Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications

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Author: Duffield, Colin × Author: Maghsoudi, Soroush × End date: 2018 × Start date: 2010 ×

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    A practical tool for evaluation of innovation outcomes in building projects
    Maghsoudi, S ; Duffield, C ; Wilson, D (Multi Science Publishing, 2016)
    Purpose This paper aims to develop a practical tool to evaluate the outcomes of innovative practices in the building and construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A practical tool was proposed. It is an online tool programmed in a JavaScript environment. A previously developed and tested framework was the basis for this tool. Six case projects were used to test and validate the reliability of the tool. The outcomes of the building projects were categorized into six categories of economic, quality, social, environmental, satisfaction and soft and organizational impacts. Findings The most important finding of this research was that the evaluation of innovation in building and construction would be possible only if the subjective assessment is tolerated to include the non-monetary outcomes in the evaluation, as well as the monetary outcomes. Research limitations/implications The findings of this research are limited to the domestic and medium density building projects; thus, the outcomes might be generalized with appropriate care. The developed tool would assist practitioners in the field of building and construction to realize the impacts of innovation introduced into their projects. The project owners and developers could be the main audience of this tool. Practical implications The main contribution of the current study into the literature is the consideration of tangible and intangible outcomes of innovation together. In other words, this tool not only evaluates monetary outcomes but also takes into account non-monetary outcomes. It has been stated in the literature that 80 per cent of firms choose “non-numeric” project selection models (Meredith and Mantel, 2006). To provide a full representation of the reality, this model considers both numeric and non-numeric measures by applying both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. The project owners and developers could be the main audience of this tool. It is worth mentioning that this tool is the first attempt of its kind for building and construction projects, and it is applicable and fully practical. Originality/value This tool is the first attempt of its kind to evaluate practically the outcomes of innovation in the building and construction industry. The tool practicality and applicability in the real-world project is a privilege which gives more reliability and credibility to the proposed approach of innovation evaluation.
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    Innovation in Infrastructure Projects: An Australian Perspective
    Maghsoudi, S ; DUFFIELD, C ; Wilson, D (Emerald, 2016)
    Purpose Unlike manufacturing and research and developments, major infrastructure projects rarely emphasize or drive their objectives on the basis of innovation. This is in part because of a risk-averse culture, yet conceivably great benefits and opportunities are being lost because of this behavior. Design/methodology/approach The case for focusing on innovation in infrastructure projects is that the reasons driving innovation are not fully understood, and this impedes the effective implementation of lessons learned for the numerous innovative projects into practice more generally. The purpose of this study was to discover how innovation is produced and captured in major infrastructure projects in Australia and to understand how innovation may be replicated for future projects through refinement of design, project management, finance and procurement. Findings Engineering and project managers may find this paper helpful to better understand how innovation might happen in infrastructure projects and what different forms it can take. Originality/value The findings of this study demonstrate that people and culture drive consistent successful infrastructure outcomes more than simply the development of new products or processes.
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    Innovation Evaluation: Past and Current Models and a Framework for Infrastructure Projects
    Maghsoudi, S ; Duffield, C ; Wilson, DI (Multi-Science Publishing, 2015)
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    Innovation for infrastructure projects
    DUFFIELD, COLIN ; Maghsoudi, Soroush (The University of Melbourne, 2013)
    Governments seek to achieve better Value for Money (VfM) through their investments in infrastructure projects. This may include social, economic and environmental benefits that can be achieved through these types of projects. Today, governments are trying to utilize a number of different strategies to achieve better outcomes. Promoting innovation and new ideas is one strategy that is gaining popularity in today’s economic environment. There is a significant amount of anecdotal information that suggests that innovation is the underpinning driver that leads to enhanced outcomes across different kinds of projects. The importance of infrastructure in economic development is acknowledged through research and practice. Current thinking often argues that investing early in project modelling and design will bring remarkable outcomes if there is a focus on the whole of life costing and VfM. In this research we discovered how innovation is produced and captured in major projects in Australia and how innovation may arise in design, project management, finance and procurement and other areas.