The business case is an effective instrument for presenting and justifying proposals for new projects. To support project investment decisions, the business case commonly captures project key information, including its expected benefits, delivered outputs, cost, duration, and risks. However, many project owner organizations neglect the business case following project approval, representing a missed opportunity to enhance project value. Alternatively, this paper shows how project leaders can use a living business case throughout the entire project life to enable dynamic project governance. We discuss the merits of using the living business case following project approval as a governance instrument and analyze the key challenges that prevent managers from doing so. We then develop a business case governance framework that supports the use of the living business case in dynamic project governance. The paper outlines theoretical and practical implications for project governance, assurance, and benefits management. It further supports managers in monitoring, revising, and realizing the business case when making key project decisions, continuously validating initial project assumptions, and enhancing project accountability.

This study examines the deployment of service robots designed to support waitstaff in food delivery within Norwegian restaurants, which are national pioneers in adopting this technology. It investigates key aspects of service robot deployment, from project initiation through evaluation, and the approach used to ensure that robot functionality aligns with restaurant workflows and spatial configurations. Using an exploratory-explanatory case study design, the research draws on 22 interviews with 34 participants, complemented by observational fieldwork to strengthen contextual understanding. The findings offer an integrated view of the digital transformation process, identifying important considerations across all project phases. One example is the importance of considering incorporating robot service needs into early facility planning. By addressing potential obstacles such as stairs and doorsteps during the front-end design, restaurants can avoid costly redesigns and ensure optimal robot performance. By examining real-world deployment, the study offers practical insights for project managers, hospitality leaders, and others preparing to integrate service robots into restaurant operations.

In today's competitive marketplace, organizations adopt Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, improve quality, and increasingly promote sustainability. This article systematically reviews the impact of these methodologies on sustainable performance in the service sector, which contributes 51.6% of GDP across 168 countries. Analyzing 99 articles from 2013-2023, the study reveals limited research linking Lean Six Sigma to sustainable performance in services. Findings show a predominant focus on operational benefits (79%), with minimal emphasis on financial (15%), social (3%), and environmental (2.66%) measures. Our findings highlight the need for research addressing the comprehensive impact of these methodologies on all dimensions of sustainable performance.

Purpose Circular economy (CE) principles can enhance the sustainability and regenerative potential of built environments through facility management (FM). This study aims to explore how FM can support the implementation of CE during the use phase of a building, with a focus on applying digital twin technologies. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on case study X in Trondheim, Norway. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with various project participants, including project owners, property managers, building operations managers, architects, contractors and consultants. Findings In case study X, circular FM is linked to building design strategies that improve adaptability, extend service life and promote collaboration among stakeholders. The implementation of a digital twin is crucial for efficient data management, which supports both FM services and CE principles, ultimately enhancing asset value. Originality/value The study provides a multi-stakeholder perspective on circular FM, reflecting on the possibility to achieve holistic value. It also contributes to advance the understanding of the link between CE, FM and data-based digital solutions, specifically digital twins.

With the increasing popularity of collaborative project delivery models to deliver infrastructure projects, there has been a growing interest in the possibility of integrating contractors in the preconstruction phase of the project using Early Contractor Involvement (ECI). However, previous studies on the impact of ECI did not consider whether the observed benefits were the ones that motivated the client to use ECI. This study aims to investigate the ranking of the ECI benefits from the client's perspective, as well as how this ranking is moderated by the client's motivation. 32 participants from the same client organization were asked to rank the potential benefits of ECI using pairwise comparison which was analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The findings show that the possibility to collaborate with the contractor, enhance constructability, and better quality of solution are the most desired benefits for the client. In addition, the benefits expected by the client organization are found to be moderated by what motivated the client to use ECI. These findings help to contextualize the ECI effects as identified in previous studies from the client's perspective and give contractors a better awareness of which ECI benefits are most useful for the client side.

Clarification of what partnering is and its practical implications may help the construction industry to achieve the full benefits of this concept. The purpose of this study is to shed more light on how the partnering concept as practiced in real-life projects compares with the way partnering is described in the literature by exploring the hard (formal/contractual) elements of this concept. By this, we aim to identify discrepancies between theory and practice and help clear up the confusion that results from conflicting definitions of partnering. This investigation is based on a literature study and 39 interviews with respondents from 44 construction projects classified as partnering projects. Findings reveal that the discrepancies between theory and practice are remarkable: either the practitioners have misunderstood what partnering entails or the minimum requirements are too stringent and do not reflect the real-life use of the concept. Observation from case projects shows that no partnering hard element is applied in all studied projects. Partnering projects may share the partnering label, but use different sets of hard elements. Partnering can be identified as being present through a range of features, characteristics and interaction behaviors. This concept should be studied as an enacting strategy that can be adopted by various contract models rather than simply as an alternative contract form.

PurposeThis paper proposes a progressive, multi-level framework for diagnosing maintenance performance: rapid performance health checks of key performance for different equipment groups and end-to-end process diagnostics to further locate potential performance issues. A question-based performance evaluation approach is introduced to support the selection and derivation of case-specific indicators based on diagnostic aspects.Design/methodology/approachThe case research method is used to develop the proposed framework. The generic parts of the framework are built on existing maintenance performance measurement theories through a literature review. In the case study, empirical maintenance data of 196 emergency shutdown valves (ESDVs) are collected over a two-year period to support the development and validation of the proposed approach.FindingsTo improve processes, companies need a separate performance measurement structure. This paper suggests a hierarchical model in four layers (objective, domain, aspect and performance measurement) to facilitate the selection and derivation of indicators, which could potentially reduce management complexity and help prioritize continuous performance improvement. Examples of new indicators are derived from a case study that includes 196 ESDVs at an offshore oil and gas production plant.Originality/valueMethodological approaches to deriving various performance indicators have rarely been addressed in the maintenance field. The proposed diagnostic framework provides a structured way to identify and locate process performance issues by creating indicators that can bridge generic evaluation aspects and maintenance data. The framework is highly adaptive as data availability functions are used as inputs to generate indicators instead of passively filtering out non-applicable existing indicators.

AbstractRemote driving, a well‐matured technology in various industries, is relatively new to the railway sector but appears to be a promising solution for achieving advanced automation, especially for conventional trains. The shift from traditional in‐cab driving to automated train operation, especially remote operations is a complex and ongoing process, with laboratory and field tests being conducted to examine its viability. This transition presents numerous areas that require further investigation and development. This study delves into these unexplored areas, examining various metrics that could be pivotal during the introduction of railway remote driving. The research adopts a mixed‐method approach, employing a triangulation technique in data collection to address the research question on performance indicators for railway remote driving. Through an extensive literature review, benchmarking, and expert surveys, the study pinpoints several performance indicators crucial for assessing the operational effectiveness of remote railway operations. The developed indicators were validated using the two‐round Delphi method, with 9 out of 13 being deemed essential by the panel of experts. The list of these indicators is the key finding in the study. They are: latency, data transfer rate, cybersecurity measures, video quality and camera stability, perception, system integration, permanent connection check, driver vitality check, and organizational aspects. The study contributes to filling the existing research gap and serve as a cockpit or instrumental panel in the implementation of remote operations, thus facilitating the transition towards more automated and remotely operated systems.

PurposeIn the project initiation phase, an appraisal is needed to clarify the strategic problem and alternative solutions. Full-scale construction projects and simple solutions (do-minimum alternatives) should be assessed. The do-nothing alternative is the baseline for the appraisal and an option in itself. The paper explores the role of do-nothing and do-minimum alternatives in public project appraisal, which may significantly impact the attractiveness of a construction project. Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an empirical study from Norway, which requires external quality assurance (QA) of early project appraisals. The data include an extensive document review of 112 projects and interviews with 41 experts involved in the appraisal processes. FindingsOf 112 appraisals, 110 recommended a major construction project, including cases where the benefits and value were low or uncertain. The do-nothing alternative was generally included as a reference but not treated as a viable option. Do-minimum alternatives were often not explored. By contrast, the external QA reports recommended do-nothing or do-minimum in 28 cases. Interestingly, although political decision-makers rarely reject projects, they may put them on hold indefinitely, implying that the actual outcome in many cases is still do-nothing. Originality/valueThe paper addresses a topic that has been understudied in the literature. The findings contribute to the broader literature on project initiation processes, project appraisal and how to reduce the risk of bias and manipulation in appraisals.

Adopting a circular economy (CE) in the built environment contributes to lower the consumption of natural resources, limiting waste generation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Effective data management is critical during the implementation of circular strategies; however, the academic literature does not explicitly address the subject, and a shared approach to data governance is still lacking. This study contributes to filling this gap by providing a holistic perspective to the state-of-the-art literature to identify the role of data in the implementation of CE strategies. The findings were obtained through the review of 40 articles. It was found that the literature can be classified into four interrelated thematic groups: The need for information and data, information and data management, the digitalisation of data and information, and digital tools and technologies. The study identifies the highlights for each thematic group and suggests opportunities to improve circularity through the effective use of data. It is important to recognize that accessible, open, and standardised information about construction products can accelerate the implementation of circular strategies in a project, but it is critical to ensure effective data management and interoperability throughout the asset life cycle. Therefore, data management tools and data templates need to be further investigated and adopted in the industry. Digital technologies can support data management and interoperability and, consequently, increase the possibility of successful CE implementation. Finally, future research should investigate a strategic approach to data exploitation that can enhance circularity in the built environment.

Complex infrastructure projects need sustainable contract models where all in the chain are paid for the value they deliver.The Norwegian construction industry faces challenges since the most common contracts used provide unfavorable incentives.The purpose of this study is to examine which contracts are used in the industry today, what mechanisms can be implemented to better facilitate the distribution of financial gain and at the same time encourage all stakeholders to work for the greater good of the project. Literature and document studies were performed, and seven interviews were conducted. Findings show that current standard contracts for designers are outdated and not well-suited for modern design practices. The findings show also that incentives related to target price with collaboration elements /partnering, performance, progress, and energy consumption, are most effective in promoting fair financial distribution and encouraging actors to work for the project‘s benefit.

The building and construction industry is characterized by high consumption of raw materials, waste generation, and significant energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. A substantial change in the way this sector operates is necessary to reduce its strong negative impact on the environment. In this context, the implementation of circular strategies is critical to achieving sustainable development. Reusing construction products derived from obsolete buildings at their end of life is increasingly being investigated as a strategy to achieve circularity. Despite growing interest, both in the literature and in the industry, several challenges hinder the large-scale adoption of circular reuse. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the efficient implementation of reuse in practice. The focus is on data and information that can support the reusability assessment of construction products. The findings are obtained through a case study comprising a building project in Bergen, Norway. First, the study assesses which material properties and information are available in the project, leading to the definition of eight information-driven evaluation criteria and a three-step process for reuse. The three-step process encompasses the following: (1) collecting information, (2) information-driven evaluations, and (3) planning for reuse. Each criterion is then shown in a reusability matrix, emphasizing an information-driven approach to reuse that has the potential to be extended beyond the context of the case study. Considerations for improving data management in a circular reuse process are provided. This study provides an innovative method that may lead to a circular economy and sustainable development in the future.

Using various activities and practices for opportunity management, namely, enablers can help maximise opportunities for project-oriented organisations in the construction industry. Opportunity management literature does not offer an extensive set of enablers with their performance track records in construction projects. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to identify enablers that have proven effective. This study is based on a systematic literature review of 65 real-life project cases. This is one of the few studies that has attempted to observe the cost and time savings from various opportunity management enablers across many construction projects. By contrast, previous studies have mainly covered a limited number of projects and applied enablers. Using content analysis, we identified more than 20 enablers applied in the reviewed cases, and among them, value engineering (VE) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) proved effective in attaining significant cost savings. Constructability analysis is another viable approach that can reduce costs and expedite the execution of construction. This paper provides realistic cost and time savings that can be expected from using different enablers. Such information is of practical significance to project managers considering applying enablers in construction projects.

Knowledge on sustainable development goals (SDGs) interactions has a bias toward global perspectives and lacks regional or country-specific differentiation. This paper takes a biosphere-based sustainability approach and assesses SDG interactions in a local governmental context. We start by addressing how the SDGs promote a biosphere-based sustainability. Here, we find a range of opinions and we settle on a set of SDGs. Second, we explore how a set of sustainability indicators are connected to the SDGs and biosphere-based sustainability. We conduct a case study and develop an SDG interaction model, and further compare global and local level interactions. We find that the local level has some differences compared to global level findings. However, the distribution among synergies and trade-offs was found to be quite coherent. Our SDG interaction model connects sectors both within a single government and between governmental levels and can as such facilitate policy coherence. The main contribution of this study is our unique approach of conducting a local level assessment which aligns an existing sustainability measurement system with interaction research.

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The paper analyzes the results of applying a genetic algorithm to generate building designs.The genetic algorithm developed by the authors uses shadow length as fitness function value to examine the impact on the building design.The input of the genetic algorithm for the creation of building designs is the volume of the building, the number of building blocks, as well as the area in which the building is constructed within.The model proposed in the paper serves to illustrate to the reader how parameters can be added, and the model can be extended to apply it to different use cases.Four parameters are chosen for the analysis: shadow, transportation, outdoor area, and view.The parameters are demonstrated in simplified mathematical equations and are introduced with the necessary basic information to understand the concept of formulating the equations.The results show that the model is useful for engineers in their decision-making process and can be extended by adding other parameters.From the perspective of building design, the study emphasizes the adaptability and changeable features of the model for different case studies, which can prove useful in terms of feedback.

This study discusses risk management strategies caused by pandemic-related (Covid-19) suspensions in thirty-six engineering projects of different types and sizes selected from countries in the middle east and especially Iraq. The primary data collection method was a survey and questionnaire completed by selected project crew and laborers. Data were processed using Microsoft Excel to construct models to help decision-makers find solutions to the scheduling problems that may be expected to occur during a pandemic. A theoretical and practical concept for project risk management that addresses a range of global and local issues that affect schedule and cost is presented and results indicate that the most significant delays are due to a lack of good project risk management skills and remote project management capability which is exacerbated by shortfalls in technical development and information technology.

The total cost of a construction project involves both the cost of production and the transaction costs associated with managing the project. However, we know surprisingly little about the magnitude of transaction costs in construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to provide more empirical data as we study what proportion of the total cost in construction projects is spent on managing the project. We use the analogy of human anatomy as we investigate the size of a project's head (managing the project) compared to the size of its body (producing deliverables). Using a dataset from 134 construction projects in Norway, we find that the project head consists of more than 18% of the total project cost on average. We also investigate how the size of the project head varies depending on a project's complexity, size, duration and burn rate.