Construction Management Systems

The Contractor Management Systems (CMS) course is about the way a contractor organizations manages one-off construction projects of infrastructure/real estate systems or delivers ongoing operations and maintenance quality of services, as outsourced contracts from services providers or other clients.

Contractors strive to manage their construction projects/service operation organization effectively and efficiently, supported by state of the art management systems. The organization can be triparted into a (1) cultural/ecological purpose, (2) product-service/economic operating model and (3) the organizational/socionomic support sub-system. The overall contractor's identity is integrated by the interplay of these sub-systems into the so-called socio-eco purpose. The different characteristics of this view can be derived from organizational theory in which the organization is modeled as a living social organism (a living biotope). The organization therefore changes over time as a learning and developing organization. In this she goes through different maturity levels: Pioneer-Expansion-Maturity and/or phases Pioneer-Differentiated-Integrated-Associative phases, including their relevant management en leadership styles.

The predominant aspects of construction project management are money, organization, time, risks, information, quality, and safety: i.e., MOTRIQS. For a service operations contractor, these most important drivers are slightly modified into MOSRIQS (where the first S stands for quality of Service and the Q for process Quality). The nature of a construction project management organization is controlling its one-off project goals and deliverables, where the nature of a service operation organization is to care for the engineering assets by safeguarding their quality of services parameters (e.g. reliability, availability, maintainability, safety etc.).

Managing a contractor organization means taking different decisions because both project as well as service management are dynamic process on-the-run. For this PFM (preference function modeling) combined MCDA (multi criteria decision analysis) will be used to model and evaluate important managerial decision (e.g. a supplier selection, a construction logistics scenario etc.)

This course offers an alternative view on contractor management systems which integrates the management concept of double loop learning, as applied to organizational learning and development, into the management (styles) of construction projects where the contractor organization is seen as an organic living entity fit for socio-eco purpose. Finally, these management systems will be improved and or justified using the Open Design principles: Open glass-box modelling, Open source multi-criteria stakeholders, Open ended systems theory combined with Open loops management.

The following concepts are being addressed following the contractors viewpoint:

Management Systems and the PMS - Project en Construction Management System (and OMS – Operations en Maintenance Service Management system).

1. Construction project planning en mitigation control (and 3C asset QoS optimization)

2. Multi-criteria managerial decision making (MCDA en PFM)

3. Fit for purpose Quality management

4. Information systems the BIMSI concept

5. The developing contractor organization - a living enterprise for the future

6. Associative co-makers and the supply chain

For more course info see : https://www.open-design.school/

This course has a constructivist character, in which the student is guided and encouraged to develop open design knowledge en solutions (openings) using the self-chosen Contractor of Interest (CoI) as a connective and practicing vehicle enabling the Open Design Learning (ODL) response.

The CoI can a project or service organisation that contracts within transportation-, water management-, energy infrastructure and/or a real-estate system scopes.

The deliverable of this course is the so-called Open Design learning response. This ODL response is a group deliverable based on the self-chosen SPoI (one group delivers one ODL response).

The Open Design Learning (ODL) response is an original enabler demonstrating both the group and personal learning and development achievements. The ODL must contain a clear justification of the individual contributions of each group member. Each group member must also write an individual Comment in which he/she writes a collegial review of at least 1 concept of the ODL response for which he/she was not responsible. Good collegial Comments make use of specific ODL Commendation aspects (see next section).

All of these (incl. the open glass box model) should be presented in a self-chosen format such as report/ elaborative presentation/ digital audio or video files/ animation/ website. The ODL response illustrates how the general concepts have been linked and evaluated to the self-chosen SPoI using a: 1) logical review and/or diagramming 2) computer model(s).

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The Open Design Learning commendation principle will be applied as a grading rubric for the ODL response. Both the SPoI content characteristics, and the student's learning process are integrated within these commendation principles.

We call it commendation because when we grade your response, we start from a grade of 10 and only deduct points if aspects are missing/only partially worked out.

There are 5 commendation categories: Connect/ Construct /Conclude enConspect /Convey /ConvinceAfter handing in the ODL response your will receive your grade using the ODL commendation principle. To pass the course your ODL grade should be higher than or equal to 6. After commending your ODL response one plenary open dialogue session (max. 3 hours, somewhere between week 12 and 14 to be announced) with one of the constructors will be scheduled. Only during this session(s) we can reflect on your ODL response: bear in mind, the outcome of this reflection can result in a lower/equal/higher grade.

For more information on grading, see article 14 in the Rules and Guidelines (RGBE): https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/faculties/ceg-student-portal/education/education-information/educational-rules-and-regulations/

Permitted Materials during Exam

N/A