Abdullah, A H; Yaman, S K; Mohammad, H and Hassan, P F (2018) Construction manager's technical competencies in Malaysian construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 25(2), pp. 153-177. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Problems of Malaysian construction industry have often been associated, in part to incompetent construction manager (CM) when managing the construction projects. Although various education and training provisions have been introduced, critics argue that the provisions have not been effective. Central in the debate on the adequacy of the CM education and training offered is the answer to the question of “what constitutes the technical competency of the CM?” The purpose of this paper is to present the study that identifies the technical competencies required by the CM to address the question. Design/methodology/approach: Multi-layered thematic analysis of literature was first carried out to identify the technical competency elements. Then, interviews were undertaken to confirm the elements of competencies. It was followed with questionnaire surveys to test the validity of the technical competencies against different contractors' category and grade/size. Findings: The findings suggest that the technical competencies of CM are generic, regardless of the size of construction organisation or the types of projects they undertake. A total of 16 CM technical competencies were identified which include the ability to manage: staff, materials, labour, plant, sub-contractors, safety, money, quality, time, environment, site administration, pre-construction activities, project closeout and handover, third parties, computer literacy, and construction contract. Originality/value: The findings suggest that generic education and training is possible to develop technically competent CM. It also provides insights to the CM technical competencies which the industry is expecting.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; construction planning; management |
| Index terms: | pre-construction, validity, construction organization, construction industry, construction planning, education and training, project closeout, construction contract, survey, interview, construction project, methodology, questionnaire, sub-contractor, thematic analysis, construction manager |
| Subjects: | evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, profession, contract type, organization, practitioner, operations management, project delivery, construction planning, research methods, production management, methods and analysis, professional education, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Procurement, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Education, Site 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