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BOM025 BOM025 Construction, processes and management lp4 VT21 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Welcome to BOM025

Dear participant!
Welcome to the course in construction processes and management! The course starts Monday March 22 afternoon 13.15- 17.00  over Zoom. An invitation will be posted on canvas.

We look forward to seeing you.

We follow closely the development of the coronavirus and the course will run virtually over Zoom. Any changes in this depends on the authorities and Chalmers. 

The course focus on the practical processes involved in producing built products. We therefore expect you to carry out practical and theoretical assignments to support your learning.

On Monday 22  assignment 3, the site manager interview, which is the largest assignment in the course will be presented and after forming groups on Monday you will all be assigned to a site manager working at a building site to study in this assignment.

The course examinator, teachers and coordinators wish you a successful learning experience. We wish this course will prepare you as professionals who possess skills of critical reflection about construction process and management from multiple perspectives.

The facilitators, teachers and supervisors this year will be
May Shayboun, DCPM candidate, Ph.d. student. shayboun@chalmers.se

Gunnar Wengström, building engineer M.Sc. gunnar.wengstrom@educ.goteborg.se
Christian Koch, engineer M.Sc. professor kochch@chalmers.se
Dimosthenis Kifokeris. Civil Engineer Ph.D, Assistant professor, dimkif@chalmers.se

Student representative

If you, counter to our expectation are allowed to visit the site, please do. As a practical note we are aware of that most contractors have safety equipment on site that visitors can borrow. However, if this is an issue, we have a small amount of equipment for those who might be in need.
Course material and the course schedule will be made available on a continuous basis on canvas. Please check regularly for updates.
Also note that some elements in the course are obligatory, and that Chalmers rules of absence apply. The rules will even be available on our canvas shortly

Looking forward seeing you on Monday the 22!
best regards


May Shayboun
Gunnar Wengström

Dimosthenis Kifokeris
 Christian Koch

Aim

The construction industry faces a number of major challenges; global competitiveness, global sustainability and individuals physical and mental health. The purpose of this course is twofold. First, developing an understanding of how construction processes are organized. Second, developing an understanding of how design and construction companies can develop processes that meet the challenges by minimizing the use of resources.

Learning outcome:

On the completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Understand and apply theories, concepts and techniques on building processes. This competence includes
  • Ability to identify and select proper theory and approach to solving construction process, organisation and management challenges, such as the complexity in coordinating the resources involved, i.e. information, people, material and machines  
  • Theories on human activities in building processes, other process theories and the lean approach focusing on minimising waste.
  • Analysis of the role of site - and project management and its relationship to complex environments, including supplier and subcontractors
  • Appraisal of productivity and performance concepts, their advantages and disadvantages.

Examination form

Examination according to learning outcome goals by three assignments:

Assignment 1, an exercise on efficient material supply counts 20%.

Assignment 2, a group work, literature seminar 40%.

Assignment 3, a group note on site manager interviews 40%.

Assignment 3 involves handing in a written note and obligatory presentation day.

Please also note that the following seminars are obligatory:  Preliminary  29 March, 12 April, 22 April, 26 April, 3 May, 6 May, 10 May, 17 May, 20 May, 24 May, 27 May, 3 June. 

Contact details

Examinator

Christian Koch, Professor, Dr. Construction Management

Course team

Gunnar Wengström (GW)

Andreas Foldager, Dalux (AF)

Fredrik Johansson, NCC

May Shayboun (MS)

Dimosthenis Kifokeris (DK)

Content

The course integrates theoretical approaches with practical cases. Key concepts are

  • Processes
  • Managing
  • Industrialisation
  • Lean Construction
  • Performance measurement

Focus is on how you should organise and lead construction processes.

Preliminary Schedule 2021

Abbreviations

TBA: to be announced, TBC: to be confirmed, O: obligatory

Monday 22 March 13.15-17.00

  • Introduction, practical information (MS)
  • Processes in Construction (MS)
  • Introduction to Assignment 3 Site manger interview. (GW),(MS)
  • Group formation, presentation and course expectations.
  • In class reading activity.

Lit:

Li et al (2012), Kao et al (2009), Kadefors (1996)

Thursday 25 March 09.00-11.45

  • Health and Safety on the Construction Site (CK)

Lit:

Koch C (2013): From Crew to Country -Local and National Construction Safety Cultures on Construction Sites. Construction Management and Economics. Vol. 31 no. 6, pp 691-703.

Ju C. & Rowlinson S. (2014) Institutional determinants of construction safety management strategies of contractors

Monday 29 March 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Industrialisation of building processes (DK)

Lit:

Brege S., Stehn, L., and Nord, T. (2014). Business models in industrialized building of multi-storey houses. Construction Management and Economics, 32(1-2), 208-226.

Linner, T., and Bock T. (2012). Evolution of large scale industrialization and service innovation in Japanese prefabrication industry. Construction Innovation, 12(2), 156-178.

Meiling, J.H., Sandberg, and Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less industrialized activities: two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and Economics, 32(1-2), 109-125.

  • Introduction obligatory assignment 2 Literature seminar (CK) (TBC)

Monday 12 April 13.15-17.00 (O)

Assignment1:

Logistics. Efficient material supply. Introduction. (GW)

Logistics. Efficient material supply. Exercise. (GW)

Thursday 15 April 09.00-11.45

  • Quality and defects (CK)

Lit:

Love et al (2018)

Koch and Schultz (2019)

Monday 19 April 13.15-17.00

  • Performance measurement (CK)
  • Productivity in construction (CK)

Lit:

Bassioni, H., Price, A., and Hassan, T. (2004)

Beatham, S.; Anumba, C.; Thorpe, T., and Hedges, I. (2004)

Bröchner, J., and Olofsson, T. (2012)

Thursday 22 April 09.00-11.45 (O)

Supervision for assignment 2. (MS) (CK)

(1) Lean Construction Concept (Gao and Low 2014)

(2) Productivity and Performance Measurement (Neely et al 2005, Bassioni et al 2005, Crawford and Vogel 2006)

(3) Human dimensions -institutions (Ju and Rowlinson 2014, Kadefors 1995, Mahanlingam, 2005)

(4) Human dimensions organisation and management (Styhre & Josephsson 2006, Baarts 2012)

(5) Transformation of matter (Buchmann-Slorup 2014, Cho et al 2012)

Monday 26 April 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Guest lecture : Fredrik Johanson NCC.
  • Deadline Assignment 2; is to be sent to Christian Koch by e-mail on christian.koch@chalmers.se by 26th April 12.00 pm.

Monday 3 May 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Assignment 2 presentation.

See information in separate assignment text. Program for the day will be distributed.

Thursday 6 May 09.00-11.45 (O)

  • Supervision of groups for assignment 3.

Group interviews with site mangers ends (GW)

CK GW MS available for consultation

Monday 10 May 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Guest lecture : Andreas Foldager, Dalux (MS)

Monday 17 May 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Lean construction in Sweden  (DK)

Lit: 

Kifokeris, D. (2021). “Variants of Swedish lean construction practices reported in research: a systematic literature review and critical analysis.” Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(7), 05021005, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002079.

Thursday 20 May 09.00-11.45 (O)

 Construction manager guest - Macho culture

Monday 24 May 13.15-17.00 (O)

  • Migrant workers in Sweden (CK)

Lit:

Thörnqvist, C. & Bernhardsson, S. (2015)

Thursday 27 May 09.00-11.45 (O)

  • Corporate strategies for resource efficiency and process efficiency (MS)
  • Operations strategy (MS)

Litt:

Koch & Friis 2015

Hand in group assignment 3 (27/5 at 17 afternoon)

Thursday 3 June 08.00 -11.45 (O)

Seminar on assignment 3 Feedback session Obligatory

Group presentations, experiences from site managers interviews

Note 2021-03-11  this is a preliminary information and schedule.

TimeEdit

Course literature

Process Perspectives

  • Li et al (2012) Transaction-related issues and construction project performance, Construction Management and Economics, 30(2) 151-164.
  • Kao, Chung-Chin, Green, Stuart, and Larsen, Graeme (2009) Emergent discourses of construction competitiveness: localized learning and embeddedness, Construction Management and Economics, 27(10) 1005-1017
  • Kadefors A. (1999) Institutions in building projects: Implications for flexibility and change. Scandinavian Journal of Management. Volume 11, Issue 4, Pages 395–408
  • Raja, J.Z., Green, S.D., Leiringer, R., Dainty, A. and Johnstone, S. (2013) ‘Managing multiple forms of  employment in the construction sector: implications for HRM’. Human Resource Management Journal 23: 3, 313–328

Supplier Management

  • Frödell, M., Josephson, P.-E. and Koch, C. (2013) Integration barriers for purchasing organisation in a large construction company: towards requisite disintegration. The IMP journal, 7 (1), 46-58.
  • Ellegaard C and Koch C (2014): A Model of Functional Integration and Conflict – the Case of Purchasing and Production in a Construction Company. International Journal of Operations and Production Management. 2014. Vol 34 no 3. 325-346.
  • Ellegaard C and Koch C (2012): The Effects of Low Internal Integration on Suppliers' Resource Mobilization. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. Vol.18, No 3, Pp 148-58.

Industrialisation

  • Brege S., Stehn L. &  Nord T. (2014). Business models in industrialized building of multi-storey houses. Construction Management and Economics.Volume 32, Issue 1-2, pp 208-226
  • Linner T., Bock T., (2012) Evolution of large‐scale industrialisation and service innovation in Japanese prefabrication industry. Construction Innovation Vol. 12 No. 2, 2012 pp. 156-178
  • Meiling J.H., Sandberg M. & Johnsson H. (2014) A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less industrialized activities: two cases from industrialized housebuilding, Construction Management and Economics, 32:1-2, 109-125.

Quality

  • Peter E. D. Love, Jim Smith, Fran Ackermann & Zahir Irani (2018) The praxis of stupidity: an explanation to understand the barriers mitigating rework in construction, Production Planning & Control, 29:13, 1112-1125.
  • Koch C. and Schultz C. S. (2019): The production of defects in construction – an agency dissonance. Construction Management and Economics. 37 (9), 499-512.

Productivity

  • Bröchner, J., and Olofsson, T. (2012) Construction productivity measures for innovation projects, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 138(5) 670-677
  • Crawford, P., and Vogel, B. (2006) Measuring productivity in the construction industry, Building Research & Information, 34(3), 208-219

Performance

  • Bassioni, H., Price, A., and Hassan, T. (2004) Performance Measurement in Construction, Journal of Management in Engineering, 20(2) 42-40
  • Beatham, Simon; Anumba, Chimay; Thorpe, Tony, and Hedges, Ian (2004) KPI:s a critical appraisal of their use in construction, Benchmarking: An International Journal, 11(1) 93-117.

Lean

  • Gao and Low (2014) Lean Construction management – The Toyta way. Springer Singapore
  • Dentz, J., Nahmens, I. and Mullens, M. (2009), Applying lean production in factory home building, Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 81-104.

Institutional perspective

  • Ju C. & Rowlinson S. (2014) Institutional determinants of construction safety management strategies of contractors in Hong Kong, Construction Management and Economics, 32:7-8, 725-736.
  • Kadefors A. (1999) Institutions in building projects: Implications for flexibility and change. Scandinavian Journal of Management. Volume 11, Issue 4, Pages 395–408
  • Mahanlingam A. (2005) Understanding and Mitigating institutional costs on global projects. Ph.D. Stanford. Chapter 2 and 10.
  • Viking A, & Lidelöw S. (2015): Exploring industrialized housebuilders’ interpretations of local requirements using institutional logics, Construction Management and Economics. Volume 33, Issue 5-6, June 2015, pages 484-494

Organisation and Management

  • Styhre, A., & Josephson, P. E. (2006) Revisiting site manager work: stuck in the middle? Construction Management and Economics, 24(5), 521-528.
  • Baarts C. (2009) Collective individualism: the informal and emergent dynamics of practising safety in a high‐risk work environment, Construction Management and Economics, 27:10, 949-957,
  • Loosemore M., Phua F, Dunn K.& Ozguc U. (2010) Operatives’ experiences of cultural diversity on Australian construction sites, Construction Management and Economics, 28:2, 177-188

Work Environment and Safety

  • Grill M., Pousette A, Nielsen K, Grytnes R, Törner M (2017): Safety leadership at construction sites: the importance of rule-oriented and participative leadership. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health. 43(4):375-384.
  • Koch C (2013): From Crew to Country -Local and National Construction Safety Cultures on Construction Sites. Construction Management and Economics. Vol. 31 no. 6, pp 691-703.
  • Thörnqvist, C. & Bernhardsson, S. (2015) Their own stories: How Polish construction workers posted to Sweden experience their job situation, or resistance versus life projects. Transfer – European Review of Labour and Research, 21(1), 23–36.

Sustainability

  • Koch and Kifokeris (fo) Heavy Duty Construction Equipment – Dinosaurs of Black Energy? Paper prepared for Association of Researchers in Construction Management, ARCOM conference 2021.

Operational Strategy

  • Koch & Friis (2014): Operations Strategy Development in Project-based Production –A Political Process Perspective. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management.  Vol. 26, No 5 (2015).

Knowledge Repository

  • Baarts C.(2009) Collective individualism: the informal and emergent dynamics of practising safety in a high‐risk work environment, Construction Management and Economics, 27:10, 949-957,
  • Ballard, G., Tommelein, I., Koskela, L. and Howell, G. (2002) Lean construction tools and techniques In Design and Construction: Building in Value, Edited by: Best, R. and De Valence, G. 227–255. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Bourne, Mike; Neely, Andy; Platts, Ken, and Mills, John (2002) The success and failure of performance measurement initiatives: perceptions of participating managers, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(11) 1288-1310
  • Büchmann-Slorup R.(2014) Applying critical chain buffer management theory in location-based management, Construction Management and Economics, 32:6, 506-519.
  • Bygballe, L., Håkansson, H., and Jahre, M. (2013) A critical discussion of models for conceptualizing the economic logic of construction, Construction Management and Economics, 31(2) 104-118.
  • Dubois, A. and Gadde, L.-E. (2002) The construction industry as a loosely coupled system: implications for productivity and innovation, Construction Management and Economics, 20(8) 621-631
  • Dentz, J., Nahmens, I. and Mullens, M. (2009), Applying lean production in factory home building, Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 81-104.
  • Green, Stuart, and May, Susan (2005) Lean construction: arenas of enactment, models of diffusion and the meaning of ‘leanness’, Building Research and Information, 33(6) 498-511
  • Josephson, Per-Erik, and Saukkoriipi, Lasse (2007) Waste in construction projects – call for a new approach, The Centre for Management of the Built Environment (CMB), Chalmers University of Technology. ISBN 978-91-976181-7-5
  • Josephson, Per-Erik, and Björkman, Lasse (2011) 31 recommendations for increased profit, reducing waste, The Centre for Management of the Built Environment (CMB), Chalmers University of Technology. ISBN 978-91-979440-1-4.
  • Koch C (2013): From Crew to Country -Local and National Construction Safety Cultures on Construction Sites. Construction Management and Economics. Vol. 31 no. 6, pp 691-703.
  • Meiling J.H., Sandberg M. & Johnsson H. (2014) A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less industrialized activities: two cases from industrialized housebuilding, Construction Management and Economics, 32:1-2, 109-125.
  • Neely, Andy; Gregory, Mike, and Platts, Ken (2005) Performance measurement system design: a literature review and research agenda, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 25(12) 1228-1263.
  • Piroozfar P. and Piller F.(eds) (2013) Mass Customisation and Personalisation in Architecture and Construction. London, Routledge 2013 (Book).

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due