Suresh, S; Olayinka, R; Chinyio, E and Renukappa, S (2017) Impact of knowledge management on construction projects. Proceedings of Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, 170(1), pp. 27-43. ISSN 17514304
Abstract
The implementation of knowledge management strategies on construction projects can accrue benefits such as improved performance and continuous improvement. However, many projects are still not utilising knowledge management fully and are thus plagued with inefficiencies, repetition of mistakes and lack of lessons learnt. Poor skills, design changes, errors and omissions contribute to the internal failure cost element of the overall cost of poor quality on construction projects. This study aimed to investigate the extent of the impact that knowledge management has in reducing the cost of poor quality and used a mixed-methods approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 construction industry experts on knowledge management across the UK, followed up by a questionnaire survey of 114 respondents. The data obtained were analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. It was found that knowledge management had a positive impact in reducing the cost of poor quality, in particular in the area of knowledge transfer through apprenticeships and mentoring. This implies the importance of managing the tacit knowledge of employees through 'socialisation' initiatives. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a knowledge management framework for reducing the cost of poor quality on construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | knowledge management; project management; quality control |
| Index terms: | project management, construction industry, quality control, implementation, statistics, continuous improvement, mentoring, knowledge management, body of knowledge, tacit knowledge, thematic analysis, knowledge transfer, questionnaire, apprenticeship, construction project, survey, strategy, design change, interview |
| Subjects: | professional education, production management, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, training, research dissemination and communication, industry analysis, project management theory and practice, professional development, methods and analysis, performance measurement, management, project delivery, mathematical modelling, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Human Resources, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Information Management, Quality Management, Education, Project Management, 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