Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Rethinking Construction The Generic Designa and Construction Process Protocol
Rethinking Construction The Generic Designa and Construction Process Protocol
Abstract The complexity of construction projects and what is described in the manufacturing industry as the
the fragmentation of the construction industry undertak- ‘fuzzy front end’. The participants in the process are
ing those projects has effectively resulted in linear, unco- described in terms of the activities that need to be
ordinated and highly variable project processes in the UK undertaken in order to achieve a successful project and
construction sector. Research undertaken at the Univer- process execution. In addition, the decision-making
sity of Salford resulted in the development of an im- mechanisms, from a client perspective, are illustrated
proved project process, the Process Protocol, which and the foundations for a learning organization/industry
considers the whole lifecycle of a construction project are facilitated within a consistent Process Protocol.
whilst integrating its participants under a common frame- Keywords activity zones, design and construction,
work. The Process Protocol identifies the various phases project process, process map, Process Protocol, stage
of a construction project with particular emphasis on gate
141
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd
142 Kagioglou M. et al.
enacted. It will require a significant reengineering of flow, process design and resources planning, is under-
the construction process and the subprocesses in- taken. Indeed, a number of very effective philosophies
volved in undertaking construction works. and practices such as Just in Time (JIT), lean pro-
duction and others have a legacy of optimized pro-
duction in the manufacturing sector. JIT aims to
LEARNING FROM MANUFACTURING improve production by utilizing the internal and ex-
ternal supply chains in terms of people and material
The findings and recommendations of Latham and
flow. The similarities of JIT, for example, in the con-
Egan relate to the state of the construction industry
at the present time and offer some clues as to how struction sector can be illustrated by listing a number
some of the problems might be overcome by transfer- of the benefits, amongst many, that are offered by its
ring established practices from the manufacturing in- successful implementation:
dustry. Indeed, this view has been expressed by a reduced time-scales by optimizing material flow;
number of researchers and practitioners (Cooper et al. reduced waste of both materials and processing
1998; Kagioglou et al. 1998a; Koskela 1992). How- time by optimizing the manufacturing processes;
ever, the authors believe that the transfer of knowl- and
edge and practices from manufacturing into the supply chain integration by utilizing effective
construction industry should be treated with caution partnerships.
for a number of reasons. First, the level of maturity of
both processes and practices is quite different, with The first two benefits can be realized in the con-
manufacturing having the ‘lead’. Second, the struc- struction industry (see, for example, Koskela 1992)
ture of the industries and of the organization of pro- perhaps more readily than the third one, which re-
ject personnel can be different, in that construction quires a significant reorganization and mind-shift of
relies heavily on Temporary Multi-organizations the litigation-driven industry.
(TMOs) whereas manufacturing normally operates This paper concentrates on the lessons that can be
within long-term partnership arrangements. Finally, learned from the NPD/project process of manufactur-
comparison between the processes and the practices ing, and reference to it is made throughout the de-
of both industries must be made by considering the scription of the Generic Design and Construction
levels in which they exist, i.e. strategic, managerial Process Protocol (GDCPP).
and operational. Therefore, clarification of process
levels can have an important influence on the man-
THE GENERIC DESIGN AND
agement of those processes.
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS (GDCPP)
There are two main areas of manufacturing that
construction can benefit from (Kagioglou et al. PROTOCOL
1998b): the project process or New Product Develop- This section presents a description of the research
ment (NPD), as it is known; and the operational/pro- methods and the main findings of an Engineering and
duction processes. The first relates very closely, both Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded
in terms of nature and content, to the design and project under the Innovative Manufacturing Initiative
construction process. As such, it considers the devel- (IMI) ‘Construction as a Manufacturing Process’ ini-
opment of a solution (usually a tangible product) tiative. The project brought together a number of
from a need identified in the market place or inter- companies, representing the construction supply
nally within an organization to the implementation of chain, and the University of Salford’s research exper-
that solution and the eventual withdrawal of the tise to produce the ‘Generic Design and Construction
product. This is achieved by organizing the activities Process Protocol’.
that need to take place in a number of phases, which The main aims of the project were to:
are made distinct by the determination of review
points between the phases. This is very similar to the develop an improved design and construction Pro-
enactment of a construction project, the difference cess Protocol by analysing the current practices in
being that the distinction between the phases is usu- the construction industry and drawing comparisons
ally determined by the entry of the different parties/ with similar practices in the manufacturing indus-
functions, i.e. architects, contractors etc., to the try; and
process. The second area is related to the way in identify the Information Technology (IT) require-
which the production of a product, including material ments needed to support the Process Protocol and
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 143
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
144 Kagioglou M. et al.
Action research
The methodology was infused with an action research/
learning dimension, in as much as the workshops not
only facilitated the generation of new knowledge or
understanding but also provided structured frameworks
for carrying out organizational change within the
boundaries of the industrial partner research team
members.
The action research strand was firmly anchored to
the following interactive assumptions:
Research approaches
Case studies
A traditional case study approach was used, with Uni-
versity of Salford researchers entering industrial part-
ners’ organizations openly in the role of investigators,
with the express purpose of learning more about their
activities with respect to the design and construction
processes being practised. Three case studies were
undertaken—one in a manufacturing organization and
two projects undertaken by Alfred McAlpine’s Special
Projects Division. Figure 3 The action research process model.
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 145
The process is not linear, but interactive. Provide support: the co-ordinator facilitated learning
by providing a psychologically supportive environ-
ment, thereby creating a climate where novel issues
and questions could be raised. For example, ideas
Techniques of research
were generated from a variety of construction per-
spectives as well as an injection of diverse theoreti-
Questionnaire surveys
cal views.
Use was made of self-completion questionnaires dur- Structuring: the co-ordinator facilitated learning by
ing the initial scoping and case study elements of the structuring the flow of work. For example, in one
project. The questionnaires collected predominantly workshop, a hypothetical construction case was de-
qualitative data from the partners in the project. veloped to explore process issues.
The questionnaire surveys aimed to generate factual
and attitudinal information and understanding (see, for
example, Ackroyd & Hughes 1983). The factual ele- Interviews
ments of the questionnaires sought to gain information Interviews were used throughout the research process.
from individuals within the industrial partners firms In total, there were 30 interviews helping the develop-
concerning the material aspects of design and con- ment of the Process Protocol and 30 interviews during
struction processes: for example, project duration the case study investigations. They were generally
time. The attitudinal aspects of the questionnaires semi-structured in nature to allow it to have an overall
aimed to secure data on what individuals felt about a purpose but be sufficiently flexible to explore issues as
given issue: in this case, for example, what they felt they arose during the discussion. The contents of
about the effectiveness of the prevailing performance interviews were validated by the sending of case study
review process. reports for comment to the relevant industrial
partners.
Workshops
Approaches to modelling the process
The workshops carried out during the project were
Given the apparent lack of commonality in the con-
central to fruitful preunderstanding and understanding
temporary understanding of the design and construc-
progression. Each workshop had a specific task to
tion process, an attempt was made to produce a model
investigate, which was set out and managed by a
of the process that could be debated and subsequently
University of Salford co-ordinator. The workshop
refined towards a generic representation.
configuration, in effect, created a boundary-spanning
The initial model was developed based on existing
team, which could tackle complex process issues by
descriptions of the design and construction process
bringing together and harnessing a diverse range of
(inter alia Walker 1989; Hughes 1991), some case
expertise in a structured way.
study data and reviews of other published models (inter
The Workshops were designed and implemented to:
alia RIBA 1980; Sanvido 1990; BAA Plc. 1995)
Provide feedback such that the co-ordinator facilitated The Integration Definition language 0 for Function
learning by providing workshop members with feed- Modelling (IDEF-0) process modelling technique was
back about the consequences of issues being raised adopted, initially, as the most appropriate means of
and decisions being taken. representing this process. It is this technique that has
Stimulate questioning: the co-ordinator facilitated been used to successfully represent processes such as
learning by asking questions that stimulated partici- Sanvido’s Integrated Building Process Model (Sanvido
pants to think in new ways. For example, issues 1990).
were often reframed from a manufacturing perspec- In developing a process model using the IDEF-0
tive and returned to the forum as a question. technique, an initial step is the establishment of the
Permit modelling and validation: the co-ordinator en- activities that will comprise the model. These activities
couraged learning and understanding through pro- were presented for discussion in preliminary workshop
cess models that participants could either adopt, sessions with the project’s industrial partners. How-
modify or reject. For example, the Process Protocol ever, initial reactions to this were poor, principally
map itself underwent numerous changes as a direct because such an approach did not facilitate communi-
result of workshop debate. cation of the process, either quickly or clearly.
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
146 Kagioglou M. et al.
Moreover, it was found that the partners, at this tion-related process maps such as BAA, RIBA plan of
stage, also preferred to concentrate on the general work and British Property Federation (BPF).
principles of the process (see later section) rather than
the detail of the activities involved.
This preference for principles was found to have a Literature review of IT support for construction
certain congruence with other models of manufactur- Projects such as Architecture, Methodology and Tools
ing processes. Cooper’s discussion of the evolution of for Computer-Integrated Large-Scale Engineering
the ‘stage gate’ models in manufacturing (Cooper (ATLAS), COmputer Models for the Building INdus-
1994) and other (inter alia GPT, Fisons) industrial try in Europe (COMBINE), COnstruction Modelling
models demonstrate this. In such models, the graphi- and Methodologies for Intelligent information inTe-
cal representation of the process conveys its inherent gration (COMMIT), Simultaneous Prototyping for An
principles. integrated Construction Environment (SPACE), Infor-
Furthermore, the IDEF-0 technique has been found mation/integration for CONstruction (ICON), Open
to be effective when modelling ‘as-is’ processes; how- Systems for CONstruction (OSCON) were investi-
ever, it shows limitations when the modelling of an gated as to their relevance to the project.
improved ‘will-be’ process is attempted. In response to These literature reviews enabled the development of
this, the project team has adopted a scenario-building the key principles underlying a process for design and
technique whereby the participants of workshops were construction. In conjunction with an assessment of
asked to ‘act’ the roles of various functions in the process modelling techniques, the reviews contributed
industry. In such, the current pitfalls of the design and to a first model of the Process Protocol and the IT,
construction process were identified and improve- which could support it.
ments suggested. Those improvements were further
designed in a diagrammatic illustration of the process
(see Fig. 6), which was easy to understand and com- KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE PROCESS
municate while at the same time offered a vision of the PROTOCOL
future. As a result of the initial review of the literature and the
identification of the industry’s requirements through
Literature review additional interviews with practitioners, six key princi-
ples are considered to provide the basis for an im-
A wide literature review of primary, secondary and proved process. They are drawn heavily from the
tertiary sources was carried out. manufacturing sector, where process thinking and con-
The following literature reviews were undertaken. tinuous improvement has been focused on for some
30 years. In addition, many of the principles relate to
recognized problem areas in construction, where sig-
Literature review of NPD in manufacturing
nificant improvements have been called for (inter alia
NPD in manufacturing relates closely to the design Banwell 1964; Latham 1994). The six principles are as
and construction process. This literature review iden- follows.
tified the development of the stage gate approach
through three generations and its use in the manufac-
turing industry. It also identified the key principles Whole project view
underlying stage gate methodologies, which could be In the construction industry, the definition of a project
transferred to the construction sector. has traditionally been synonymous with actual con-
struction works. As such, the pre- and postconstruc-
tion activities have been sidelined and often
Literature review of process in construction
accelerated to reach the construction stage or to move
This identified the various research groups conducting on to the ‘new job’. This has resulted in poor client
relevant work. For example, Agile construction (Bath requirements identification and has delayed the expo-
University), Design Management (Loughborough sure of any potential solutions to the need to any
University), Construction Business Process Reengi- internal and external specialists. Any contemporary
neering CORE (Southampton University), Sanvido attempt to either define or create a ‘design and con-
(Pennsylvania University) and Lean Production (VTT struction process’ will have to cover the whole ‘life’ of
Finland). The review also identified some construc- a project from recognition of a need to the operation of
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 147
the finished facility and, finally, to its demolition. This The potential benefit of this approach is fundamen-
approach ensures that all issues are considered from tally the progressive fixing and/or approval of informa-
both a business and a technical point of view. Further- tion throughout the process. As Cooper (1994) stated,
more, it recognizes and emphasizes the interdepen- the discipline of the phase review activity improved the
dency of activities throughout the duration of a conventional chaotic, ad hoc approach of manufactur-
project. It is also focused at the ‘front end’ activities, ing to which the construction industry of today could
whereby attention is paid to the identification, defini- be compared.
tion and evaluation of client requirements in order to
identify suitable solutions.
Co-ordination
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
148 Kagioglou M. et al.
Project success relies on the right people having the Preproject stage
right information at the right time. Proactive re-
The preproject phases relate to the strategic business
sourcing of phases through the adoption of a ‘stake-
considerations of any potential project that aims to
holder’ view should ensure that appropriate
address a client’s need. Throughout these phases, the
participants (from each of the key functions) are con-
client’s need is progressively defined and assessed with
sulted earlier in the process than is traditionally the
the aim of:
case. This, in itself, will not eliminate the problems
associated with TMO working. However, the active determining the need for a construction project
involvement of all participants, especially in the early solution; and
phases of a project, may subsequently help to foster a securing outline financial authority to proceed to
team environment and encourage appropriate and the preconstruction phases.
timely communication and decision-making.
In currently acknowledged models of the design and
construction process (inter alia RIBA 1980; British
Property Federation 1983; Hughes 1991 provides a
Feedback
comprehensive review) and in recently published
In addition to the direct teamwork problems associ- client-focused guides (CIRIA 1995), this stage of a
ated with TMOs, the ability to learn from experience project is given scant consideration, when compared
is also hampered by the continual formation and with the latter stages. However, the models assume
break-up of project teams. Both success and failure that clients have already established ‘the need’ when
can offer important lessons for the future; however, the approaching the construction industry. Whilst there is
fragmented and competitive nature of the construction little evidence to suggest that this is not the case, it
industry prevents the benefits of shared best practice would seem reasonable to assume that the knowledge
being utilized. The phase review process facilitates a possessed by speculative building developers and con-
means by which project experiences can be recorded sultants could assist any client in these early stages of
throughout the process, thereby informing later phases a project. The problems associated with the translation
and future projects. Competitive advantage will arise of this need through the conventional briefing stage of
from how such experiences are acted upon. Shared design (O’Reilly 1987) have the potential for substan-
knowledge may not automatically increase the compet- tial elimination via such an approach.
itiveness of companies working in construction. This
Process Protocol, therefore, proposes the creation,
maintenance and use of a legacy archive, which acts as Preconstruction stage
a central repository or information spine (Sheath et al.
1996), for the information generated through each of With outline financial approval obtained, the process
the phases of the process. The subsequent increase in progresses through to the preconstruction phases
awareness, project to project, has the potential for where the defined client’s need is developed into an
reducing risk and improving performance, which, over appropriate design solution. Like many conventional
time, may ultimately meet Latham’s expectations. models of the design process, these phases develop the
design through a logical sequence, with the aim of
delivering approved production information. The
phase review process, however, adds the potential for
Process Protocol elements
the progressive fixing of the design, together with its
The Process Protocol model is presented in Fig. 6. concurrent development, within a formal, co-ordinated
Essentially, the model breaks down the design and framework. Progressive fixity should not be confused
construction process into 10 distinct phases. These are with ‘design freeze’ although, to some, this may be a
grouped into four broad stages, namely preproject, desired aspect of the process. The major benefit of the
preconstruction, construction and postconstruction. fixity of design is the potential for improved communi-
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 149
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
150 Kagioglou M. et al.
cation and co-ordination between the project’s partici- relations associated with each of the professions and
pants as they pass through each phase. Given the expert groups. As with all class distinctions, the effect
dynamic market conditions that influence many con- that this basis for organizational structure in design
struction client’s decisions, the need for flexibility and construction has is division.
must be addressed by the industry. At the end of these A consequence of this traditional approach, by
phases, the aim is to secure full financial authority to which even the more recent forms of contract procure-
proceed. Only on such authority will the construction ment (design and build, management contracting etc.)
phase commence; this decision will be easier to make are included, is the poor communication and co-ordi-
when the extent of the work and its associated risks nation commonly associated with construction
can be readily understood. projects.
The participants in the Process Protocol are referred
to in terms of their primary responsibilities and are
Construction stage represented on the Y-axis of the process model. It is
The construction phase is solely concerned with the recognized that traditionally, project to project, organi-
production of the project solution. It is here that the zational roles and responsibilities change, resulting in
full benefits of the co-ordination and communication ambiguity and confusion (Luck & Newcombe 1996).
earlier in the process may be fully realized. Potentially, By basing the enactment of the process on the primary
any changes in the client’s requirements will be mini- responsibility required, the scope for confusion is po-
mal, as the increased cost of change as the design tentially reduced and the potential for effective com-
progresses should be fully understood by the time munication and co-ordination increased. The Process
on-site construction work begins. Protocol groups the participants in any project into
The ‘hard gate’ that divides the preconstruction and ‘activity zones’. These zones are not functional but
construction phases should not prevent a ‘work pack- rather they are multi-functional and represent struc-
age’ approach to construction and the associated deliv- tured sets of tasks and processes that guide and sup-
ery time benefits that this brings. As with all activities port the work towards a common objective (for
in the process, where concurrency is possible it can be example, to create an appropriate design solution).
accommodated. The hard and soft gates that signify A single person or firm can carry out an activity zone
phase reviews merely require that approval is granted in small projects; however, in large and complex
prior to such an activity being carried out. projects, an activity zone may consist of a complex
network of people and between relevant functions
and/or organizations. Because they are multi-func-
Postcompletion /construction stage tional, membership of the ‘zones’ is determined by the
Upon completion of the construction phase, the Pro- specific project task and/or process. For example, de-
cess Protocol continues into the postconstruction sign management often has important input in the
phases, which aim to continually monitor and manage production management and facilities management ac-
the maintenance needs of the constructed facility. tivity zones amongst others and vice versa.
Again, the full involvement of facilities management Of the activity zones associated with the model, not
specialists at the earlier stages of the process should all will be discussed here in detail. Most of the ‘zones’
make the enactment of such activities less problematic. are self-explanatory. However, the role of the process/
The need for surveys of the completed property, for change management and development management
example, should be avoided as all records of the devel- activity zones will be described, as they present a
opment of the facility should have been recorded by significant departure from the conventional view of the
the project’s legacy archive. design and construction process.
The earlier involvement of the project’s participants The process/change management activity zones are
throughout the process is a significant development of essentially the interface between the development
the conventional approach to building. Traditionally, a management and the other project participants. Pro-
construction project’s participants are referred to by cess management has a role independent of all other
their professional or expert status. Ball (1996) demon- activity zones. A distinction must be made between
strated how this may be attributed to the inherent class this conventional view of a project manager and the
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 151
process management role. Process management, as the The deliverables are ‘live’ documents, which change
title suggests, is concerned with the enactment of the throughout the majority of the process. They can be in
process rather than the project. Key to the success of one of the following states:
each phase in the process is the production of project
initial: preliminary information is presented;
deliverables (reports and documentation associated
updated: current information is updated;
with each phase). In this respect, the process manage-
revised: major changes/decisions will significantly
ment is responsible for facilitating and co-ordinating
alter the content and context of the deliverable; and
the participants required to produce the necessary
finalized: the information presented is agreed and is
deliverables. Acting as the development management’s
unlikely to change throughout the duration of the
‘agent’, it will ensure the enactment of each phase as
project.
planned, culminating with the presentation of the de-
liverables at each end of phase review.
The change management function is further distinct
from the process management zone, as this role is Summary and concluding remarks
solely concerned with (as its name also suggests) the
The principles of the Process Protocol can, therefore,
management of change(s) that occur during the pro-
be summarized as a framework model that is capable
cess. As the project becomes increasingly defined as
of representing the diverse interests of all the parties
each phase is enacted, changes (or rather updates) to
involved in the process, which is sufficiently repeatable
the information required for the development of the
and definable to allow IT to be devised to support this
project will be produced. These updates will be con-
management and information management. There-
tained within the work required to develop the deliver-
fore, a mechanism by which the systematic and consis-
able documentation associated with each phase. With
tent interfacing of the existing practices, professional
respect to this, the change management activity zone
practice and IT practice support tools can be facili-
facilitates the holding, review and dissemination of all
tated. The simplicity within the protocol allows its
this information as the project progresses.
interpretation and flexible application. This is achieved
It is within the change management function that IT
at a variety of strategic levels across a variety of scales
potentially plays a fundamental role. Given the vast
of projects, using combinations of virtual teams and IT
amount of information generated throughout a
systems; all are based within clarity in terms of what is
project’s lifecycle (Aouad et al. 1994), and the need for
required from whom, when and with whose co-opera-
its quick and effective dissemination, IT may offer a
tion; for whom the requirements are to be delivered,
capable solution. However, the need for judgement
for what purposes and how they will be evaluated
and discretion, especially in the earlier strategic phases
(through the phase review board). Other principles
of the process, will always involve the development
underlying the Process Protocol were the standardiza-
management’s intervention and this alone is likely to
tion of deliverables and roles associated with achieving
prohibit the use of IT as a total solution. Aouad et al.
managing and reviewing the process and the product.
(1998) further described the role of IT within the
The Process Protocol is divided into a series of
Process Protocol.
subphases defined as preproject, preconstruction, con-
struction and postconstruction; within each of these
major phases are subphases that can be operated con-
currently or concatenate to make the process more
Deliverables
efficient in smaller scale projects.
Each gate of the Process Protocol represents a deci- Novelty arises within the Process Protocol in a num-
sion-making point. The decisions are based primarily ber of areas, in particular: the extension of the
on documented project and process information, boundaries of design and construction process into the
which are called deliverables. They are primarily com- requirements capture phase of prebriefing client deci-
piled by project management to form the phase review sion-making; the extension of the boundary of the
report. The report includes all the deliverables (see Fig. process beyond practicable completion to allow the
6) specific to the phase and as they are defined by the management of use and the learning from performance
Process Protocol for the specific project. This phase in use to improve the product and process for future
review report forms the basis for the client body (i.e. projects; the creation of an explicit process manage-
development management) to make a decision con- ment and change management role to co-ordinate the
cerning the future of the project. functionaries and deliverables associated with the pro-
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
152 Kagioglou M. et al.
cess, the information that supports the functional roles Design and Construction Process Protocol. Journal of Con-
and is delivered via the creation and products, and a struction Procurement, 4, 132 – 151.
BAA Plc. (1995) The Project Process. BAA Plc., UK.
stable platform to allow innovations in process and in Ball, M. (1996) Rebuilding Construction. Routledge, London.
products and operations to be facilitated in a co-ordi- Banwell, H. (1964) Report of the Committee on the Placing and
nated and repeatable manner. Management of Contracts for Building and Civil Engineering
Works. HMSO, London.
Berger, P.L. & Luckmann, T. (1966) The Social Construction
Subprocess development of Reality. Doubleday, Garden City, NY.
British Property Federation (1983) Manual of the BPF System
The effective implementation of the Process Protocol for Building Design and Construction. British Property Feder-
will greatly depend on its ability to effectively translate ation, London.
the strategic to the operational level. To this end, Construction Industry Research and Information Association
further work (which has been initiated) is needed in (1995) Planning to Build?. Special Publication 113.
examining the subprocesses (activity zone) and to pro- Cooper, R., Kagioglou, M., Aouad, G., Hinks, J., Sexton, M.
& Sheath, D. (1998) Development of a generic design and
duce generic maps for those subprocesses.
construction process, pp. 205 – 214. European Conference on
In such a way, the underlying principles and Product Data Technology, PDT Days ’98, BRE.
philosophies of the Process Protocol will form the Cooper, R.G. (1994) Third-generation new product pro-
framework for company/project-based wide adoption cesses. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 11, 3 – 14.
and effective implementation. This is confirmed by the Egan, J. (1998) Rethinking Construction. Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions, London.
adoption of the Process Protocol by the CRISP Pro-
Hughes, W. (1991) Modelling the construction process using
cess Group with the comment that sublevel process plans of work. Construction project modelling and productivity.
definition needs to be defined. In addition, such devel- Proceedings of an International Conference CIB W65, Du-
opment will address all of the issues identified in the brovnik.
Construction Round Table (CRT) ‘Agenda for Latham, M. (1994) Constructing the Team. HMSO, London.
Change’. Furthermore, a number of companies such Linstone, H.A. (1978) The Dephi technique. In: Handbook of
Futures Research (ed. J. Fowles), pp. 293 – 300. Greenwood
as Alfred McAlpine, BT, Tarmac, AMEC, BNFL,
Press, London.
BAe, and institutions such as the International Al- Luck, R. & Newcombe, R. (1996) The case for the integra-
liance for Interoperability (IAI) Client Briefing Do- tion of the project participants activities within a construc-
main have adopted the Process Protocol as a tion project environment. In: The Organization and
framework and process management mechanism. Management of Construction: Shaping Theory and Practice,
vol. 2 (eds D. A. Langford & A. Retik), pp. 458 – 470.
Furthermore, a generic (subprocess) process will
Spon, London.
also contribute to cultural change in terms of improved Kagioglou, M., Cooper, R., Aouad, G., Hinks, J., Sexton, M.
communication and process management between the & Sheath, D. (1998a) A Generic Guide to the Design and
fragmented groups within the construction industry. Construction Process Protocol. University of Salford, UK.
Kagioglou, M., Cooper, R., Aouad, G., Sexton, M., Hinks, J.
& Sheath, D. (1998b) Cross-industry learning: the devel-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS opment of a generic design and construction process based
on stage/gate new product development processes found in
The authors would like to acknowledge the contribu- the manufacturing industry. In: Engineering Design Confer-
tions of John Hinks, Darryl Sheath, all of the partner ence ’98 (eds S. Sivaloganathan & T. M. M. Shahin), pp.
companies and those companies and institutions who 595 – 602. 23 – 25 June, Brunel University.
enabled the data collection. In addition, we are grate- Koskela, L. (1992) Application of the new production philosophy
to construction. Technical Report c72, Center for Inte-
ful to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
grated Facility Engineering, Department of Civil Engineer-
Council (EPSRC) for their funding and support. ing, Stanford University, USA.
Odman, P. (1985) Hermeneutics. In: The International Ency-
clopaedia of Education (eds T. Husen & N. T. Postleth-
REFERENCES
waite), pp. 2162 – 2169. Pergamon, Oxford.
Ackroyd, S. & Hughes, J. (1983) Data Collection in Context. O’Reilly, J.J.N. (1987) Better briefing means better buildings.
Longman, London. Building Research Establishment Report BR 95, B.R.E.,
Aouad, C., Brandon, P., Brown, F., Cooper, G., Ford, S., Garston, UK.
Kirkham, J., Oxman, R., Sarshar, M. & Young, B. (1994) RIBA (1980) Handbook of Architectural Practice and Manage-
Integration of construction information (ICON): final report — ment. RIBA, London.
integrated databases for the design construction and manage- Rosenau, M. (1996) The PDMA Handbook of New Product
ment of construction. University of Salford. Development. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Aouad, G., Hinks, J., Cooper, R., Sheath, D.M., Kagioglou, Sandywell, B. (1975) Problems of Reflexivity and Dialectics in
M. & Sexton, M. (1998) An IT map for the Generic Sociological Inquiry. Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153
The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol in construction 153
Sanvido, V. (1990) An integrated building process model. CIC Simon, E. (1944) The Placing and Management of Building
Technical Report No. 1, Pennsylvania State University, Contract. HMSO, London.
USA. Sommerville, J. & Stocks, B. (1996) Realising the client’s
Sheath, D., Woolley, H., Hinks, J., Cooper, R. & Aouad, G. strategic requirements: motivating teams. Proceedings of CO-
(1996) The development of a Generic Design and Construction BRA ’96, University of the West of England.
Process Protocol for the UK construction industry. Proceedings of Walker, A. (1989) Project Management in Construction, 2nd
InCIT’96, Sydney, Australia. edn. BSP Professional Books, Oxford.
© 2000 Blackwell Science Ltd, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 7 2, 141 – 153