Gravina da Rocha, C; Korb, S and Sacks, R (2022) Work structuring and product design for customized repetitive projects. Construction Management and Economics, 40(7-8), pp. 526-547. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Ballard’s concept of work structuring for production planning in construction can be applied to improve production flow in construction projects formed by repetitive units with extensive customization. Customization can increase the value of repetitive units (apartments in a building, houses in an allotment, or stores in a shopping mall) forming a project, by meeting clients' specific requirements. However, in traditional construction production systems, it commonly causes delays, stoppages, rework, increased amounts of work in progress, and excessive movement of crews and materials. The problem has been thoroughly documented and various production systems have been designed to address the trade-off between flow and value. We identify five such systems, which were originally developed following exploratory design science principles. In this work, we analyse and compare them using nine metrics to assess their performance in terms of flow and value, and to explore the role of work structuring in customized projects. The systems with the most effective flow are the Fit-Out Company and the Ecosystem Platform systems. The analysis led to the theoretical proposition of a hybrid production system called Product/Process Modularization, which may be applied and tested in the future.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | customization; design science research; modularity; production system; work package |
| Index terms: | construction project, modularity, rework, science, production planning, design science research, product design, movement, production system, modularization, repetitive project, customization, traditional construction, platform, package |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, innovation and technology management, project delivery, construction manufacturing, operations management, specialized education, health behaviours and lifestyles, heritage and conservation, design flexibility, building construction, production management, digital design, design practice, manufacturing engineering |
| Topics: | Procurement, Construction Technology, Research Practice, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Education, Design Practice, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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