Question

1. Does a typical construction project have different objectives, or one objective and multiple constraints? Briefly explain.

Answer 1

Needs and constraints in a multi-party working situation bring complications in project management. Needs are diversified when the client is a large organization such as a public client or a corporate client. However, constraints in construction projects limit their achievement of high performance. The aim and scope of this paper is to identify the constraints in construction project working environment and apply the theory of constraints (TOC), which provides practical steps for making organizational decisions in situations in which constraints exist. If constraints are better understood at the outset, it is believed that better performance can be assured. Presently clients’ needs in construction are well discussed, but constraints have yet to be understood in context. We identified the constraints in five categories, they are: (1) economic constraints, (2) legal constraints, (3) environmental constraints, (4) technical constraints, and (5) social constraints. The impacts of these constraints to the construction project were studied. We suggest developing awareness to managing and controlling the constraints in construction working environment for achieving high performance in the construction working environment.