A model of construction planning procedure according to contingency theory

In construction operations uncertainty conditions interact strongly with the risk of non-conformance to the performance (quality, time and cost) required. In designing organizational structure and management strategies most construction systems do not take enough account of environmental influences and choose a management and control system fit for a certain, deterministic process. Ironically, we may observe the way that environmental turbulence and technical uncertainty, which should require a flexible, dynamic and responsive organizational structure, most of the time actually cause all construction process operators to provide the opposite, a mechanical organization according to traditional. The paper aims to define a basic planning procedure for designing efficient organizational structures in a turbulent environment like building constructions, appropriate for quality management according to ISO 9000 and TQM management principles. The Contingency Theory by Lawrence and Lorsch is particularly suitable as the basis for designing reliable and efficient organizations structured in relation to the environment in which they operate. A planning procedure model is proposed placing the planning at the centre, not only because of its technical performance, but above all for its capacity to integrate and structure human and social relationships, as well as technical and temporal ones: the same planning procedure constitutes the first integration device. The proposed model can be also useful for understanding and implementing innovative construction management processes like concurrent engineering and partnering.