Organizational analysis of construction projects

This research project is about the analysis of construction project organizations. The work is based on organizational theory and is a development of Linear Responsibility Analysis (LRA). The aim is to assess the extent to which project success is affected by organizational structure. The analysis of four public sector case studies raises several issues. First is the need for a systematic model of describing and analysing construction project environments. A framework has been developed that meets this need. Second is the extent of commonality between construction projects. A set of stages of work has been identified; the case studies confirm that they are appropriate to a wide range of projects. Third is the need for a graphical technique that enables concise descriptions of project organizational structures. The technique offered is called "3R" charting, which represents Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships. The last issue is the problem of evaluating success in construction projects so that the relevance of organizational issues can be assessed. It is proposed that there are three dimensions to this problem; the viewpoint of the person making judgements, the stage of the project and the criteria by which the judgement is being made. Finally, brief recommendations are given for a strategy for organizational design to be used for construction projects.