RT-441

Enhancing construction oversight to mitigate rework, delays, and cost overruns

A study to identify barriers to adequate oversight and develop actionable recommendations for more effective oversight, building upon current best practices (e.g., interface management, change management, quality management). Recommendations should establish clear interfaces and accountability among functional teams and stakeholders.
 

Why It Matters

• There is a need to ensure coordination and clear accountability between teams and stakeholders, avoiding costly errors, miscommunications, or scope gaps leading to rework and schedule overruns.
• Effective interface management can support smoother transitions of scope between functional teams and the owner, resulting in better documentation, fewer disputes, and higher confidence in project outcomes.
• Scalable, technology-driven solutions and integrated oversight into digital tools and standardized processes can empower organizations to deploy best practices consistently across projects, driving continuous improvement and measurable performance gains.

Related R&D

• Interface Management Implementation Guide (IR302-2)
• Rethinking Quality Management with a Culture-Centric Approach (FR-406)
• Project Health Indicator (PHI) Tool: Assessing Project Health during Project Execution
• Best Practices in Quality Management for the Capital Facilities Delivery Industry (254_1.pdf)

Question(s):

How to enhance project oversight to create better projects outcomes? 
 

Expected Outcome(s)

• A practical framework and toolset for integrated construction oversight, enabling better coordination, documentation, and accountability across teams and project phases. This should build upon or integrate past CII research (and expand it).
• Actionable recommendations for staffing, technology adoption, and interface management to support seamless project execution and minimize risks.

Expected format:

Traditional 2-year Research Team / 1-year RT.
 

Notes:

• What this is not about: 
  • A project addressing quality management exclusively. Quality management is a symptom of a problem but not necessarily the only problem related to oversight.
  • Not about specific hardware like drones – the team may collaborate with CII's technology Committee on technologies (see note below).
• There is a strong connection to technologies in this topic. The idea is that the project will not focus on any technology or solely pursue technology as a solution. The RT will collaborate with the Technology Committee to schedule two sessions with the purpose of scanning applicable technologies (one early on and another later in the project).
• Any references to QA/QC need to take into consideration the work of RT-406.
• Potential aspects (dimensions of this project):
  • Sponsor and leadership capability: experience levels of project sponsors and executive leaders may correlate with successful oversight
  • Contract governance and its relationship to trust/relational governance may influence the “opportunistic behavior” in projects. This topic may relate to contract management–how different contracts may provide better oversight frameworks and ultimately reduce disputes. Contract type (EPC, lump sum, unit rate) impacts quality outcomes.
  • Are we talking about governance in early FEP (before project approval) or governance in project execution? It seems the intent is on project execution/construction.
  • Technology scan (see note above)
  • Interface management and communication dimensions. These may be relevant factors. interface management, ownership, and alignment across contractors. This may relate to broader considerations around transitioning scope between functional teams or to the owner, highlighting the need for more effective interface mechanisms.