This research note addresses the widespread perception that construction performs badly compared to other industrial sectors. The evidence for this perception is usually based on comparative industrial performance data. However, due to technical problems with the Standard Industrial...

This paper presents a critique of existing approaches to the management of projects and the definition of project success, arguing that these are both fragmented and fail to place the client at the centre of the process. In this critique, the paper focuses on quality management, and places the...

This paper explores the issues around the remarkable growth in labour-only subcontracting on a selfemployment basis in the British construction industry over the last 30 years. Following a presentation of the available data from the Department of Employment, the paper explores the reasons behind...

Construction is an increasingly global industry, and benchmarking initiatives that are restricted to a single country run the risk of complacency, as national best practice falls out of line with international best practice. The aim of this article is to report the results of a detailed...

There has been considerable development in a process approach in construction management research in recent years. However, such work begs the question of how those processes are governed. Processes, be they flows of information or materials, need to be channelled in the desired direction as...

This paper addresses the 'innovativeness' (the extent to which the design of the organization facilitates or inhibits innovation) of French and British project organizations. Following a review of the literature on organization design and innovativeness, data from a comparative organizational...

Process mapping and benchmarking are becoming widely recognized as important management tools for understanding how value is delivered for customers, and their use in the construction industry is growing rapidly. Influenced by research on design project management, and the requirements of...