Global Construction Success

A guide to effective corporate and project management in the construction industry with a focus on the role that people play in the process Global Construction Success explores the importance that human dynamics play in risk management of construction projects. Every time a project is structured, designed and built, personal behaviours and inputs can either lead to success or be the cause of failure. With contributions from noted experts on the topic, the book offers insight into stakeholders' reactions in a variety of situations, provides expert analyses of risk management and proposes potential solutions and recommendations in order to ensure effective construction management. The book explores common causes of project failure, outlines the key factors of successful projects, shows how to implement Public Private Partnerships, explores the different stages of structuring projects and reveals what it takes to manage difficult client/contractor relationships. International case studies of major projects clearly illustrate how communications and relationships can lead to helpful solutions to commonly encountered challenges to achieve positive results.
* Offers a comprehensive review of the impact human dynamics play in the success or failure of construction projects
* Stresses the importance of the leadership of senior management
* Offers a chapter on managing and resolving conflicts
* Shows why the industry needs better risk management
* Includes new information for managing communications and relationships
* Explores new areas of technology that are being embraced by the construction industry
Written for construction industry senior management in both the corporate and government sectors, project management professionals, consultants and supply chain participants, Global Construction Success includes material for minimizing risk and improving management quality and profitability when working with international construction projects.

List of contents

Author's Notes xxi
 
Acknowledgements xxiii
 
Biographies xxv
 
Preface xxxiii
 
Why Have I Written this Book? xxxiii
 
Objectives xxxv
 
My Journey from the Australian Bush to International Construction xxxvi
 
Who Should Read this Book and Why? xxxix
 
Conclusion xxxix
 
1 Introduction 1
Ian Williams
 
1.1 Opening Remarks 1
 
1.2 Section A - The State of the Industry (Chapters 2-6) 2
 
1.3 Section B - People and Teamwork (Chapters 7-11) 2
 
1.4 Section C - The Right Framework - Forms of Contract, Business Models, and Public Private Partnerships (Chapters 12-15) 3
 
1.5 Section D - Management of Risk (Chapters 16-23) 3
 
1.6 Section E - Robust Processes - Corporate and Project Management (Chapters 24-27) 4
 
1.7 Section F - Emerging Conclusions (Chapter 28) 4
 
1.8 Final Note 4
 
Section A - The State of the Industry 5
 
2 Global Overview of the Construction Industry 7
 
2.1 Introduction - Globalisation Impacts on Construction 7
 
2.2 Construction Industry Cycles 7
 
2.3 Industry Trends - Business Models, Contract Types, Financing, Technology 8
 
2.4 Regional Trends - Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, UK and Europe 9
 
2.5 Bad News and Its Consequences 11
 
2.6 The Good News - Significant Improvements in the Right Direction 13
 
2.7 Summary and Conclusions 15
 
3 Construction Consultants in the Global Market Place 19
Judy Adams
 
3.1 Introduction 19
 
3.2 Political Risk 19
 
3.3 Regional/Cultural Differences 20
 
3.4 Payment or Fee Recovery 21
 
3.5 Localisation 21
 
3.6 Failure to Attract or Retain Skilled People 21
 
3.7 Contractual Terms and Conditions 22
 
3.8 Ability to Deliver Across Major Projects/Programmes 22
 
3.9 Cyber Security 22
 
3.10 Contractor Failure 23
 
3.11 Design Liability 23
 
4 Common Causes of Project Failure 25
 
4.1 Introduction 25
 
4.2 High Profile 'Problem Projects' Since 2000 26
 
4.3 The 35 Common Causes 30
 
4.4 Project Leadership - How Bad Can It Get? 41
 
4.5 Lessons Learnt from Incompetent Site Management 43
 
4.6 Conclusion 44
 
5 The Use and Abuse of Construction Supply Chains 45
Professor Rudi Klein
 
5.1 Introduction 45
 
5.2 Construction: An Outsourced Industry 46
 
5.3 Adverse Economic Forces Bearing Down on the Supply Chain 47
 
5.4 Supply Chain Dysfunctionality 47
 
5.5 Addressing the Issues and Solutions 48
 
5.6 The Future 58
 
6 A Discussion on Preventing Corporate Failure: Learning from the UK Construction Crisis 59
Stephen Woodward and Nigel Brindley
 
6.1 A Call to Action' 59
 
6.2 Lifting the General Level of Corporate Management 61
 
6.3 Improving Risk Management 64
 
6.4 Joint Recommendations by the Corporate Risk Manager and the Investment Banker 65
 
6.5 Conclusions 67
 
Section B - People and Teamwork 69
 
7 Obstacles to Senior Management and Board Success 71
 
7.1 Introduction 71
 
7.2 Groupthink and Team Selection 72
 
7.3 Training 73
 
7.4 Choosing the Wrong Strategy and/or Projects 74
 
7.5 Need for 'Macro-Level' Focus, with Effective Corporate Oversight ('the Wider Picture') 75
 
7.6 Effective Communication and Delegation 76
 
7.7 Summary 77
 
8 Structuring Successful Projects 79
 
8.1 Introduction 79
 
8.2 So What Happens on Successful Projects? What Are the Key Factors that Create Su

About the author

Charles O'Neil has over 40 years of international experience in property development, steel fabrication, design and construction, and asset management. He specializes in Public Private Partnerships, risk management and dispute resolution and was Director of Asset Management for Bilfinger Berger Projects, Luxembourg, responsible for the design and construction, operational performance and risk management of more than 60 facilities in 8 countries.

Summary

A guide to effective corporate and project management in the construction industry with a focus on the role that people play in the process Global Construction Success explores the importance that human dynamics play in risk management of construction projects. Every time a project is structured, designed and built, personal behaviours and inputs can either lead to success or be the cause of failure. With contributions from noted experts on the topic, the book offers insight into stakeholders' reactions in a variety of situations, provides expert analyses of risk management and proposes potential solutions and recommendations in order to ensure effective construction management. The book explores common causes of project failure, outlines the key factors of successful projects, shows how to implement Public Private Partnerships, explores the different stages of structuring projects and reveals what it takes to manage difficult client/contractor relationships. International case studies of major projects clearly illustrate how communications and relationships can lead to helpful solutions to commonly encountered challenges to achieve positive results.
* Offers a comprehensive review of the impact human dynamics play in the success or failure of construction projects
* Stresses the importance of the leadership of senior management
* Offers a chapter on managing and resolving conflicts
* Shows why the industry needs better risk management
* Includes new information for managing communications and relationships
* Explores new areas of technology that are being embraced by the construction industry
Written for construction industry senior management in both the corporate and government sectors, project management professionals, consultants and supply chain participants, Global Construction Success includes material for minimizing risk and improving management quality and profitability when working with international construction projects.

Report

Lord Andrew Adonis - Chair of the UK National Infrastructure Commission 2017
 

"Charles O'Neil and his co-authors have produced an impressive and important contribution to the construction industry that should be read by everyone involved in construction projects".
 

_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Ian Rogers - Senior Legal Adviser, Arup
 
"This hard-hitting collection of essays reveals the real problems in the construction industry, identifying not just the symptoms and how they might be treated, but also tackling the underlying causes. People and governance are top of the list and until these are addressed, change will be merely superficial. It is a vitally important contribution to the debate over the future of a key global industry".
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Datuk Sundra Rajoo - Director Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)
 
- Past President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, U.K. (2016)
 

"This book is an exceptional collection of insight and wisdom from various experts across the global construction industry. It provides a 360-degree overview of the current state of international construction, including impacts of globalization, a detailed analysis of industry and regional trends in construction as well as the challenges faced by various sectors in the industry, making it relevant across the globe. This book is also written in simple and effective language, identifying the key areas of improvement within the industry and offering viable solutions for all stakeholders concerned. The author has also done a remarkable job in structuring the book in such a way that makes it thorough and comprehensive, which is a boon for all of us in the industry. I believe this book will be a useful reference for all stakeholders concerned with navigating the emerging issues and challenges of risk management that plagues this industry today"
 

_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Chris Blythe - CEO, The Chartered Institute of Building
 

"A great read with something for anyone wanting a successful construction industry. Construction is the art of getting ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Throughout the book, contributors show the best and worst behaviours that give the industry its extremes of reward and frustration. The wrong behaviours take the ordinary and produce the mediocre by repeating mistakes and not learning from them. Construction is too important as a driver of the global economy for the risks of failure to be as high as they are. This book offers an agenda for de-risking construction."
 
__________________________________________________________________________________
 

Gerhard Bester - MD of CAPIC, a South-African owned, specialist consulting services firm in the infrastructure development, construction and engineering industries.
 

"Africa's decision makers, both public and private, clients and contractors alike, should jump at the opportunity to acquire the benefit of hindsight from the industry in first world countries - Africa generally follows their infrastructure delivery mechanisms, contracting regimes and unfortunately, consequential flaws...Africa has some additional variables to make things more challenging, but we cannot afford to ignore the wisdom and guidance on the way forward if we are to achieve "Global Construction Success" as presented by Charles O'Neil and his co-authors in this aptly named book!"
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 

Don Ward - CEO of Constructing Excellence, U.K
 
"So many Governments and industry stakeholders around the world are anxious to see construction sector reform for major improvement in delivery. So why doesn't it happen faster? The insights in this book are hugely valuable to policy makers and industry leaders everywhere, with their focus on getting strong leadership and vision for projects, modernising the capability of people culture & behaviours in project teams, and aligning common processes and tools. Perhaps most crucial is the alignment of commercial arrangements throughout the supply chain."
 
_______________________________________________________________________________
 
Matthew Bell - Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of Studies, Construction Law, Melbourne Law School
 
"Introducing this immensely useful book, Charles O'Neil writes that 'there is no better experience than learning the hard way'. This is true. Charles and his colleagues have generously shared their experience on construction projects around the world so that the rest of us can recognise and steer away from the commercial, technical and - especially - human factors which cause so many projects to founder".
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 
Nick Barrett - Editor of Construction Law Magazine, U.K.
 
"This book emphasising human factors and risk management in delivering successful construction projects comes at a potentially crucial turning point for the construction industry, with a new readiness to consider major changes to business models and processes evident following the Carillion collapse in the UK. The industry needs to read it".
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Mark Farmer - Author of The Construction Industry Review "Modernise or Die" 2016.
 

"I believe we stand at an unprecedented crossroads in the construction industry's evolution driven by a structural and long-term decline in skills and capability. This is no longer another false dawn driven by periodic discontent. The risks of continuing are now all consuming and include the increasingly destructive consequences of poor risk management and embedded conflict. The burgeoning technology led opportunity we are now presented with as our potential saviour will not be maximised though without embracing fundamentally different organisational, procurement and contractual models that drive process integration & common interest. This book is a very useful reference point using key lessons learned and pointing the way forward."
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Catherine Green, NZ Building Disputes Tribunal, BuildLaw
 
"In this book, O'Neil and his contributors, have carefully distilled several lifetimes of experience engaged in the construction sector to provide the reader with an extraordinary collection of essays, including references to real-world examples, making the book a practical and easily digestible narrative and analysis which can only assist the reader to attain global construction success."

Product details

• Authors: C O'Neil, Charles O'Neil, C O''neil, Charles O''neil, O'Neil Charles
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.03.2019
• EAN: 9781119440253
• ISBN: 978-1-119-44025-3
• No. of pages: 360
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Structural and environmental engineering; Baubetrieb, Construction Management, Bauingenieur- u. Bauwesen, Civil Engineering & Construction