While some of the CCIS studies have understandably been focused on characterizing current practices, CCIS is committed to improving the industry by introducing and helping implement improved practices. Several of these impacts are discussed briefly below.
A. Constructability
Anecdotal information surfaced many years ago that, largely due to inadequate communications between designers and constructors, most projects were not designed for efficient construction. U.T.’s first formal research efforts in this area began in 1981, coined the term “constructability,” and provided the basis for early CII research, which provided valuable applications for the industrial sector. By the late 1990s, constructability programs had become a key feature within virtually all high-performing owner and contractor organizations. Through CCIS, constructability applications have been extended to the infrastructure sector, particularly to complex urban highway reconstruction projects. These applications to infrastructure projects have received considerable recognition, including three national awards. High industry demand for short courses in this area is an additional indication of its recognized importance and relevance.
B. Pre-Project Planning
Conventional wisdom has long stipulated that the most influential phase of a major project is that of planning, which occurs prior to design and construction activities. CII established its Pre-Project Planning task force in 1990 and the results of that activity, which were limited to industrial projects, have been both dramatic and far reaching. Follow-on CCIS activities have extended the pre-planning concepts into tangible tools, such as the Alignment Thermometer and the Project Definition Rating Index for building projects. Knowledge dissemination by CCIS has resulted in extensive use of planning tools across companies and industry sectors. For example, CCIS faculty have taught numerous full-day short courses on this subject during the past year for NASA, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. General Services Administration, and The Smithsonian Institution, among others.
C. Benchmarking and Metrics (BM&M)
The construction industry, both US and worldwide, has been derelict in gathering systematic, quantitative data for measuring performance and the impacts of innovative implementations. The Construction Industry Institute began a BM&M effort in 1994 with its first formal data gathering in 1996. The CII database now contains approximately 1400 projects with an installed value of over $60 Billion and continues to add projects.
The CII database is heavily utilized by CCIS-funded students to support their studies. For example, one recent thesis developed quantitative correlations between project size and duration which provides useful schedule prediction capabilities. Another recent dissertation developed a system for measuring worker productivity in major crafts. A more recent dissertation provides the first quantitative tool for measuring overall project success, based on cost, schedule, quality and safety, and is expected to be widely adopted by industry.
D. Construction Work Force
The shortage of skilled workers has been recognized as an industry challenge for many years. While numerous initiatives have been undertaken by various industry groups to address the shortage, the underlying causes (insufficient worker compensation and lack of a career path) remain. Several CCIS studies have attempted to address these issues.
Most noteworthy, the CCIS has proposed a radical step-change strategy for addressing work force issues. Entitled the "Two-Tier Work Force Strategy", this strategy basically provides two formal distinct approaches for utilizing workers. The Tier II approach involves fewer skilled workers who are more highly paid and can achieve better project results than are currently found in practice. Conversely, the Tier I approach involves lower-skilled workers. Successful demonstration of this approach requires solid performance metrics, which have been developed by CCIS with considerable industry input. The Two Tier Approach is now in the base-line data gathering phase, with information from approximately 1000 craft workers collected to date. The second phase of this research will involve pilot demonstration projects.
E. FIAPP Opportunities and Challenges
Significant CCIS effort focused on gaining greater insight into the opportunities and challenges associated with FIAPP (Fully Integrated and Automated Project Processes). As an example, one study developed the first-ever industry-wide representative base-line metrics for determining the current level of technology utilization. These insights have been passed on to both industry and FIATECH, a new technology development organization.
F. Other Major Impacts
CCIS efforts have generated several other areas of impact. Numerous modern management practices, such as Planning for Startup, International Project Risk Assessment, and Prefabrication/Pre-Assembly/Modularization/Offsite Fabrication have been effectively characterized. In addition, highly visible studies have been conducted on owner downsizing and the resultant loss of expertise, including predictions of problems which are now becoming a reality in the form of cost overruns and litigation.
A new organization, the National Academy of Construction (NAC), has been established at U.T. and is similar to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering but specifically for the construction industry. The NAC has already provided members for various study committees of the National Research Council.
Perhaps the greatest impact from CCIS to date has been the knowledge dissemination that has resulted from the nearly 1,000 companies, 4,000 individuals, and over 100 graduate students that have participated in the various CCIS studies.
