The need for the creation of knowledge chains in construction

Performance improvement has been the subject of recent initiatives in the UK construction industry as a result of complex internal and external factors. These include demands from clients, investors and stakeholders for improvement and changes in market conditions. The need for performance improvement has led to the implementation of industry-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and greater awareness of the benefits of measurement in construction engineering organisations. This paper presents and discusses findings based on the practical experiences of leading construction engineering organisations in the UK. A significant proportion of organisations are now using a range of financial and non-financial measures to assess business performance, and a growing number are adopting the Excellence Model and the Balanced Scorecard to facilitate a structured approach to implementing continuous improvement strategies. The paper concludes with some practical considerations for implementing performance measurement models.