ReviewofValueManagementStudyinConstruction.doc

项目管理学结课论文Review of Value Management Study in Construction姓名：叶金莲 学号：074811215 专业：土木工程规划与管理Review of Value Management Study in ConstructionAbstract: As one of the new management theory value management (VM) in construction has gained much attention from a large number of domestic and foreign scholars and have achieved some results. This paper starts with review of the development process of VM theories in construction, followed by a detailed introduction of the basic concepts and important theories and methods of VM, then reviews the research results of VM from the domestic and foreign scholars in the past 50 years and summarizes the three management trends of VM. Based on this, the future focuses of the research direction are proposed.Keywords: value management; sustainability; integration摘要：近年来，建设项目价值管理作为新兴的管理理论，得到了国内外大批学者的青睐，并取得了一定的研究成果。本文首先回顾了建设项目价值管理理论的发展历程，对价值管理的基本概念及重要的价值管理理论和方法进行了介绍。然后综述了国内外学者在近50年来在该领域取得的研究成果，总结出建设项目价值管理的三大管理趋势。并在此基础上提出了未来重点研究方向。关键字：价值管理；可持续性；集成1. BackgroundAs a result of technological advancements, uncertain economic conditions, social pressures, and fierce domestic and international competition, clients place increasing demands upon the construction industry. Walker once wrote that “the demands relate to the performance of projects, capital and running costs, the time required from conception of projects to occupation and the projects value for money”1. There is an increasing demand for providing building products that satisfy clients requirements and have relatively low life-cycle costs2. Buildings, however, are particularly complex entities involving such things as social, physical, aesthetic and environmental factors, some of which offer no reasonable way of measuring the benefit and cost. Building problems are extremely complex and ill defined, starting in uncertainty and trying to end up with certainty3. Without proper methodologies to follow, it is very difficult for designers or consultants to satisfy clients requirements at the lowest life-cycle cost.The concept of value management, as developed by Lawrence Miles of the General Electrical Company, has spread widely into the engineering and manufacturing processes. VM methods have developed and been widely used since its first introduction into the construction industry in the USA by Alphonse Dell Isola. In 1993, the application of VM expanded widely as two bills were passed in the US Congress which made VM mandatory on all government programs, projects, systems and products comprising the aggregate 80% of the budget of all government agencies. Thus value management in construction comes in for concern by a growing number of scholars and develops into an emerging management discipline, many of these methods and models have been applied in practice and achieved good results. This paper attempts to start from the rise of value management of construction project in the 1960s, and then make a brief summary and evaluation of the relative theoretical research with a view to conclude the research findings and have a clear direction for future research.2. Development of Value Management TheoryValue Management in construction began in the 1980s, over the years formed a lot of results; the paper mainly introduces the study status for value management and gives some simple evaluation.VM derives its power from being a team-based, process driven methodology using function analysis to examine and deliver a product, service or project at optimum whole life performance and cost without detriment to quality. VM developments were initially dominated by North American thinking. It diversified during the late 1960s and into the 1970s internationally primarily through the manufacturing sector into Japan, the UK, Italy, Australia and Canada4 .Different perspectives also began to emerge internationally during the 1980s and into the 1990s with the international use of VM in construction. Some early adopter countries in manufacturing took forward a franchised version of VM from the US methodology, such as Japan and Korea, whilst others took up the methodology and subsequently melded it to take account of their national markets and cultures 4. Developments in VM thinking and practice have resulted in a diversity of definitions, procedures and official standards internationally.The SAVE International standard uses the term value methodology, highlighting that it includes the processes known as value analysis, value engineering, value management, value control, value improvement and value assurance5. Whilst SAVE International does not define the methodology perse, the standard adopts an approved job plan, a body of knowledge, and presents typical profiles of value managers, value specialists and the duties of a value organization. In this respect the standard is all embracing but lacks the wider definition of value management emerging from Europe, Australia and New Zealand, which are more closely aligned in their thinking. The European standard for value management defines VM as a style of management6. The standard indicates that the goal of value management is to reconcile differences in view between stakeholders, and, internal and external customers as to what constitutes value. In its forward, the 1994 Australian New Zealand standard for value management defines it as a structured, systematic and analytical process which seeks to achieve value for money by providing all necessary functions at the lowest total cost; consistent with required levels of quality and performance 7. The VM process is seen as being centred on a participatory workshop involving a multidisciplinary, representative group of people working together to seek the best value solution for a particular situation. The new draft Standard DR 04443 modifies the definition, indicating that VM is a structured and analytical group process which seeks to establish and improve value and where appropriate, value for money, in products, processes, services, organizations and systems. Again, the latest draft standard sees the VM study process as centred on a participatory multi-disciplinary workshop and now uses the term work plan instead of the job plan originally used by Miles and adopted in the ANZ 1994 version. To summarize, VM with its origins in North American manufacturing has gone through a developmental process internationally with local contextualization in many countries. As a management style it has a wide application and can be applied to products, services, projects, programmers of projects and administrative procedures.3. Review of VM theory in constructionVM as a methodology can make a valuable contribution towards a better solution to the problems facing construction professionals. There are numerous research findings and publications on VM. This paper focuses on the introduction of three representative styles for value management theories applied into construction projects, and makes a simple evaluation.3.1. Integrating Sustainability into VMThe rise of sustainability phenomenon in the modern construction world initiated the search for opportune ways that will enable this concept be infused into present working environments. Sustainability agenda refers to the protection of the environment, enhancing social prosperity and improving economic performance9. As one of the well-known techniques conducted to assist in decision-making, VM has the capability to assist the absorption of sustainability at the conceptual stage of project process10. The working environment of VM has the tendency to push the team to work together to achieve sustainability needs within the constraints of the resources available .Through investigating the crucial aspects to ensure effective sustainability integration in VM, the paper introduces a structural model that proposes when and where sustainability issues should be raised within VM techniques, then guides the integration of sustainability issues effectively in VM and thus optimizes the opportunity that it offers to the industry10.3.2. Group Support System(GSS) for VMGSS is a set of techniques, software and technology designed to focus and enhance the communication, deliberations and decision-making of groups11.The thousands of GSS experimental studies and field studies that have been conducted in the past two decades demonstrate that GSS is successful in improving the efficiency, reliability and quality of the group decision-making process in meetings. Unnecessary costs that are mainly caused by factors such as a lack of information, communication and coordination are bound to exist in construction projects. VM suggests that these costs contribute to poor value and, therefore, should be identified and removed10. By survey, it founds that many of the VM users were not satisfied with current VM practice. The key problems of VM studies are those such as lack of information, lack of participation and interaction and difficulty of conducting evaluation and analysis, etc. So there is a strong need to improve VM practices so as to maximize the possible benefits. GSS is one of the real success stories of research in the management information system (MIS) academic community. GSS generally consists of the technologies of communication, computing and decision support, all of which are used to develop a GSS framework for VM studies. The framework of GSS can be designed to provide supports including those such as discussion support, information support, collaboration support, and decision analysis support, for the VM studies. Thus the introduction of application of GSS to support VM studies so as to improve the implementation of VM in the construction industry is useful. 3.3. Integrating Value and Risk ManagementVM is widely accepted as an important tool in the management of projects. Despite the acknowledged importance of early interventions, the focus for many VM studies tends to be at spaces and element levels, rather than at the earlier concept level. VM continues to be used as a cost-cutting exercise, particularly so on projects which are experiencing problems. Formal VM rarely extends to tender stage. Workshops remain the common format, but these are often compressed, due to commercial pressures, into a half-day. Techniques are adapted to suit the needs of the project, team and client rather than being rigidly applied according to the theoretical approaches outlined in the literature. The potential to integrate VM and risk management (RM) services is recognized by all, although such integration is yet to be fully developed and implemented.Value management, value engineering and risk management are used side-by-side by practitioners but very frequently without coordination12. This has meant that the client and stakeholders, including the project team and members of the supply chain, have been dealing with value and risk issues on different occasions. Yet value and risk are inter-linked. In construction projects, making the identification and agreement of the client s project objectives after taking into account all opportunities and uncertainty, can ensure that the built facility meets those objectives throughout its life and represents best value. Integrating risk and value in construction means clients can exploit the management of uncertainty to obtain added value. It saves time, means no surprises and an end to back-tracking. 4. Conclusions and OutlooksThrough the collation of relevant literature, the following conclusions can be drawn.4.1. Deepening of Value Management ResearchVM as a management style focuses on value system evolution and resolution within projects, or organizational systems for that matter, by bringing the right team of stakeholders together at the right time. Through a structured, challenging, analytical and mediated process it permits value systems to coalesce to the benefit to the commissioning organization4. Traditional value engineering (VE) is mostly based on economic aspects emphasizing techniques, such as brainstorming, functional analysis and weighted evaluation, to solve “hard” technical problems. Such hard problems are often manifested as a pursuit for cost reductions or function-oriented values. However, other improvements such as customer-perceived quality and performance are also paramount in the value equation. The VE concept assumes that the optimized goal will automatically be generated through the systematic processes and tools being utilized in the value engineering workshop. The field of psychology provides a theoretical base for explaining the transformation of values into project goals via the value-goal-action-outcome cycle and emphasizes the significant effect of project goal specificity13. The theoretical constructs provide the underpinning dimensions that must be examined in value management. The identification of the value dimensions which affect the decision-making process in value engineering are fundamental in understanding an individuals perception of the merit of the decision outcome - the specified common project goals - in a relatively “free from conflict” environment. The relationship between value-goal specificity, conflict and satisfaction in construction projects is worth further investigation.4.2. Barrier of the implementation of VM Due to the attractiveness of its considerable benefits, VM fever has already spread through North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. Value incentive clauses have been incorporated into building contracts and statutory legislation has been introduced to promote the use of VM. But the development of VM is always very slow: many construction professionals have not even heard of the term and misunderstanding and false perceptions of VM still persist in the minds of clients and construction professionals14. The development of VM is further hindered by the fact that construction costs constitute only a minor portion of the total development costs in building projects. Developers are mostly profit-oriented and shortsighted; In addition, traditional contracting methods have been used for many years. Strict distinctions between the design and construction phases cause confrontational attitudes between design and construction teams, lack of cooperation and professional barriers then follow; these are the main obstacles to the application of a successful VM study15. Facing such an unfavorable environment, the private sector may not be willing to take the first step. The government is therefore a vital agent for the encouragement and promotion of the use of VM. There is also a need to change the attitudes of clients and construction professionals. Clients should be more open-minded, and relationships between construction professionals should be more cooperative rather than confrontational. Change is a prerequisite for improvement. VM is now offering a channel for improvement.References1 Walker, A. Project Management in Construction M. UK: BSP Professional Books, 2005.2 Patrick Sik-wah Fong. Is the Hong Kong construction industry ready for value management J? International Journal of Project Management, 2005, 23: 135-140.3 Day A, Faulkner A & Happold E. Communications and computers in the building industryJ. Construction Industry Computi