Rethinking construction project management using the VP-based manufacturing management model

Manufacturing companies have made many significant improvements in both productivity and management efficiency over the last century. This progress, however, has not been matched in the construction industry, which is still beset with a variety of long standing problems including time and schedule overruns, poor health and safety conditions as well as low quality and productivity. In this research, through the use of Virtual Prototyping (VP) technology, the IKEA model as a representative of the manufacturing industry is studied and implemented in construction project management (CPMa) to optimize design and construction processes and simplify management activities. As a typical representative of the manufacturing industry, the IKEA Group is selected and analysed and the IKEA model is proposed. The model's feasibility for the construction industry is discussed using the questionnaire method and comparison analysis method. The key technique for using the IKEA model in the construction industry, i.e. VP technology, is customized. The VP-based IKEA model, then, is applied to construction project management (i.e. cast-in-situ construction and precast construction). The aim of using the model to cast-in-situ construction projects is to change this situation (time and cost overruns and quality problems) in two ways, i.e. the optimization of construction processes and the simplification of management activities. Precast construction, on the other hand, is different from conventional cast-in-situ construction. In theory it has many advantages (e.g.rapid construction, high quality), however these are seldom achieved in real-life construction projects. In order to make precast construction more effective, the IKEA model is applied to precast construction management via the combination of VP technology and this focuses on design-production-transportation optimization and assembly optimization. Two real-life construction projects in Hong Kong are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the IKEA model, respectively, in cast-in-situ construction and precast construction. It is shown that the VP-based IKEA model can improve construction project management by reducing construction time and cost, improving construction safety and quality, especially for precast construction. Finally, the conclusions of this research are drawn and some suggestions for future research are presented.