Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
SOFT SKILLS TO A
CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT’S SUCCESS
BY Josiah Johnson
[DATE]
CITY UNIVERSITY LONDON
[Company address]
Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Literature Review.................................................................................................................................... 7
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
The construction industry is one the UK’s premier source of income as it contributes around ninety
billion pounds each year. It provides almost three million jobs in two hundred and eighty thousand
businesses. However, the industry has experienced several turbulent last few years, having gone in out
of recessions. The future appears to be just as difficult due to the industry being tasked with dealing
with the uncertainty of Brexit. Naturally, this creates a climate where construction managers are under
increased pressure to deliver successful projects. This relies not only on the knowledge of the
managers but just as importantly their skillset. At the moment, there is very little information
available on the key soft skills in the UK construction industry, particularly in terms of its impact on
the success of a construction project. The questions this dissertation aims to answer are “what are
these key skills that enable a construction manager to achieve successful outcomes?” and “how can
these be attained in the workplace?” .The research conducted in this dissertation was through a survey
project success and the reasons for their choice. The results were then evaluated and discussed.
Key Definitions
Project: A specific task or a group of tasks undertaken within certain timeframe and cost to produce a
Project management: the processes of executing and applying methods skills, knowledge, and
Project manager: The person responsibility for the successful initiation, planning, execution
Project team: The people, including those from the functional departments,
subcontractors, and vendors, who make up the set of skills and services required
to complete a project.
Skills: The personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other
people.
Introduction
The construction industry is a project-oriented industry comprising of activities which can range from
simple to extremely complex. For example, typical construction jobs could range from building a
basic garden fence to designing and constructing the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. As
projects increase in complexity the execution process of producing a final project requires more than
just a technical knowledge of the subject. As civilisation progresses, develops and evolves so does the
need for increasingly more complex, unique and complicated projects like that of the Burj Khalifa.
This places a burden on engineers, architects, project managers and key leaders tasked with the
responsibility of completing the project successfully. Therefore, the success of the project relies
squarely on the performance of the leaders of the project especially the project manager. The
delivered as required on time, on budget and safely. This relies on his or her understanding of the
overview of the project as well as the ability to monitor, control, and plan the project. Although these
are skills identified on several master’s management courses, there is insufficient information on the
concept of the role coordinating the project. More specifically in an industry that involves interacting
between multiple players ranging from contractors, sub-contractors, clients and consultants across
several sectors such as civil, mechanical, electrical, plant and machinery, there appears to be
insufficient information on the role soft skill contributes to achieving a successful project within the
construction industry. Hence more work is required on the skills required to achieve successful project
outcomes. This project aims to provide fresh insight into creating more well-rounded project
managers who are more aware of ways to bridge the skill gap caused by lack of attention in master’s
programs. Hence it provides an insight into become more effective project managers.
The main aim of this dissertation is to identify the key soft skills required for success in the
construction industry, as well as the role each skill plays in achieving success. Some of the questions
this report aims to answer include what are the current practices in the industry for individuals to
develop the various soft skills necessary and how can these practices can be improved.
managing projects along with the existing theories on effective project management
- Investigate the links between such skills and project productivity in the different stages of a
- Explore the training and development practices used in the UK and provide suggestions for
improvements
Scope of research
Although aspects of this research may be relevant to project managers within other industries the
primary focus of the research is for budding and new construction project managers such as graduates
and managers with a few years’ experience. The research contained in this paper can be divided into
two parts. The first part is literature review highlighting all the key soft skill necessary within the
construction industry today. This review consists of an evaluation of established practices in the sector
found in a range sources from textbooks on the subject matter as well as data from the institute of
engineers covering the subject. The primary focus is not only to identify the most important skill but
also the investigate the link between the skills and effectiveness. The information identified in the
literature review will then be compared with the findings of the second part of the research. The
second part of the research in contained in this report is an empirical study of the importance of soft
skills in the industry. The investigation with comprise of a set of questions sent to established project
managers within the industry. The interviewees will be asked a set of question aiming for them to
provide their opinions on the key soft skills necessary to succeed within the industry. The results will
then be collated and then compared with result identified in the literature review.
Chapter 1: This chapter give the background, motivation and scope of research of the dissertation
the theoretical background of soft skills. This chapter includes a discussion of the current practice in
relation to project management studies both within the within the construction context and outside the
construction context. It also highlights gaps and area for improvement within the construction
industry.
Chapter 3: The purpose of the research methodology is to discuss the research approach and more
specifically the research design and philosophy chosen for this study. The research In addition it
contains the process for evaluating the qualitative study also discussed in this chapter.
Chapter 4: Findings and Data analysis details the outcome of the results by explaining research
findings as well providing a comparison between the results in the investigations and a comparison
Chapter 5: The conclusion will provide a review of the research project as well as recommendations
Methodology
Results
Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion
References
Jaser k. Mahasneh and walid thabet, (2015) rethinking construction curriculum: a descriptive cause
analysis for soft skills gap among construction graduates
Suzanne j. Wilkinson, rosemary lee scofield (2001) a skills profile for a successful project facilitator
Maame aba wusuah affare(2012) an assessment of project communication management on
construction projects in ghana
Zakari tsiga48, michael emes, alan smith critical success factors for the construction industry
Adelia carstens (2005)cultvatng the sof skills of future constructon managers through restorying
constructon workers’ career narratves
Bmg research (2012) factors in project success
Sambo zulu (2007) impact of project management on project performance: a structural equation
modelling approach
Mr. Manazar hussain awan, mr. Kashif ahmed (2015) impact of project manager’s soft leadership
skills on project success
Dr. Suat gunhan, gulsen senol, dr. Sevgi zeynep dogan (2012) non-verbal cues: improving
communication in construction projects
Shamil naoum and daniel fong critical success factors of project management