The planning and control process of refurbishment projects

The main issue in the planning and control process of refurbishment projects is to ensure that the activities of the key participants involved in the process are closely integrated. This requires refurbishment organizations to employ various integrative mechanisms such as meetings, formal and informal contacts. One of the main aims of employing the integrative mechanisms is to satisfy the planning performance criteria. This study examines the relationships between the integrative mechanisms and the planning performance of refurbishment projects. This study is connected to Laufer’s (1991) and Boyd and Weaver’s (1994) research. Semi-structured interviews with 15 planning and control managers of refurbishment contractors were conducted initially. Then a postal questionnaire, developed and refined from the interview data, was distributed to the planning and control managers of refurbishment contractors. The results from 67 completed questionnaires formed the database for the quantitative analysis. This study concludes that the planning performance of refurbishment projects could be improved by greater use of integrative mechanisms in the planning and control process. For example, increased involvement of estimators in decision-making during the construction stage reduces the cost variance of refurbishment projects.