Hindmarch, H (2012) Design change management: Developing a software application to support the evaluation of construction design changes. DEng thesis, University of Manchester, UK.
Abstract
It is widely accepted that design changes, occurring during construction projects, can account for a significant proportion of the engineering design consultant's total cost. Projects with multidisciplinary, distributed and virtual project teams, working on technically challenging problems, make the impact of design changes increasingly difficult to predict. Existing guidance suggests 'best practice' protocols for recording, reporting and communicating design changes. However, best practice protocols do not provide guidance for predicting the impact in terms of project cost and duration. Impact assessments are essential in the decision to implement changes and subsequently being in a position to justify fee claims to clients. Decisions in the construction process are normally based on experience and professional knowledge of practitioners, such as architects, engineers, project managers and contractors. There is evidence, however, that, in design management, sharing of professional knowledge tends to be tacit and socially constructed (where team members draw on their own experience and the experience of those around them). Although practitioner experience and intuition is invaluable in determining the impact of a design change, this research is based on the position that a more structured process is required. It is argued that a software based approach, to better inform practitioners' existing knowledge, is required to improve the quality and accuracy of impact assessments. The current practice for managing and assessing change was examined through studying the operations of the case study organisation, undertaking a literature review and conducting interviews with representatives from organisations in other industries. A new project management tool was then developed which provides support for practitioners to make better-informed impact assessments. This is achieved through providing: (a) a process map to visualise rework, (b) instant access to previous similar impact assessments and (c) an embedded, standardised method for knowledge sharing. The concept for this tool was developed by combining appropriate techniques and tools found in the design management and knowledge management literature. Users are further encouraged to use the software tool through a system to automate the updating of Microsoft Project schedules, thus eliminating time currently spent scheduling rework. The validation and verification stages consisted of formal interviews with potential users and preliminary user testing. Regular feedback on the support tool was obtained from a wide range of peers and potential users and this was then used to develop its functionality. Positive feedback has included comments about the concept of the tool, user-friendliness and need for implementation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | accuracy; duration; project team; construction project; best practice; design management; feedback; knowledge management; project cost; scheduling; architects; client; consultant; professional; project manager; case study; interview |
| Index terms: | scheduling, interview, project cost, accuracy, knowledge sharing, literature review, functionality, rework, design change, impact assessment, practitioner, validation, evidence, construction process, design management, construction project, intuition, knowledge management, project manager, case study, professional knowledge, engineer, architect, best practice, engineering design, project team, project management, testing, duration, implementation |
| Subjects: | cognitive psychology, building construction, design process, production management, professional practice, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, operations management, design features, operations research, practitioner, evaluation and assessment methods, project controls, professional development, project management theory and practice, economics, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, value management, business, data collection methods, profession |
| Topics: | Procurement, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Roles and Professions, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Time Control, Site Management, Digital Applications, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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