Human Dynamics

In Construction Risk Management The Key to Success or Failure

Written by Charles O’Neil FCIArb

with Specialist Articles by 12 Industry Leaders

  • Author’s Notes and Acknowledgements
  • List of Abbreviations
  1. Foreword
    • Dr. Peter Hansford BSc MBA HonLLD FREng FICE FAPM
      Chief Construction Adviser to the UK Government
      President of the Institution of Civil Engineers 2010-2011
  2. Introduction
    • ■ The Importance of Human Dynamics in Risk Management
    • ■ The Need for a New Approach that recognises and limits the potential
      impact of erroneous human behaviour in construction processes
    • ■ The Target Audience
  3. My Journey Towards Understanding Risk Management
    • Charles O’Neil
    • ■ From the Australian bush to international construction,
      asset management and dispute resolution
  4. Key Ingredients of Successful Projects
    • ■ What happens on the good projects?
    • ■ The key areas and actions that create success
  5. Examples of Successful Projects and How They Managed Risk
  6. MediacityUK (BBC North) as a Model Project
    • Stephen Warburton
      Former Senior Design Manager, Lend Lease Corporation, UK
  7. Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne – The Mechanics of PPP Success
    • Graham Whitson
      Managing Director, Bilfinger RE Asset Management (Australia)
  8. London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games – Securing Success
    • Ian Williams
      Former Head of Projects for the Government Olympic Executive, London 2012
      Executive Manager for the Supreme Committee for the Qatar 2022 World Cup
  9. Risky Business: the Exceptional Sydney Opera House
    • Dr Anne Watson BA (Hons), MA, PhD
      Author of “Building a Masterpiece: the Sydney Opera House” (2006/2013)
  10. Common Causes of Project Failure
    • ■ Structuring, bidding and pre-contract phase
    • ■ Design, construction, commissioning and transition to operations
    • ■ Project leadership – how bad can it get?
    • ■ Lessons learnt from incompetent site management
  11. An Overview of Changes in the Construction Industry since the ‘Eighties
    • John Messenger
      Director Driver Trett Group
  12. Factors which have Influenced Change in the UK Construction Industry – A Client’s Perspective
    • Ian Williams
      Former Head of Projects for the Government Olympic Executive, London 2012
      Executive Manager for the Supreme Committee for the Qatar 2022 World Cup
  13. Public Private Partnerships – full of potential risks
    • ■ The pros and cons of the concept
    • ■ The implications of having such a complex suite of contracts
    • ■ Tips to keep out of trouble
    • ■ Hypothetical Issues to Test PPP Contract Documents
  14. Structuring Projects – the different stages, activities and responsibilities
    • From concept to completion and start of operations
  15. Understanding and Managing Contracts
  16. Effective Contract Writing to Minimise Construction Disputes
    • Rob Horne, International Construction Lawyer
      Chartered Arbitrator and Adjudicator
  17. Affinitext – Making Documents Intelligent to Capture Knowledge and Manage Risk & Compliance
    • Graham Thomson
      CEO, Affinitext Inc.
  18. Early Warning through Stakeholder Communications ‘The RADAR horizon scanning system’
    • Edward Moore
      Chief Executive, ResoLex (Holdings) Limited, UK
  19. Risk Management and the Relation to Success in the North American Context
    • John McArthur
      President, Kiewit Development Company, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  20. Corporate Governance and Effective Operational Risk Management
    • ■ Reporting requirements and procedures to contain and control potential risks
    • ■ Circumventing detrimental human behaviours
  21. Planning and Programming
    • ■ The foundations of success for all property developments, design and
      construction contracts, and PPPs
    • ■ S-Curves and their significance
    • ■ Extensions of Time, concurrency and associated costs
  22. Dispute Resolution – the benefits and risks of alternative methods
    • ■ Avoiding formal disputes through early communications and negotiations
    • ■ Main considerations of the parties when they end up in a formal dispute
    • ■ What do commercial clients want out of a formal dispute process?
    • ■ Working with lawyers
  23. Dispute Boards in the context of the ITER Nuclear Fusion Project in France
    • Dr Robert Gaitskell QC, Keating Chambers, London, UK
      Barrister, Chartered Engineer, Arbitrator, Mediator, Adjudicator, Expert Determiner
  24. Understanding and Managing Difficult Client/Contractor Relationships
    • David Somerset
      Managing Director Somerset Consult UK
  25. Narrative: ‘A Typical Negotiation at a Claims Settlement Meetings’
  26. Techniques for Negotiating Settlements
  27. The Case for Independent Audits of Major Construction Projects
    • ■ Prudent and cost effective risk management
    • ■ Early warning of issues
    • ■ Minimising the risk of cost and program over-runs and disputes
  28. The Value of Independent Oversight
    • John Messenger
      Director Driver Trett Group
  29. Practical Human Resources Considerations
    • ■ Personnel recruitment and positioning – a different perspective
    • ■ The human fallout from a failed project
    • ■ Decision Making for Survival and the Inherent Risks
  30. Findings and Recommendations
    • ■ Summary of Findings – the Bigger Picture
    • ■ 12 Deadly Sins of Risk Management
    • ■ Overall Conclusion
  31. Appendices
    • ■ Appendix A – List of Contributing Authors
    • ■ Appendix B – List of Photos and Charts
    • ■ Appendix C – Other Academic Papers Relevant to the Theme of this Book