Panas, A; Pantouvakis, J P and Edum-Fotwe, F T (2005) Potential for using process approach to manage construction projects in Greece. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 21st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2005, London, UK.
Abstract
The Innovative Manufacturing Initiative (IMI) in the UK over the past decade has promoted the agenda of employing manufacturing sector principles in the execution of construction projects. Manufacturing management is founded on a process flow concept of the production activity. A notable development from the IMI programme, in this regard is the development of a Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GDCPP), based on the Cooper stage gate approach to managing the development of a new product in the manufacturing sector. The rationale for deploying the process approach to managing construction derives from the potential for replicating the step-change productivity improvements that has attended manufacturing projects that resulted from the adoption of such techniques. The possible gains in efficiency present prospective advantages for the application of the process approach to managing construction projects. In this paper the authors present preliminary stages of a qualitative investigation into the potential for employing the process approach in managing construction projects for "Egnatia Odos S.A.", one of the largest construction companies in Greece. The investigation was based on data collected through semi-structured questionnaires delivered through interview sessions with Egnatia's representatives. The study employs the GDCPP developed specifically for construction to explore the current constraints and bottlenecks that would have to be addressed to enable the practical uptake of the process approach by Greek construction professionals. Some early indications from the investigation are briefly discussed to provide an insight into the potential benefits and drawbacks of GDCPP's implementation in Greece and more specifically to one of the largest construction projects currently under implementation, namely that of the 680 Km Egnatia highway.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; Greece; process; process protocol; projects |
| Index terms: | interview, step-change, replicating, efficiency, productivity, Greece, programme, construction company, construction project, construction professional, questionnaire, investigation, design and construction, implementation |
| Subjects: | project controls, research management, production management, Geography, professional development, management, performance management, contractual arrangements, innovation studies, data collection methods, organization |
| Topics: | Time Control, Quality Management, Procurement, Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Information Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here