Chen, Y (2008) Implementing uncertainty management in Chinese construction industry. PhD thesis, University of Bristol, UK.
Abstract
The performance of the UK construction industry has been challenged by a number of major reports (e.g. Egan Report,1999). A survey of Chinese construction practice carried out as part of this research project has shown that many of the problems are shared and that there is a keen interest in China to improve performance. The research has demonstrated the need for a systematic treatment of uncertainty to support decision making in China. The study employed the principles of systems thinking to propose a systemic skeleton: WISDOM. It is an advanced perspective that encapsulates the essence of systems thinking and lays the theoretical foundation for the production of decision support software - JUSTISE. The purpose of the software tool is to facilitate the establishment of new thinking within a management system for Chinese construction practitioners. The purpose is to help construction practitioners manage risk and uncertainty to improve project performance. JUSTISE was born out of PERIMETA and has been designed with many new features and functionalities. The software has been tested by a wide range of users from the Chinese construction industry. The feedback from the application of the software through wisdomcatcher.com was collected to prompt its further development. Through the application of JUSTISE, systems thinking methodology has been delivered to a number of Chinese construction companies. It has been pleasing to find that JUSTISE has worked well in the Chinese industrial environment. People have benefitted from the novel perspective it provides. More importantly it enables people to better understand and deal with uncertainty to improve project performance. JUSTISE is still in its infancy and needs to be improved. The software is an aid in the continuous rethinking of current experience. It embraces a range of fundamental knowledge and enabling technologies to provide systems solutions to complex problems in future engineering practice.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | decision making; feedback; performance; decision support; uncertainty; project performance; systems theory; China |
| Index terms: | China, systems theory, methodology, decision-making, construction practitioner, survey, construction company, functionality, management system, decision support, systems thinking, construction industry, project performance, uncertainty management |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, decision analysis, Geography, professional development, project management theory and practice, theoretical framing, management, research methods, analytical methods, design features, data collection methods, risk assessment, organization |
| Topics: | Project Management, Geographical Context, Risk Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Information Management, Design Practice, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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