2.21 New Project Management Models for Productivity Improvement in Infrastructure

This research will develop new project management models for productivity improvement in infrastructure, including enhanced approaches to project management systems, data structures and construction management processes to support productivity improvement in both project management and construction management of infrastructure projects. The project will focus on the role location plays in existing systems, will identify opportunities for productivity improvement and will propose new models to remove bottlenecks and improve productivity on major projects.

Construction productivity has been a focus for both industry and academia for at least 20 years; yet demonstrable productivity improvement has proven elusive. In contrast, other major industries have achieved a doubling of their productivity over the same period. In an environment where disruptive technologies are becoming the norm (as digital technologies, such as online, mobile and cloud technologies become pervasive) it is time to reassess the fundamentals of project management processes and their supporting data structures.

The sheer size and complexity of infrastructure projects places significant challenges on traditional methods. Alternative approaches are required to deliver informed and supported, productive work environments. These need to be integrated in a transparent and clear way as amendments to existing project management systems.

This two-stage project will consider major road and rail projects and their associated project management systems and data needs. It will firstly examine the role of location in existing systems in conjunction with project partners. Information ‘bottlenecks’ will be exposed and the underlying reasons will be analysed in terms of management systems, data use and process models. New models will then be proposed to address the identified bottlenecks, and the result will be proof of concept for a suite of tools and techniques along with the theoretical underpinning for new project management solutions.

The project will deliver real-world solutions for reducing the cost of managing infrastructure projects, as well as contribute to project management theory and location-based theory for construction.