Pre-project Planning Research Articles

Geomorphological analogues for large estuarine engineering projects: A case study of barrages, causeways and tidal energy projects

Two conceptual models have been proposed to predict the response of sediment-laden estuaries to reduced tidal propagation caused by tidal barrages. One argues that reduced tidal energy will increase inter-tidal sedimentation; the other suggests that reduced tidal propagation will trigger a period of erosion before accretion of inter-tidal resumes. This paper investigates the relevance of sills across UK estuaries and causeways and barriers across estuaries in the Bay of Fundy (Nova Scotia, Canada) as possible analogues. Particular attention is paid to the tidal power barrage at Annapolis Royal because it exhibits important features that provide the underpinning evidence for morphological responses within tidal power headponds.The construction of the tidal power plant at Annapolis Royal involved retro-fitting a tidal turbine and re-establishment of tidal influences into a headpond which had been maintained at a relatively constant level for some 24 years previously. The sequence of events at Annapolis Royal shows that headponds behave like river reservoirs, with bank erosion where sediments are weakly consolidated. It also demonstrates how resumption of tidal propagation can accelerate bank erosion; a process that is closely linked to wind-driven wave energy and the establishment of a foreshore profile that is better fitted to this energy regime. This model is very important both in the context of new tidal energy barrages and also for projects to retro-fit turbines into existing causeways. It reinforces the evidence from the Eastern Schelde in The Netherlands where it has been found that reduced tidal propagation has had profound effects on foreshore evolution with serious loss of mudflats and former saltmarshes. Annapolis Royal not only highlights erosionary processes; it also provides initial indications of the timescales required for evolution of more stable inter-tidal profiles.The evidence provided by these various examples has important implications for coastal managers. Firstly, they show how analogues can be used to develop a conceptual geomorphological model of possible responses to causeways, sills and barrages such as some of the options being considered for the Thames Estuary. In addition, they highlight issues that need to be taken into account when pre-project planning considers likely issues and long-term management implications.

PREDICTION OF PROJECT ACTUAL RESULTS AT PRE-PROJECT PLANNING STAGE

The problem of predicting project actual results deviation from the results expected at the pre-project planning stage is considered. The efficiency of neural network-based models is analyzed. It is proposed to use the neural-evolution approach for problem solving and to use PDRI and project failure risk values as informative criterions. The criterion of results informativity is proposed. The method of predicting actual project results deviation from the results expected at the pre-project planning stage is presented.

Identification and evaluation of success factors for public construction projects

Achieving success in public construction projects is difficult because it requires economy, efficiency, quality, fairness and transparency. Such projects are taken up on the requisition of owners/clients and almost always involve multiple entities and are also accountable to external financial audit and vigilance agencies. Identification of the success factors is considered the key to achieving success in these projects. Through an extensive literature review, 36 success attributes were identified and a questionnaire-based survey was undertaken to elicit views of professionals on these success attributes. The responses from 105 professionals with an average of 22 years of experience in public construction projects in India were collected and analysed. The factor analysis yielded four success factors: awareness of and compliance with rules and regulations; pre-project planning and clarity in scope; effective partnering among project participants; and external monitoring and control. These four success factors were also used in multivariate linear regression in order to explore their relative significance for overall performance, and compliance with anti-corruption and financial norms. The most significant factor for overall performance is awareness of and compliance with rules and regulations. The results would be helpful to public construction project professionals in taking proactive measures for successful completion of public projects.

Risk management of non-target fish taxa in the Yakima River Watershed associated with hatchery salmon supplementation

Hatchery cultured salmon have the potential to interact strongly with other valued fish taxa (non-target taxa; NTT) in the natural environment. Monitoring and managing adverse interactions between hatchery supplemented salmon and NTT is one unique characteristic of a hatchery salmon supplementation program in the Yakima River, Washington. In this study, we evaluate impacts of spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and coho salmon O. kisutch reintroduction to 15 NTT after 11 years of stocking approximately one million yearling smolts annually in the upper Yakima Basin between 1999 and 2009. Our risk management monitoring indicated changes in important response variables for NTT were within acceptable limits. Rigorous pre-implementation planning likely prevented many undesirable ecological impacts from the hatchery supplementation program. We illustrate a number of important features associated with risk management of hatchery and wild fish interactions. First, pre-project planning can eliminate many risks of concern and substantially reduce the need for risk containment during project implementation. Second, the sieve approach for monitoring impacts provided an acceptable balance between monitoring effort and risk containment ability, although in some cases, we would not detect impacts of interest. Third, rare and disbursed species that cannot be monitored effectively benefit from risk averse hatchery release strategies. Fourth, risk containment monitoring programs can be used to refute unsubstantiated claims of undesirable impacts. In short, our experience suggests that risk management of ecological interactions can occur by using a combination of pre-project adjustments through risk assessment and risk reduction, and by cost-effective risk containment monitoring and management.

Factor analysis of construction practices for infrastructure projects in Korea

Although extensive research has been undertaken on practices influencing the success of construction projects, very little of this research contains information relevant to the critical success factors of Korean infrastructure projects. The object of this paper is to gain an understanding of the practices influencing infrastructure construction in Korea. This was achieved through a study conducted by 136 Korean construction professionals. A questionnaire survey was conducted to gather opinions from experts in the construction industry. The initial analysis of the 28 practices considered in this study proposed 22 best practices based upon the mean value of each practice. Analysis of variance revealed that the opinions of the experts are not significantly different regardless of their organization, designation, and experience. Further analysis, based on a factor analysis, shows that the practices could be grouped into six critical success factors-selection of a competitive contractor, pre-project planning, contract strategy, engineering enforcement, contract guarantee, and lessons learned feedback. The critical success factors presented in this paper can be used as a check list to prepare and implement public infrastructure projects in Korea. Furthermore, it will also provide information on general concepts involved in the preparations of international construction projects.

Optimal Procurement Contracts with Pre-Project Planning

The paper studies procurement contracts with pre-project investigations in the presence of adverse selection and moral hazard. To model the procurer's problem, we extend a standard sequential screening model to endogenous information acquisition with moral hazard. The optimal contract displays systematic distortions in information acquisition. Due to a rent effect, adverse selection induces too much information acquisition to prevent cost overruns and too little information acquisition to prevent false project cancellations. Moral hazard mitigates the distortions related to cost overruns yet exacerbates those related to false negatives. The optimal mechanism is a menu of option contracts that achieves the dual goal of providing incentives for information acquisition and truthful information revelation.

A study of preproject planning and project success using ANNs and regression models

It has long been recognized by the industry practitioners that how well preproject planning is conducted has a great impact on project outcome. Through industry project data collection and model analysis, this research intends to investigate the relationship between preproject planning and project success. Preproject planning and project performance information from 62 industrial projects and 78 building projects, representing approximately $5 billion U.S.D. in total construction cost, is collected and used for this research analysis. Based on the information obtained, preproject planning is identified as having direct impact on the project success (cost and schedule performance). Two techniques were then used to develop models for predicting cost and schedule performance: statistical regression analysis, and artificial neural networks (ANNs). The research results provide a valuable source of information that supports better planning in the early stage of the project life cycle and have positive impact on the final project outcome.

Generalized linear model-based expert system for estimating the cost of transportation projects

Timely effective cost management requires reliable cost estimates at every stage of project development. While underestimation of transportation costs seems to be a global trend, improving early cost prediction accuracy in estimates is difficult. This paper presents a parametric estimating technique applied to Texas highway projects using a set of project characteristics. Generalized linear models (GLM) of early quantity prediction for geometry-related work activities, namely earthwork, pavement and traffic control were developed for continuous project cost tracking. The approach of cost breakdown demonstrates the potential to separate quantity uncertainty from price uncertainty for highway construction. The benefit of this approach is to provide a platform for evolving the preliminary parametric cost estimates to a fully detailed cost management as further information becomes available as the project progresses. During project execution, managers are given opportunities to review the associated work activities and make better decisions from the developed GLM-based estimating system. Compared to typical practice of applying a gross cost per lane length during pre-project planning phase, the proposed approach with the aid of the developed expert system provides more detailed basis and efficiency for tracking the effects of changes within the project life cycle.

LEED–PDRI Framework for Pre-project Planning of Sustainable Building Projects

Green buildings help in sustainability, in terms of achieving energy efficiency and minimizing the utilization of natural resources. Additional benefits include long-term sustainable building management and maintenance. There is, therefore, compelling motivation for the building of sustainable projects. This inspiration has led to the development of the leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) rating systems and projects by the United States Green Building Council and the Canadian Green Building Council. Proper building project management (BPM) of such projects is warranted. Pre-project planning is a crucial part of BPM that ensures delivery and performance of construction projects. Pre-project planning is defined as the process that encompasses all the tasks between project initiation and detailed design. There is a positive relationship between comprehensive pre-project planning and enhanced project performance. Given the motivation for environmentally sustainable projects and proper management of constructing such projects, diligent pre-project planning for such projects is required. This paper investigates the use of the LEED rating system in pre-project planning of sustainable construction projects by developing a matrix that combines the LEED and the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) developed by the Construction Industry Institute. The conceptual matrix and its application to a case study demonstrates that the value of linking pre-project planning with LEED to improve the decision making process during planning and designing of building projects to improve sustainability.

Project Manager’s Decision Aid for a Radical Project Cycle Reduction

Currently there are no formal decision tools or guidelines to assist owners and managers in choosing delivery systems and strategies that would allow significant reductions in the cycle time. The development of a decision aid that would allow a manager to prioritize and apply cycle reduction techniques would be a valuable tool for achieving cycle time reduction in projects. This paper presents a new high performance delivery system called project manager's game planner PMGP designed to assist a decision maker in identifying and utilizing an optimal set of radical reduction techniques RRTs with the greatest potential for success in achieving cycle time reduction. Additionally, the PMGP can assist the user in identifying the top RRTs during any of the five phases: preproject planning, design, material management, construction, and start-up. Most projects can utilize this PMGP to improve the performance whether to achieve significant cycle time reduction or to simply achieve effective execution.

Addressing Security in Early Stages of Project Life Cycle

This article summarizes the first phase of a three-phase research effort to develop and deploy best practices for project security on industrial projects. It shows how to address security early in the project life cycle and its impacts on the capital facility delivery process. Three dimensions of security for capital projects are examined—physical, personnel, and information—and linked to the key concepts of threats, consequences, and vulnerability assessment. A select set of industry best practices provides the basis for integrating security into the project delivery process. This selection includes six best practices: (1) preproject planning; (2) alignment; (3) design effectiveness; (4) constructability; (5) materials management; and (6) planning for start-up. The article outlines the methodology for updating best practices to include security. It includes a brief description of each practice and documents the key updates for incorporating security-related considerations into the practice. Security implications for the project delivery process are provided as well as recommendations to industry.

What Is Preproject Planning, Anyway?

The importance of preproject planning in the capital facility delivery process and its potential impact on project success has long been recognized by industry practitioners. Nevertheless, the preproject planning process varies significantly throughout the construction industry from one organization to another, and from one business sector to another. This paper will summarize lessons learned from five research projects conducted during the past 14years regarding the preproject planning process. These research projects were based on data from more than 200 capital projects, representing approximately 8.7 billion U.S. dollars; input from more than 500 industry practitioners; and reviews of the project planning processes used by more than 100 organizations. The positive relationship between thorough preproject planning and enhanced project performance is demonstrated. Findings are presented, including key requirements, processes, and scope definition elements that comprise thorough preproject planning. Similarities and differences in the scope definition of building and industrial projects are outlined. Conclusions of the research effort and recommendations to industry practitioners are provided.

Building Cost Comparison Between Conventional and Formwork System: A Case Study of Four-storey School Buildings in Malaysia

The Malaysian construction industry is undergoing a transitional change from an industry employing conventional technology to a more systematic and mechanized system. This new system is now known as the Industrialized Building System (IBS). This new method of construction can increase productivity and quality of work through the use of better construction machinery, equipment, materials and extensive pre-project planning. This study becomes very necessary since there is yet no organized body, which can provide the necessary information on the building cost comparison between the conventional system and industrialized building system in Malaysia's construction industry. This study also addresses the building cost comparison of the conventional system and industrialized building system of formwork system. It provides the details building cost between the conventional system and the formwork system and indicates which of the two is cheaper. The data were collected through questionnaire survey and case study, which consisting of institutional buildings. Through the statistical test ‘t-test’ it is shown that there is a significant difference in cost saving for the conventional system as compared to the formwork system (industrialized building system).

Indicators and framework for assessing sustainable infrastructure

Much of the focus on sustainable infrastructure has concentrated on buildings and construction processes. To advance this thinking for other civil infrastructure systems (CIS), this paper outlines a framework that uses a set of proposed indicators to measure the sustainability of chosen infrastructure options and help select the preferred alternative in a multiobjective decision approach. Physically implementing "sustainable infrastructure" involves three life stages for any project: preproject planning, project implementation, and ongoing operations. It is critical to evaluate the sustainability of chosen options in each of these life stages. This research develops two categories of indicators, mandatory screening indicators (MSI) and judgment indicators (JI), and a multilayer approach for incorporating these indicators. A normalization procedure has been adapted to work within the framework to help compare alternatives across a range of indicators and different orders of data magnitude. A hypothetical example using a transmission line corridor is presented to illustrate how the framework can be applied.Key words: indicators, infrastructure, sustainable, environment, decision making, alternatives.

Design quality in pre-project planning: applications of the Project Definition Rating Index

The development of the project scope definition package is one of the major tasks in the pre-project planning process. It is where risks associated with the project are analysed, early designs are formulated, critical decisions are made and the specific project execution approach is defined. However, early planning in many cases is not performed well in the building industry, and, as a result, the building sector suffers from poor or incomplete scope definition, frequently experiencing considerable changes that result in significant cost and schedule overruns. The Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) is a weighted score sheet used for determining the level of scope definition of building projects during pre-project planning. Developed by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in 1999, this tool has been widely adopted by various owners and designers in the building industry. Using the PDRI while conducting planning charrettes (i.e. intense focus meetings involving key stakeholders) provides a collaborative environment that can enhance design quality during pre-project planning by integrating the perspectives of the various project participants. The background of the PDRI, its benefits for the project and use of the PDRI in planning charrettes, including key participants, required resources and outcomes, are assessed. Recommendations are provided for project professionals about the use of the charrette approach for planning. La préparation du Dossier de définition du contenu d'un projet est l'une des tâches les plus importantes du processus de planning avant projet. C'est à ce stade que sont analysés les risques associés au projet, que sont formulés les premiers concepts, que sont prises les décisions critiques et qu'est définie la méthodologie d'exécution propre au projet. Cependant, dans de nombreux cas, le planning précoce n'est pas établi comme il conviendrait dans l'industrie du bâtiment et il en résulte que ce secteur industriel est pénalisé par la mauvaise qualité de la définition du contenu des projets, ce qui se traduit fréquemment par des changements considérables entraînant des dépassements significatifs des coûts et du calendrier. L'indice de classement de définition de projet (PDRI) est une feuille utilisée pour l'enregistrement du classement pondéré servant à déterminer le niveau de définition du contenu des projets de construction lors du planning avant projet. Cet outil, mis au point par le Construction Industry Institute (CII) en 1999, a été largement adopté par divers propriétaires et concepteurs de l'industrie du bâtiment. L'utilisation du PDRI et l'organisation de charrettes de planning (c'est-à-dire, des réunions spécialisées très intenses faisant intervenir les principales parties prenantes) constituent un environnement propice à la collaboration qui peut améliorer la qualité de la conception pendant le planning avant projet en intégrant les perspectives de divers participants au projet. Dans cet article, l'auteur évalue l'origine du PDRI, ses avantages pour le projet et son utilisation pour les charrettes de planning, ainsi que les participants, les ressources requises et les résultats. L'article propose des recommandations pour les projets professionnels sur l'utilisation de la méthodologie de la charrette pour le planning.

Building Project Scope Definition Using Project Definition Rating Index

Poor scope definition is recognized by industry practitioners as one of the leading causes of project failure, adversely affecting projects in the areas of cost, schedule, and operational characteristics. Unfortunately, many owner and contractor organizations do a poor job of adequately defining a project's scope leading to a poor design basis. A research team constituted by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) has developed the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) to address scope definition in the building sector. The PDRI for buildings is a comprehensive, weighted checklist of 64 scope definition elements presented in a score sheet format. It provides a tool for an individual or project team to objectively evaluate the status of a building project during preproject planning. This paper will discuss the PDRI development process, including input from over 100 industry professionals. Key project scope definition elements will be identified. The PDRI validation procedure, involving over 50 projects, will be discussed. A description of the potential uses of the PDRI and a summary of its benefits to the building construction industry will be outlined.

Alignment during Preproject Planning

Many projects suffer when project participants are in disagreement as to the proper success emphasis or goals for the project. These differences in success emphasis are a result of poor team alignment. Alignment can be defined as the condition where appropriate project participants are working within acceptable tolerances to develop and meet a uniformly defined and understood set of project objectives. This paper outlines a recent exploratory research study aimed at identifying the important characteristics of alignment during the preproject phase of industrial capital projects. Included in this paper are a description of alignment, its relationship to the project team and corporate project approach, and its key drivers. Through workshops, interviews and project-specific data collection, 10 critical alignment issues were identified. A composite alignment effort index demonstrated a positive, measurable effect on the performance measure of a sample of 20 capital projects. Conclusions and implications for p...

Partnered Project Performance in Texas Department of Transportation

Partnering traditionally refers to strategic alliances or agreements between private sector owners and construction contractors to work together for extended periods of time to deliver completed facilities. Private sector partnering typically begins before the preproject planning phase of a project. The public sector is constrained by laws that ensure the presence of fair competition in all contract awards and prohibits establishment of long-term relationships. Therefore, public sector partnering usually begins after the bid has been awarded for construction. Despite the existence of these constraints, the Texas Department of Transportation has been successful when partnering on a project-by-project basis. Quantitative data are presented that indicate partnering is having a positive effect on completion times, dispute resolution, and project team relations. Subjective data from nearly 900 participants are also provided that further support an emergence of partnering as a viable contract administration alternative for public sector infrastructure projects. Finally, based on the results of the analysis, conclusions and recommendations are presented to serve as benchmarks for future studies of the use of partnering on infrastructure projects.

River restoration in five dimensions

1. This paper provides a synthesis of the information presented at River Restoration '96 under a series of headings—described here as five ‘dimensions’. 2. The conceptual dimension addresses the motivation for restoration, and whether intervention by restoration should happen at all. Even when river restoration projects are motivated by particular sectoral interests, they should be set within a broader environmental framework. 3. The spatial dimension considers the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical connectivity within river systems, and the relationship between restoration and the spatial functioning of rivers. There is a growing acceptance of the importance not only of connections between river channels and their adjacent floodplains, but also of the need to take account of river processes operating at the catchment scale. 4. The temporal dimension describes both the importance of river history when attempting to reconstruct past river landscapes, and the requirement for post-project appraisal once a scheme is completed. Systems of river classification and evaluation are essential for pre-project planning and for post-project appraisal. 5. River restoration often focuses on the technological dimension, and a wide array of engineering techniques are currently used both on river channels and the adjacent land. Analytical techniques such as mathematical modelling and GIS are now commonly applied to restoration projects, but it is important that sophisticated analysis is matched by a base of sound scientific data. 6. The presentational dimension plays a valuable role in river restoration, as restoration is unlikely to succeed without the support of a wide cross-section of society. However, whilst river restoration can bring a range of benefits, it must never be portrayed as an alternative to maintaining high quality in undegraded rivers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Risk analysis for revenue dependent infrastructure projects

Recent trends in the construction industry indicate continued use of alternative procurement methods such as design-build, construction management, build-operate-transfer, and privatization. Increased use of these evolving methods produces higher levels of uncertainty with respect to long term performance and profitability. The uncertainties inherent in implementing new procurement methods necessitate investigation of enhanced methods of pre-project planning and analysis. This is particularly true for revenue dependent privatization projects such as toll roads. Poor initial performance of toll road projects suggests traditional methods of project analysis are inadequate. Sustaining investor and stakeholder support of privatized revenue dependent projects is dependent upon successful financial performance. Enhanced risk analysis tools provide improved information for pre-project decision making and performance outcome. One such risk analysis method is the Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo methods are especially useful in evaluating which of several uncertain quantities most significantly contributes to the overall risk of the project. This paper demonstrates a Monte Carlo risk assessment methodology for revenue dependent infrastructure projects.