Masters Degrees (Construction Management)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/13212

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A Proposed Strategic Framework for the Survival of the Quantity Surveying Profession.
(2018) Ramdav, Tashmika.; Harinarain, Nishani.
In response to the ever-increasing changes in the global business environment, professions must evolve. Quantity surveyors are not invulnerable to these changes as an array of challenges threatens the existence of the profession. The quantity surveying profession require urgent and far-reaching strategic transformation that will overcome their threats and weaknesses and embrace the strengths and opportunities of the profession to ensure they survive and remain relevant in the ever-changing construction industry. The purpose of this study is to analyse the survival of the quantity surveying profession using a SWOT analysis in an attempt to to define the key strengths and weaknesses of the quantity surveying profession based on professional consultants’ experience in the profession, determine the key opportunities and threats which are perceived to impact the quantity surveying profession significantly and to develop and apply a strategic framework that could be used by the quantity surveying profession. The positivist paradigm was used for this study. The researcher chose quantitative research in the form of questionnaires. The questionnaires were given to quantity surveyors who are members of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS). In addition, data was also collected from secondary sources such as literature reviews. A probability sampling method was chosen for this study. The desired method that will be used is the random sampling method. A total of 58 responses which were all usable (23.02%), were received specifically from members of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS). Central Limit theorm supported the response rate. The data will be analysed with SPSS using factor analysis and descriptive analysis. Reliability was ensured by using the Cronbach’s alpha while validity was tested by ensuring all questions on the questionnaire were identified by the comprehensive literature review which was then validated during the pilot study. Four catergories of strengths of the quantity surveying profession exist. The four catergories are the ability to plan and solve problems, core quantity surveying measuring skills, project viability and interpersonal skills. Three catergories of weaknesses of the quantity surveying profession exist. The three catergories are technical inadequacies of quantity surveyors, resistance to change and lack of knowledge of and about the profession. Three catergories of opportunities of the quantity surveying profession exist. The three catergories are alternate positions for quantity surveyors, the need for quantity surveyors and new and existing roles in and out of the profession. Three catergories of threats of the quantity surveying profession exist. The three catergories are lack of the quantity surveying profession to market itself where new roles require an advancement of core quantity surveying services, external factors that hinder the performance of the profession and the lack of quantity surveying skills in the new generation. This study categorised the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with rankings being made within each category. In addition, through a strategic framework, the strengths of the quantity surveying profession can be used to minimise the threats of the profession and the weaknesses of the profession can be improved by taking advantage of the opportunities of the profession. Once the profession eliminates the weaknesses, they can avoid potential threats. Therefore, the profession can achieve sustained growth and remain relevant.
Quality in South African construction: a construction manager’s perspective.
(2020) Zondo, Siyabonga Simon.; Harinarain, Nishani.
Construction projects are an extremely complex process, involving diversified construction activities and a heterogeneous mix of materials and components. There are many factors affecting the quality of construction, such as design, materials, machinery, topography, geology, hydrology, meteorology, construction technology, methods of operation, technical measures and management systems. Because of the fixed project location, large volume and different location of different projects, the poor control of these factors may produce quality problems. Clients will not be satisfied if the project fails to meet their price, quality, time frame, functionality and delivery performance standard. In view of this, the construction manager must be employed, having the skills and knowledge or make the effort to design and manage processes of project construction. Therefore, the contractors and suppliers may deliver good products and resources to accomplish a quality construction project. The construction manager applies flexible skills to attain the quality requirements of a project by working hand-in-hand with all different stakeholders to ensure they produce spectacular results. A mixed concurrent triangulation design which consists of both quantitative and qualitative approach was adopted for this study. For quantitative data, survey questionnaires were designed via Google forms and 119 responses were from construction managers around South Africa. A stratified sampling was used and the data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-v27). For qualitative data, a purposive sampling was used, and the semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 construction managers and the data obtained was analysed using NVivo analysis (v12). Ethical issues were taken into consideration. The findings of the study showed that the participants understood quality in general and when used in construction. The participants agreed that for construction projects, the goal and desire of all project stakeholders, construction managers in particular, is to ensure that projects are delivered according to acceptable and agreed standards. The construction managers focus on the skills and knowledge employed to the construction of the project. Namely, they look at the material, labour, equipment, tools and methods to producing the end-product of quality. Construction managers use their skills which are inclusive of effective communication, leadership and negotiation to construction projects which will be fit for its purpose, meet or exceed client’s expectations and conform to both project specifications and regulations. It is essential to mention that if all the other stakeholders play their roles on the project, it makes it easier for the construction managers to perform their responsibilities which indeed lead a project to success. Construction managers use quality management systems to ensure the projects are of quality and eliminating any factors affecting quality. They begin with quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. Construction managers ensure quality by working with the project team to define a practical approach to managing quality, including applicable standards and quality processes. These are driven by standards and quality processes contained in the project blueprint. They also perform quality assurance by executing quality management plans using the standards and processes defined in the project blueprint. Perform a quality audit to evaluate how well the team is following the plan and meeting customer’s expectations. Lastly, construction managers control the quality by ensuring the deliverables are correct and free of defects and focus on quality from the beginning to the end of the project. In conclusion, it is essential for construction managers to be open to learning on a daily basis to improve knowledge and have a variety of solutions to any quality-related issues. To avoid issues, it is essential to deal with any of the factors affecting quality as soon as it arises. It is very important also take into consideration ISO 9000, ISO 14000, SANS, NHBRC, CIDB and NEMA which are quality regulations. Regular site inspections are advised where a construction manager visits a site to check if materials and construction methods used conform with the quality standards. This information is useful for having a general understanding of quality and explore factors affecting quality of construction projects. It also assists construction managers on what skills to focus/improve in order to be competent and deliver quality projects. Lastly, it reminds construction managers to quickly attend to any factor that might jeopardise the project quality.
Time Management in the KZN Department of Education Infrastructure Projects.
(2018) Mabaso, Siphesihle Ntokozo.; Harinarain, Nishani.
Social infrastructure has the capacity to escalate the growth of the economy and improves the lives of the residents in a social context and certifies that the fundamental infrastructure is well exploited. Growth in the economy and improvements in the social standing of the community may be pivotal in dealing with the factors in the South African economy that pose a great challenge, which may include among others, unemployment and human capital shortages in infrastructure delivery. Literature has shown that governments around the world as well as locally invest in infrastructure delivery and this helps to provide the people with access to all the tools to meet their needs and to promote social welfare. The challenges faced by South Africa with regards to infrastructure delivery are not mainly because there is no funding available, at times it is because the sector departments do not have adequately skilled personnel and other resources to deliver infrastructure. The main provincial infrastructure departments include health, education, public works, and roads and transport. In accordance with the medium-term strategic framework and the National Development Plan, the South African government has prioritised expenditure on social and economic infrastructure. There is also a continuing drive to fund programmes and policies aimed at improving the standard at which the money allocated for infrastructure is spent and the capability of government to design and deliver major infrastructure developments. It is therefore imperative to research ways in which existing social infrastructure can be developed without wasting financial resources, because substantial financial investment has gone into the development of social infrastructure, hence the focus on project time management. This study purposes to examine the effectiveness of time management tools and techniques used by the KZN Department of Education on school construction projects and to make recommendations of how these can be enhanced to support projects towards completing on time. Explanatory sequential mixed method was used, and it involved collecting quantitative data from the Infrastructure Reporting Model (IRM) as well as the project and programme management team so that an in-depth analysis of the data can be done. A desktop study of 20 projects completed in 2016 and 2017, which are new schools and upgrades and additions projects were utilised to determine the effectiveness of time management tools and techniques. A questionnaire was also compiled, circulated to the project and programme management team, and analysed using quantitative methods. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed and 69 were received back and could be used for the study. Therefore the response rate is at 69% This was followed by 5 qualitative interviews directed at programme managers and project managers within the KZN Department of Education and the Implementing Agents. The time frames of completed projects were analysed and possible improvements to the existing tools and technique highlighted. It is important to investigate the effectiveness of time management tools because the construction of schools is social infrastructure and the South African Government has invested substantial financial resources in order to provide quality education facilities. Data was obtained from the KZN Department of Education, because it is one of the departments that reports project information on the IRM and it is one of the departments with the largest infrastructure budget allocations in the province. The study found that there are a number of time management tools and techniques that are available in the construction industry, which the department could make use of in the implementation of their construction projects. These tools and techniques are detailed in the literature review. The study further found that 95% of the projects in the desk top study sample suffer from time delays and do not complete on time. The findings of the questionnaire analysis further confirmed that a majority of projects suffered from time delays by way of a 100% agreement by the respondents to the fact. It was further found that there are time management tools and techniques implemented in the department however there is room for improvement in the implementation in order to ensure that the projects complete on time. This is substantiated by 72 % of respondents who agreed that time management tools and techniques were implemented in the department. Interviews with members of the professional team also found evidence that time management tools and techniques although they were in place, they were not adequately implemented. Other findings from the interviews were that there were no incentives in place for contractors or implementing agents when they completed projects early or on time. KEYWORDS: Time management, Social infrastructure,Infrastructure spending, Time overruns

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Construction Management) by Author "Harinarain, Nishani."