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Construction project management is typically adopted in modern civil landscapes. Owing to the significant global increase in infrastructure investments, it is crucial to analyze the success and timely completion of such public projects, among which the pavement construction project is a representative example. The aim of this study is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) that enable the success of pavement construction. Additionally, a CSF framework is developed in this study that can be used by project management teams to monitor and control the progress of pavement construction projects effectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that acquires all pavement management-related factors to develop a framework. To ensure that all pavement management-related factors were identified and considered, the authors of this study conducted an exhaustive preliminary literature review until 2022. Based on an extensive literature review, 61 multidisciplinary factors are developed and validated in a Delphi study. A questionnaire is developed, and pilot tested through interviews. A total of 27 experts were recruited to participate in two rounds of the Delphi study, which included factors related to operations, contractor expertise, logistics, human resources, communication, finances, and bureaucracy. Reliability tests, correlations, and validations are performed, and weighted averages are obtained. The reliability and accuracy of the factors are successfully defined and tested. The findings of the study suggest focusing on the following functional areas to complete a pavement construction project successfully: (1) financial factors; (2) bureaucracy- and governance-related factors; and (3) communication-related factors. According to the experts interviewed in the Delphi study, these factors contribute the most significantly to the success of the project. This study focused on addressing the research gap in analyzing pavement construction projects from the angle of CSFs. These factors were first developed using literature, validated through a Delphi study of two rounds across panelists. The findings of the Delphi enabled the researchers to identify what factors are more relevant than others when compared to general construction and enabled the research to establish a preliminary framework on a pavement project's lifecycle and stages during the entire project tenure. The findings of this study can help project managers and engineers to uniquely approach a pavement construction project and give it its due importance. From an academic perspective, this study has opened the doors to further testing of the proposed framework and the CSF that it has developed with respect to pavement construction. The outcome of this paper would help pavement construction professionals and researchers in the areas of project planning, resource allocation, risk mitigation, project execution, quality assurance, stakeholder communication, and continuous improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road (B&R) initiative creates a highly competitive and dynamic environment and cooperation network for construction projects in specific regions. By using the experience of other countries, construction professionals can be well-equipped with management skills for solving intractable problems during the project management process of a construction project. Value management (VM) is a systematic team decision-making methodology used to achieve the best project value, but it is rarely applied in developing regions along the B&R. This study aims to identify critical success factors for the implementation of VM in construction projects in both developed and developing regions along the B&R. Six focus groups targeting three groups of regions were conducted, including advanced VM developed regions (Regions 1), advanced VM developing regions (Regions 2), and unadvanced VM developing regions (Regions 3). Three main groups of critical success factors were identified by using contextual analysis: technical process, team behaviors, and outcomes. By comparing VM in advanced VM regions (Regions 1 and Regions 2) and traditional team decision-making in unadvanced VM regions (Regions 3), the study revealed that (1) practitioners in Regions 1 applied VM to achieve project success with a logical process and positive team behaviors, although several problems were also encountered; (2) surprisingly, in some technical respects, VM practitioners in Region 2 performed better than those in Regions 1, but positive team behaviors were still not emphasized; and (3) inefficient traditional decision-making activities with illogical technical processes and negative team behaviors in Regions 3 often led to poor project outcomes. A propositional model is established based on the identified critical success factors and comparison results among the three groups of regions. Finally, several practical recommendations are proposed to ensure effective VM application and promotion in both developed and developing regions along the B&R. In the developing countries that participated in the Belt and Road initiative, poor performance is not uncommon for megaconstruction projects with multiple stakeholders due to poor problem-solving strategies. This research revealed that value management practitioners in developed regions could achieve good project outcomes by applying value management with a logical framework and positive team behaviors, but they have not yet found a good way to resolve problems in terms of time constraints, no follow-up actions, and duplicate information from the public. VM practitioners in some of the developing regions put much effort into VM application, but the poor function analysis and insufficient conflict management, commitment, and transparency still impacted the final project outcomes negatively. Various problems such as no information analysis, serious corruption, and limited participation were encountered in illogical traditional team decision-making activities in developing regions, which significantly destroyed stakeholder outcomes and project performance. This research explores the insufficient value management practices in both developed and developing regions along the B&R, which provides empirical evidence to constriction professionals to update their VM/traditional team decision-making strategies and find out the best ways to conduct VM logically and effectively for improving final project outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective facility management process is crucial to overall firm performance and is becoming a core competency for organizations seeking to gain a competitive advantage. The recent literature on facility management reveals that poor facility management is a major cause of management inefficiency, leading directly to budget overruns, maintenance delays, repetition of work, variations, noncompliance incidents, unnecessary risk, and dissatisfied customers. Therefore, facility management firms should pay close attention to the most critical success factors in order to effectively manage and measure performance. This paper presents a multidimensional campus facility management performance framework (CFMPF) that addresses both operational and systematic factors. Facility management companies, owners, contractors, and consultants can use this framework to identify systemic weaknesses using key indicators to specifically assess the effectiveness and success of facility management. The significance of 45 key facility management success factors across seven categories was determined via a literature review, expert interviews, and the Delphi method. The seven process groups are: Campus Facility Work Force Management, Campus Facility Communication Management, Campus Facility Systems Management, Campus Facility Organizational Management, Campus Facility Financial Management, Campus Sustainability & Environment Management, and Campus Facility Assets Management. To verify the overall agreement via the Delphi rounds, the score percentage and standard deviation to mean ratio were examined. Mean value and interrater agreement (IRA) analyses were conducted to evaluate the correlation between the factors and facility performance. This research adds to the body of knowledge by presenting a systematic operational framework for campus facility management that identifies the underlying factors influencing performance and fills the gaps left by previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects often involve numerous decision-making activities during the design and operation phases. The decision-making process in the construction industry sometimes does not follow an organized manner, and often, decisions are made without having any systematic approach. An important element of a construction project is to select the most preferred building material. The construction operation process is known for its high energy intensity and negative environmental impacts on surrounding areas. Therefore, a quest for sustainable and value-generating building materials has long been overdue. This study proposes a multicriteria decision-making framework called Choosing by Advantages (CBA) to analyze some critical success factors associated with the decision-making process of a novel building material called mass timber. Mass timber is a sustainable and environmentally friendly building material, which has gained wide acceptance in European construction market. However, in the US, the majority of the construction practitioners are hesitant to use mass timber as a mainstream building material. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gap on mass timber and implement a decision-making framework to evaluate the constructability factors of mass timber in comparison with the two most traditional building materials in the US: concrete and steel. A questionnaire survey was distributed among the US construction practitioners experienced with all three materials. The outcomes of the study suggested that concrete is currently the most preferred and value-generating building material in the US construction industry based on eight predefined critical factors. Although mass timber is not the most preferred material for now, it has strong potential to be the most preferred building material in the future. The outcomes of the study will be helpful for the industry stakeholders to analyze the prospect of mass-timber building materials in the US construction industry. Furthermore, it will strengthen the decision-making process of construction operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable electricity infrastructure is a key technical strategy for achieving energy access for all people. In addition, the construction of renewable electricity infrastructure is urgently needed to aid in the fight against the climate crisis. Private investment in infrastructure is one way of enabling this change; for example, in 2017, the World Bank reported $27 billion in private participation in renewable electricity infrastructure. In order to maximize the benefit of these investments, this paper seeks associations between hypothesized critical failure factors and observed failures in a dataset describing renewable electricity public–private partnerships (PPP). The dataset used in this analysis includes information on 1,769 high capital cost renewable electricity infrastructure projects with private participation and at least a five-year history. For renewable electricity projects, statistically significant relationships were found between canceled and distressed public–private partnerships and the selected primary revenue stream, contract award method, and type (Greenfield, Brownfield, or management and lease contract). Generally, project features that shifted more risk to the private partner were more likely than expected to fail (Brownfields and competitively awarded contracts). These results contribute empirical knowledge of critical success and failure factors specific to renewable electricity PPP. In addition, these results provide empirically-based guidance regarding PPP organization or selection to any entity seeking successful private investments in renewable electricity. Broadly, by contributing to an increase in the number of successful renewable electricity projects, this work seeks to increase the supply of clean energy. This supports Sustainable Development Goal 7, which aspires to increase both energy access and the speed of transition to clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many critical success factors (CSFs) have been identified and tested over the years to aid resource-constrained project managers in delivering successful building construction projects. Human- or team-related success factors, in particular, have received more attention lately due to the benefits of effective collaboration among designers, contractors, and specialty trades. However, as a management tool, CSFs were never intended to be static. Recent technological and contracting advancements are changing the way that project delivery teams interact, and previously identified success factors may be less applicable to contemporary projects. The purpose of this research was to identify current team-related success factors through a thematic analysis of interviews conducted with project leaders on nine highly successful and seven highly unsuccessful projects, as defined by their cost and schedule performance. Specific examples from each interview were coded into 32 general statements. Commonalities in these statements were then developed using specific case contexts into nine subthemes and four overarching key themes. The key themes, which characterize success factors arising within the team, included: removing barriers to communication, developing a relational project culture, understanding the owner's role, and promoting autonomy. When compared to prior research, these results provide insight into how team-related success factors in the construction industry have evolved over time and establish a direction for building effective project delivery teams in the future. Specifically, these themes are more strategic than tactical, and focus on enabling teams to best leverage the competencies of individual members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on evaluating the factors contributing to the success of external stakeholder management (SM) at the project planning stage from the perspective of developing countries. Questionnaire survey data was collected from project management practitioners in Ghana and analyzed using mean scoring, factor analysis, and fuzzy synthetic evaluation. The analysis revealed that the involvement of external stakeholders in decision-making is of topmost rank (mean=4.717) and effective communication with external stakeholders makes the highest individual contribution (weighting=1.000). In descending order of contribution based on index values, the seven activity groups established are involving stakeholders and ensuring mutual trust (4.666), effective communication with stakeholders (4.633), sustaining relationships with stakeholders (4.373), preliminary planning (4.006), analyzing project and stakeholder information (3.719), assessing stakeholder attributes and needs (3.675), and developing and applying effective strategies (3.610). Following, an evaluative process model (EPM), which is essentially a practice framework, was developed and demonstrated using the relative weightings of activities. The expert validation results showed that the EPM is comprehensive, objective, reliable, and appropriate for the purpose. The findings contribute to advancing stakeholder theory in construction management research in the context of developing countries. Practitioners can effectively apply, evaluate, compare, and improve the contributing activities in external SM process to inform about needed managerial decisions in projects. The findings will guide practitioners to be more externally oriented, resolve external stakeholder issues proactively, manage project more ethically and sustainably, and improve project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) sector is adopting building information modeling (BIM) in public and private organizations worldwide. The public sector plays a crucial role in the induction and encouragement of BIM implementation in the industry. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and integrative research on critical factors for BIM adoption at the organizational scale in public organizations. The main objective of this study is to establish a framework for BIM adoption based on critical success factors (CSFs) from public organizations in Brazil, which is a developing country with a low maturity level of implementation. The method involves a comprehensive literature review, an exploratory study in three Brazilian public entities, and a survey that was conducted with 68 Brazilian professionals who were involved with adoption in public organizations. The results include the proposal of sixteen CSFs, the development of a correlation map among them, and the establishment of a framework for BIM adoption by public organizations according to BIM fields, prioritized CSFs, and levels of analysis. The main research contribution is the proposed framework for BIM adoption, which involves a comprehensive and integrative approach that is based on a set of CSFs from Brazilian public organizations and provides a greater understanding of contractual, regulatory, technological, procedural, and political particularities to the public sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have focused on identifying and ranking critical success factors (CSFs), but both their interdependence and the vagueness resulting from human judgment have been neglected. Furthermore, there is a need to explain CSFs from the short- and long-term planning horizons. This study aims to identify, rank, and examine the interdependence of the critical factors affecting construction projects in low-income economies. The study applied the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) to validate subfactors identified from the literature. The hierarchical relationship between success factors and linguistic preferences is considered by using a fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) and a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) methodology. The former is applied to rank the relative weights of the factors and subfactors, and the latter is used to discover the nature of their interrelationship. The results indicate that over the short term, the relationships with the clients, consultants, designers, top management, and the financial situation of the contractor are essential. However, for strategic management and long-term success, the most influential factors are the external environment and the types of projects undertaken. Therefore, the economic climate, technical and professional capabilities, and costs, funds, and resources should be the primary concerns when establishing the project goals. Furthermore, this study provides managerial and theoretical implications to guide construction projects from both short- and long-term perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has disagreed on the definition of construction project success and the best way to achieve it. Additionally, there is very little research that takes a practitioner's viewpoint and provides findings useful to project managers in their day-to-day dealings. To fill this gap, the following research was conducted to determine the social mechanisms used by project managers and project teams to achieve success. The research includes an in-depth literature review, along with a two-part qualitative study consisting of thirty semistructured interviews with current or former construction project managers. Focusing on project personnel and communication as the key ingredients, a model of antecedents and causal social mechanisms is developed. The constructs, or antecedents, to personnel are planning, choosing, and retaining. The constructs, or antecedents, to communication are frequency, understanding, and inclusivity. The causal social mechanisms that lead from the antecedents to success are described in detail and benefit practitioners because they provide both the novice and the experienced construction project manager with insights into the "how" and not just the "what" of previously identified critical success factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) organizations must adopt building information modeling (BIM) technology, define workflows, and develop internal policies to deliver BIM projects successfully. AECO projects are known as BIM projects when BIMis used during such projects. Organizations must identify project objectives, critical success factors (CSFs), and operational critical success factors (OCSFs); set performance measures; and perform assessments to verify if they are progressing toward success. OCSFs are the factors that can drive the CSFs such that operational issues are well resolved by the project stakeholders. There are several BIM standards and guidelines to appropriately diffuse BIM technology and workflows. However, there are few holistic approaches to identify OCSFs. To meet this necessity, a step-by-step procedure is proposed with an empirical approach to define project objectives, CSFs, and OCSFs. The framework of influencing factors (IFs) is developed by organizing the wide range of IFs from the literature. As a case study, the proposed approach is used to identify OCSFs for Taiwanese BIM projects. It is not only generally applicable to identify OCSFs in other countries, but also capable of helping a small team of BIM experts to identify OCSFs. The developed framework of IFs can be adjusted to fit the needs of design, construction, and operation organizations by retaining the necessary factor groups in the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modularization is a well-established method that can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the construction industry. However, the industry continues to struggle with its implementation, and not all executed modular projects have resulted in successful project performance. This study investigates the combinatorial effects of modularization critical success factors (CSF) on the cost and schedule performances of industrial modular projects and derives a conceptual model of cost and schedule successes using information from actual cases by applying crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis. The findings confirm that CSFs interactively and collectively affect modular industrial project performance. The most commonly involved CSFs for cost and schedule successes are timely design freeze, owner-furnished/long-lead equipment specification, vendor involvement, and management of execution risks. This work contributes to researchers and practitioners in the industrial sector to improve understanding of the recipes (i.e., CSFs or combinations thereof) for successful modular project planning and execution, which will lead to improved modular project performance in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to distinguish the different critical success factors (CSFs) for different components of construction projects as perceived by different professions, i.e., civil and structural engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is adopted to solicit the consistent subjective judgment of 27 experts in construction to identify the top 10 CSFs from 67 factors describing aspects of project characteristics, contractual arrangements, project participants, and interactive processes. The views of the different professionals are shaped by the experience they gained from their involvement in the respective components of the construction projects under their charge. It follows that the CSFs identified by the professionals are naturally relevant to the components of construction projects that they are familiar with. The present study reveals that the respective top 10 CSFs for the schedule, budget, and quality performance of architectural works, civil and structural works, and mechanical and electrical engineering works are markedly different. Moreover, the study shows that the judgment with regard to CSFs of respondents with less than 15 years of experience differs from that of the more experienced respondents and hence may not be good enough. It follows that studies reported in the existing literature that have included views of respondents with less than 15 years' experience in construction or based on the views of professionals predominantly from a particular discipline are likely to be biased and misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaining or maintaining a “contractor’s” competitive advantage is not easy as it is determined by a large number of factors. Identification of critical success factors (CSFs) allows one to reduce the vast number of factors to some manageable few but vital ones. Based on the CSFs, contractors’ limited resources such as money and manpower can be allocated and aligned appropriately for yielding a maximum outcome of overall competitiveness. This paper describes the CSFs identified from a survey study carried out in Mainland China. The ranking analysis of the survey results shows that 35 factors are rated as critical for determining the competitiveness of a contractor. Factor analysis reveals that the 35 CSFs identified can be grouped into eight clusters, namely, project management skills, organization structure, resources, competitive strategy, relationships, bidding, marketing, and technology. The CSFs in this study provide a vehicle for guiding a contractor in managing its resources in order to improve competitive advantage. The study also provides insights into the management of competitiveness for contractors that are operating in the particular context of the Chinese construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction project briefing is a complex and dynamic process which involves identifying and conveying clients’ actual needs and requirements accurately to the project team. The briefing process is critical to the successful delivery of a construction project and there are many limitations inhibiting its effectiveness. A study of factors which could contribute to a successful briefing (in this study referred to as critical success factors) will enable special attention to be paid to those areas which could improve its performance. The objectives of this study are to identify, categorize, and prioritize a general set of critical success factors for construction project briefing. This study is intended to complement the existing but limited research into the identification of such factors and to serve as a stepping stone to the identification and establishment of yardsticks which could be used by construction practitioners on all projects in the future. A questionnaire was used to collect opinions from experienced construction practitioners. Thirty seven factors were identified and coded, and the content analysis yielded five major categories. They include project-related factors, human-related factors, process-related factors, input-related factors, and output-related factors. Thirty six percent of respondents identified “open and effective communication” as the most frequently mentioned factor critical to briefing. Other important factors, in descending order of importance, include such as “clear and precise briefing documents,” “clear intention and objectives of client,” and “clear project goal and objectives.” This set of critical success factors can serve as a checklist for practitioners when conducting a briefing in their construction projects. The results of the questionnaire survey are generally in line with the findings of a validation exercise by a focus group meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at differentiating construction project critical success factors based on organizational backgrounds of project participants: contractor, construction manager (owner representative), and design firms. Construction professionals from diverse locales were asked to rate a list of 53 potential factors for the objectives of schedule, budget, and quality, and additionally compare the objectives for overall project success. The set of 53 factors was enriched by eliminating 13 factors that could not prove their statistical significance for even one of schedule, budget, or quality performances for any of the three organizations. Commissioning the 40 significant factors, an analytical hierarchy process was used to determine organization-based factor rankings for overall project success. Spearman's test on rankings of the 40 significant factors for overall project performance results in a highest level of correlation between the managers and contractor personnel (), followed by that between the managers and the designers (), and a least correlation between the contractor personnel and the designers (). Hence for successful project implementation, professional construction managers have an edge over the designers in supervising the contractors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modularization is a well-established technique that can improve the construction industry by exporting a portion of site-based work to fabrication shops. However, its application in the industry is limited. The Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) industry needs new approaches to reach higher levels of modularization. The purpose of this study is to determine what changes in current EPC processes are needed to create an optimal environment for a broader and more effective use of modularization. In creating such an nvironment, it is necessary to know the factors that lead to success. The most influential critical success factors (CSFs; 21 total) have been determined by the expertise of a research team who compiled a detailed list by adding CSF enablers. CSF enablers are additional steps that can facilitate accomplishment of the associated CSF. A closer look at the top five CSFs indicates that project teams should pay particular attention to module envelope limitations, team agreement on project drivers, adequate owner-planning resources and processes, timely freeze of scoping and design, and due recognition of possible early completion from modularization. This CSFs analysis and addition of enablers provide guidelines and ways to implement strategies for successful modularization in a project and leverages modularization to benefit capital projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggestions abound for successful adoption of building information modeling (BIM); however, a company with limited resources cannot adopt them all. The factors that have top management priority for successful accomplishment of a task are termed critical success factors (CSFs). This paper aims to derive the CSFs for four questions commonly asked by companies in the first wave of BIM adoption: (1) What are the CSFs for adopting BIM in a company? (2) What are the CSFs for selecting projects to deploy BIM? (3) What are the CSFs for selecting BIM services? (4) What are the CSFs for selecting company-appropriate BIM software applications? A list of consideration factors was collected for each question, based on a literature review, and then refined through face-to-face interviews based on experiences of BIM experts. An international survey was conducted with leading BIM experts. From the 206 distributed surveys, 52 responses from four continents were collected. This study used quantitative data analysis to derive a manageable number (4-10) of CSFs for each category from dozens of anecdotal consideration factors. The derived CSFs are expected to be used as efficient metrics for evaluating and managing the level of BIM adoption and as a basis for developing BIM evaluation models in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]