olde Scholtenhuis, Léon Luc (2015) Enhancing mindful coordination in fragmented utility construction practices: By developing, implementing and evaluating virtual design and construction models. PhD thesis, University of Twente, Netherlands.
Abstract
Municipalities cope with a growth in number of utility network owners and subsurface network size. Simultaneously, the multiple utility owners involved in subsurface construction work need to align plans to cope with tight deadlines and imposed spatial constraints. This research hones in on this challenged practice by developing, implementing and empirically testing Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) tools for utility construction. VDC tools capture process knowledge and support coordination by, for example, visualizing schedules to rehearse construction work upfront. This research consisted of three main steps: first, the author ethnographically studied two urban utility projects to gain insider knowledge about existing coordination practices. He used this to create a method that involves end-user perspectives during development of domain-specific knowledge bases (ontologies) for VDC systems. He developed a domain ontology for utility project coordination by using this method. In the second step, he used the ontology to implement 4D VDC models in four real-life projects. This ethnographic-action research culminated in an additional method for 4D-based project coordination. This second method suggests steps to scope construction plans; formalize them in schedules and 3D models; and, synchronize these by using 4D snapshotting and process animations. Third, the author adopted mindful organizing principles from High Reliability Organizing (HRO) theory to evaluate the impact of 4D VDC on coordination. HRO’s principles (viz. being sensitive to operations, reluctant to simplify, attentive to failures and errors, and committed to resilience) guide organizations to effectively anticipate and contain process disturbances. They served as a lens to qualitatively code the observations of 4D-use in three utility projects. The analysis shows that tailored VDC systems support mindful behaviour in utility construction. By demonstrating that end-user tailored VDC systems support mindful behaviour and, thus, help anticipating and containing unwanted events, this thesis concludes that VDC systems are likely to reduce process disturbances, cost overruns and delay. The thesis finally reflects on the findings, methods, and adopted theory. It explains, for example, that future research could aim at testing the developed methods for different VDC tools, as well as at studying additional projects to generalize findings about how VDC impacts coordination.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Dorée, Andries G and Hartmann, T |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | utility construction; subsurface networks; project coordination; virtual design and construction; 4d modeling; mindful organizing; high reliability organizing; ontology development; process disturbances; risk management |
| Index terms: | 3D model, owner, cost overrun, risk management, construction work, testing, coordination, virtual design and construction, knowledge base, action research, 4D modelling, user perspective, ontology, municipality |
| Subjects: | digital design, operations management, professional practice, computational design, user focus, sociology, administrative law, information systems, education and knowledge transfer, management, financial and cost management, data collection methods, risk assessment |
| Topics: | Risk Management, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Legal Issues, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Design Practice |
| 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