O'Gorman, Sean Thomas (2024) A project management maturity model for precast concrete manufacturers. PhD thesis, University of Adelaide, Australia.
Abstract
Globally, there is a growing demand for affordable housing and infrastructure. However, traditional construction may not be able to meet this growing demand. Increasingly, the construction industry is turning to offsite construction (OSC) which has attracted worldwide attention as it allows parts of a construction project to be transferred to a highly specialised manufacturing facility. OSC encompasses many different types of products, often categorised by material. This research focuses on precast concrete manufacturers (PCMs) who operate these specialised factories. PCMs organise their work into projects, often undertaking multiple simultaneously. A review of the literature relating to PCMs highlights the need for improvement in a range of key areas. One pathway to improvement is via an increase in maturity. Research relating to the concept of maturity suggests that an increase in maturity can increase the probability that systems and processes are successful. However, scholars agree that the path to a higher level of maturity will likely require significant resources; therefore, a suitable maturity model is recommended. Considering that PCMs are project-based organisations, a project management maturity model (PMMM) may provide a suitable framework to facilitate improvement. The academic literature highlights areas where PCMs could seek to improve. After an examination of current PMMMs was undertaken, it was found that no current model covers all the identified areas that need improvement. To fill this gap, this research developed a PMMM for PCMs. Initially, a conceptual PMMM was developed using 11 areas and 26 themes that were uncovered in the literature. These areas and themes were presented to a focus group of industry professionals. The focus group provided a deeper understanding of the identified areas and themes. It also uncovered new areas, themes, and sub-themes. Secondary data was used to find support, contradictions, or alternatives to these areas and themes. The primary research method for this study was twenty-five in-depth interviews with industry experts. These interviews provided further depth and understanding of previously identified areas and themes. The interviews also uncovered additional new areas, themes, and sub-themes. The literature review and data collection methods were triangulated to build a valid PMMM for PCMs. The final model contained 16 areas, 47 themes, and 110 sub-themes. The aim of the proposed model is to provide the framework for a pathway to increased maturity for PCMs. This research provides both theoretical and practical contributions to the academic research areas of construction, OSC, precast manufacturing, project management, and maturity. From a theoretical perspective, this research consolidates the literature relating to PCMs, provides a conceptual maturity model, and expands the methodology for developing maturity models. From a practical perspective, this research offers insights into the current state of Australian PCMs. It also presents a PMMM for PCMs to support them in improving their maturity.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Baroudi, Sam |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | precast concrete manufacturers; precast concrete; project management maturity model; project management; maturity; maturity model |
| Index terms: | literature review, project-based organization, interview, manufacturer, focus group, methodology, construction project, secondary data, traditional construction, maturity model, construction industry, project management, affordable housing, precast concrete |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, building materials, data analysis and analytics, project management theory and practice, industry analysis, construction type, organization, practitioner, research methods, production management, evaluation, heritage and conservation |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Design Practice, Roles and Professions, Construction Technology, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Project Management |
| 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