Volume 11, Issue 1

Download PDF | W117 Editorial Board & Contributors 

The worldwide competitive marketplace is moving toward automation and information systems. The major user of automation is the country of China. By observation, once the user of low-cost labor, the inconsistency results have forced China to become the world’s foremost user of automation. This type of competition is forcing the optimization of supply chains (lower costs and higher performance). W117 has been the leader in the documentation of performance information research and how to utilize the performance information to increase project performance in the CIB.

Download PDF | Yue Choong KOG

Construction delay is a common problem costing the industry billions of dollars every year. The first step to reduce this unnecessary loss is to identify the major delay factors. More than 200 studies on major construction delays have been reported using self-administered questionnaire surveys of views of project participants. The present approach adopted is reviewed by a case study of Egypt. Thirty-two delay factors were identified as major construction delay factors. A thorough review of these eight studies revealed many shortcomings in the present approach. A structured approach is proposed for questionnaire survey to study major construction delay factors.

Download PDF | Alfredo O. Rivera, Dean T. Kashiwagi

The Best Value Approach (BVA) is a new project delivery method that has been documented to increase performance and value. It does this by changing the traditional project delivery characteristics of managing the expert and focusing on the technical side of the project, to utilizing the expertise of the experts and using performance information and risk mitigation to manage the project. Large organizations have had difficulty in sustaining the BVA. A large private organization agreed to test the BVA on the replacement of a roofing system on one of its facilities. A case study research was performed on this project, using the grounded research approach, to identify if a large supply chain stakeholder can utilize the BVA to sustain high performance, value, and low price at the same time in a highly competitive marketplace. The research proposal is to document issues and benefits of utilizing the BVA. Identifying why large organizations have an issue with sustaining the approach and being utilized on more projects. The results of the paper will identify issues organizations have with implementing the BVA and the benefits in using the delivery system on construction services. The case study utilizes a stakeholder in the roofing industry supply chain and shows an approach to construction services that utilizes performance information and risk mitigation.

Download PDF| Lars Claassen, Arjan Roodhorst, Isaac Kashiwagi

The Best Value Approach (BVA) has been used as a method to procure and manage services. As the BVA is further proliferated, there are applications of the BVA which deviate from the standard approach which are labeled as hybrid processes. This research focuses on better understanding BVA hybrid projects and the implications that may arise with such deviations. Using case study research, the BVA was used to procure services for the construction of ships. The research findings show the impact of hybrid applications of the BVA including (1) the selection of suppliers based on decision making instead of expertise (2) attempts to share and transfer risk, (3) incomplete clarification phase planning by expert suppliers, and (4) incomplete use of the Weekly Risk Report and Director’s report to track project deviation. The resulting hybrid application was found to have increased costs, increased decision making, and created a non-transparent environment. Suggestions have been made to improve upon these areas by applying the BVA structure including a selection process to identify expertise and a project management process which utilizes the supplier’s expertise to create a structure of transparency through performance metrics.

Download PDF | Jacob Kashiwagi, Alfredo O. Rivera, Mark Taba 

The Best Value Approach (BVA) is a new project delivery method that has been documented to increase performance and value on projects by the identification and utilization of expertise instead of management, direction, and control (MDC). It utilizes performance information that is simple, observable, and countable. It allows the expert vendor to know what the client project requires, why they can achieve success and what they will do before they do it. The tracking of the project cost and time deviation requires an initial plan and method to track it. Preliminary results of the BVA have shown a 90% decrease in effort by client organizations, 98% customer satisfaction and has led to 1% vendor cost and time deviation rate. It applies to construction, services/IT projects, and any long-term service. In 2014, a large private organization having difficulty delivering information technology (IT) and construction/facility services identified the BVA as a potential solution. This paper will summarize a major IT Enterprise Resource Planning case study that the large private organization used the BVA on and identify the full results.

Download PDF| Jake A. Gunnoe, David G. Krassa

Trends suggest that employers across various industry believe that the younger generation of employees are deficient at making decisions, thinking critically, and leading others. The Best Value Approach (BVA) is a management model shown to increase organizational efficiency and employee performance. Studies show that the BVA automates administrative work functions and minimizes human error associated with decision making and critical thinking. This research seeks to investigate the effectiveness of incorporating the BVA in high school. The authors hypothesize that BVA concepts can help students rapidly learn critical thinking, decision making, and interpersonal skills. To test this hypothesis, the authors created a BVA high school curriculum and tested it in four phases differing in timeframe, classroom structure, and population. The results show that when students understand BVA concepts they show improved mental stability (stress and confidence), increased academic performance (grades and test scores), and parents/teachers report significant positive behavioral improvements.