A framework for improving pre-project planning

In recent yerars there has been a general concern over the performance of the UK construction industry. This has been reflected in the reports of Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) stating that the UK is still suffering from underachievements and low productivity. Clients critisise the industry for not always achieving what they need and the majortiy of them are not satisfied with the quality of the construction industry. Many of the problems encountered in the design and construction phases orginate from from the pre-project planning phase. The main problems are frequently attributed to poor planning and poor identification of client needs which act as contributory factors to poor project performance. These problems have led to the need for a change in the construction industry by focusing on the roots of the problems attributed to poor performance. One approach that could help to improve construction performance is to pay more attention to the pre-project planning phase since major decisions concerning the project are made during this phase. The main aim of the research is to develop a framework for improving pre-project planning to enable construction clients overcome the problems that they encounter with other project participants. Such a framework would assisst construction clients to identify and communicate their needs more clearly to other stake holders. The framework provides a comprehensive tool to help solve problems that occur during pre-project planning with respect to project objectives and goals of the construction project to enable performance to be measured and improved. This thesis presents a framework for improving pre-project planning of construction projects. The methodology adopted to conduct the research involved a comprehensive literature review. Critical pre-project planning functions have been presented and tested through the questionnaire survey and case interviews to determine how clients perform pre-project planning