industry. It is evidently that the industry like manufacturing has surpassed the performance in every aspect of production such as quality, value for money and focus on the customer and end user requirements. Many scholars are within and outside of construction industry has studied the potential of applying varies tools and management tool and philosophy from other industry to construction. Most of their findings indicated that in reality construction does not differ so much from other industry. Therefore there are great potential for construction to adapt those tools and philosophy to reengineer the current construction process. some of this tools and philosophy are presented below. 33 3.2.2.1 Lean Construction Applying lean concept in construction can achieve efficiencies in construction process. In general lean concept is a process whereby they eliminate waste in order to achieve its efficiency. Abdelhamdi (2007) stated “Lean construction is a translation and adaption of lean manufacturing principles and practices to the end-to-end design and construction process. Unlike manufacturing, construction is a project based-production process. Lean construction is concerned with the holistic pursuit of concurrent and continuous improvements in all dimensions of the built and natural environment: design, construction, activation, maintenance, salvaging, and recycling”. According to Koskela (2002) lean approach can manage and improve construction processes with minimum cost and maximum value by considering customer need. Howell (1999) also stated that lean construction much like current practice has the goal of better meeting customer needs while using less of everything. But unlike current practice, lean construction rests on production management principles, the physics of construction. The result is a new project delivery system that can be applied to any kind of construction but is particularly suited for complex, uncertain, and quick projects. Lean construction aims to embody the benefits of the Master Builder concept. Essentially, Lean Construction recognizes that desired ends affect the means to achieve these ends, and that available means will affect realized ends Lichtig (2004). Abdelhamid (2007) stated that lean construction supplements traditional construction management approaches with: (1) two critical and necessary dimensions for successful capital project delivery by requiring the deliberate consideration of material and information flow and value generation in a production system; and (2) different project and production management (planning-execution-control) paradigms. 34 3.2.2.2 Supply Chain Management Basically, supply chain is the network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities and suppliers that participate in the sale, delivery and production of a particular product. Generally, if supply chain is not been managed very well, it can produce a lot of waste in construction. This is one of the examples of inefficiencies in construction process. Supply chain management related to logistic management and also included the just-in-time delivery concept. Christopher (1992) defined supply chain as the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services in the hands of the ultimate customer. Figure 3.3 shows the generic configuration of a supply chain in manufacturing. Figure 3.3: Generic configuration of a supply chain in manufacturing (Vrijhoef and Koskela, 1999) 35 Construction processes rely in a great extent in the exchange of information and permanent interactions of entities and resources. Even though the configuration and set up of machines is usually different than in the manufacturing industry, the interrelations of relevant participants in a construction process are considerable, and their management will have a direct impact on the success of the project in terms of time, cost, quality and morale. 3.2.2.3 Materials Management Materials management is an important element in project planning and control. Materials represent a major expense in construction, so minimizing procurement or purchase costs presents important opportunities for reducing costs. Poor materials management can also result in large and avoidable costs during construction. First, if materials are purchased early, capital may be tied up and interest charges incurred on the excess inventory of materials. Even worse, materials may deteriorate during storage or be stolen unless special care is taken. For example, electrical equipment often must be stored in waterproof locations. Second, delays and extra expenses may be incurred if materials required for particular activities are not available. Accordingly, insuring a timely flow of material is an important concern of project managers. Materials management is important and not only be concerned during the monitoring stage in which construction is taking place, but decisions about material procurement may also be required during the initial planning and scheduling stages. Materials management is also a problem at the organization level if central purchasing and inventory control is used for standard items. In this case, the various projects undertaken by the organization would present requests to the central purchasing group. In turn, this 36 group would maintain inventories of standard items to reduce the delay in providing material or to obtain lower costs due to bulk purchasing. This organizational materials management problem is analogous to inventory control in any organization facing continuing demand for particular items. Materials ordering problems lend themselves particularly well to computer based systems to insure the consistency and completeness of the purchasing process. In the manufacturing realm, the use of automated materials requirements planning systems is common. In these systems, the master production schedule, inventory records and product component lists are merged to determine what items must be ordered, when they should be ordered, and how much of each item should be ordered in each time period. The heart of these calculations is simple arithmetic: the projected demand for each material item in each period is subtracted from the available inventory. When the inventory becomes too low, a new order is recommended. For items that are nonstandard or not kept in inventory, the calculation is even simpler since no inventory must be considered. With a materials requirement system, much of the detailed record keeping is automated and project managers are alerted to purchasing requirements. 3.2.2.4 Kaizen Philosophy Kaizen philosophy is a continuous incremental improvement. The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements is an originally Japanese management concept for incremental (gradual, continuous) change (improvement). Kaizen is actually a way of life philosophy, assuming that every aspect of our life deserves to be constantly improved. The Kaizen philosophy lies behind many Japanese management concepts such as Total Quality Control, 37 Quality Control circles, small group activities, labor relations. Key elements of Kaizen are quality, effort, involvement of all employees, willingness to change, and communication. Japanese companies distinguish between innovation (radical) and Kaizen (continuous). K. means literally: change (kai) to become good (zen). The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of five (5) founding elements: 1. Teamwork 2. Personal discipline, 3. Improved morale, 4. Quality circles, and 5. Suggestions for improvement. Out of this foundation there are three key factors in K that are arising, elimination of waste (muda) and inefficiency. Kaizen also categorized by five-S framework for good housekeeping as below:- 1. Seiri - Tidiness 2. Seiton - Orderliness 3. Seiso - Cleanliness 4. Seiketsu - Standardized Clean-Up 5. Shitsuke - Discipline Although it is difficult to give generic advice it is clear that it fits well in incremental change situations that require long-term change and in collective cultures. More individual cultures that are more focused on short-term success are often more conducive to concepts such as Business Process Reengineering. Kaizen philosophy is more people-oriented, easier to implement, requires long-term discipline. BPR on the other hand is harder, technology-oriented, enables radical change but requires major change management skills. 38 3.2.2.5 Kanban Philosophy A system of continuous supply of components, parts and supplies, such that workers have what they need, where they need it, when they need it. The word Kan means "visual" in Japanese and the word "ban" means "card". So Kanban refers to "visual cards". Visual card is a visual aid that triggers action. It is works like let's say one of the components needed to make widgets is a 42" stembolt and it arrives on pallets. There are 100 stem-bolts on a pallet. When the pallet is empty, the person assembling the widgets takes a card that was attached to the pallet and sends it to the stem-bolt manufacturing area. Another pallet of stem-bolts is then manufactured and sent to the widget assembler. A new pallet of stem-bolts is not made until a card is received. A more realistic example would probably involve at least two pallets. The widget assembler would start working from the second pallet while new stem-bolts were being made to refill the first pallet. If this was a high volume widget manufacturing facility, each widget assembly station might empty a pallet of stem-bolts in just a few minutes, and there could be 15 or 20 widget assembly stations. Thus there would be a continual flow of cards going back to the stem-bolt manufacturing area that would cause a continual flow of pallets of stem-bolts to be sent to the widget assembly stations. Kanban Philosophy is also called as a "pull" type (demand) of production system. The number of stem-bolts that are made depends on the customer demand-in other words the number of cards received by the stem-bolt manufacturing area. Systems other than cards may be used. For example, the empty pallets may be returned to the stem-bolt manufacturing area. Each empty pallet received indicates a need to manufacture 100 more stem-bolts. For other types of components, bins, boxes or cages 39 might be used instead of pallets. Or components might be stored on shelves in the widget assembly area. When a shelf became empty that signals that more components need to be manufactured and the shelf refilled. In Kanban the method of handling the components is flexible, and depends on the needs of the manufacturing process. Kanban can also operate like a supermarket. A small stock of every component needed to make a widget would be stored in a specific location with a fixed space allocation for each component. The widget assemblers come to the "supermarket" and select the components they need. As each component is removed from the shelf, a message is sent to a "regional warehouse" or component manufacturing facility, requesting that the component be replaced. The "supermarket" might then receive a daily shipment of replacement components, exactly replacing those that were used. If we just change the term "supermarket" to "warehouse" we have our manufacturing example. This "supermarket" model is different from the first Kanban example in that it would be used when components are manufactured in facilities that are distant from the widget assembly plant. Instead of moving around small quantities of components, larger quantities are shipped once a day to the centralized warehouse. Kanban results in a production system that is highly responsive to customers. In the above example, the production of widgets will vary depending on customer demand. And as the widget demand varies, so will the internal demand for widget components. Instead of trying to anticipate the future (predicting the future is difficult) , Kanban reacts to the needs. Kanban does not necessarily replace all existing material flow systems within a facility. Other systems such as Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) and Reorder Point (ROP) may remain in operation. Kanban is most beneficial when high volume/low value 40 components are involved. For low volume and high value components, other materials management system may be a better option. Kanban provides a lot of benefits that listed as below:- i. Reduce inventory and product obsolescence. Since component parts are not delivered until just before they are needed, there is a reduced need for storage space. Should a product or component design be upgraded, that upgrade can be included in the final product ASAP. There is no inventory of products or components that become obsolete. This fits well with the Kaizen system on continual improvement. Product designs can be upgraded in small increments on a continual basis, and those upgrades are immediately incorporated into the product with no waste from obsolete components or parts. ii. Reduces waste and scrap With Kanban, products and components are only manufactured when they are needed. This eliminates overproduction. Raw materials are not delivered until they are needed, reducing waste and cutting storage costs. 41 iii. Provides flexibility in production If there is a sudden drop in demand for a product, Kanban ensures you are not stuck with excess inventory. This gives you the flexibility to rapidly respond to a changing demand. Kanban also provides flexibility in how your production lines are used. Production areas are not locked in by their supply chain. They can quickly be switched to different products as demand for various products changes. Yes, there are still limits imposed by the types of machines and equipment, and employee skills, however the supply of raw materials and components is eliminated as a bottleneck. iv. Increases Output The flow of Kanban (cards, bins, pallets, etc.) will stop if there is a production problem. This makes problems visible quickly, allowing them to be corrected ASAP. Kanban reduces wait times by making supplies more accessible and breaking down administrative barriers. This results in an increase in production using the same resources. v. Reduces Total Cost The Kanban system reduces your total costs by:- 42 • Preventing Over Production • Developing Flexible Work Stations • Reducing Waste and Scrap • Minimizing Wait Times and Logistics Costs • Reducing Stock Levels and Overhead Costs • Saving Resources by Streamlining Production • Reducing Inventory Costs Simple Steps to Apply Kanban Kanban is usually introduced gradually and typically may involve some trial and error. i. First step The first step is to become familiar with Kanban and the options it offers. Some parts of Kanban may be suitable for your company, others may not. This tutorial is just a brief overview of Kanban. Becoming familiar with Kanban will requiring in-depth reading, possibly attending a seminar or hiring a consultant. ii. Second Step Select the components of Kanban that will work in your facility. Not all parts of Kanban may be appropriate for the types of products you produce. Kanban may be appropriate for one product, and not for another. In some cases a simple manual Kanban will work well. In other cases computer automation of Kanban may be the best option. 43 You will need to evaluate both your in-house production and your suppliers in order to determine which Kanban options will benefit your facility. iii. Third Step (Plan Your Kanban System) Kanban involves more than just manufacturing. Other functions such as purchasing, warehousing, shipping/receiving, quality control, transportation, accounts payable and engineering will be involved. Include all of those who will be effected in your Kanban planning and design process. In planning, keep in kind that your object to to have what is needed (supplies, parts, manpower, information, energy, equipment, etc.), where it is needed when it is needed. iv. Forth Step (Set goals for Kanban) Based on your plan, set a schedule with measurable goals. What do you want Kanban to accomplish and when should that goal be reached? Determine what will be measured, and how it will be measured. Be sure to get baseline measurements of your current manufacturing system and inventory levels, before Kanban is implemented. v. Fifth Step (Begin implementation of Kanban) A common approach to implementing Kanban is to start with a generous number of Kanbans - containers, pallets, boxes, etc. Then systematically reduce the number of containers until the point at which the supply of materials is just in balance with the rate of use is reached. As containers are removed from the process, it will eventually reach the point at which production is delayed because the next container has not yet arrived. At this point add one container to the system to bring it back into balance. 44 In using this trial and error approach, be sure a safety stock is available so that production is not interrupted. You identify the point at which there is one too few containers as the point at which material from the safety stock is used. This trial and error approach should be spread over a significant period of time to allow for normal fluctuations in production. In other words, don't remove a container every thirty minutes. Instead, remove a container once a day, or even once a week. 3.2.2.6 JIT (Just in Time) Method Kanban is directly associated with Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery. However, Kanban is not another name for just-in-time delivery. It is a part of a larger JIT system. There is more to managing a JIT system than just Kanban and there is more to Kanban than just inventory management. For example, Kanban also involves industrial reengineering. This means that production areas might be changed from locating machines by function, to creating "cells" of equipment and employees. The cells allow related products to be manufactured in a continuous flow. Kanban involves employees as team members who are responsible for specific work activities. Teams and individuals are encouraged participate in continuously improving the Kanban processes and the overall production process. Kanban is not a system indented to be used by itself. It is an integral part of Kaizen and 5S. 45 3.2.2.7 Buildability/Constructability Concept Buildability construction is the extent to which the design of a building facilitates ease of construction. It is the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, procurement, and field operations to achieve overall project objectives. A value given to a particular building system which reflects the relative difference in site labour productivity associated with the various structural and wall systems. A labour saving index is also given for the use of prefabricated reinforcement/cages in cast in-situ components. Bassically there are 3 parts/components of the building for calculating buildability score. There are as per below:- i. Part/Component 1 – Structural System (maximum 50 points). Points are awarded for various types of structural system used. A designer could use different structural systems for different parts of the building so as to achieve the best practical design. The Buildability Score for a particular structural system is the product of the percentage areas covered by the structural system and the corresponding labour saving indices available in Table 1. These are summed up and multiplied by the weight factor to arrive at the Buildability Score of the total structural system. ii. Part/Component 2 – Wall System (maximum 40 points). Points are awarded for various types of wall system used. The Buildability Score for a particular wall system is computed by multiplying the percentage wall length covered by the wall systems and the corresponding labour saving indices. These are summed up and multiplied by the weight factor to arrive at the Buildability Score of the total wall system. iii. Part/Component 3 – Other Buildable Design Features (maximum 10 points). Points are awarded for standardization, modular dimensions, and use of 46 precast/prefabricated components. The buildability of the design is examined at the detailed level. Three basic design characteristics, namely standardization of columns, beams, windows and doors, grids and usage of precast components are considered. The use of these buildable design features will be awarded with points directly. The maximum Buildability Score that can be achieved in this section is 10 points. In addition, bonus points would be given for the use of single integrated components such as prefabricated bathroom/toilet units and precast household shelters. In addition to the above, bonus points are obtainable in Part/Component 3 if a project uses single integrated components such as prefabricated bathroom/toilet units and precast household shelters. The maximum buildability score achievable for a project is capped at 100 points. When this method is applied in a construction, the construction will be easier to conduct, less using labor, less waste, easy to maintain. Due to this it will automatically save time. According to University of Texas System, 1997, other constructability objectives are:- i. Zero accidents, incidents and injuries ii. Provide work quality that meets project needs and applicable regulatory requirements iii. Implement proven methods and techniques that maximize overall project performance iv. Provide a coordinated effort between engineering, procurement and construction that produces a schedule that meets the project's objectives v. Continually improve project cost effectiveness through implementation of constructability concepts. 47 3.2.2.8 Controlling Work Flow The intermediate phases of control and acceptance are an “external control” across the construction process and located at the end of a sequence. The function is to increase the reliability of the process of checking and correcting “failures”, not just economic and temporal, but technical, above all. The human and social element is particularly important in this intermediate control procedure. The work team responsible for a sequence must formally hand over the completed work to the team responsible for the next sequence. As though they were handing it over to a customer in the presence of all the control technicians, with effective consequences as regards motivation and self monitoring. Environmental disturbance and its effects on the building process are reduced if the capacity of response to unforeseen difficulties is the responsibility of all the operators involved whatever their status. The management of the plan in the building site phases is simplified if: - i. Plan has foreseen “frictional” times between one sequence and another for the correction of technical and temporal failures ii. ï€ Rhythm of effecting the sequences is piloted so that the continuity conditions of the use of resources are maintained iii. Instruments of motivation and self-control are exploited along with participation in the process, such as operator training, their active involvement in preparation of the building site and in particular the ascertainment of sequence completion, that is one specificity of the sequential process. In order that these control operations are effective the following conditions need to be assured 48 iv. They must be transparently defined during the zero phase v. People in charge of carrying out the work of the interfaced sequences, work managers, the director of the building site, a representative of the insurance company must all be present vi. People in charge of the subsequent sequences carefully verify how the work is consigned to them, clarify on the spot requests for changes and completion, and successively accept consignment of the previous sequence vii. People in charge of the completed sequences undertake all the changes and additions that are retained necessary on the basis of the planning documents before the start of the second programme of the successive sequence. 3.2.3 Technological Advancement Perspective Currently many new technologies has been developed which partly aim to improve the work process and productivity in construction. Many new machineries or improvement that been made to the current technology can be used to improve construction process. Apart from that the advancement in computer science and information technology (IT) has provide new features that can benefit construction world. However construction is quite slow to adapt this new changes and this may be contributed by additional cost that does the players has to pay. Somehow this may not necessarily be true because the benefits gained from using modern technology can outweight the additional cost that they have to pay. 49 For example Malaysia construction industry has suffered from quality problem for many years. Malaysia construction industry depends heavily on foreign workers which most of them are lack of skills. providing adequate training for them can be very costly. To overcome this problems, Malaysian government through Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has introduced the modular construction concept which better known as Industrialized Building System (IBS). IBS is a factory based manufactured construction component where they will be sent to the site for installation. This concept of construction able to speed up the whole construction process with better quality. This indirectly support the need to make construction more efficient. 50 CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1 Introduction The research methodology in this chapter serves as a guide to the author in achieving the objectives and scopes of the study. This chapter shall further discuss in detail the research procedures, from how the data is collected till how it is processed and analyzed to achieve the objectives and scopes of the study. 4.2 Identification of research topic and scope of study In this stage, it involves the identification and further understanding of the research topic, which consists of problem statement, aim, objectives and scope of 51 studies. Literature review has been done based on several references, from electronic journals, books, magazines, articles and others to further enhance the understanding on the project topic. Literature review is an essential stage in conducting a research project. It amounts on average to between 20 to 25 percent of a study content, although certain study contents may require up to 50 percent of the content Naoum (1998). Various means of gathering relevant information were undertaken using textbooks, articles, newspaper and internet. The information searched was regarding overview of traditional work process, issues and problems associated with traditional work process, and methodology on improving the efficiency of construction work process which are very useful for this study. Literature review takes a while to get to grips with as it deals with work of others. In order to complete literature review within the time given, a schedule was prepared and followed. However, on-going literature review was also carried out to gather more knowledge and relevant data and to ensure continuous improvement in quality of work. In this study the literature search was done by referring to sources of informations from books, journal and other publications. The literature aim was done to gather information related to research topic. Chapter two and three are dedicated to compile the information from the literature search done for this study. 4.3 Data Collection Data collection is an essential aspect of the research methodology, where it involves ways to collect data and information for data analysis and interpretation. 52 Basically the author conducted the data collection by two methods. The methods are through interviews with expert panels and by using questionnaire survey. 4.3.1 Interview Question Interview is another technique to collect factual information as well as opinion. It is a face-to-face interpersonal role situation in which an interviewer asks respondents questions designed to elicit answers pertinent to research hypothesis Nachmias and Nachmias (1996). In this study, interview was conducted in a structured form, whereby questions are presented in the same order to all 10 interviewees. The interviewer has full control of the questionnaire throughout the entire process of the interview. This technique is found the most appropriate because the answers can be more accurate, the response rate is relatively high and the answers can be explored with finding out “why” the particular answers are given Nachmias and Nachmias (1996) Interview sessions were held based on ten (10) interviewees who had experience in managing construction projects more than five years. Those interviewees hold position as project manager, Project Management Consultant (PMC) and Site engineers. In this study there were four (4) of them are project manager in contractor firm and consultant firm. The other five (5) interviewees are site engineer in contractor firm and one (1) of them is engineer from local authority in Kuala Lumpur. Interview questions had been structured into two (2) sections. Section A of the interview question contained the interviewee background information such as name, company 53 address, telephone, age, gender, current position, experience in construction industry and academic qualification. In the Section B contained ten (10) structured questions. The aim of this section is to review the rationale of need to improve the efficiency on the traditional work process in construction project. The questions are regarding the opinion of industry towards the main problems in traditional construction work process. This interview also seeks the need from the industry to improve the current construction process as to seek if the industry meets the end user/customer expectation. In this interview also try to get the opinion and information from industry on the delay, quality and waste that associated with the practice of traditional work process. Furthermore, it is also seek the with regard to project time does the current system/duration of project should be made more efficient. The last part of the interview is to find out the strategies/methodology that widely used and practical to enhance construction improvement. Besides, it is also seek opinion from industry on the awareness as well as practicality on the new concept of management theory such as Lean Theory, Concurrent Engineering being adopted by manufacturer industry to improve and values to construction performance. 4.3.2 Questionnaire Survey Before questionnaires can be developed, the main objectives should be outlined and well understood. The questionnaire derived shall be in line with the aim to achieve 54 the objective stated earlier. Draft questionnaire was prepared and discussed with supervisor. Improvements and alterations were made to ensure that the questionnaires were developed in a comprehensive manner to achieve accuracy of answers from respondents. The questionnaire is meant to evaluate on the issues related problems and limitations occur in construction process based on literature review and last interview session. As the interview session, this questionnaire was design to support the answer from the interview by additional problems and limitation from literature review. The questionnaire also was designed to determine the methodology/strategies used to enhance construction performance as per second objective of this study. This questionnaire also was structured to find the most practical and efficient method/strategies that used by industry to enhance construction work process. Section A This section is mainly to obtain information on interviewee personal background such as name, company address, age, positions, experience in the industry and academic qualification. Interviewees selected were personnel from construction industry. They were project manager, consultant project management (PMC), engineer, quantity surveyor and building surveyor. Section B The aim of this section is to seek the correspondent perception regarding traditional work process. To achieve aim for this section, there were three (3) parts had been categorized as below:- 55 a) First Part is to seek the need to improve efficiency with regard to project time and to determine the most major causes to project delay in construction management process b) Second part is indicate the most factor of problems and limitation associated with traditional work process c) Third part is to find out how waste in construction affects and influence the project time d) Last part is need the value of construction project to the customer and how it satisfy and meet the customer/end user expectation Section C In this chapter, the aim is to seek correspondent perception on strategies that have been used so far to improve construction performance. The strategies and method listed in this questionnaire were based on the literature review and from the past interview session. The strategies and method listed are focus on construction work process management as stated in scope of study. Section D The main aim of this section is to determine elements of improvement most concern among industry players to support the practicality and effective strategies used to enhance construction improvement. 56 4.3.3 Respond to Questionnaire Survey The feedback of the questionnaire was based on the respondents past experience. The respondents were asked to rate their preferences (with Likert Scale ranging from 1 to 5 in ascending order where:- 1 = Least Agree 2 = Quite Agree 3 = Moderately agree 4 = Agree 5= Strongly agree Each of these individual factor are contributed to the level of agreement of respondents on the factors that listed by the author regarding the factor of project delay, traditional work process limitation, how construction industry meet customer expectation, strategies of construction improvement and elements of construction improvement. Data obtain from the feedback were analyzed using Frequency Analysis and Average Index. It is then written back in terms of Bar Chart, Column-Chart and Pie Chart to generate findings. The data will be summarized aso percentages to make more systematic and understandable. The results is then evaluated and used in the findings of objectives in the study. A brief summary was produced to conclude the outcome of the survey. 57 4.3.4 Frequency Analysis Frequency analysis used a tabular form to represent the result of data analysis of frequency of response that respondents gave to the different variables in the questionnaire. The result was tabulated in the form of frequency number and percentages according to total respondents. For graphic result presentation, bar chart and pie chart are used as summaries. Frequency Analysis depends on the percentage of respondents giving the same answers. It is also used to measure the degree of agreement for certain statements. The formula of Frequency Analysis is as below: Percentage (%) = (n/N) x 100% Where: n = Number of respondents N = Total number of respondents received 4.3.5 Average Index Analysis The result of the data collected will be further summarized by using average index analysis. The average index analysis for each variable was calculated by using the similar classification of the rating scale proposed by Abd. Majid (1997). Likert Scaling were defined as follows: 58 AI = ∑ [n1(1) + n2(2) + n3(3) + n4(4) + n5(5)] ∑n1(5) Average Index (AI)= Σ ai.xi Σ xi Where: xi = Number of respondents x rating scale ai = Rating scale x = Number of respondents “Not Important” 1.00 < Average Index (I) < 1.50 “Less Important” 1.50 ≤ Average Index (I) < 2.50 “Moderately Important” 2.50 ≤ Average Index (I) < 3.50 “Very Important” 3.50 ≤ Average Index (I) < 4.50 “Extremely Important” 4.50 ≤ Average Index (I) < 5.00 4.3.6 Limitation of survey There are a few limitations in this survey, which can be presented as follows: 59 i. Accuracy. By using postal questionnaires survey, the respondents may answer generally when researcher is seeking a response on a specific level of analysis. Respondents may also answer according to what they think the researcher want to hear. They may answer according to their public profile rather than underlying the corporate reality. (Naoum, 1998). ii. No control over respondents Although it is stated in the questionnaire that all questions must be answered, there is no guarantee that they will answer the whole questions completely. However, this is less of a problem than not getting a response at all, given the fact that the response rate for postal surveys usually range between 40 to 60 percent. Some questions also are left unanswered or wrongly answered. iii. Industry Fatique Due to pressure of modern business and people are very busy, the students’ questionnaires are of less priority. This will result in respondents not answering the questionnaires at all or answer only certain part. iv. Non-participation The respondents may be quoting as lack of time (too busy), lack of interest and matters of confidentiality or sensitivity for their non-participation 60 4.4 Research Findings In this stage, the author will elaborate and discuss findings from data analysis and literature review on how to achieve the objectives of this study. 4.5 Make conclusion At this final stage, a conclusion will be drawn out based on the results of the analysis obtained. Final checking will be carried out at this stage to improve the quality of the research study and also to improve the loop holes in the study conducted. 4.6 Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the results obtained, conclusions and recommendations were developed. Conclusions are drawn based on the findings and analysis of the results from the questionnaire survey in accordance with the research objectives. Specific and practical recommendations were later suggested on factors on how to manage construction disputes for the better performance of the industry in future. Recommendations are also made available to aide for future researches. The next chapter renders the detailed information on the above mentioned statement. 61 CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS 5.1 Introduction This chapter explains in detail the data collected and analysis carried out based on methodology described in Chapter 4. 5.2 Interview with Expert Panels Figure 5.1 shows the content analysis of current construction process based on ten (10) expert panels as been described in Chapter 4. 62 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process Respondents Questions 1. Based on your experience what are the main problems and limitations commonly associated with traditional construction process? 2. Based on current performance do you think there is an urgent need for us to be improved to meet customer/end user expectations? No. 1 No. 2 - Biased on - Biased on contract/tender contract/tender - Redundancy of - Insufficient works info - Problems in (communicatio managing n problem) appointment of - site personnel and management consultant. (resources and - deal with a lot of labor) personnel/consult ant and tend to make mistake - Improper documenting and agreement management Definitely as time, cost and quality need to be achieved. Definitely need to be improve especially building construction, based on client (end user) need. No. 3 - Depend on weather condition. Yes, by conducting survey will generate ideas and information No. 4 improper planning of the master program. strategies used by project managers is based on previous projects and they tend improve their strategies instead of applying different method. Planning is very essential to the flow of construction process to avoid interruptions and delays which will then affects the cost and quality. Yes definitely. No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 - Slow, - communica tion issues, - additional work orders, - redundanci es, - less organized, - requires many parties involvemen t, - require close monitoring and coordination. -Insufficient info (communicatio n problem) -site management (resources and labor) - Improper documenting and agreement management Organization and communication problem. This could drag to improper planning during design and planning stage of construction. Yes, absolutely. To achieve better quality and satisfy end user expectation. Yes. To avoid construction delay. Yes, construction industry must be more customer oriented and not only focusing on the profit. No. 8 Failed to do proper planning at beginning. So that later on project is hard to control and monitor Yes! No. 9 No. 10 Communication problem. In traditional construction, most team (contractor team, client team, consultant team) are not integrated well to each other. Site management especially resources as resources is the biggest cost contribution in construction. It will effect cost as well as time management. Yes, to make construction more efficient. Yes definitely. To prevent more abundant projects and delay project that could increase cost contribution. 63 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 3. Delay and quality are two main issues that we are facing in our construction industry today. Do you think these two issues associated with the practice of traditional work process? No. 1 Yes, because in traditional work process there is no standard quality on method to check the quality or inspection. Delay occur due to improper site management (personnel) No. 2 No. 3 Definitely as time, quality, and cost are related to each other. When people expecting high quality in a short construction time will increase cost as rarely client could consider it. Yes, traditional method is usually hard to maintain the consistence of quality because low of skilled workers on site. No. 4 They are related because of the improper planning used in traditional construction. No. 5 No. 6 Yes, absolutely. -Yes, most contractor/ client only focus on saving cost without think of quality of the project to gain profit. -Delay occurred due to improper planning especially in traditional work process. No. 7 Yes, because there is no proper tool or method to measure this problems. No. 8 Improper planning and lack of awareness about quality are the issues related to delay and quality in traditional work process. No. 9 Not proper planning could cause project delay. Quality are not the main priority in traditional work process. No. 10 Yes!! 64 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 4. We believe that over the years many efforts have been done to improve the project industry performance by various sectors within construction industry. Can you share this experience of the strategies that have been use so far to improve construction performance? No. 1 Using Design and Build procurement and practice lean construction No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 Labor and resources control in weekly tracking. It will base on progress and monitoring to overcome any delay and it is responsible by construction manager. -should use proper planning and scheduling as well as monitoring and controlling the process. The precast (IBS) methods are an alternative method to speed the construction period because it’s not depending with weather condition and skilled worker. - IBS - Project Management Consultant which has shown improvement in the construction process. But still, this wasn’t been practiced by most of the contractor in Malaysia because of limitation on funding and time consuming process during the preplanning of the project - consistent researches on the contractors, suppliers, manufactur ers and consultants performanc e. No. 6 Design and Build procurement No. 7 Design and Build procurement. No. 8 Planning and scheduling tools such as primavera or project office handled by professional consultant to monitor the project. No. 9 Set up IT technology to create link to every team or just using design and build would solve the problem. No. 10 Practice partnering and just in time top solve site management (resource) problem. 65 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 5. With regard to project time do you think the current system/duratio n of project should be made more efficient? 6. What do you think about ‘waste’ in term of time, inefficiency of work process in current system? Can you give example some of them? No. 1 No. 2 Yes, work program need to be improved and focused on expertise/person appointed and progress of construction. Yes, it is. Currently, traditional work process is efficient but the client decision could make the whole process inefficient that lead to variation order. Besides the drawing itself are not constructability and planner/archite cts didn’t do a proper site condition survey. - Sudden decision/ variation instruct by client or because of the condition of the ground that need decision from client are time lengthy. - Improper site management could lead to loss especially in lack of controlling raw material. - Waste of time as well as produce a lot of construction waste. No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 Yes it’s should No. 3 Yes. No. 4 Yes, I think it should be more efficient. If current system/ duration of project has already been at satisfactory level, why there are still too many projects are abandoned ? Yes! Most contractor give the lowest tender and tend to get extra charges when there are variation order and extension of time. So the project will behind the schedule. Yes, time is important as it will incurred cost and waste. Yes, because there is no tool or standard to set for any activities in traditional work process. So time for the same project will be different. Yes, to avoid project delay and money loss. No. 9 Yes because a lot of abundant project nowadays No. 10 -Weather problem - Design changes or error because the improper planning for the design has not been detailed and managed. - Traditional work method drag the constructio n time and also use more materials and manpower compared to IBS System. Sudden decision could drag time. For example, client suddenly change decision, and consultant have to redraw again any technique used. Different technique used could be different expertise needed. Redundant works because of miscommunic ation. Unskilled worker, tend to do mistake that need to re-construct and produce waste. Late receive information due to birochracy or miscommunic ation. Design error due to improper setting out and site clearance. Problem in resources managemen t. Time of ordering need to be right as to avoid defects or insufficient space or late delivery. 66 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 7. Do you think construction industry does not able to meet customer and end user expectation in term of time, quality and value for money of the construction project in general? No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Diasgree, construction project can meet customer/ end user expectation if there is a proper tools in construction management Depends on the client needs to meet one/both or all the elements; cost, time quality. Usually developer/cont ractor will disappears when the construction end. The customer and end user expectation are not the major interest issue for them. No. 4 As the price increases in construction materials, many contractors failed to provide the best quality and time for the customers. It’s up to the developer on how to give the best value for money to their customers. No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Yes, especially in Malaysia. Mostly, it still depends on the company financial ability and government decision based on the market condition. As example, there is still not many housing which is considered as affordable but have quality at the same time. Not sure, it depends on what types of project handled and client fund. No, but yet, they still can achieve either 1 or 2 elements (time, quality and/or cost) Depends on how well project been plan and control as well as contribution and cooperation from all parties. Depends who are involved with the projects. Most high class contractors and developer will maintain their status and reputation. They will also do some market research to know the advantages and disadvantages of any project they want to involve in. Yes, because Malaysia statistics shows that a lot of abundant projects. 67 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 8. There are many new concept of management theory such as Lean Theory, Concurrent Engineering being adopted by manufacturer industry to improve their performance. Have you heard about these ideas? If so, do you think they are value to construction? No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Yes, but they are rarely practices in construction industry as there are lack of awareness and knowledge by top management. Sometimes it could because of budget constraint, as training of the course is quite expensive. To maintain the personnel who are train is also another problem. Yes, these theories can apply into construction industry but with a lot of limitations. Construction industry is different condition/enviro nment compared to manufacturer industry. Manufacturer industry produce the same and repetitive product. In construction industry, there are different condition even though it is the same project. Otherwise, most people are lack of awareness about these theories. Never heard before, basically money is basic idea to speed up the construction period. No. 4 nope No. 5 There are too many theories. I’ve heard of them. However, most of the companies involved in the construction does not look into these theories because of the practicality is not clearly defined and still not widely practiced. People will be more interested in obvious matters such as price, products and materials. I think theory must come along with the tools (mechanism) which is practicable and only then it will be a value to construction. No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 No, never heard before Yes, these theories can be applied in construction industry but these theories are still new. Most construction players are lack of knowledge and awareness about these theories. Yes, but most top managements are not interested to implement as they didn’t see the advantages of applying these theories. Yes. However, most of the companies involved in the construction does not look into these theories because of the practicality is not clearly defined and still not widely practiced. -same as answer respondent 8. - Yes, but most top managements are not interested to implement as they didn’t see the advantages of applying these theories. 68 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 9. Malaysian Government has introduced IBS system. Do you think IBS really improve construction process by eliminating waste, able to reduce construction time and make the whole construction process more efficient? No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 - Yes, in term of waste, it is more manageable and least waste produce on site as the element of building are fabricated from the factory. - It could reduce time, as the construction can be done simultaneously. It is efficient because of skilled worker used, save time and reduce waste. - Yes, especially on building works, save time and reduce waste but not the cost. - It is quite expensive as skilled worker needed to construct using this technology. - Besides, heavy machine needed that could consume cost increase because of high production rate. - Adversely, most client offer the tender to the lowest price especially government sector. -Yes, the IBS improve the construction process but it’s expensive and need more capital to implement it. - Theoretically, the IBS system does improve the construction process but limitations faced are the lowwages general worker and lack of technology and knowledge, construction cost increases - This still needed the creativity of the Malaysian government on how to introduce the IBS effectively into the construction industry. - Yes, I agree on this. Hopefully, this IBS System will be implemente d nationally and be one of the guideline prepared by JKR. Furthermor e, hopefully this will help reduce the housing price as well. Yes, probably, but got some limitations as it is quite expensive as skilled worker needed to construct using this technology. Besides, heavy machine needed that could consume a lot of cost. No. 7 Yes, but it is rarely practices in Malaysia because of lack of awareness and knowledge from the construction industry players. No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Yes, but it is quite expensive because need skilled/trained workers as heavy machine needed to run the system. Yes, but lack of knowledge and awareness from the industry. Government should enforced and promote this system to industry by giving more award (as CIDB did) to construction that apply IBS system. Yes, but need support from government to promote and enforce. 69 Table 5.1: Content Analysis of Current Traditional Construction Process (continued) Respondents Questions 10. By the way, how do you define the concept of efficiency in construction process? No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Concept of efficiency in construction process based on method statement itself, it can be measured based on supervision give, good system monitoring, motivation given by employer to workers such as bonus etc. and the most important the financial of the project itself. No communication breakdown, good communication between teams involves. High budget will increase the efficiency of construction process No. 4 Efficiency in construction process is well-planned master program. No. 5 Efficiency in construction process for me is the ability to complete any project within the projected timeline for all process starting from planning until the handover. This is also includes no additional requests on the resources and allocated budget. At the same time, no wastages happen. No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Project finished on or before time planned. Able to minimize waste. No redundancy activities in a project that could lead to extra time and cost. Well planned work program in the planning stage, and be able to monitor and control the construction process. Good monitoring and controlling method applied. Fund is sufficient. All parties have construction knowledge. (client, contractor and consultant) 70 Based on the Table 5.1, it can be conclude that there are a lot of problems occurred in traditional work process. There are also urgent needs for construction industry to improve based on current traditional work process. Delay and time prior is the main problems in traditional work process and there are need to improve project time. Quality and waste also are the issues faced in current traditional work process. Most of the interviewees agreed that construction industry does not be able to meet customer and end user expectation in terms of time, quality and value for money of the construction in general. However, there are some interviewee responded yes if the project are properly managed and high budget from client prepared just to meet all the requirement needed. However, there are several strategies that used to improve the current traditional work process such as alternative procurement method, lean construction management, IBS system, computerize tracking system, practice partnering with suppliers and apply justin-time concept on delivery of construction materials. Seven interviewees do aware about new concept of management theory such as Lean Theory and Concurrent Theory and some of them agreed that those management theory can be applied in construction industry but with a lot of limitation. The limitations are because of lacks of awareness of top management about these ideas, lack of knowledge and it is impractical. While others never heard about these ideas before. All interviewee agreed that IBS system do really improve construction process by eliminating waste, be able to reduce construction time and make the whole construction process more efficient but with some limitations such skilled workers needed, costly, heavy machine needed, lack of awareness, knowledge, and support from government. 71 Efficiencies concept are defined as there is no redundancy of any activities in a project that could lead to extra time and cost, project be able to finish on time, and project is be able to monitor and control. 5.3 Questionnaire Survey The author distributed questionnaires to 40 respondents. 20 questionnaires were delivered to contractor and consultant firm and the rest were delivered to government sector that involved with construction project as authority, client and consultant. Table 5.2 showed the end result of the delivered questionnaire which the percentage of response is considered moderate. Table 5.2: Questionnaires delivered Questionnaires Quantity Delivered 50 Responded questionnaires 40 80 Rejected questionnaires 4 8 Unreply questionnaires 6 12 Total Percentage (%) 100 72 5.4 Demographic of Respondents The demographic of the respondents’ are described on the following sections. 5.4.1 Respondents Position The author had also categorized the respondents’ position into 5 categories that are shown in Table 5.4 and Figure 5.3. The position of ‘Others’ involved Safety Officer, M & E coordinator, QA & QC coordinator and etc. Table 5.3: Respondents Position Responded Questionnaires Quantity Percentage (%) Project Manager 14 36 Engineer 17 43 Quantity Surveyor 3 8 Architect 2 5 Others 3 8 Total 39 100 73 5.4.2 Respondent’s Working Experience The collected questionnaires were categorized according to the respondents working experiences which have been measured in terms of years as shown in Table 5.4. There are four (4) categories were set to allocate all the respondents and the result found out that category 10 – 19 years working experience years are the highest percentage followed by category 0 – 9 years and lowest were category more than 20 years working experience. Table 5.4: Respondents’ Working Experience Respondents Qualification 5.5 Quantity Percentage (%) 0 - 9 years 13 33 10 - 19 years 19 49 More than 20 years 7 18 Total 39 100 Major Causes to Project Delay In section B, questions are divided into three (3) categories. In question 1 of the questionnaire was designed to seek opinions from the construction industry on the causes to project delay due to improper construction management. 74 Table 5.5 shows the most causes of project delay due to improper management indicated by respondents taken. Table 5.5: Factors that contribute to project delay Scores Causes Mean 1 2 3 4 5 Index a Quality Management (defects) 5 11 8 11 4 2.95 b Communication management 2 4 4 16 14 3.87 0 0 7 16 16 4.23 c Site management (resources and materials) d Waste management 15 11 8 3 2 2.13 e Personnel management 7 4 12 11 5 3.08 According to the average index analysis above, showed respondents agree that site management (resources and materials) is the most causes due to project delay and in terms of time. 5.6 Problems and Limitation in Traditional Work Process Question 2 was designed to determine the limitation and problems that associated with traditional construction process. Table 5.6 showed respondents agree with all the problems that listed out in the questionnaire were the factor of problems in traditional construction process. 75 Table 5.6: Problem related to construction process 2 a b c Scores Factor of problem and limitation Poor communication /communication breakdown Poor site management (resources and labor) Improper site management cause ‘waste’ in terms of time 1 2 3 Mean 4 5 Index 1 1 6 17 14 4.08 0 2 5 20 12 4.08 1 4 11 19 4 3.54 0 3 17 14 5 3.54 3 6 15 14 1 3.10 2 2 6 15 14 3.95 2 0 7 14 16 4.08 1 1 6 17 14 4.08 2 3 12 17 5 3.49 Redundancy works always d occur in traditional construction process. e f g h i Wastage in construction (materials) Improper planning of the construction Poor site coordination Lack of close monitoring and controlling Improper documenting and agreement j Quality problem 0 4 10 18 7 3.72 k Materials defects on site 1 4 14 16 4 3.46 While in Question 3 to Question 6 were designed to indicate the rationale needs to improve and enhance current construction process effectiveness. In this part also to find 76 out there are urgent needs to improve in order to meet clients and end user expectation. The results had been summarized as shown in Table 5.7. Table 5.7: The needs to improve traditional construction process Scores * 3. 4. 5. 6. Needs to improve TWP With regard to project time, current system/duration of project should be made more efficient ‘waste’ in term of time occurs when there is sudden decision by client or there is variation orders/design changes Based on current performance, there is an urgent need for us to be improved to meet customer/end user expectations Construction industry does not able to meet customer and end user expectation the construction project in general in terms of:- 1 2 3 4 5 Mean Index 0 2 6 14 17 4.18 0 4 7 15 13 3.95 0 1 7 18 13 4.10 3.82 a. Time 2 4 6 14 13 3.49 b. Quality 3 6 8 14 9 3.59 c. Value for money 3 3 9 16 8 4.18 * question number refer to original questionnaire form distributed Table 5.7 showed respondents agreed that there are urgent needs to improve traditional construction process in terms of project time and customer need/expectation. 77 5.7 Strategies Used to Improve Traditional Construction Process In section C of the questionnaire, there were 9 questions designed to seek correspondent perception on strategies that have been used so far to improve construction performance. The lists of strategies are based on the previous interview session and literature review. Table 5.8 is the results of strategies indicated by the respondent perspective. Table 5.8: Strategies to improve construction process Scores 1 2 3 4 5 Mean Index 0 0 6 14 19 4.33 1 0 6 17 15 4.15 (c) Control quality (less materials defects) 1 2 3 18 16 4.21 2 Alternative procurement method such as design and build 2 3 11 18 5 3.54 3 Eliminating waste and redundancy (lean construction) 1 0 13 19 6 3.74 4 Systematic approach to integrated product development that emphasizes the response to customer expectations (Concurrent Engineering) 2 2 6 24 6 3.77 5 Practicing partnering with suppliers (supply chain) 2 3 6 19 9 3.74 Strategies Applied 1 By applying Industrialized Building System (IBS) (materials fabricated from factory) can:(a) Reduce waste (b) Reduce time used 78 Table 5.8: Results of practical and widely used strategies to improve construction process (continued) Scores Strategies Applied 6 1 2 3 4 5 Ordering resources (materials) on time (just-in-time) may:(a) Reduce waste Mean Index 3.77 0 2 13 16 8 3.92 0 3 8 17 11 3.62 (c) Control quality (less materials defects) 0 5 11 17 6 3.51 7 Adopt Six-Sigma in construction 2 4 12 14 7 3.90 8 Create teamwork for quality control and construction improvement research. (Kaizen Philosophy) 0 3 8 18 10 3.97 9 Integrate all organizational functions to focus on meeting customer needs and other organizational objectives (Total Quality Management) 0 1 8 21 9 4.33 (b) Reduce time used 5.8 Element of Improvement in Enhancing Construction Improvement Section D of questionnaire provides the list of elements of improvement to enhance construction improvement. The main aim of this section is to determine elements of improvement that most concern among industry players to support practicality and effective strategies used to enhance construction improvement. Table 5.12 shows the results on important elements in order to improve current construction process. 79 Table 5.9: Important elements in improving construction process Scores Element of improvement a b Time reduction Waste reduction Mean 1 2 3 4 5 Index 2 1 7 21 8 3.82 0 3 12 18 6 3.69 c Quality/ defects 0 1 9 13 16 4.13 d Teamwork/communication 0 0 9 14 16 4.18 e Site coordination 0 0 10 15 14 4.10 f Waste management 0 2 15 18 4 3.62 g Labor Management 0 3 11 19 6 3.72 h Materials management 0 3 12 15 9 3.77 80 CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS 6.1 Introduction This chapter discussed thoroughly on the results from the data analyzed. The findings were discussed on the limitation and problems faced in current traditional work process. This project also discussed on method used to improve construction efficiency. 6.2 Rationale needs to improve efficiency of construction process Data collection from interview and questionnaire show that there are rationale needs to improve efficiency of construction process. There are because major respondent and interviewees respond that in the current traditional work process faced a lot of limitations and problems. Some of them also respond that construction industry cannot 81 achieve the user expectation and produce a lot of waste. Below are the breakdowns detail on the rationale needs to improve efficiency of construction process:- i. Problem and limitation in traditional work process Delays are frequent and recurring in construction projects in developing countries. Although the principal reasons for construction delays are comparable across developing countries, several factors pertaining to local industry, socioeconomic and cultural issues and project characteristics also contribute to construction delays. Questionnaire surveys and interviews were conducted on construction industry players to explore the most significant problems causing construction delays. Factors related to designers, contractors and consultants were rated among the top problems. Issues such as lack of resources, poor contractor management, shortage of labor, design delays, planning and scheduling deficiencies, changed orders and contractors' financial difficulties were also highlighted during the interviews. Notably, problems such as 'multicultural and multilingual environment causing ineffective communication’ was rated among the problems in problem inventory. Basically there are a lot of problems and limitations when it is related to traditional work process. Based on the interview, it can be concluded that all the interviewees agreed in the traditional work process faced a lot of problems and limitation. Improper planning of site (site management) had been agreed by 8 out of 10 respondents interviewed. Site management concluded with problems of managing the labors and appointment of personnel and consultant. In traditional work process, client needs to deal with a lot of personnel and consultant and they 82 tend to make mistake. It is also included of managing materials as resource is the biggest portion of cost contribution in construction project. 5 out of 10 respondents stated that communication problem is the main problem faced in traditional work process. Only 1 person agreed that improper documenting and agreement management are also common problems when related to traditional work process. Based on the interview, it can be concluded that 80% of the respondents interviewed stated that site management is the major problems in practicing traditional work process in terms of management. Based on Table 5.8, results of problems and limitations in traditional work process from 39 respondents through questionnaires distributed, it can be indicated that poor site management (labor and resources), poor communication, poor site coordination and lack of close monitoring and controlling were the most ranked. These problems were measured through questionnaire by using average index as per discussed in chapter 4. Therefore, from the data collection, site management is the major problem associated with traditional work process based on the interview session and supported by questionnaire collected. ii. Project delay Based on the interview session, all interviewees agreed project delay main issues that faced in current construction industry today. This statement was supported 83 by evaluated questionnaires. The respondents agreed that with regard project time, current system/duration of project should be made more efficient. In terms of management, the most causes of project delay that indicated by respondents in the questionnaire circulated is problem of site management (resources and labors). It was analyzed by using average index and showed that respondents agreed with problem of site management causes project delay. Respondents moderately agree with problem in communication management, personnel management and quality management that cause to project delay, while respondents slightly agree with causes that due to waste management. iii. Quality of the project To achieve the end user/customer expectations, all players need to provide with building solutions, quality workmanship, and the ability to operate at maximum efficiency to produce a quality product in a timely and cost effective manner. Based on the data collection, all the interviewees agreed on quality also is one of the main issues faced in current traditional work process. iv. Waste in construction project Construction waste consists of unwanted materials on site. If the construction waste is managed properly it will save money as well as reduce your impact on the environment by considering resource use and waste generation during the design phase of a building project. 84 When in construction phase, a lot of construction waste produced and waste management is important as to reduce projects cost and project time. How waste were produced and what it make the work process in current work process inefficient need to be clarify by construction players through their experience. Secondary data were collected from the construction players to gain the opinions on relationship between wastes in terms of time in construction. Controlling resources especially materials can reduce construction time and improve efficiency of time project by applying just-in-time (JIT) method. Project manager will be thinking of minimizing waste with by using this just-in-time (JIT) method. Therefore it will boost the efficiency of project time. This statement was suggested and supported by several construction players through last interview session. Interviewee also sit is related to waste management on how to reduce construction waste. Based on the last interview session, redundant of works could possibly lead to waste production. Redundancy occurred when there was communication breakdown or miscommunication between teams or superior. Sometimes it is because of birochracy, project team usually gets late information because of design changes. When there is no sufficient information, sudden changes, variation instruct and communication, workers on site tend to do mistakes. Traditional work method normally will be linked with the usage of unskilled labor. Those unskilled labor tend to make mistake which are sometimes doesn’t fit the authority requirement or clients expectation. They had to reconstruction again the mistake parts, so a lot of wastes will be produced. 85 6.3 Urgent need to improve the current performance As been discussed earlier, traditional work process faced a lot of problems and limitations. All interviewee agreed that there is an urgent need to improve current construction performance to meet customer/end user expectations. Based on current construction performance, there are needs to improve as the customers nowadays do aware about the elements of time, cost and quality. Most projects are only focusing on gaining profit without thinking of quality of the project. Project delay always occurs in current construction process that showed there is urgent need to improve construction performance. But somehow, there are few interviewees thought that construction industry does not be able to meet customer and end user expectation. Others just give their opinion that those meet of the end user expectation it depends on what types of projects, how big is the project, what class of contractor they engaged with and fund supply. Based on Table 5.9, construction players agree that current construction industry doesn’t meet customer and end user expectation in terms of value for money. They were moderately agreed that current construction industry doesn’t meet customer and end user expectation in terms of time and quality. 6.4 Strategies to improve construction process There are a lot of strategies/method apply to enhance and improve the efficiencies in construction. 86 These strategies can be classified as 3 perspectives that are management perspective, technical perspective and planning perspective. The scope of this study is mainly focused on management perspective. The feedback from last interview sessions shows that application of partnering and just-in-time method could improve site management problems. In terms of technical perspective, construction players tend to choose Industrialized Building System (IBS) as the best strategies to enhance the efficiencies of construction. While in terms of planning perspective, using Primavera software could enhance the monitoring, tracking project and computerized system is useful to create link in every team involved to avoid any late information or miscommunication between them. Based on Table 5.10, it is shows that Total Quality Management is the strategy that widely used and practical to improve current performance construction process. Based on the mean index, the respondents agree to integrate all organizational functions to focus on meeting customer needs and other organizational objectives. However the respondents agree that by using Industrialized Building Technology (IBS) can control quality by producing less material defects based on Table 5.10. They also agreed that IBS Technology could reduce timed used and waste. Interview results showed that in general, Industrialized Building Technology (IBS) can improve construction process by eliminating waste, able to reduce construction time and make the whole process more efficient. One of the expert panels stated that applying IBS system is more manageable and least waste produce on site as the product themselves were fabricated from the factory. It could reduce construction time because the construction can be simultaneously. It is also efficient as skilled workers used can save time and reduce waste. However the other expert panels mentioned there are limitations on applying this technology. It could save time and reduce waste but not the cost. It is quite expensive as skilled worker are needed to construct using this technology. Besides, 87 heavy machines are needed that could consume a lot of money because of high production rate. Adversely, most client offer lowest prices and budget especially in government projects. Cooperation and interference from Malaysian government are needed in order to promote and introduce IBS to the industry effectively. Expert panels also suggested that Malaysian government should be more creative to promote the IBS technology to the industry by giving award more awards to certain criteria of application of IBS to the contractors and developers involved. Moreover they must be prepared with the proper guidelines to enforce this system. Interview with expert panels showed that most of them heard about new concept of management theory such as Lean Theory and Concurrent Engineering. However, 3 of the expert panels never heard about those theories. Expert panels agree that these theories can be applied in construction industry but with a lot of limitations. They are rarely applied because of certain reasons. The reasons stated are there are lack of knowledge and awareness by the top management. Top management had to decide on the process as a whole. Sometimes, top management thought that they are hard to apply because of budget constraint. They had to train a group of members which cost a lot of money. For example, to have a quality team, the top management had to decide on numbers of trained person per group and training cost which cost more than thousands ringgit per head. Top management also had risk on the personnel trained will quit from the current job and moved to the other company. Some expert panels do mention that these new management theories adopted by manufacturers industry were not suitable to apply in construction industry as they had different activities. Manufacturer activities are same and repetitive but construction activities are different depends on types, location, soil condition, environment and other factors. Even though same projects were construct but they will face different problems on site. This is the reason the new management theories adopted by manufacturer are rarely applied to construction industry. All of the expert panels that heard about these 88 new management theories, stated that they didn’t see the advantages and practicality on applying this theories. Respondents were moderately agreed by implement other methods to improve efficiency in construction process. Other methods that been listed out such as application of lean construction, concurrent engineering, kaizen philosophy, supply chain and JIT system. 6.5 Definition of Efficiency Concept Concept of efficiency in construction process can be defined in many ways. Interview with expert panels showed that there are many variations in defining the concepts. Generally concepts of efficiency in construction process are based on method statement itself. They can be measured based on level of supervision, good monitoring system and financial status of the project itself. 3 of 10 expert panels stated that sufficient fund/financial is the definition of efficiency in construction process. Whereby there are sufficient fund, project can progress smoothly without any delay. However six (6) expert panels agreed that well planned project, with good monitoring and controlling system with no redundancy activities on site is the definition of efficiency concept. That means the project started and finished on the time given as per scheduled with no redundancy of activities that could produce construction waste. The other expert panel measured the efficiency in construction process by there is good communication between teams involved. 89 6.2.5 Element of Improvement In order to improve construction process, there are many factors to improve the enhancement of construction process. Element of improvement are collected from industry to seek on what are the important element need to be improve in order to achieve efficiency in construction process. Based on Table 5.11, it showed that teamwork and communication is the most important element need to be enhanced in order to achieve the efficiency in construction process. It showed that by using highest mean index, whereby mean index was used to measure the level of importance. Second element that needs to improve was quality and defects and lastly followed by site coordination. Time reduction is the forth element need to be improved followed by materials management, labor management, waste reduction and waste management. However all the elements of improvement were in the ‘agree’ rating scale but the three most important elements of improvement in current construction process were teamwork/ communication, quality/defects and site coordination. These elements of improvement showed to support the category of need to improve the current construction process. 90 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 7.1 Introduction This chapter concludes the overall study that has been conducted. The achievement for each objectives study are been concluded here. Finally recommendations were made for further research. 7.2 Achievement of this study The achievement of this study is measured by compare the result and the objectives outlined in Chapter 1. All objectives of this study were successfully achieved even though with a lot of limitations that described in Chapter 6. 91 Below are the conclusion on each objective of this study: 7.2.1 Objective No. 1- To review the rationale of need to improve the efficiencies on the management of construction process during construction phase This objective of study had been achieved through literature review in Chapter 2. Chapter 2 indicated the lists of problems faced in traditional construction work process. The needs to improves the efficiencies also been clarified through interview with the expert panels. The need of improving construction process can be said that a lot of problems occur in the traditional work process. There were also needs to improve construction performance in order to achieve end user/customer expectation in terms of time, quality and value for money. This objective also was supported by secondary data. Average Index Analysis was used to determine the level of knowledge where the result came out that most of problems and limitation of traditional work process were rank in ‘agree’ rating scale. With the regard of project time, the current construction performance should be made more efficient and there is an urgent need for us to improve in order to meet customer/end user expectations. From the data itself it can be showed that construction project in general does not be able to meet customer/end user expectations in terms of value for money. 7.2.2 Objective No. 2- To evaluate the methodology used in achieving efficiency in construction process From the literature review following aspects has been considered as viable strategies to improve construction process. These findings were also supported by the questionnaire survey results analysis. The lists are as follows: 92 • Adoption of new management tool and philosophy from other industry • Advanced construction technology such as Industrialized Building System • Integration of quality management such as ISO 9001 and Total Quality Management 7.2.3 Objective No. 3- To propose practical and effective strategies to improve construction process Detail description of main findings for this objective has been described in Chapter 6. The conclusion that made from the findings are: • The main strategy that commonly used in Malaysia construction industry to improve construction performance is by engaging with new construction technology such as IBS system. • From the management perspective, the adoption of quality management system guideline such as ISO 9001and Total Quality Management have been quite popular to achieve improvement. • The used of tools and philosophy from other industry is quite new and do not gain much popularity as strategy to improve construction process. 7.3 Limitation of Studies There were three major limitations in this study which were time limitation, cost limitation and area of coverage limitation. 93 7.3.1 Time Limitation As time was the essence for this research, the author goes through a hard time in collecting the data required as the University only provided two semesters time to complete this research. Besides the author working in the weekdays and taking part time study to finish this study. Author had to take holiday leave in order to collect data from construction players. 7.3.2 Cost Limitation Since the author has no other financial aids other them himself, the author has difficulties in travelling to collect the required data. So, postage of questionnaires was done to cover whole Klang Valley but due to low responses rate the author had to travel to collect the data required. 7.3.3 Area of Coverage Limitation The data collected were mainly from the Klang Valley area as mention earlier. Hence, this research maybe one sided to only the Central part of Kuala Lumpur which the samples does not reflect the whole Klang Valley area. 94 7.4 Recommendations The author had developed out two parts of the recommendations that were based on findings and future research studies. 7.4.1 Recommendations Based on Findings Based on the findings outlined, the industry does aware about the problems faced in current construction process. They also do aware that there are serious urgent needs to enhance the efficiencies in current performance of industry. It can be showed that both private and government project faced the same problems. With respect to the findings as well as the conclusions drawn out from this study, several practical recommendations are worth forwarded for possible implementation. The first and most obvious is that all parties involved in construction projects must step up their effort and gives more emphasis on the issue of communication, site management (resource and labor), site coordination, monitoring, controlling and other issues. They should make an effort to adopt methodologies which can bear improvements for them in these matters, since these were regarded as by all participants as some of the most common causes of disputes. Both communication and management issues may be improved through continuous training, since training might provide those relevant workforces with the necessary skills upgrade and enhancements that are vital in delivering professional and high quality performance in executing projects at hand. The ability to plan instead can’t be enhanced nor improve by mere training. Secondly, top management should consider and more aware on the new practical management method that might be useful in improving efficiencies of construction 95 process. Top management should study further on the implementation of new management concept and made have some efforts on comparing the method with the traditional work process. Top management should not just think on making profit but they need to consider very well on time and quality aspects. Thirdly, involvement from government is as important as government had authority to promote and enforce the new management concept. Government should study and prepare the guideline on implementation of new concept of management as well as other system such as IBS. Government should seek the practicality on the implementation of these methods before enforcing them. Finally it is also recommended that for future works, all the construction players be more alert and aware of new strategies and method. 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Model-based planning: scaled-up construction application, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 2, 199-217. 103 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW QUESTION 104 UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MALAYSIA INTERVIEW QUESTIONNNAIRE THE NEED TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION WORK PROCESS Objective of the interview: There is an urgent need for the industry to reconsider the effectiveness of current work process which mainly base on traditional work process due to its efficiency. Therefore this interview questionnaire is prepared to gather the information about limitation on current work process and the need to improve efficiency. Hopefully the overview from construction players can give the idea on the practical and effectiveness strategy in achieving improvement of construction work process. 105 Section A (to be filled by interviewer) Respondent Background Information 1. Name (Optional) : ___________________________________________ 2. Company Address (Optional) : ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 3. Telephone (Optional) : ___________________________________________ 4. Age : ___________________________________________ 5. Sex : 6. Current Position : ___________________________________________ Female Male 7. Experience in construction industry : ______________ years 8. Academic qualifications : ___________________________________________ 106 Section B The aim of this section is to review the rationale of need to improve the efficiency on the traditional work process in construction project. “The term traditional work process can be literally understood as the common practice inherited from the long established custom of delivering the construction project based on fragmented work process. In general this practiced has dominated the industry with the separation of design and construction function” 1. Based on your experience what are the main problems and limitations commonly associated with traditional construction process? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. Based on current performance do you think there is an urgent need for us to be improved to meet customer/end user expectations? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 107 3. Delay and quality are two main issues that we are facing in our construction industry today. Do you think these two issues associated with the practice of traditional work process? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 4. We believe that over the years many efforts have been done to improve the project industry performance by various sectors within construction industry. Can you share this experience of the strategies that have been use so far to improve construction performance? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 5. With regard to project time do you think the current system/duration of project should be made more efficient? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 108 6. What do you think about ‘waste’ in term of time, inefficiency of work process in current system? Can you give example some of them? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 7. Do you think construction industry does not able to meet customer and end user expectation in term of time, quality and value for money of the construction project in general? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 8. There are many new concept of management theory such as Lean Theory, Concurrent Engineering being adopted by manufacturer industry to improve their performance. Have you heard about these ideas? If so, do you think they are value to construction? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 109 9. Malaysian Government has introduced IBS system. Do you think IBS really improve construction process by eliminating waste, able to reduce construction time and make the whole construction process more efficient? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 10. By the way, how do you define the concept of efficiency in construction process? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Interviewee Interviewer ………………………………… ………………………………… Name Name : Tahrina Taib Department : Department : Commissioner of Building Date Date : : : 110 APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY FORM 111 EFFICIENCY IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESS Objective of the questionnaire There is an urgent need for the industry to reconsider the effectiveness of current work process which mainly base on traditional work process due to its efficiency. Therefore this questionnaire is prepared to gather the information on strategies that widely used, practical and the most effective to improve construction process. Hopefully the overview from construction players can give the idea on the practical and effectiveness strategy in achieving improvement of construction work process. Section A Respondent Background Information 9. Name (Optional) : ___________________________________________ 10. Company Address (Optional) : ___________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 11. Telephone (Optional) : ___________________________________________ 12. Age : ___________________________________________ 13. Sex : 14. Current Position : ___________________________________________ Female 15. Experience in construction industry : ______________ years Male 112 16. Academic qualifications : ___________________________________________ Section B The aim of this section is to seek correspondent perception about traditional work process regarding to construction. “The term traditional work process can be literally understood as the common practice inherited from the long established custom of delivering the construction project based on fragmented work process. In general this practiced has dominated the industry with the separation of design and construction function” Instruction: Scale down from 1 – 5 in the boxes base on the indicator below:- Scale indicator: 1 Least 2 Less 3 Moderately 4 More 5 Mostly 11. Marks the most major causes to project delay in construction management process according to scale 1-5 a. Quality Management (defects) b. Communication management c. Site management (resources and materials) d. Waste management e. Personnel management 113 Instruction: Please indicate your level of agreement of the statement below:- Scale indicator: 2. 1 Least Agree 2 Quite Agree 3 Moderately Agree 4 Agree 5 Strongly Agree Least Quite Moderately Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Agree Below are the factor of problems and limitation associated with traditional work process (a) Poor communication /communication breakdown (b) Poor site management (resources and labor) (c) Improper site management cause ‘waste’ in terms of time (d) Redundancy works always occur in traditional construction process. 114 Least Quite Moderately Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 (g) Poor site coordination 1 2 3 4 5 (h) Lack of close monitoring and 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 (j) Quality problem 1 2 3 4 5 (k) Materials defects on site 1 2 3 4 5 With regard to project time, current 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 (e) Wastage in construction Agree Strongly Agree (materials) (f) Improper planning of the construction controlling (i) Improper documenting and agreement 3. system/duration of project should be made more efficient 4. ‘waste’ in term of time occurs when there is sudden decision by client or there is variation orders/design changes 5. Based on current performance, there is an urgent need for us to be improved to meet customer/end user 115 Least Quite Moderately Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 (a) Time 1 2 3 4 5 (b) Quality 1 2 3 4 5 (c) Value for money 1 2 3 4 5 Agree expectations 6. Construction industry does not able to meet customer and end user expectation the construction project in general in terms of:- 116 Section C The aim of this section is to seek correspondent perception on strategies that have been used so far to improve construction performance. “The movement urging the industry to reconsider its adherence to the traditional inefficient way of delivering construction project is not a new effort and awareness of the need for construction industry to refocus were the proactive action” Instruction: Please indicate your level of agreement of the statement below:- Least Quite Moderately Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 (d) Reduce waste 1 2 3 4 5 (e) Reduce time used 1 2 3 4 5 (f) Control quality (less materials 1 2 3 4 5 Agree Please indicate your level agreement about current strategies that widely applied and practical in construction industry based on your experience:- 1. By applying Industrialized Building System (IBS) (materials fabricated from factory) can:- defects) 117 2. Least Quite Moderately Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 (d) Reduce waste 1 2 3 4 5 (e) Reduce time used 1 2 3 4 5 (f) Control quality (less materials 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Alternative procurement method Agree Strongly Agree such as design and build 3. Eliminating waste and redundancy (lean construction) 4. Systematic approach to integrated product development that emphasizes the response to customer expectations (Concurrent Engineering) 5. Practicing partnering with suppliers (supply chain) 6. Ordering resources (materials) on time (just-in-time) may:- defects) 7. Adopt Six-Sigma in construction 118 8. Create teamwork for quality control Least Quite Moderately Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Agree and construction improvement research. (Kaizen Philosophy) 9. Integrate all organizational functions to focus on meeting customer needs and other organizational objectives (Total Quality Management) 119 Section D The main aim of this section is to determine elements of improvement most concern among industry players to support the practicality and effective strategies used to enhance construction improvement. “New Management Philosophy is the application of new management technique that originate from other industry” 1. Least Quite Moderately Agree Strongly Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 (a) Time reduction 1 2 3 4 5 (b) Waste reduction 1 2 3 4 5 (c) Quality/ defects 1 2 3 4 5 (d) Teamwork/communication 1 2 3 4 5 Agree Please indicate your level on the most important improvement element in of traditional construction process 120 Least Quite Moderately Agree Agree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 (e) Site coordination 1 2 3 4 5 (f) Waste management 1 2 3 4 5 (g) Labor Management 1 2 3 4 5 (h) Materials management 1 2 3 4 5 “THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION” Agree Strongly Agree