Alsuliman, J A (2014) Effective stakeholder engagement in variation order management at the design stage of public sector construction projects in Saudi Arabia. PhD thesis, Heriot-Watt University, UK.
Abstract
Variation orders affect the progress of any construction project and can be one of the main factors which may cause failure in delivering a project successfully. It is relatively difficult to deliver a project without any variation orders, which are most likely to occur at the design stage. Variation orders are complex in nature, as they involve the key stakeholders, together with a lot of information that needs to be requested, sent, checked, corrected, approved, clarified, transmitted or submitted, among many other processe. This research aims to develop a model that better manages variation orders in Saudi public construction projects in the design stage by engaging the stakeholders effectively in the process of the variation order management, to save the management time for the variation, improve the communication and relationships among stakeholders and avoid disputes and conflicts. The methodology used to achieve the research aim, influenced by the pragmatic views of the researcher, combined several methods. A series of exploratory interviews investigated the current practice of variation order management in Saudi public construction projects, with its strengths and weaknesses. Then, a questionnaire survey measured the level of power and interest of the different stakeholders in order to develop a model for best practice. Finally, focus group sessions validated the performance and concept of the developed model. The findings indicate that there are currently no formalised approaches to the management of variation orders at the design stage. In addition, there is a general lack of knowledge about managing variation orders. However, the conceptual model of common practice, based on these responses, can be divided into six main stages: identifying the variation order, analysing and evaluating variation orders, estimation, approval, implementation and documentation. Furthermore, the findings reveal a need to develop an appropriate variation order management system in the Saudi construction industry, due to the present lack of stakeholder engagement. A model for best practice of variation order management was then developed. The developed model determines the levels of power and interest, location and position for each stakeholder involved in the process of variation order management. The outcomes of the validation workshop were very positive from the participants. However, the participants put forward some recommendations, which were applied in the final version of the model.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | communication; conflict; dispute; documentation; focus group; interview; project success; questionnaire survey; stakeholders |
| Index terms: | project success, Saudi Arabia, workshop, dispute, public sector, estimation, best practice, public construction, stakeholder engagement, implementation, construction industry, approval, interview, focus group, management system, survey, documentation, variation, methodology, construction project, design stage, validation, questionnaire |
| Subjects: | construction type, contractual role, professional practice, contractual arrangements, research methods, production management, Geography, building construction, data collection methods, business, community and social dimensions, dispute resolution, financial and cost management, management, contractual condition, professional development, project management theory and practice, administrative law, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Legal Issues, Geographical Context, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Procurement |
| 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