Addressing stakeholder complexity and major pitfalls in large cultural building projects

Realizing the Need for Digital Transformation of Stakeholder Management: A Systematic Review in the Construction Industry

The construction industry is among the least digitized industries, and the lack of innovation in construction project management practices has led to decreases in productivity. The European Directives for Public Procurement are pushing the entire construction supply chain towards more radical digital transformations over the next years, and project managers are left with the difficult task to harness ICT for the involvement and management of project stakeholders. Digitalization of various processes and practices used to manage stakeholders in construction projects is still low, and part of this problem lies in weak systematization of ICT systems which support these practices. Thus, this paper provides a systematic review of how digitalization and digital transformation affect the way stakeholders behave, engage, and communicate in projects. Following the PRISMA methodology, 73 sources from the literature were chosen for the final analysis. Results are presented through descriptive and qualitative content analysis. Six research topics were identified and thoroughly analyzed. Results show that BIM, social network analysis, and web-based applications as means to digitalize stakeholder management are more mature than social media and VR/AR. An important finding is the need to reengineer and digitally transform processes in construction projects and construction firms to enable further digitalization and effectiveness of digital technologies. Suggestions for further studies follow this line of thought.

A performance measurement system for public–private partnerships: integrating stakeholder influence and process trans-period effect

Purpose

The purpose of this study is for examining the evolution of stakeholder influence and the trans-period effect (TPE) of process performance of public–private partnerships (PPPs). TPE refers to the ripple effect of project performance across different phases of a PPP.

Design/methodology/approach

Social network analysis is used to analyze each stakeholder’s influence on PPP performance. For examining the TPE, partial least squares structural equation modelling is conducted.

Findings

The performance in the five phases (e.g. initiation and planning, procurement, construction, operation and transition) of PPPs exhibits significant TPE. The stakeholder network varies in different phases. The most influential stakeholder is a public authority, followed by a public initiator and a private consortium.

Research limitations/implications

The project type of PPPs is not considered in the stakeholder network analysis. Future work should focus on developing a multidimensional stakeholder network by considering the typology of the project. Moreover, the TPE cannot reflect the relationships between the KPIs in the different phases, and thus, further study is required.

Practical implications

This research provides a useful tool for measuring the life cycle outputs and outcomes of PPPs through enhanced process-oriented performance measurement. The developed PMS enable practitioners to have a better understanding of the process performance of the projects and then ensure informed decision-making about actions to be required and taken to improve future performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to knowledge of performance management by simultaneously addressing the process and stakeholder management theories within the context of PPPs. The proposed PMS provides an insight into managing stakeholders’ influences to enhance the life cycle performance of PPPs.

Front End Projects Benefits Realisation from a Requirements Management Perspective—A Systematic Literature Review

The recent notable emergence of a body of research in requirements management on one hand and benefits realisation has contributed to addressing a growing need for improved performance in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects. However, front end design (FED) as one of the vital processes in the project life cycle and delivery has attracted limited research to date within this understanding. This paper aims to map current evidence on requirements management in facilitating benefits realisation from an FED perspective. This is to bring about an updated and unified position on requirements management for its impact on design decision making. A systematic review of the literature covering the last ten years (2008–2018) aims first to build understanding and support identification of these emergent conceptual positions and secondly underscore essential requirements and their categorisations that impact on design discourse in FED. One hundred sixty-one peer-reviewed journal papers in the areas of benefits realisation and/or requirements management and/or FED based are identified on a pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-six requirements are identified as important in influencing use case changes important in design decision making broadly grouped into nine major categories. Following analysis, this research finds little evidence supporting an integrated requirements management practice and understanding to support design decision making. The research further finds bias in current research discourse towards four requirements categories (technical, economics, governance and environment); and 14 requirements, dominated by three strategic values, collaboration and project governance, with over 80% share of literature. The least 14 requirements such as “flow of spaces, social status/aspiration, mobility and integrated design” among others only account for less than 10% of literature. The authors argue for new research to bridge this gap, highlight the essential role of requirements management and broaden understanding to improve benefits realisation, particularly for FED processes.

What are the Key Indicators of Mega Sustainable Construction Projects? —A Stakeholder-Network Perspective

Mega sustainable construction projects (MSCPs) require complex system engineering. There are various indicators available to evaluate sustainable construction, and it is difficult to determine which the key indicators are among them. Existing studies do not adequately consider the stakeholders associated with the indicators of sustainable construction, leading to key decision-makers’ lack of targeted management strategies to improve the sustainability level of MSCPs. Using literature analysis and expert interviews, this study identified the key evaluation indicators of MSCPs from a stakeholder-network perspective. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to explore the relationships between the key evaluation indicators and corresponding stakeholders. The results showed that the government and designers significantly impacted other stakeholders and played as the key stakeholders in MSCPs. Regarding the indicators, applying energy-saving and intelligent technologies plays a key role in the MSCPs. This study links key indicators of MSCPs with the associated stakeholders, which helps decision-makers to develop targeted strategies to improve the sustainability level of MSCPs, thereby not only improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the intervention strategies, but also helping to save decision-makers’ monetary and human resources which are usually limited.