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One of the enablers of organizational resilience is inclusiveness. Inclusiveness is the process of valuing, respecting and supporting members of an entity. Resilience in permanent organizations can be defined as the capability to respond to and prepare for disruption and thus, promote business continuity. On the other hand, resilience in Temporary Multidisciplinary Organizations (TMO) can be defined as the capability to respond to, prepare for and reduce the impact of disruptions caused by the drifting environment and complexity. A construction project can be viewed as a TMO. The time-limit and contract-focus of TMO challenges inclusiveness and hence makes its impact on resilience in TMO, unclear. Given the dynamic nature of TMOs (highly susceptible to disruptions), there is the need to identify the impact of inclusiveness, thus, the aim of this research. Using a case study approach (two case studies) and critical incident technique, it was identified that the TMO in which inclusiveness was actively promoted responded better to disruptions. This was enabled by project managers, directors and the project execution plan. The identified impact of inclusiveness in managing disruptions were; time and cost savings, innovation and quality enhancement. These findings contribute to debates on disruption management in TMOs (projects).

The seismic design and construction issues associated with new bulkhead seawalls at the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) are addressed, including ground treatment applications to enhance seismic performance. Because the POLA is located in a highly active seismic zone, the bulkhead seawall design had to consider the cyclic behavior of soft clayey soils and potentially liquefiable dredged backfill behind the new bulkhead seawall. Because of legal and environmental constraints, the geotechnical exploration of the bulkhead seawall alignment was limited. Based on the available geotechnical information and the bulkhead configuration, deep soil mixing (DSM) ground improvement was specified behind the seawall to reduce the static and seismic lateral earth pressures. However, the subsurface conditions encountered during construction were different than assumed based on the initial, limited geotechnical exploration. DSM was substituted with jet grouting for much of the new bulkhead seawall alignment to accommodate the actual subsurface conditions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of the ground improvement program and illustrate the potential influence of variations in the subsurface conditions on construction methods and project execution.

This paper evaluates the fundamental nature of communication as it relates to both the contractual and human aspects for development and execution of design-bid-build trenchless projects. The challenges that arise at different stages of these projects are in part related to the project team structure, leadership, personalities and the level of trust developed amongst the team members. The contract documents are examined as a means of communication and as a risk management tool in order to determine why some projects appear to encounter more challenges than others during construction. The clarity in the development of these documents can either enrich or burden the working relationship between the owner, the engineer and the contractor at the execution stage of the project.

Every month, Engineering News-Record (ENR) publishes Construction Cost Index (CCI), which is a weighted-aggregate index of the 20-city average prices of construction activities. Although CCI is increasing in the long-term, it is subject to considerable short-term variations, which make it problematic for cost estimators to prepare accurate estimates. The ability to predict CCI can result in more-accurate bids and avoid under- or over-estimation. We conduct time series analysis and develop a CCI forecasting model based on the Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated MovingAverage (SARIMA) methodology. SARIMA investigates the underlying characteristics of the CCI data and makes systematic forecasts. The predictability of the developed SARIMA model is better than the predictability of the ENR subject matter experts’ forecasts. The developed forecasting model can be used to prepare more-accurate estimates for contractors and budgets for owners and reduce construction costs by better-timed project execution.

The successful initiation and execution of a virtual team is gaining increasing attention in the design and construction community. From opportunities to integrate international teams to the opportunity to leverage the best resources in an organization on a given project, virtual teams can transform the concept of project execution. However, potential barriers exist in several areas to the successful implementation of virtual teams. The need for increased management emphasis, social and cultural understanding, and emphasis on common goals are only a few of the non-technical factors that can turn successful virtual teaming into virtual frustrations. When combined with traditional technical challenges including compatibility of systems, security, and the selection of appropriate technologies, the line between leveraging virtual technologies for enhanced solutions and introducing complications into the project process is a thin one.