Content area
Full Text
Introduction
Traditionally, performance in construction is measured based on what is so called the "iron-triangle" of time, cost and quality, see ([29] Walker, 1995; [5] Belassi and Tukel, 1996). In recent years indicators have been developed to include the measurements of other aspects of project performance. A major characteristic of these however is that most of them are used primarily for benchmarking purposes but are of little use for controlling the performance during projects.
A construction project evolves different stages that represent different processes and involve different parties. In each stage process control is essential. It is aiming at monitoring and controlling process performance to achieve end-project goals. The very early stages in the project development such as the pre-project stage are crucial to its success. The decisions made within these stages can't be adjusted or changed without significant impact on the process and the project costs ([22] Othman et al. , 2004). Many experts believe that planning efforts conducted during early stages of a project are key in the whole project process and have a greater effect on project success than efforts undertaken on the project in later stages ([12] Dumon et al. , 1997; [7] Cho et al. , 1999). The pre-project stage hasn't always performed well in the construction industry, and as result it has suffered from poor performance due to poor project scope definition, changes that result in cost overruns and time delays see, for example ([14] Gibson and Hamilton, 1994). It is therefore beneficial to be able to control the process performance in the early stages of the construction process.
In spite of their importance and impact on achieving project goals in construction, there is a lack of explicit tools that provide control of their processes.
The research study described in this paper aims at identifying the process-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that provide the control of the process during its early phases. The paper attempts to answer the following three main research questions:
RQ1. What are the main sub-processes within the pre-project stage that are needed to be controlled?
RQ2. What are the most important issues to be controlled within the identified main sub-processes of the pre-project stage?
RQ3. What appropriate KPIs can be developed to address the...